As the sun finally sets on a sweltering Summer, and the Fall season begins to engulf the air, the season change appears to have no affect on Chicago’s steadily rising murder rate. The most recent slaying in the Windy City has two rappers and rivals at the center of the incident, one an up and coming artist Joseph Coleman, also known as Lil Jojo, and the more prominent Chief Keef.
On September 4th, Lil Jojo was shot several times by a drive by shooter, as he rode on the back of a bicycle. Coleman would succumb to his injuries just moments later, after running to a nearby house. Lil Jojo was killed just a block away from where Jennifer Hudson's mother, brother, and nephew where slain in 2008.
Just hours after the news that Lil JoJo had been murdered, Chief Keef took to twitter to express his feelings about the slaying of his rival. "It's sad cuz the N---- Lil Jojo wanted to be just like us #LMAO". Chief Keef's blatant lack of compassion propelled angry responses from Keef's 224,000 followers. Prompting the young rapper to exclaim that his account had been hacked.
It is known in Chicago rap circles that Lil Jojo had issues with Chief Keef, and fellow rapper and Def Jam artist Lil Reese. The tweets by Chief Keef have police looking more into the incident that may be deeper than rap.
Police say that Lil Jojo and Chief Keef are both members of rival gangs. Jojo belonging to the Gangster Disciples, and Keef a member of the Black Disciples. Police say that Lil Jojo had been warring online with members of the Black Disciples. Witnesses say a street confrontation had recently taken place involving a Chief Keef associate and Lil Jojo that had been posted on Youtube. Chicago police are investigating all angles and possible knowledge Keef may have in regards to the slaying.
This is not the first time Keef has used twitter to express his feelings, most recently about fellow Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco. In a radio interview, Lupe expressed that he is scared of what Chief Keef represents, "Chief Keef scares me. Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents,” Lupe expressed; speaking exclusively about the violent young culture that has engulfed Chicago. This prompted Chief Keef to tweet, "Lupe fiasco a hoe ass nigga And wen I see him I'ma smack him like da lil bitch he is #300". Lupe would respond to the artist, and then later express feelings of being despondent with rap, as well as the younger generation in the Chi, "i have spoken peace only 2 receive vitriol and malice in return. My brother seeks destruction my sister seeks attention paths to nothingness".
This is the latest story in the saga of the teenage Chicago rapper who burst onto the scene seemingly out of thin air with tales of drugs and gun violence. Will there be more instances like this for the young rapper? One can only hope that this story of sudden stardom intertwined with the gangster lifestyle doesn't turn tragic, as it so often does.
17 tracks to look forward to fellow Lupe fans! As you can see above, the tracklist to F&LIITGARA1 (most ridiculous initials ever, btw) features some intriguing song titles and not a lot of big name features. Lupe clearly doesn't need to go the route of obtaining a big name artist on his album and I'm glad the features will spotlight some under the radar singers (more Poo Bear, nice!) with Bilal, being the biggest name of the guests. No big-name emcees though. But no worries. I'm sure at some point, the hardcore rap fans will get Lupe with Favorite Lyricist X on a collab for some other future project. For now, it's all about Lupe, and I can't wait to digest what's shaping up to be his most lyrically controversial album to date on September 25th.
What do you guys think of the tracklist, features, and artwork?
"Bitch bad, woman good/Lady better, they misunderstood."
Raps been known for exploiting women, but Lupe Fiasco has gone against the grain in his new single "Bitch Bad." Lyrically unimpressive, Lupe's new single takes a step in the right direction but falls short.
Is exploiting women what sells and being kind to women boring?
Though degrading at times, Rap lyrics are to be taken with a grain of salt. Hyperbolic lyrics are what sells but should only be seen as an "artistic expression", not a lifestyle.
The Atlantic explores the history of the portayal of women from Tupac's epic "Brenda's Got a Baby" to Lupe's "Bitch Bad" in their most recent article.
At first galance you might think that I did something wrong with this post, but nope that's not the case. This actually may be the cover art for Lupe Fiasco'sFood & Liquor 2: The Great American Rap Album Pt. 1. The album is set to drop September 25th, and if this is the actual cover art I like it. Lupe is known for stepping out of the box with his music and now he's just going one step futher and doing it with his cover art.
Well what a treat I have here for all of you. Lupe Fiasco's new music video for "Bitch Bad" just dropped! Directed by Gil Green, Lupe continues to showcase that true artistry that we all so expect in his works. I'm diggin this visual as well as the song of course. We're all over here patiently waiting for that Food & Liquor II Lu. Enjoy!
Well after "Lamborghini Angels" just dropped yesterday, it seems that we will get a little more material from Lupe before his album, Food & Liquor II, drops on September 25th. According to iTunes, we can expect Lupe's next single, "Form Follows Function", to hit us in two weeks on August 28th. And then two weeks after that, we should get his last single "How Dare You" on September 11th. Awesome right? But wait there's more, besides these two anticipated tracks just being on repeat when dropped, you all should be on the lookout for Lupe's video for "Bitch Bad" to be dropping very soon as well. A lot to take in for all you Fiasco fans I know, but this is only the beginning as these next two months should showcase some amazing music. Lupe at it again!
