A little over a month ago, we saw Lupe Fiasco overcome with emotion as he watched video of friends whose young lives were snuffed out by violence. A week ago, the Chicagoan stated that the culture Chief Keef represented scared him. Today, we see more hard evidence as to why Lupe fears for the direction of his hometown, and the young people who populate it.
A 16-year-old rapper named Joseph Coleman, otherwise known as Lil JoJo, died from gunshot wounds late last night. Coleman had been embroiled in a rivalry with Chief Keef associate and fellow rapper Lil Reese, even having an angry exchange with him in a video was posted on YouTube only a few days ago. In the clip, someone yells the words “I’mma kill you.”
In a seemingly related set of tweets following Coleman’s death last night, Keef seemed to be laughing at the tragedy that befell his teenaged rival.
hahahahahhahahahahahahahaahhAAHAHAHAHA #RichNiggaShit
— CampaignSosa300 (@ChiefKeef) September 5, 2012
Its Sad Cuz Dat Nigga Jojo Wanted To Be Jus Like Us #LMAO
— CampaignSosa300 (@ChiefKeef) September 5, 2012
In major cities throughout the country, most vividly represented by Chicago, IL, nihilism has mutated from a philosophy into a trend. Teenagers and young adults alike wear not giving a fuck like the latest snapback or Nike release. Besides the long standard motives of perceived slights, gang affiliations, drugs and money, kids are more frequently than ever dying because it is in style to not care.
Why else are teenagers laughing when others their age are murdered? Why else are young men and women gleefully watching the world burn around them for no other reason than they like the glow of the flickering flames? After years of neglect from absentee parents and underfunded public school systems that can no long muster even a half-hearted effort to educate the youth, the kids have just plain run out of reasons to believe in anything.
What’s the remedy?
I imagine whiny blog posts won’t save the next generation from running toward impending doom like a Black Friday sale at Best Buy. The only option is to try to save one kid. Maybe it’s your own son or daughter. Maybe it’s the son of a friend who finds himself behind bars because of his own misspent youth. Maybe it’s a neighbor. Just find one, any one, and give them something to hold on to. Try to give them something to believe in through your example. Through your actions. With sincerity. With your time.
If not, you may as will get a bag of marshmallows, cozy up to the inferno and watch what’s left go up in smoke.
![[avatar]](http://p.uproxxcdn.com/photo/1553/profile)
This aint right
Keef’s 15th minute of fame…
Fuck Chief,his fans,people that stick up for him and Interscope for giving his dumbass money and encouraging his lifestyle and everything that is wrong with the youth which he represents.
There’s gotta be a way to stop this. Email bomb Interscope, protest that shit outside of their offices. The music represents the people, and when money rules it too much you need real people to push back and say “we don’t support this shit, it doesn’t do us any good”
We’re paying for entertainment, and if someone gets KILLED for it? Fuck that yo
I’ve heard that Interscope is trying to drop him.
This sorta thing makes me ashamed of my generation.
Wow…
I worked in a jail for 4 years……this is the mentality they have. Life is cheap to them and could careless what you think. Sad state of affairs, but I got hope things can change
Fuck a song pun, This is some bull shit. It’s sad that someone who has embodied that culture is becoming a hot commodity in music.A young man who was raised with lack of guidance has become the role model to many others who are going through the same. And stuff like this is a strong indication that life might not end well for him. I pray that there will be a change in him and Chicago in general.
this piece makes me wonder why you guys didn’t post “Dissent” or any of my recent music, which addresses all the shit you speak on in this article. smoking section should put there money where their mouth is.
Dog, I fuck w/you, but pls don’t come in plugging your tape.
If you want to contact me, email me.
that’s what this piece makes you wonder?
Dude. This is tacky.
This is almost as bad as spamming links on Twitter.
You think anybody wanna listen to ur shit now? After this? Smh
damn dude
FOH man
lmfao
definitely not a plug, just stating my opinion. isn’t that what this site is meant for?
There is a place and time for everything. You did it wrong.
Wow…fucking louisville idiots. No wonder you haven’t made it and no one in kentucky really fucks with you
This place is run largely off the give and take of opinions, thoughts and ideas. To be honest, nothing you’ve sent has caught an ear on this side in a while.
We post, say, a “Bad Bitch” or something like Mikkey’s Castro tape that did speak to society’s ills and did it in a way that made us nod our heads. Hey, we damn near gave Mike’s album 5 cigs I think.
