CBS Local noted that Cozart, "was also charged with driving without a license because he only had a permit and had an unlawful number of passengers for a graduated driver." While I wrote my Junior Theme on the commercialization of hip hop, I too focused on artists such as Chief Keef and his hardcore, "from the streets" style that has made him rather popular in mainstream music. While Keef has had a violent, and criminal past, this is no longer a poor, South Side teenager. He lives in Northbrook. Yes, you heard me right. He lives in an affluent North Shore suburb, nowhere near any ghettos or hoods.
Neil Steinberg of the Chicago Sun-Times, and resident of Northbrook found out about this young rap star in his neighborhood and popped open a YouTube video where he described Chief Keef's music videos: "Golly. A lot of sculpted young men with their pants around their hips, boxers rampant, hopping about to this plodding, semi-hypnotic beat, smoking something, waving guns and fistfuls of money." I'm guessing he was not the only Northbrook resident to have some hesitations, perhaps even fears of this "negative influence" in their neighborhood, yet an overwhelming amount of North Shore teens would agree that they like to "bump" to Keef's music. I know my friends do.
In my junior theme, I interviewed DJ and life-long hip hop fanatic, Spencer Howland who tells us, "White
people applaud him, when in reality all he is doing is working completely
against where hip hop and the civil
rights movement have been going for so long. Many view his work as completely destructive by bringing the music
back to a culture of violence and garbage. White people eat it up because they think it’s new experimentation and
the voice of the street but it's indulgent and ignorant." Our culture has begun to accept this behavior, especially within the music industry. Why is it that privileged white teens are sponsoring these violent and misogynistic themes in music? Please share your thoughts below.