Chief Keef Promises To ‘Raise The Murder Rate Up’ With ‘Bang 3’ Mixtape
Chief Keef made a bold — and violent — claim that he would “raise the murder rate up” his Bang 3 mixtape, which will be available for download Christmas Day.
“Bang 2 And Almighty So On ITunes Right Now But Bang 3 No Lie Y’all Really Don’t know How crazy Im goin #ImFinnaRaiseTheMurderRateUp,” the 18-year-old rapper wrote on Instagram. “If I’m Lien I Can Get Killed right Now this Sh*t Is So f**kin hardcore #ThatOldSosa #bang3 N****s Better Be Scared.”
Last year, there were 506 homicides in Chief Keef’s hometown of Chicago, with 35.6 percent of the victims between the ages of 18 and 24. Of those homicides, 440 were by shooting. As of December 15, there have been 399 homicides in the city, with 329 by shooting, according to DNA Info. The percentage of victims between the ages of 18 and 24 also increased slightly to 35.8.
Lupe Fiasco, who announced his retirement last year after a Twitter feud with Chief Keef, spoke with DJ Whoo Kid Tuesday about the impact that music has on violence among young people.
“I think what we’re having now, and now this is outside of Chicago, this is Boston, this is Philly, this is everywhere, is people are having fun with violence. I think that’s the difference,” the 31-year-old said. “The songs now, or the pastime now is to knock somebody out. That’s just from my personal experience.”
Last September, after Chief Keef — whose real name is Keith Cozart — threatened him on Twitter, Lupe Fiasco said the culture the young rapper represents can be seen in the city’s rising murder rate.
“Chief Keef scares me,” he said in an interview with Baltimore’s 92Q. “Not him specifically, but just the culture that he represents … The murder rate in Chicago is skyrocketing and you see who’s doing it and perpetrating it, they all look like Chief Keef.”
In an interview with Karmaloop TV in April, Brooklyn rapper Talib Kweli said that Chief Keef is a “product of his environment,” but that he hoped he would eventually outgrow that influence.
“He’s somebody who comes out of a very horrifically violent neighborhood of Chicago. Whether you think he’s skilled or not, what he’s doing is extremely positive,” Kweli said.
“Even if he’s gang banging on records, I’d rather him gang bang on records than in the streets and if you gang bang on records, you’re at some point going to have respect for music and you’re going to grow out of that,” he added. “Snoop Dogg used to gang bang on records, now he’s Snoop Lion. If Chief Keef could get to Snoop’s stage, his content will change, you’ll see him grow up. I want to see him live, I don’t want to see him die.”
It appears that Talib Kweli was right in some regard. After being sentenced to 90 days in rehab for failing multiple drug tests, a judge said Chief Keef was making progress during his stay.
“I’ve had murderers who haven’t had so much time before this court. It’s getting ridiculous. I’m very happy he’s doing well, but if he comes back dirty, I’m done. This is it,” Judge Earl Hoffenberg said.
Chief Keef also recently paid $11,000 in child support to the mother of his 2-year-old daughter, Kayden Kash Cozart, two months after being sentenced to jail for failing to show up for a hearing.
