Chance The Rapper Condemns Spike Lee’s “Exploitive And Problematic” Chi-Raq
Spike Lee’s new film Chi-Raq is a modern-day retelling of Aristophanes’ Lysistrata, an ancient Greek comedy that was first performed in 411 BCE and tells the story of one woman’s attempt to end the Peloponnesian War. She does this by convincing the women of Athens and Sparta to withhold sex from their lovers until the men negotiate a peace treaty. In Lee’s retelling, women in Chicago use the same strategy to end gang violence in the city.
Chance The Rapper — who is from Chicago and is deeply embedded in the political life of the city — tweeted a disparaging comment about Lee’s movie a few weeks ago but deleted it soon after. But Chi-Raq is in theaters today, and as Pitchfork points out, the 22 year-old rapper has joined the number of prominent Chicagoans condemning the film. He took time to explain why he considers the film to be problematic in a series of tweets after retweeting the following:
Don't forget support your struggling neighborhood DVD man when #chiraq come out 💯💯💯?🏿?🏿?🏿
— Reese of the People (@ReeseSwag) December 4, 2015
Here’s what Chance had to say:
Let me be the one from Chicago to personally tell you we not supporting this film out here
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
That shit get ZERO love out here. Shit is goofy and it's a bunch of ppl from NOT around here telling u to support that shit 🙅🏾🙅🏾🙅🏾
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
The people that made that shit didn't do so to "Save Lives". It's exploitive and problematic
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
Also the idea that women abstaining from sex would stop murders is offensive and a slap in the face to any mother that lost a child here
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
You don't do any work with the children of Chicago, You don't live here, you've never watched someone die here. Don't tell me to be calm
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
Over the past two years, Chance has helped lead an anti-violence campaign over Memorial Day weekend that uses the hashtag #SaveChicago.
S/O #FaithInAction #PutTheGunsDown #SaveChicago and whoever else is tired of holiday wknds in the summer meaning multiple shooting deaths
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 21, 2015
The city went 42 hours without a reported shooting during that campaign, a fact that Chance shared in the lead-up to this year’s Memorial Day weekend.
We finna party and protest and protect all wknd. I watched the city go 42 hours without a reported shooting this same wknd last year
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) May 21, 2015
Fellow Chicagoan King Louie is among a collection of local rappers calling out the film. He shared a song called “Fuck Spike Lee” along with a video directed by Forman James; watch it and check out the Chi-Raq trailer below.
UPDATE: Spike Lee responded to Chance’s criticism in a recent interview with MSNBC. He said:
First of all, Chance the Rapper should say full disclosure: his father works for the mayor. He’s the chief of staff. His father is the chief of staff. Show me any criticism, if you’re so concerned about Chicago, do your research, show me where he’s made criticisms about the mayor. I think your finds will be surprising. He’s not criticized the major. Why? His father works for the major.
Watch the full interview below.