As someone who grew up in the Queensbridge Houses during the crack epidemic of the 1980s, Nas knows the look of the serious crime wave that is gripping a certain area of a city. In a documentary produced by Revolt TV, the Illmatic rapper praises Chicago rappers for the their role in fostering the conversation about the violence that has plagued Chicago for years, notably the South Side of Chicago. The documentary, titled "Chicago Love," focuses on the gun violence that has afflicted Chicago. Nas asserts his support for the Chicago rappers in an interview during the documentary (via Boombox).
"Chicago is speaking where other people ain't talking [and] they're talking for themselves, giving us what's going on," he stated. "If it wasn't for the rap artists, the whole country would not know the state of emergency that's going on in the hood out there. So thank God we've got rappers from Chicago enlightening the whole world about what's happening, because nobody else wants to talk about it."
The documentary was filmed during the Lollapalooza weekend and not only looks at the violence in Chicago, but also the connection to the "Drill music" scene, a niche genre of hip hop native to the South Side of Chicago and the introduction of the Fe Fe movement.
Rahman Dukes and Keith Clinkscales produced the documentary and Dukes had this to say about the problems facing Chicago and the need to create a documentary:
"'Chicago Love' encompasses not just the violence in the city but how a failing school system, the community and music, all play a significant party in this ongoing epidemic that continues to plague the city. The violence in the city is very real and there are many variations we explore that must be changed for the better of the youth."
You can watch a minute long preview below that begins with a father whose 19-year old son was tragically shot and killed.
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