Chiraq” As a Part of American Culture

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Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Nikol Chmelíčková

“Chiraq” as a Part of American Culture

Bachelor’s Diploma Thesis

Supervisor: Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D.

2015

I declare that I have worked on this thesis independently, using only the primary and secondary sources listed in the bibliography.

……………………………………………..

Author’s signature

I would like to thank my supervisor, Jeffrey Alan Smith, M.A., Ph.D, for help, patience, and valuable advice.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 5 1. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO 7 1.1 Growth and urbanization 7 1.2 Immigration and the Great Migration significance 8 1.3 Enforcement of segregation 10 1.4 Formation of African American subculture 13 1.5 Gang formation and violence 14 1.6 Chicago today 16 2. MUSIC OF CHICAGO 19

2.1 African American cultural expression 19 2.4 Business and music industry 23 3. CHIRAQ 24 3.1 Creation of the term 24

3.2 Reflection of Chicago’s past 27 3.2.1 Rappers’ Backgrounds 27 3.2.2 Presence of Segregation 30

3.3 Responses to the concept 32 3.3.1Trigger of Violence 32 3.3.2 Struggle for Money 34 3.3.3 Business opportunity 35 3.3.4 Prevention 36

3.3.5 Anti-Chiraq 37

CONCLUSION 38

REFERENCES 40

APPENDIX 46

ENGLISH SUMMARY 48

CZECH SUMMARY 49

INTRODUCTION

The cultural phenomenon called Chiraq is a neologism that is recently being used to refer to the city of Chicago. Since the term was coined in 2009 by the Hip Hop subculture within the city, Chiraq has become a popular nickname, was used in number of rap songs and has proved to be resonating with broader audience. Moreover, there has been significant media hype in relation to it and the term also became an inspiration for several documentaries.

To begin with, it is important to identify the historical background in relation to

Chicago which has given existence to Chiraq. What has made Chicago an important center of the USA in the late nineteen century was the meat-packing industry employing large amount of population and the railroad transportation. The growth of the city was enormous not only in terms of economy but also as far as the population is concerned.

Chicago became a popular destination for immigrants from Europe. The most significant were the Irish and the Italians who later contributed to the emergence of

Chicago’s gangs. Furthermore, during the Great Migration, the African Americans were coming in great numbers as an answer to the need for workers during the First World

War. The racial prejudices, however, has caused the creation of black ghetto in the

South Side district. What is more, the segregation gave rise to phenomena of black gangs and gun-related violence.

The African American culture introduced the oral tradition to Chicago, beginning with the 1920s’ era of Jazz through the emergence of Hip Hop in late 1980s, until the most recent establishment of Drill music. As Blanchard believes, all of these genres share the same roots and conveys messages that reflect the lives of African

Americans in the USA in different periods. By this token, the most recent genre of Hip

Hop – Drill – characteristic for evoking violent atmosphere and including aggressive

5 lyrics, describes the conditions in the segregated community in the Chicago’s South

Side district.

In fact, Drill music invented the term Chiraq by blending the two words –

Chicago and Iraq – which in fact established the notion of an urban area being a war zone. What will be argued are the aspects of past developments of the city that the label reflects as well as how they influenced the cultural resonance and shaped the responses in connection to the label Chiraq. Eventually, the position, function and significance of this phenomenon in terms of American culture will be identified.

1. DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO

1.1 Growth and urbanization

The first milestone that holds significance is according to John Hagedorn, an expert in urban studies, the era of 1860s when there was an extensive economic growth in Chicago including the meat-packing industry and building of the railroad that transformed the city into important midpoint of the country. In fact, the stock yards located in the South Side of the city became the biggest stock market in the world at that time that produced more than eighty percent of meat that were consumed in the USA.

Furthermore, the railroad system development was significant not only because it enabled goods to be shipped but also because it enabled people to travel long distance in relatively short time (“Chicago History Episode 1”). As a consequence, the population growth in this area was massive. As Hagedorn indicates, Chicago went from being ranked 92 among the American cities in 1840s to becoming the second largest city in the USA in 1940s in terms of population size following the trend of extensive urbanization that was typical for the turn of the century in the USA.

