“If a man washes his hands, he can eat with kings,” that is one of the most poignant lines from the book Things fall apart by Chinua Achebe.

Social Media has been rampant with remarks about George nooks since the reggae star was caught with approximately 2 ounces of cocaine by the police.  It is easy for those who don’t know the George Nooks story to criticize and judge.  For those who know the real story, they understand that the man had travelled a hard road in life and as he rose before, he will rise from this again.  George Nooks will ride out his storm.

In the late 80s to early 90s, George Nooks was your typical Brooklyn cracked.  He looked the part, he played the part and he was treated like a common cracked.  He got beaten by crack dealers on numerous occasion when he would take crack on credit and then wasn’t able to pay the dealer. Yes, the great reggae singer was a victim of the crack epidemic.

Nooks even got taken advantage of by sound systems owners and selectors.  When the average reggae and dancehall artists were being paid hundreds of dollars for dub plates, Nooks was voicing dubs for a hit of crack.

Nooks left the streets and leave the United States (not sure if he was deported), cleaned himself up and rose to the who is who among reggae artists.  Today, “God is standing by” is still a trailblazing song.

It is not clear if Nooks was slipping back to his past days in Brooklyn, New York; without hearing his side of the story we are not sure if the police planted the coke or if Nooks really had it and had plans to consume it.  What we do know is that if a man can rise from being a Brooklyn crackhead to the height he took his musical career then he can definitely rise from being caught with 2 ounces of cocaine.

There is no doubt that someday you will see George Nooks doing some great work in Jamaica, just like we see Ninjaman who was once labeled a cokehead, going around the island helping the less fortunate.

So before anyone criticizes, judge or disrespect George Nooks, it might serve them well to understand the man’s story.  God is standing by George Nooks even during his trials, tribulations and darkest hours, therefore there should be no doubt that the man will ride out his storm.  After the storm, he will wash his hands and he will be eating with kings and queens again.