Then there’s other stuff we listen to that didn’t or maybe we overlooked b/c prev work – which we’d listened to on more than one occasion – didn’t. We don’t post that.
We filter thru everything and post what we like or what we have time to post. Never claimed to be one of those sites that plays the mp3 shuffle and throws up every hot mp3 or new release project that comes out. Not our deal.
damn, bad move.
I wonder how the president feels about the situation in his hometown. No judgement, just wondering.
the pain in realizing how many young black men, women, and children are killed on a nightly basis is increased tenfold when i realize how fucking long its taken Barack to say something about it.
The Pres. has addressed it. Remember – Rahm, his former right hand man, is mayor of Chi, so he can’t avoid it.
Yeah, I know. I….Idk, man, I’m just really disappointed in how long it’s taken him to do it. He was at the podium speaking on Aurora the morning after.
I dont need the Prez to address it…..there are hundreds of thousands of dads, uncles, brothers, cousins, etc that have to be the voice on this. We all got to step up and help on this one…..
@1979 you’re right, famo. initially i was ready with a “i ain’t sayin we need presidential instruction to hop into action”-like retort but we have babies in the streets bucking at anyone about anything & dying over absolutely nothing. getting mad at the prez ain’t really helping the situation, i suppose.
This is fucked up. I think it’s time for the music industry to take a step back and look at what they are endorsing. We already know this is far from over. Keef probably going to have to watch his back even more now.
So where are the parents??? …………..anyone???……… what?…… That’s racist??? Oh, OK……. I’ll just pray for Chicago.
and yet this story will be forgotten and/or ignored by major music media outlets once the kanye song drops…thats how the music works. any significant discussion that is had about the culture as a whole is quickly forgotten once the new hotness drops….”bitch bad” shouldve at least started discourse within the industry and its players. but nope. nobody wants to ask the tough questions about whats happening in the community. lupe speaks on it but hes “too smart for his own good”…we watch the world burn and sit back and drink water.
its a sad and unfortunate situation when this can keep happening and we just say, “thats how that shit is” and wait for it to happen again…these brothers are fighting a hard uphill battle and they arent getting any meaningful guidance.
So…a large portion of rap music in general has detrimental and huge negative influence for YEARS and all of a sudden it’s taking Chief Keef for people to recognize it. That’s stupid. Ya’ll talking him “encouraging a lifestyle” as if people we consider LEGENDS in rap haven’t already done that and set the trend for this cycle.
Ask yourself how why gangsta rap was replaced as the star subgenre of hip-hop by Cash Money and Puff Daddy after Pac and Biggie died, and then you’ll realize that this isn’t the FIRST time we’ve recognized it.
Or maybe you won’t. This is the second time TSS has spoken on how this Chief Keef thing isn’t quite right, and this would be the second time some cats have ignored them.
+1 to Sage
Sad state of affairs man, it really is. The value of black life is being viewed as less than the ink it cost to print obituary columns, worst, our deaths arent even reported. Granted the ingredients to this shitstorm has been brewing for years, and now thanks to technology, we get to see it in full view…..
As far as rap’s place in this, it is mostly shameful, but the blame doesnt lay squarely on the corporations shoulders but with the individuals. hopefully more people working in the industry will be the change they wanna see, but, death, pain, crime are things America has always made “sexy” and gravitating, i dont see that allure changing anytime soon….sadly
That’s that shit I dont like.
Somebody had to say it
Babies making babies, babies killing babies.
Chief keef has a kid too, guess he dont care bout his baby life either.
right! Keef is someone’s father…damn.
he got a kid? dizzamn
Nah. He’s some baby’s sperm donor.
He aint no got damn father.
@smarter
thank you. lets hope his seed doesnt look up to him for guidance.
@aaron smarter
And that’s real talk.
*were
“In major cities throughout the country, most vividly represented by Chicago, IL, nihilism has mutated from a philosophy into a trend. Teenagers and young adults alike wear not giving a fuck like the latest snapback or Nike release. Besides the long standard motives of perceived slights, gang affiliations, drugs and money, kids are more frequently than ever dying because it is in style to not care.”