The numbers did not change significantly even after the Great Chicago Fire broke out in 1871. Despite the fact that Chicago was at that time already heavily populated the losses were more significant as far as the infrastructure of the city is concerned. On the other side of the issue, the urban redevelopment of the city that followed facilitated the reorganization and modernization of the city and it also introduced new concepts in architecture such as new construction technologies that created the Chicago’s skyline (“Chicago History Episode 1”). The industrial revolution in fact helped the city to redefine itself, keep pace with the novelties of the time and maintain the position of economically significant city in the USA till present times.

1.2 Immigration and the Great Migration significance

Chicago’s industrial development including the stock yards and the meat- packing industry caused that there was also a great demand for workers. As a result, the immigrants from European countries were coming to Chicago (Hagedorn, "Early

History of Chicago Gangs"). In 1890s, as Paral and Norkewicz in their report argues,

“the immigrant population in Chicago was dominated by persons from northern and western Europe, principally Germans (161,000 individuals) and Irish (70,000).” In the following decades, however, “the sources of European immigration shifted to the east and west. New communities of Russian Jews, Slavs and Italians became established. By

1910 some 122,000 persons from Russia lived in Chicago along with 45,000 Italians”

(Paral, Norkewicz). In spite of not being the most numerous group of immigrants, the most significant nationalities groups in Chicago, as it will be argued further, were the

Irish and Italians.

What the first massive wave of immigration meant to Chicago was according to

Timuel Black, a historian originating from Chicago, the decline in morale that was reflected in “’bizarre behavior [of immigrants] according to US standards’” (Hagedorn,

"Early History of Chicago Gangs") at that time, by which he means that many of them become engaged in the criminal activity and consequently prosecuted by law. Also, according to Hagedorn, there was an important difference between the status of the

Irish and Italians in Chicago. Not all Italian immigrants were recognized as citizens; as a result, they tended to focus more on gambling and other similar business activities associated with the Chicago’s underworld1. In addition, they did not have the right to vote, therefore, they could hardly influence the politics or the law in any legal way. The

1 The word “underworld” according to Hagedorn was coined in Chicago and was derived from the fact that the activities associated with this term such as gambling and meetings of the immigrants were happening mainly in the lower floors of buildings (Hagedorn, "Early History of Chicago Gangs"). 8

Irish, in contrast, were granted citizenships; therefore, they had the opportunity to gain the control over the political scene in the city:

’It was the Irish that understood that the social athletic club, the organization of gang youth, could be very helpful in developing their political power (…) and the youth of gangs by politicians (…) gangs became a trademark for Irish politics of not only helping politicians, get elected, but also the method of mobility for Irish street youth who might join the gang and eventually grow up to be a mayor of Chicago. (…) But the point is that for the Irish particularly, gangs and politics were deeply entwined.’ (Hagedorn, “Early History of Chicago Gangs”) In fact, Michael Cassius McDonald was the first Chicago’s leader who was also in control of many of the underworld activities and as Hagedorn beliefs, McDonald also became an inspiration and role model for the Irish citizens.

As far as the origins of African American ethnicity in Chicago is concerned, the percentage of black residents accounted by 1890s only as much as two percent. What caused the number to grow was mainly the phenomenon known as the Great Migration in the USA. The Great Migration was initiated by the oppressive conditions that the

African Americans were exposed to in the south of the USA as a result of passing the

Jim Crow laws which in essence promoted the discrimination of African Americans.

What is created was a “caste system [which] was enforced not only by law, but by a widespread campaign of terror, known as lynching. Between 1880 and 1950, mobs of white men tortured and murdered approximately 3,500 African Americans, often before crowds of spectators, to avenge suspected violations of the social and legal code”

(Layson and Warren). The motivation of African Americans was therefore try to escape from the exploitation in the South by heading north where they hoped to lead a new better life.

However, the major wave of African American migration was initiated by the

First World War. Until then, the black labor force in Chicago was being discriminated by the factory owners who were more likely to employ European immigrants. As

Robert M. Lombardo discusses, the First World War brought the boom of industries that could satisfy the needs of the war. This meant that there was a need for African

American workers which was also supported by the fact that many European immigrants in Chicago were returning back to their home countries in order to join armed forces and defend their country; as a consequence, “over 50,000 Negroes poured into Chicago between 1916 and 1920 to fill the need for labor” (Lombardo).

