Mikkey Halsted has always been a emcee with social responsibility. I remember when Mikkey came through SoundScape two years ago and played us what he called a very important record featuring Lupe Fiasco. It was a couple days after Lupe’s annual Halloween show, and Mikkey and Lupe recorded together at the Attic while Lupe was still in town. The song was “Your Gone”, a narrative about a young person caught up in gang life, and a victim of gang violence. The song tells the story from different perspectives, that of the main character, a bystander, and the paramedic faced with the challenge of saving him. I was wondering when Mikkey would release the record, and when it would see the light of day. In lieu of the recent violence in Chicago, and around the country, Mikkey felt the time was now.
In light of “37 SHOOTINGS, 46 VICTIMS & 9 MURDERS” during Chicago’s first ‘warm’ weekend, the Trayvon travesty, 6-year old Aliyah Shell, and in honor of my cousins Ismail & Malik that were gunned down last summer…I felt as though this was the time to drop this song. Shouts to Lupe for helping me paint a vivid picture of what goes on everyday in Chicago and every other ghetto in America. Also, shouts to David ‘D.A.’ Doman & Jim LaVigne for providing us the perfect canvas to paint upon.
Special Dedication to Blair Holt and the hundreds of CPS students lost to senseless violence.
WE CAN NO LONGER WAIT FOR OTHERS, SEEMINGLY UNAFFECTED BY OUR ISSUES, TO SOLVE OUR PROBLEMS FOR US. SPEAK OUT AND SAY SOMETHING, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, DO SOMETHING.