Well stated and seemingly accurate (so far as you and I can tell), but it does beg a few questions regarding this “trendy nihilism”–whether it’s simply a product of exposure to nihilistic attitudes begetting a generation of casual nihilists (which is to say young people who look upon “not giving a fuck” without understanding the philosophical ramifications), or whether conditions are so abysmal in some parts of the United States (and, hell, abroad) that the only attitude that can possibly guard one’s psyche is a pervasive nihilism that appears casual. The truth, I’m sure, lies somewhere in between. Or maybe somewhere else. But it’s certainly worth exploring the root of the shift from “philosophy” to “Nike release,” so to speak.
chief keef = marlo stanfield
i will stay with my words, lil Reese know better and i believe that he and his group had something to do with it fuck what other say, ONLY GOD KNOW, BUT THE TRUTH WIll COME OUT
jojo older brother made a video exposing how he had sex with chief keef mom just a week ago now his lil brother dead
Wow, that’s dirty right there.
Damn. you got a link?
i seen that i knew it was about to be crazy after that.
@Yinyu [www.worldstarhiphop.com]
Dang
Really, Ms. Keef?
What’s goin on in Chi, LA, Detroit, parts of NYC is disgusting. I know the music industry doesn’t care about promoting violence and making it seem like the more you degrade Black women and Black men the better your chance of getting shine “as long as you dope”, but I don’t think Hiphop which is far from “urban” these days really cares.
We’ve totally given up on about 2-3 generations of Black kids. If you’re Black and under 30, America doesn’t care… If you can’t rap or ball or entertain, America really doesn’t care.
[www.youtube.com] please watch this video
Fuck you.
c’mon dawg. you’re gonna come on THIS post and post that?
who cares?? I live in Chicago and trust me the people who are dying are insignificant and ultimately were going to kill or harm others anyhow so this is “street justice” word to Ethan Hawke….from the outside looking in it looks bad but trust me when i say that these savages are doing us a favor by exterminating each other
You’re totally right. Who the fuck cares? Nevermind the people who get killed in the “”savages-killing-savages” crossfire.
Oh and it’s a shame that the little girl who was shot over the weekend didn’t die since she was probably gonna end up killing folks anyway.
SMMFH.
yea that’s unfortunate and I’m not justifying that…im strictly talking about bangers killing each other….that’s totally fine with me
What kind of bullshit is that, The loss of a human life is significant regardless. SMH
Jose you put up a point that’s very hard to swallow but valid nonetheless. Its an unfortunate truth and may very well be the reason why people outside those communities couldn’t care less. Lupe wondered why Aurora was such a big deal when there’s massacres all over the Chi. But the cold hard truth is that the PD’s, FBI’s, DEA’s etc. all view those crimes as the insignificant wasting each other.
Those caught in the crossfire though… those are the ones who deserve people’s tears and the public’s hard work to diminish the gang culture there.
that’s a valid point Jose, but word to Black Coriolanus- a loss of human life is significant regardless of who it is.
you can’t just give up on someone’s life so easily dawg. even if they seem hopeless.
ur an idiot… Too many people don’t give a fuck.
@Munoz:
Fuck you, homie.
This ain’t a comic book. It’s people’s lives. People with families (broken or not), dreams, goals, issues, and flaws, just like you and me.
Grow the fuck up b.
Are you kidding me? Life is precious. People killing each other isn’t doing anyone any favors..especially to the people in Chicago and their mental stability to these daily shootings and deaths.
fuck keef for that post. that’s just so low. you can’t even explain that away as being young and ignorant. that just shows a blackened soul. no character.
it’ll be hard to ever hit play on a track of his again.
WWTD: What Would Tupac Do?
Probably the same thing, then contradict himself 15 minutes later and make a song about.
+1
Wanna know whats really sad about the black youth nowadays? Being an African its crazy when you see my fellow continent men arrive in the states straight from abject poverty or from very humble backgrounds be told by their peers never to socialize nor go around (hoodish) black folks. You know a culture is really fucked up when you live in the Earth’s foremost 1st world country and folks from war torn zones and other 3rd world places are told never to associate nor be around that culture.
Saddens me! Coz you know someone from Syria who’s living the worst life one can possibly live atm is gonna come to the States and get that very same talk from his statesmen. Like how can you go from a literal “hell hole” and be told that there’s something almost worse?
Exactly. There’s no excuse for the level of ignorance found in inner cities in this country. No matter how bad things are in some of our hoods, there are places in this world where the level of poverty is unimaginable by American standards, yet they act more civilized than some of these idiots who want to be famous.