Furthermore, the motivation for the African Americans to come to Chicago in particular during the era of the Great Migration might also have been encouraged by the fact that the Defender newspaper, with a great number of subscribers in the South and significantly popular among African Americans, was based here and portrayed the city as accessible and prospective for the black community to move to (Lombardo). What is more, “as the terminus for the Illinois Central Railroad, Chicago was the North’s most accessible city for southern job seekers from the Mississippi Delta region. The Illinois

Central Railroad Station, located at Twelfth and Michigan, was near Chicago’s new and expanding South Side black community” (Lombardo), which later become known as

“The Black Belt” (Thrasher).

1.3 Enforcement of segregation

With the migration of African Americans to Chicago, new large community was emerging within the city:

The creation of a monolithic racial ghetto came at roughly the same time that southern states erected Jim Crow barriers to integration. As their numbers grew from less than fifteen thousand in 1890 to over fifty thousand in 1915 and as they became much more noticeable in the city, blacks found hostility where they had once encountered benign neglect. (Biles) The cultural clash between the newcomers and Chicago’s residents was unavoidable.

The racial prejudices have soon emerged. As a result of white people rejecting having

African Americans living in their neighborhood ghetto of African Americans formed in

10 the South Side of Chicago. Consequently, the division between the white and black

Chicago was established.

Furthermore, as Roger Biles mentions, there was a struggle between the white and black community in Chicago in terms of employment and job places. The numerous groups of African American immigrants that came there in hope of finding work places were serious competitors to the white residents. This kind of tension climaxed in 1919 by the race riots when the overall mood was strongly antagonistic to the African

American population and was also reflected in some of the city policies that supported segregation and aimed to maintain it rather than create a concept of melting pot within the city. Biles mentions that for instance in 1920s, there were efforts on the side of

Chicago Real Estate Board to create different terms and conditions of buying a house for white population and black people by “drafting a standard covenant that prohibited the sale or lease of housing to African Americans” which as Wendy Plotkin, whose research Biles also mentions, concludes, proved effective.

Moreover, there was yet another area of the city that was beginning to be settled by the African American community which was the west side of the city: “as upwardly mobile Jews and other eastern Europeans left the West Lawndale neighborhood west of the Loop, blacks raced in from the South Side and from outside the city to seize suddenly available housing” (Biles). Subsequently, Biles adds that the white population in these areas decreased, relocating mostly to the suburbs and mirroring the present state of affairs in Chicago.

On top of that, Biles states that it was also the federal government that contributed to the residential segregation in Chicago after the Second World War by introducing several plans concerning the restructuring and renovating the urban

11 structure of the city. As a result, in Chicago, private dwellings were replaced by the concept of public housing meaning that a considerable number of African Americans were displaced and the ghetto in the west side of the city has been established. What is more, there were also “institutional barriers to movement” applying to the black residents of South Side which ensured the division between white and black Chicago even more. At this point it is clearly visible that the residential segregation was supported by the Chicago’s authorities from the 1920s to the post Second World War period and the agenda that underlined it was the policy of segregation. What Biles consequently also remarks is that “a U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report issued in

1959 called Chicago the nation's most residentially segregated city” which proves that the division by segregation was actually preserved.

Furthermore, Thrasher (p. 23) provides detailed illustration of the social and racial distribution within the city of Chicago. He argues that the “zone in transition” could also be labeled as a “poverty belt,” indicating the social issues that were typical of this area, which is depicted as that of “deteriorated neighborhoods, shifting populations, and the mobility and disorganization of the slum” (p. 22). Importantly, he refers to this zone by the term “gangland” as well, due to the location of the most significant gang groups in this area. By this token, there seems to be a connection between the environment of poverty and gang formation.

Thrasher further adds that the phenomenon of gangs has been established as a response to social, political and cultural development of the city: “as better residential districts recede before encroachments of business and industry, the gang develops as one manifestation of the economic, moral, and cultural frontier which marks the interstice” (p. 23). Consequently, the link between poverty and gangs should be viewed in wider context, in this case, the South Side and its problem of segregation.

1.4 Formation of African American subculture

The significance of African American community began to rise within the city during 1920s and 1930s when new substances began to circulate in Chicago such as heroin or cocaine. As Timuel Black points out, this holds significance due to the fact that the black gangs were becoming to organize with the prospect of business that would be followed by profit. These African American gangs simply sought the control of the business activities. As Hagedorn further mentions, the most notoriously known organizations that formed with these intentions were the Vice Lords (established as soon as in 1915 and associated with the west part of the city), the Blackstone Rangers and the Disciples (also Black Disciplines or Black Disciplines Nation) which as Rod

Emery adds formed within the south part of Chicago. The Vice Lords Nation, as the

Vice Lords are sometimes also referred to, has actually introduced guns and the concept of gang wars to the black community and the rest of Chicago: “’the object was not to kill people but to prove manhood, to command respect’” (Lord Thing) and also to win recognition. However, the nature of violence that appeared in Chicago since the Vice

Lords has been established until 1969, led the city administration to announce the “war on gangs” (Lord Thing). Here, the military theme emerges in public officially for the first time in connection to the African American community in Chicago.

