Yes, Keef, who is pretty much carrying the torch for Chicago’s uber-violent drill scene, laughed his ass off at an early hour when he saw that the teenager with whom he had beef was gunned down on his bike. That shit isn’t just cold, it’s fucking awful and cold blooded.
Now, that’s that shit I don’t like. Hell, it should be the kind of shit that none of us stands for. Why are we allowing this type of bullshit to now permeate our mainstream culture? Gang violence is, to be blunt, completely fucked. I understand that it will continue with or without the drill scene getting constant praise and reinforcement from buzz-producing blogs and magazines, but does that mean we should just ignore reality and shower love on songs like ”I Don’t Like”? I know, it’s a catchy-ass song and the G.O.O.D. Music remix gave it an even bigger boost, but man. If you reap what you sow, then we’re in deep shit.
Even hip-hop’s don-of-regrettable-soundbytes, aka Lupe Fiasco, succinctly stated in an interview why Chief Keef’s music and fame scare him:
Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents. Specifically in Chicago. And I don’t speak this about any other city because I’m not from there. But like my family lives in Chicago. So my nephews, my cousins, my friends, and my peoples they all in those hoods that he represents. When you drive through Chicago…The hoodlums, the gangsters, and the ones you see killing each other. And the murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it, they all look like Chief Keef.
I think Lu put it pretty succinctly and summed up exactly how I (and others) feel about this. Keef ain’t some 36-year-old, Rick Ross-like goober perpetuating the thug stereotype behind a facade. He’s a kid, or 17 to be exact, and not once have I heard a touch of regret in his “raps.” Instead, you hear/see shit like the song and video below.
So, are we supposed to pretend this music doesn’t exist and avoid it? Not necessarily. But perhaps it is time to stop praising it on such a superficial and voyeuristic level. Does this mean we have to shun those who glorify the gangster lifestyle? No, but that also doesn’t mean we have to churn out five-star reviews and gun range features for kids like Keef, who is rising to fame without mentors, without guidance, and without a care for those who are dying around him every day.
Click page 3 to read about Keef’s “run-in” with Lupe on Twitter, which is really just an addendum to what you just read.
