A video of a man tossing money in New York’s Time Square is being shared on social media along with the text, “A man died in New York City, due to corona. He made a will to his friend that all his money to be tossed in middle of street as let people learn that all the money/wealth of the world has no value in comparison to your health. (sic)” The man in the video says that he is tossing money in the memory of this friend Joe Kush who passed away last year. Multiple Facebook and Twitter users have shared this video with a COVID spin.
Twitter user @rajivmehta19 garnered 28,000 views for the clip.
A man died in New York City, due to corona. He made a will to his friend that all his money to be tossed in middle of street as let people learn that all the money/wealth of the world has no value in comparison to your health. #vaccine#coronapic.twitter.com/2vhRBkKBrE
— Rajiv Mehta (@rajivmehta19) April 15, 2021
GOQii CEO Vishal Gondal tweeted this video along with the viral text on April 15. Since then it has gained about 1,500 views.
A man died in New York City, due to corona. He made a will to his friend that all his money to be tossed in middle of street as let people learn that all the money/wealth of the world has no value in comparison to your health#HealthIsWealth@GOQiipic.twitter.com/z1EqGU3r3w
— Vishal Gondal (@vishalgondal) April 15, 2021
Several Facebook users posted the video including singer Minu Muneer who has over 7 lakh followers.
Alt News also received multiple requests to verify the video on our helpline number +917600011160 and on our mobile application (Android, iOS). WhatsApp has labelled the message “Forwarded many times”.
Not related to COVID
The man in the video doesn’t reveal the cause of the death of his friend. He throws cash on the street and says, “A year ago today. A friend of mine died. He was the rain man, right? His name was Joe Kush. He got killed. And there were some pieces [jewellery] that he made that he never finished. Right here [shows two diamond-studded pendants]. And he made one for his daughter. He was a dude that was making good money and got killed for nothing. And I want to kind of commemorate if he died on the Ides of March [March 15] like Caesar…So it’s in his honour. It’s not something I want to do. It’s for him and if his family is watching I’d like them to DM me and I like to get them the pieces. Rest in peace, my brother.”
Joe Kush is a US-based rapper. As per Latest News South Africa, Kush hasn’t been active on social media since March 2020. This led to the rumour that Kush was allegedly shot dead. The report added that artists management hasn’t responded to the claim. Keyword search on Google doesn’t show a single media report that confirms his death.
As per Kush’s Instagram page, Fredj Productions handle his bookings. The rapper’s last post was on March 13, 2020, which shows him counting cash.
The viral video was uploaded earlier this year by TraxNYC Diamond Jewelry on March 20. TraxNYC is a New York-based jewellery company founded by Maksud Trax Agadjani. Agadjani is the man in the viral video.
He is featured in the US-based fashion magazine GQ Magazine where he critiques the chains of various rappers, including Quavo, Gucci Mane, Offset, 2 Chainz, Vic Mensa, Lil Pump, Future and Wiz Khalifa.
In December 2019, Kush uploaded a video of tossing cash on the street. Agadjani also features multiple times in the clip.
A video by a US-based jewellery store TraxNYC is being shared on Indian social media with the claim that a man is tossing money after his friend — rapper Joe Kush — died on March 15, 2020 due to coronavirus. However, there are no reports of Kush’s death at the moment.