However, the consequences for the black community were distressing since after the declaration of the war on gangs, several representatives of the community that were either politically or publically active, were arrested by the police and imprisoned or even killed in bed asleep like for example the leader of the Black Panther Party Fred

Hampton (Lord Thing). Therefore the response of police could be perceived as rather violent too which in fact encouraged the violence rather than eliminated it.

On the other side of the issue, Thrasher (p. 473) found evidence that the African

American gangs together with politics and police have been in number of cases deeply entwined in form of immunity or police protection that was secured by the alliance with the powerful gang leaders. But still, as Hagedorn points out, the black gangs were heading towards different direction in contrast to Irish gangs and white ethnic gangs in general. The Irish gangs have actually infiltrated and become part of the political structure in the city of Chicago unlike the black gangs that were trying to be accepted as a unique group. From the beginning, however, black gangs as a part of African

American ghetto were encountering rejection and discrimination. Eventually, Hagedorn concludes that “the history of gangs in Chicago is fundamentally a history of race, or more precisely racism, though also inextricably tied to class and space” (Hagedorn,

“Race Not Space” 205).

Another important milestone that happened at the turn of the millennium concerns the consequences of Chicago’s Plan for Transformation adopted in 2000 which caused displacement of hundred thousands of tenants as a consequence of the demolition of number of public high-rise projects. What followed was according to

Greene and Pranis that the “scattered relocation to other segregated, high-crime areas of the city dislocated people from long-established social networks and increased friction and violence among Chicago gangs” since most of these public establishments were inhabited mainly by African Americans.

1.5 Gang formation and violence

At first, the term “gang” needs to be explained; according to Thrasher and his study of 1,313 gangs in Chicago, “the gang is an interstitial group originally formed spontaneously, and then integrated through conflict.” Furthermore, there are also certain types of behavior typical to this kind of social groups that was the basis for the

“development of tradition, unreflective internal structure, (…) morale, group awareness and attachment to the territory” (Thrasher 57). The typology of collective behavior by

Thrasher is provided by Figure 1 which demonstrates the varieties of behavior patterns that may occur within a gang. Throughout the history of Chicago’s gangs there has been shifts in these behaviors, however, the change did not endanger the phenomenon of gangs to disappear from the city entirely.

As far as social groups that were originally associated with gangs are concerned, according to Hagedorn, these were different communities of immigrants who typically grouped together and formed fire department units which subsequently competed among each other to get to a particular outbreak of fire first so that they could rob the place afterwards (“Early History of Chicago Gangs”). This type of social groups

Thrasher called “the rival gangs”. When Figure 1 is consulted, in this case, the predominant behavior of rival gangs could be characterized as linear movement of parallel type when different groups were challenging each other with the idea that only one could win which evokes environment of violence.

Also, in 1920s there were according to Thrasher the Social Athletic Clubs

(SACs) forming in Chicago, which were associations, established by politicians in order to secure their position during elections by gathering the voters. These kinds of organizations consisted mostly of young people with voting rights and were most often given a name that was representative and deliberately referred to the politician who supported the club financially (Thrasher states that there were up to 500 gang-related

SACs in Chicago at that time). As far as the behavior within SACs is concerned, there is a dominance of the linear movement, more precisely the co-operative type since the primary aim of the clubs was to create social support for the “patron saint” from their

“protégés” (Thrasher 456).

Furthermore, Figure 1 demonstrates yet another type of movement which

Thrasher registered and it is the combative one. Since the Race Riots have taken place in 1919 the combative movement among gangs started to expand. In fact, the

Prohibition and era of Al Capone in Chicago that followed demonstrated it for example in form of the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre which is the infamous gang-related mass murder regarded as one of the most shocking one and the one that demonstrated the position of Al Capone as a most powerful persona in Chicago’s underworld. The point is that violence is since then becoming more visible and typical characteristic of gangs in Chicago.

