A Till Black Hero: COMMON

"What you get with a lot of young artists is if they gang bang on YouTube, pull guns and threaten someone else, this will give them a million YouTube views or 80,000 Twitter followers overnight..." - Rhymefest  (Chicago Rapper)

This is an unfortunate truth for many new and old Chicago rappers. Amongst all the negativity, there is at least one, with the cojones to stand up and speak. 

LET IT BE KNOWN:  TAOH, does not think that any one person can change an entire industry or nations way of thinking.The author does however, consider it to be the most gravest injustice to turn your head, and not say anything. It is never OK, to pretend like nothing has happened in the face of injustice. It is true, people will not like it or you, you may lose money (endorsements), time, and if history teaches us anything, you will earn attempts to take your life. As a Man, if any of that bothers you enough to be quite, there is only one adjective that describes you... Coward!

Common formerly known as 'Common Sense' from South Side Chicago (87th & Stony Island), decided to speak out in a particular way, due to the violence in Chicago last year. After speaking at the Chicago Music Summit in Oct. 2013, gunfire left 13 wounded including a 3 year old boy.

Classic Common Album

As a result Common has called on at least one occasion for a 'peace summit' that he would like to host with other South Side Chicago rapper Chief Keef. Seeing as Keef has been in a drug rehabilitation program for the past few months, nothing more has developed of the idea. Keef who's most well known stunts got him arrested after pointing a gun at Chicago Police Officers. He later violated his probation and after a video showed Keef (then 17 years old) firing a semi-automatic rifle at a gun range.
according to TMZ, and MTV Keef has been assigned as part of community service, to feed, groom and clean up after horses at the Horsefeathers Therapeutic Riding Equestrian Center in Lake Forest, Illinois.  Horsefeathers’ reportedly uses their horses as physical therapy tools for rehabilitating individuals with disabilities. 

The author happens to share the view of Common. The view that it is not necessarily Keef's fault that rival gangs in the neighborhood of Englewood have violent skirmishes, no more than Twista is to blame for so many grown men thinking it honorable to survive off the labor of their woman; For both circumstances existed before the men who glorified them existed. However, the reality is, young fans look into that window that rappers provide and are UNQUESTIONABLY, "influenced by that energy and take it the wrong way." - Common

Although this situation has not been brought to a conclusion (or an actual attempt for that matter), I still Salute Common for speaking on the issue, with any kind of idea on how we may curtail the senseless violence of my city.

Common - A Trill Black Hero!

-Knowledge Is The Key-