[Video] Que Billah: "KKK"
Earlier this week, Chicago hip-hop artist Que Billah releases the video for his song "KKK (Kids Killing Kids)". His hometown is under a rain of bullets and, with "KKK", Billah is looking to do his part to dispel the violence that has plagued the Windy City streets for too long. Much of the music that has dealt with death and dying in Chicago has been doubly tied to the rise of the "drill" movement on the city's south and west sides that gave birth to artists like Chief Keef, Lil Reese and King Louie. The general theme of the music was stereotypical rap aesthetics with an onus on the guns. We all remember Keef's infamous video for "I Don't Like"-filled with shirtless sixteen year olds waving automatic weapons in the camera. In contrast, Que Billah's effort here is genuine and well thought out. While the scenes shot in front of the cross bring to mind Ma$e and Puffy, the rest of the video examines how the plight of children living in disenfranchised environments, what causes it, and how it is eventually packaged and sold to well-off kids in the suburbs who grow up idolizing the street fables they heard from a screen in the safety of their bedroom. The violence certainly needs to stop, maybe Billah's part will help. Check out the video for yourself here below.
[youtube id="afDyzkHD2dQ" mode="normal" align="center"]
THROUGH THE LENS: Will Robson-Scott
Earlier this summer Will Robson-Scott took to the streets of Chicago to document the cities violence in the film called Chi Raq. This film was to show people how violence has been plaguing not only the city but its people who many have come to refer to Chicago as Chi-Raq because of the resemblance to the war stricken country of Iraq. The movie is centered around those who have been affected the violence in some way shape or form. The photos were taken during filming of the movie and include the people that were featured in the film. Check out the photos and watch the film here.
[Photos by Will Robson-Scott]