1.6 Chicago today Nowadays, the violence in Chicago is still an issue and in reality is mainly gun- related. As the journalist Hansen notes, shootings and gun violence in Chicago seems to be on the rise despite the fact that since 2012 the number of homicides has been dropping. Likewise, as Colleen Daley of the Illinois Council against Handgun Violence summarizes, in 2014, the number of homicides in the city was outstandingly low following the downward trend but in contrast to that, the number of victims of shootings arose by more than ten percent. Furthermore, Daley adds that the cause is due to the good availability of weapons which in many cases end up in possession of the people who create the violent atmosphere in Chicago. Furthermore, the report of Chicago

Police Department from 2014 supports the point that violence in Chicago is closely related to the issue of extensive market with illegal guns. As a consequence, these illegally possessed handguns and firearms considerably contribute to the Chicago’s homicide rate which, as the report suggests, would have in 2011 dropped three times if gun-related murders had not been included.

Moreover, the matter concerning gun-related violence is a longstanding one in the city’s history relating to the criminal activity since, as the report of Chicago Police

Department further states, the illegal guns are acquired either via dealers or by thefts.

What is particularly striking about the state of affairs is that Chicago is a city of significantly restricting measures in relation to gun possession. For example, there are no gun shops to be found within the city borders. Moreover, Chicago’s residents are not legislatively entitled to carry guns in public (Davey).These measures were adopted with the ambition to fight the situation in the city and to protect everyone in the city.

However, what the Chicago Police Department report further shows is that the illegal guns that were confiscated are in considerable number of cases imported from other states of the USA which suggests that there are well-established distributional links to other parts of the country that supply guns and by this token support the violence.

As far as the music is concerned, there is a similarity between the underworld in

Chicago during the era of Al Capone who has actually introduced the genre called Jazz to the city of Chicago and contemporary situation in the city in the way that the gang phenomenon is still present but the music genre associated with it has been replaced by the newly emerged genre of Drill music. In fact, many popular Jazz musicians were of

African American origin and the same applies to the contemporary Drill music artists.

Therefore, it could be argued that both of these music genres are linked with gang activity in Chicago and the link is evident through the aspect of ethnicity too. In fact, it is not a coincidence that the present-day popularity of Drill echoes in a way the popularity of Jazz in the Roaring Twenties in Chicago, since, as Becky Blanchard in her article argues, the elements of music such as Jazz or Soul served as the bases for the formation of Hip Hop music genre from which Rap music has arisen. Therefore, both

Jazz and Hip Hop actually shares the connection to African American cultural tradition

17 and it is the evolution and development of the oral tradition that seems to have impact on the emergence of new genres as well.

Another resonance of gangster environment is that nowadays in Chicago, young generation of African Americans from the South Side struggle to achieve some goal in their lives and since the dropout rate in this neighborhood is significant, instead of working on their academic skills and future careers, they incline to give up education and join gangs with the vision of potentially producing music which would bring them financial resources and secured better living conditions. Similarly, the Irish youngsters in 1920s in Chicago organized in gangs with comparable motivation of acquiring higher social status.

Another longstanding condition of the city note Edward Glaeser and Jacob

Vigdor in their civic report relating to years 2000 and 2010 which demonstrated that

Chicago, despite the overall trend of decline in residential segregation, nowadays still remains the nation’s most segregated city. This is also showed in Figure 2, where the criteria measuring segregation in case of Chicago are highest of all the cities listed. The article by David Dayen addresses this issue as well and adds that the discrimination in the past in comparison to the present situation changed to the extent that it expanded to higher level where the entire financial industry is involved.

When the intensity of segregation is studied throughout the twentieth century in

Figure 3, it could be concluded that in fact, no major change has occurred. The segregation has been preserved in the same areas for fifty years which could hint at a deeply rooted concept of social stratification within the city. Consequently, this establishment might explain the numerous failures to improve the situation in these areas that the governing body of the city tries to conduct at present.

Additionally, it is important to note that the segregation is not an isolated phenomenon but rather complex sociological issue that is likely to occur together with several other social problems. In reference to the Figure 3, not only the little change in segregation rate is visible there but the image also indicates other issues in connection to the segregated African American community. Furthermore, figures concerning the white community are listed as well. Subsequently, when comparing the figures of both communities, it is obvious that within the African American community (as for 2011), the poverty rate and unemployment rate are both significantly higher than those relating to the white community living in the city. Similarly, the median income of African

Americans is lower. Likewise, Bogira’s article support this point by showing the relative rigidity of this situation in the city of Chicago when there has not been any significant change in the geographical concentration of African American residents of

Chicago.