Yep, I can’t tell you how many times I hear Kenyans say how they’ve been told that they were “so much better than the blacks here!” I never view it as a good thing but either way its a reality. The young black youths in the hood are gonna be a lost cause if something isn’t done soon. But what though is what I wonder.
Some may hate me for this… but I am going to talk to the folks over at Interscope. Perhaps a drop is in order – and I ain’t talking about a mixtape.
get em TRA
Hate? More like respect.
I won’t hate you for it.
I hope you have pull with them, i just blew them up on twitter. Our society does NOT need to be represented like this via our “famous entertainers” (even though i have never heard of this guy.
This is why TRA is a boss!
Yes sir.
do it, man. respect.
I won’t hate you at all man, but it raises up more troubling questions. If a kid like Keef really gets dropped, the fuck is he gonna do? I would hope he just doubles down on his rapping and really tries to make a career. But that bad feeling in my gut thinks he’ll just be responsible for some bodies in the coming years. And what does it show the kids coming out of areas like that? Are they gonna realize that they need to act differently to get ahead, or is it just gonna prove even more to them that they can’t make it out? I’m not criticizing because I really have no idea how to answer my own questions.
I grew up near Chicago, but not in it. I’m from a suburb over to the west. Real white, real rich, had a great childhood. And seeing stuff like this just makes me so fucking depressed. That kids a twenty minute drive from my old home can be living in such an awful situation.
Yes TRA. We need it.
This is an absolute joke. This is the misconception that young rappers have, that they live in this fantasy world that is only among themselves and their colleagues. And that they have to live this hardcore thug life because its cool, probably because thats the image their idols represented growing up, when in REALITY people like BIG and 2pac were humble beings who didnt wish death upon anyone. This is the real world and you have to do your part is society as does anyone else. If interscope doesn’t act upon this, i wouldn’t be surprised. and you wonder why hip hop (ALTHOUGH THIS IS NOT HIP HOP BEING PRODUCED) has such a bad rap (no pun intended) because unimportant characters like this clown lives a fake life and only represents negativity and violence.
Showing a lack of remorse for the loss of a young life.
That’s that shit I don’t like.
everytime i try to reply to a post it goes down here…what gives?
Reload/refresh the page and it should show up where u wanted it to go. Been having the same problem.
He laughing now but we all know how that goes ” that stupid ass ignorant nigga next” eye for and eye. He’s a dam fool if he think he’s gone to live pass this month. He already know them Lil boys coming for revange. Its just fking stupid and uncalled for. Ain’t shit gangsta bout that! And I hope to god someones praying for him
And also this mentality if fueled by extreme drug use, these kids are smoking ALL types of lacked sh*t, drinking all types of alcohol mixed with syrupes, and popping pills on the regular, THIER MINDS ARE LITERALLY ROTTING, this is how they are able to aim these guns with no remorse, they’re zombies! it’s VERY rare that i have heard of or seen these kids do any of this “gangster” sh*t with a sober mind, they get f*cked up before they go out and do this sh*t smh
These lil savages hav daddy issues smh.
Now he’s dissing Lupe on twitter threatening to smack him up SMH
That was aimed at Jose. For whatever reason it ended up here.
bro if you really give a fuck then do something about it…but no you just read the headlines and keep on living your life like the rest of us…bafoon!
Something is going to happen to him or those close to him if he doesnt calm down. The sad thing is that I dont see him realizing his culpability in the situation if it does go down.
Ya’all thought that tweet was cold? Check out this comment from Youtube, allegedly written by Chief Keef’s official Youtube account, at one of JoJo’s videos.
“#REST IN PISS FUFU ASS NIGGA #GBE #LAM #LLLLL’SSS #3HUNNA OBLOCK @Chiefkeef?
OfficalChiefKeef 19 minutes ago 7”
[www.youtube.com]!
We can all complain about all the violence and ignorance but most of us arent doin shyt about it. How can you condone violence in the inner cities when our culture celebrates it and Interscope,record labels, tv shows gives money and promotes it. Yall forgotten most of yall favorite show is The Wire. Bang bang
Yes it is my favorite show. Its well done. When I ultimately introduce it to my sons it will be at a point where I know they wont idealize it. I always preach to them that violence isnt the answer. Just because I havent changed society as a whole doesnt mean Im not doing my part.
