Rapper Chief Keef says a “Stop the Violence” concert in Chicago that had previously been postponed will go on as scheduled this weekend – only the rapper cannot be there in person because of outstanding arrest warrants.
Instead, the rapper–real name Keith Cozart–will appear via hologram at the concert, the location of which has not yet been disclosed. Keef posted a video to Instagram on Wednesday confirming the show will go on as planned.
“Banned by the Mayor of Chicago,” a deep voice narrates the video. “Chief Keef, from a secret Chicago location, live via hologram, collecting for charity. Stop the violence now.”
The concert was planned to increase awareness and raise funds for the family of 13-month old Dillan Harris, who was killed by a car that had been involved in a fatal shooting several moments earlier. Capo, real name Marvin Carr, a rapper who worked with Chief Keef, was killed in that shooting.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the original event was set to be held at the city’s Redmoon Theater. But officials from City Hall reportedly lobbied the theater to pull the event due to public safety concerns, and the venue complied.
“The mayor’s administration called Redmoon and informed them that the show by Mr. Cozart, whose music promotes violence, posed a significant public safety risk,” a spokeswoman for Mayor Rahm Emanuel told the Tribune.
Another prominent individual who had railed against the show was the Rev. Michael Pfleger, of the city’s St. Sabina Church.
“I’ve had the same stance since the beginning of this thing,” Pfleger told the paper. “If Chief Keef is calling to stop violence, that’s great. But his music and Instagram and Facebook pictures have to reflect the consistency of that. You can’t say ‘Stop the violence,’ but promote it in your music.”
“Both of these, the 13-month-old and the young man, are two lives lost,” Pfleger added. “Let’s not use this tragedy to promote a concert, to be a one-time saint.”
Still, according to Keef, the show will go on; he just won’t be inside the building. The Tribune reports that Keef has two outstanding arrest warrants in the city: one for nonpayment of child support and one for skipping a pretrial hearing on charges that he drove under the influence of drugs last year.
Hologram USA, the company that will help facilitate the rapper’s appearance, did not immediately respond to Breitbart News’ request for more information about the concert’s location.
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