2. MUSIC OF CHICAGO

2.1 African American cultural expression

In reference to the great number of African Americans migrating to Chicago during the Great Migration, what has been brought to the city as well was the oral cultural tradition. First genre which has won great popularity in the city and which has origins in African American tradition is Jazz. Particularly in the 1920s Chicago became a central to this genre following the fact that several Jazz clubs in New Orleans has been closed so the black musicians were subsequently migrating elsewhere, usually northwards (Morgan). Consequently, Chicago with its number of clubs where Jazz was played attracted many Jazz artists and gradually became the focal point of this kind of music. Moreover, it also became an important element of the Roaring Twenties era.

Later on, beginning in 1970s the hip-hop genre appeared in Chicago originating from the African American oral tradition, representing the voice of African American youth (Blanchard). Květa Kolářová in her thesis dealing with African American music concludes:

Beginning with the Slave work song and Black Spirituals, through Blues and Jazz music, to the most contemporary Rap, music communicates social and economic issues of the African-American people in the United States as well as it reflects the conditions of the African-American ethnic group in the genres’ respective time periods. (p. 46) What could be observed is the evolution of form of the oral tradition which has maintained the main function which is conveying the message that relates to the life of

African Americans in the USA.

Furthermore, Hagedorn believes that in Chicago, the overall atmosphere is reflected in the nature of gangster Rap which emerged from the black community in the

South Side. Gangs and police became enemies and this situation has brought even more brutality and violence (Hagedorn, “Genealogy of Gangs” 14). In comparison to Herd’s analysis that addresses the question of violence in terms of Rap music, “the emergence of gangster rap is very strongly associated with increases in violent lyrical content” (p.

402). Moreover, Herd’s study provides explanations for this phenomenon which suggests that in this cafe it is “a reflection of actual social trends” or a result of “the structural conditions – oppressive economic and social conditions, the crack cocaine drug trade and ensuing drug war, and high levels of police brutality – within urban ghettos that promote violent themes in rap music” (p. 402). Therefore, the emergence of gangster Rap in Chicago is in essence response of African Americans residents to their life conditions and serves as mean of communication reflecting the issues the black community faces in confrontation with the predominant white culture at that time.

Most recently, Chicago’s rap scene invented new term which is “Drill”. This term refers to the type of music that has quickly earned a great popularity among the

Hip Hop community in Chicago and as the journalist Edward McClellan believes, this new trend has in fact turned Chicago into the midpoint of rap music in the USA. Drill music is in essence as a sub-genre of Hip Hop, has roots in the African oral tradition the heritage of African Americans. Journalist Thomas Morton adds that it is the kind of music that is “spreading around mainly by teenagers about killing people” (Welcome to

Chiraq). These young people originate mainly from the South Side district of the city where the majority of African Americans live and which is notorious for its violent environment. The lyrics of the Drill music typically contain references to violence as well as gangs and guns.

As one of the recently popular Chicago’s rappers Lil Durk in the documentary

The Field explains, “’[Drill] is a hype, turn up, it’s got a lot to do with violence’”. To clarify this statement, “hype” is in this context a slang word that could according to

Online Slang Dictionary be described by synonyms such as “anticipation” or

“excitement”. Next, the Urban Dictionary provides two different descriptions of slang expression “turn up” by stating that its meanings are “getting loose, being wild and potentially engaging in sexual activity with members of the opposite gender” or “acting crazy due to consumption of large amounts of alcohol, marijuana, molly or other drugs”. Subsequently, the name of this music genre could from this point of view, reflect the context of aggressive behavior often caused by drug abuse when listening and producing this kind of music. Similar point of view seems to have also journalist

Andrew Barber who describes Drill as being filled with aggression and also being rougher as far as the beats are concerned. The overall atmosphere could also be described in this way: “With rare exception this music is unmediated and raw and

21 without bright spots, focused on anger and violence. The instinct is to call this tough, unforgiving and concrete-hard music joyless, but in truth it’s exuberant in its darkness”

(Caramanica). As to the lyrics and the pace, there are also aspects that differentiate Drill from Hip Hop in general for example the absence of metaphors or slow pace. Drill music pioneer, Chief Keef, reveals these aspects in detail in the interview by Kramer:

