Hollywood Central: M-Bone's Family, Fans Remember Cali Swag Star At Funeral

Sunday, May 29, 2011

M-Bone's Family, Fans Remember Cali Swag Star At Funeral

'I never got to tell him this: He taught me a lot,' groupmate Yung tearfully tells M-Bone's mourners.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Kelly Marino

The remaining members of Cali Swag District at M-Bone's funeral on Friday
Photo: MTV News

On Friday (May 27), family, friends and fans paid their respects to rising hip-hop star Mante "M-Bone" Talbert of Cali Swag District at an Inglewood, California, funeral open to the public. The 22-year-old, who was born September 17, 1988, was gunned down in a drive-by shooting on May 15 in his hometown of Inglewood.

More than 2,000 people, including Talbert's grandmother, uncle and the three remaining members of Cali Swag, attended M-Bone's funeral at the Faithful Central Bible Church. Talbert, who made his mark as one-fourth of CSD, will be remembered by the hip-hop community as the group's energetic dancer. Bone was most famous for doing the Dougie, a 1980s dance that found new life thanks to the quartet's 2010 platinum hit "Teach Me How to Dougie."

CSD member Yung spoke at the funeral about his fallen friend's impact. "I never knew anybody's body can move that way before I met M-Bone," he said to the crowd while sobbing. "Since the sixth grade, me and him been dancing together, but I never got to tell him this: He taught me a lot."

While the service was no doubt emotional, as loved ones mourned the life of M-Bone, some friends, like Pee Wee of the hip-hop group the Rejectz, urged people to remember the positive aspects of his life. "We lost a great person, but it shouldn't be no tears. We should be celebrating, turning it up," he told MTV News.

After the service, M-Bone was laid to rest.

At approximately 10:30 p.m. PT on May 15, police were called to the 400 block of La Brea Avenue in Inglewood. When they arrived on the scene, they founded Talbert seated in the driver's seat of his vehicle with two gunshot wounds to the head. Witness accounts confirm that a gunman pulled up alongside M-Bone in a separate vehicle and let off at least two rounds.

MTV News reached out to the homicide division of the Inglewood Police Department early Friday and learned that there have been no arrests and there are no suspects in connection with M-Bone's murder.

The Inglewood Police Department is asking anyone with information to come forward and call its homicide division at (310) 412-5246 or its 24-hour anonymous hotline at (888) 41 CRIME, or (888) 412-7463.

Share your thoughts for M-Bone's friends and family in the comments.

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