To be fair, the Wire does a pretty good job of showing the consequences to the lifestyle. That’s why everyone’s favorite bad ass gets killed from behind by a child.
Dude is 17 and just a dumb ass. Just read he has aspergers, see below.
The syndrome is named after the Austrian pediatrician Hans Asperger who, in 1944, studied and described children in his practice who lacked nonverbal communication skills, demonstrated limited empathy with their peers, and were physically clumsy.
This explains his most recent heartless tweets and the clumsy part refers to his look and rapping prowess.
just a few things to say….
people are always complaining about Ross and his fake past. but say he had lived that life maybe this is how he have been and maybe soon he would be dead.
EVERYBODY says they want their favorite artist to be ’bout that life’ and FYI this is what it looks like. it is disgusting. think about that when you complain about who is real and who is not.
ALSO I am really disappointed by TSS on this one. I went and looked at his timeline after this post and saw that those two tweets were actually in opposite order. which makes a huge difference. it is unknown to what the ‘hahah’ tweet was directed towards and TSS made it appear differently.
I do realize that this comment may seem in support of Keef but that is not true. I think he is a damn fool and sadly does represents a lot of his city..
a big SMH at all this.
okay viewing further I see that TSS may have just posted them in timeline format which would be correct, so my bad I revoke that part.
Hopefully he’ll soon be in a jail cell where he belongs.
I spend 50 hours a week tutoring and mentoring kids in Watts, and this is dead-on. F*cking nine-year-olds walk around like they run the school I work at, thinking that they’re hard because, as Whitt said, they just don’t care. And, boy, is it hard to get them to change that attitude. It has to be done, though. There are absolutely no shortcuts, but it has to be done.
Kudos/Respect to you homie.
Matter of fact, I need to start contributing help in someway too.. No use talkn if no action is done.
Re-reading what I wrote, I definitely came off as praise-hungry. I don’t wanna be that guy at all. Everyone should find time to help in some way. But Whitt is still dead-on. It disgusts me.
*claps for AJ anydamnway*
THIS is the attitude we need to have.
I ain’t cuttin’ my eyes at nobody….
Actually, yeah I am. Y’all know who, I ain’t even gotta say it.
Actions >> words.
I’M JUST SAD FOR MY LIL’ BROTHERS RIGHT NOW!
“Why else are young men and women gleefully watching the world burn around them for no other reason than they like the glow of the flickering flames?” This sums up the younger generation to a T great write up Whitt.
They might be the only niggaz in the game really about the life they’re depicting. Lil guy tried to fuck with them, nigga died. How often do you see that in the rap game?
ahahahahahahahahahahhahaahahahahahahahahahahah shit boy you sure is ignorant ahahaahaah kinda feel bad for thinking it’s funny
The remedy is to not give people like this idiot Keef the kind of attention you all heap upon them. They don’t deserve it, and their stupid antics are fuelled by idiot idolizers.
My question is to Kanye – why, out of all the rappers, all the activists (keef is an activist in his own way), all the young black kids in the Chi did he choose to give this kid shine? He heard a hot beat to jump on & didn’t think twice about the implications? Shame on him for that. Keef is coming off like more of a sociopath by the minute. Keep lil buddy faarrr away from me.
I blame Ronald Reagan
if yall really wanna help take us out da hood you cant have a peaceful state of mind when you fighting to scrap together change to eat dey got us like animals in cages den always wanna talk down wen shit pop off half yall couldnt survive a week n the jungle either help us get a better life style or get off are dick n also dont try to be a gangsta if you aint ready to die
Its very sad that you it takes an ignorant youth to belittle life and to take joy in the brutal slaying on a social network for people to take notice . These children are someone ‘s babies and not savages. They’read misguided and need for someone(s) to show them there is a better way to have success , and happiness rather than stealing , killing and dealing . Not all have parents , most are in the streets because theyre looking for that attention or whatever they can’t get at home .
We need to not complain and ignore them but embrace them. Show them another avenue to get what they want in need in life and how to value and respect THEIR OWN LIFE . Then they will be able to value and respect the life of another ..
And the violence in Chicago has been addressed going back to when he was a state senator . That is what Rahm & Chief McCarthy are working on . But they also need the community to support their efforts .
THAT LITTLE UGLE RAT BASTARD WON’T BE GETTING ANY MORE AIRPLAY FROM URBAN HITZ RADIO! YOU’RE DONE CHIEL KEEF!