‘And I don't even really use metaphors or punchlines. 'Cause I don't have to. But I could. People don't want me to start doing it. But I don't like that. I think that's doing too much. I'd rather just say what's going on right now. Real talk, you know? Like, what's going on. I don't really like metaphors or punchlines like that. I'll leave it up to them, people who do that. It's good for them. But as me doing it, I don't do it. I could, though. I used to, when I first started rapping, coming up. I did, I done it before but then I slowed down like 2008, 2009. I slowed down with that punchlines and metaphor.’ Furthermore, yet another explanation which concerns the issue of violence presence in the concept of Drill music is provided by the statement that “drill gets its name from the sonic imagery (often from guns) used in the creation of its beats and lyrics” (Nuelle).

This reveals an important aspect behind this music genre – guns which, especially in connection to Chicago and its significantly high number of victims of shootings, are listed as a major contributor to the violent atmosphere. In fact, gun-related violence is one of the central elements of the visual representation of Drill music since possession of guns and posing with them is also part of the vast majority of video clips of Drill music artists.

What the gun-violence actually evokes is the military theme. The rappers associated with Drill in reality endorse this idea. For instance, Figure 4 shows rapper Lil

Reese posing on his album where “it’s impossible to miss the military theme. Reese poses as a ‘soldier’ in a ‘war’ on Chicago’s streets” (“Unpacking ‘Chiraq’”). Another example is the pioneer of Drill music in Chicago - rapper Chief Keef who recently released a mixtape called “Bang 3” (see Fig. 5) which includes a cover displaying an

22 image of him holding a machine gun; what is more, the font of the number resembles the font that has been used as a graphic for the 2006 film 300 Battle of Thermopylae

(see Fig. 6). Since the main plot of this film is the war of two alienated armies that includes violent clash and mass killings, the message behind the Keef’s cover could be interpreted as a declaration of war, in context of either different gangs or crews following the trend of gang wars within Chicago or to the authoritarian police.

Further evidence is presented for instance in the video clips relating to Drill music songs that display drug abuse and posing with guns that could be often seen in hands of teenage individuals. In essence, the message it conveys is that these young people identifying themselves with the Drill are not afraid of using these weapons and being involved in shootings for instance.

However, it is remarkable to note the point of view of one of the young female rapper who is associated with Drill and calls herself Katie Got Bandz. She states that:

‘Before drill music people already had their beef and wars going on. It's just everybody is rapping now, so people think if they make a dis' record, they'll get noticed fast and they're putting it on beats instead of leaving it in the streets. Rapping don't have nothing to do with what's going on in Chicago. This has been going on in Chicago before Chicago got noticed.’ (Delerme) Katie Got Bandz who originates from Chicago says that Drill and Rap in general did not contribute to the situation in the city of Chicago in any way. The real cause should be traced in the city’s historical development rather than blaming straightforwardly the

Drill music based on the military theme promoting the violence.

2.4 Business and music industry

Firstly, it is important to note that Jazz was during the Prohibition era of 1920s in Chicago played mainly in the clubs located in the South Side. These clubs were owned mostly by African Americans politicians and were intended to aim at the black community to gain potential voters (Lombardo 40). Likewise, “the underworld’s

23 speakeasies, together with legitimate dance halls, thrived on customers with flasks in their hip pockets and provided a booming market for this new music” (Lombardo 48), therefore, the Jazz musicians had many opportunities where to play in Chicago and as a result, the music industry in Chicago recorded significant advances with the enormous popularity of Jazz. Moreover, Jazz was also attracting customers to regularly visit the clubs, cafés or restaurants and spend their money there. Eventually, Jazz could be perceived as a one of the marketing tools of the black club owners who run such enterprises.

However, the era of Hip Hop that in fact resembles the popularity of Jazz in

1920s in a way, has brought a different concept of hierarchy. The Hip Hop industry is according to Blanchard operated “mainly by upper-class white men, [therefore] young, urban minority musicians are often treated as commodities, not as artists.” What is observable here is the capitalistic behavior which has caused that the rappers are treated as goods that bring profit. Another important thing note is that some of the major rappers who pioneered drill music by addressing the poor conditions caused by the segregation in their songs got paradoxically signed by several well-stablished labels that are in fact operated mainly by the whites whose culture in general created and imposed such conditions on the African Americans.

