Chief Keef made a triumphant return to his hometown of Chicago this weekend.
Hailing from the city's South Side, the exercise pioneer headlined the final day of Lyrical Lemonade's Summer Smash festival on Sunday (June 16). His setlist included classic bangers like 'Faneto', 'Love Sosa' and, of course, 'Don't Like'. And as you might have guessed, the energy in the crowd was electric — luckily, the ground didn't break like that viral video a house party.
Cole Bennett, the music director and Chicago area executive behind Lyrical Lemonade said NBC 5 Chicago that Keef's return “feels like a true celebration” for the city. “He's so embedded in Chicago and the hip-hop and music scene here. To bring him back home, in a way that feels like a real celebration,” Bennett said in an interview before Keef's show. “I truly believe it will be one of the most memorable, iconic, talked about moments. Not just hip hop, the history of live events, but the history of music in general.”
Keef last performed live in the Chicago area in 2012 during Lollapalooza, but he appeared in 2015 via hologram in nearby Hammond, Indiana before police shut it down due to pressure from the Chicago mayor's office. In a statement, then-Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel called the rapper — who was 19 at the time — “an unacceptable role model” and that his music “promoted violence.” Keef responded by posting the mayor's phone number on Twitter and said he was going to run for mayor of Chicago.
The Hammond concert was a “stop the violence” benefit, and Keef’s first words on stage were: “If you have goals, achieve them. If you have dreams, believe them. Stop the violence, stop the killing, stop the nonsense. Let the children grow up.” Keef was unable to appear in Chicago at the time because of two outstanding child support warrants.
Watch clips from Chief Keef's Summer Smash performance below:
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/chief-keef-performs-chicago-12-years-1235711552/