After McComb police officer Will Gatlin received news on Aug. 5 that 10-year-old Ja’Darrius “Scrappy” Wilkinson was shot dead in his home on McComb Street, Gatlin said he felt like he needed to raise awareness of violence in the community.
Just four days after the tragedy, Gatlin reached out to his friends and asked if they would contribute to a memorial song about Wilkinson.
Nearly a week after Wilkinson’s death, Gatlin wrote the song “Love is What We Need” and recorded it.
“I played on that same street, on that same corner where he was killed,” Gatlin said. “I grew up in that neighborhood, on those same streets around those same people.”
Wilkinson’s cousin, Willie J. Wilkinson Jr., 22, is charged with second-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession of a stolen firearm after allegedly killing Ja’Darrius when he was supposed to be babysitting.
Gatlin said that as a police officer, he and others in the city are instructed by Police Chief Scott McKenzie to be more personable in the community.
“He wants us to know the needs of the community, and I wanted to do something more than just a funeral and burial,” Gatlin said. “I wanted the family to have something to look back on and see how the community came together.”
The song’s hook — “We all have to be responsible for something” — is the message Gatlin wanted to get across to people, he said.
Cardell “Trip-C Tha Block Bishop” Stewart, the artist who wrote and performed the rap part of the song, said Gatlin told him he was tired of the violence and drug use in Baertown, particularly the abuse of synthetic drugs known as Mojo.
It’s unclear whether that or any other drug had anything to do with the shooting.
“He said he was tired of stuff going on with Mojo and wanted to make a song dedicated to the family,” Stewart said of Gatlin.
Gatlin gave Stewart what information he had on Wilkinson and told him that a story had recently been published in the newspaper.
Stewart said he went to a gas station, bought the paper and talked to the clerk, who happened to know Wilkinson’s mother.
After learning more about Wilkinson, Stewart said he wrote his portion of the song that night.
“I wrote that verse in about 20 or 30 minutes,” Stewart said. “It just came.”
Stewart said after Gatlin sent him what had already been written, Stewart listened to the beat and began writing.
“My verse was done that night and I wrote him a text and told him I’m ready to go,” he said. “Will got the idea on Sunday, and Sunday night I was ready to go. As soon as I got the newspaper and knew what I could write about, I started writing.”
The video on YouTube has been viewed more than 3,000 times since being uploaded Sept. 1, and the song has been played on 107.7 WAZA radio station.
“People love it and they’re being touched by it,” Stewart said. “Will has gotten so many calls and I’ve gotten so many inbox messages.”
Gatlin said he never expected to receive so many responses, and hopes to find a positive in tragic circumstances.
He just wants the Wilkinson family to know they have support from the community.
“We have the song on iTunes and we want to take the proceeds from the song to set a scholarship or trust fund in La’Terrius Wilkinson, Ja’Darrius’ brother’s name,” he said.
“We want it set up at First Bank in McComb and have it where anyone can make donations.”