3. CHIRAQ

3.1 Creation of the term

“Chiraq” is a term that is in these days extensively used in the media and social networks in order to refer to the city of Chicago. From the perspective of lexicology, it is a blend of the two words: Chicago and Iraq. As the website Chicagoist suggests, “we don't know the origin, but we know Urban Dictionary's definition was written in

February 2012. Of course it references Chicago's violence epidemic, dubbing it a war zone similar to that of Iraq” (Abernethy). Very similar interpretations of this term appear also in the documentaries The Field and Welcome to Chiraq that both address problems connected with Chiraq and actually agree on number of reasons behind the emergence of this nickname. The motifs for the invention of the term derive from the extensive gun violence, great number of homicides and the murder rate in Chicago being higher than that of the war zone in Iraq (The Field). In other words, the labelling

Chiraq also reflects the idea of Chicago being “the Iraq of the Midwest” (Manyando).

Furthermore, the film documentary by Will Robson Scott provides yet another perspective relating to the term Chiraq which is included in the statement that “4,265 citizens have been killed in Chicago since 2001. This is 2.5 times more than in the

Afghanistan war zone” (“Chi Raq”). Once again, the urban area of the city of Chicago is being compared to a war zone, this time, however, it is that of Afghanistan where the

US army operates as well. This type of comparison signalizes the seriousness of the situation in the city.

Next, in context of the whole country, Drew Desilver in her article demonstrates that due to the large population of the city of Chicago, the murder rate which reflects the number of homicides per 100,000 citizens is not significant in comparison to other cities in the USA. However, as far as the total sum of homicides is concerned, Desilver points out that “Chicago has long been at or near the top of U.S. cities, according to FBI crime statistics. In 2012, it had 500 murders, the most of any city in the country; Chicago has been among the top three cities with the most murders since 1985”. At this stage it is important mention the Murder Report of 2011issued by Chicago Police which concludes that in 2011 more than half of the homicides reported in Chicago was gang related. Furthermore, the majority of the delinquents were reported to be males of

African American ethnic origin, aged between 17 and 20. What the Murder Report also demonstrates is the fact that this situation corresponds with the overall trend concerning the previous two decades. Eventually, when all these factors are compared, it is noticeable that the majority of individuals engaged in the criminal activities in Chicago have the same profile as the community associated with the poorest and most segregated neighborhoods within Chicago’s South Side and also as the majority of Drill music artists who will be discussed in following section.

Regarding the first emergence of the terms, it has for the first time been introduced by the Hip Hop and rap community in Chicago in 2009 when “rapper King

Louie coined the terms ‘Chiraq’ and ‘Drillinois’. Since then, the term ‘Chiraq’ has appeared in the lyrics of rappers like Lil’ Reese, Chief Keef, and most recently Nicki

Minaj” ("#chiraq & Its Meaning(s)). Immediately, it has drawn attention of media to the

Rap scene in Chicago as well as to the underlining issues Drill music addresses. What is more, Edward McClellan believes that the combination of terms Chiraq and Drillinois are: “a reference to both murder and music” and therefore perfectly symbolical and reflective of the situation in the city.

As far as the branding or labeling in general is concerned, it seems to be a popular habit in connection to large cities in the USA. Chicago alone already has several nicknames including “Chi-Town” or “The Windy City”. Nevertheless, similarly to the label Chiraq, several other cities have adopted nicknames that evoke the military theme; for example Baltimore, Maryland is dubbed “Bodymore, Murderland” or

“Bulletmore, Murdaland”, or Philadelphia being referred to as “Killadephia”.

Nevertheless, in both of these cases, the similarity to Chicago is not only in the label evoking violence but also in the high murder rate and the presence of the phenomenon of segregation (Sellers, Denvir).

3.2 Reflection of Chicago’s past

3.2.1 Rappers’ Backgrounds

As has been suggested above, the term Chiraq has been popularized through the

Drill music and therefore it could be assumed that these two socio-cultural phenomena are closely related to each other. To demonstrate it, the most prominent Chicago’s Drill artists are going to be compared together with the backgrounds they were influenced and shaped by.

The first one to be mentioned is the most widely known artist of this genre which is Chief Keef who originates from a family based in Englewood in the South Side of the city (Buyanovsky). As for his education, when interviewed by David Sharpio he mentions that he decided not to attend school anymore at the age of 15. When he was 16 years old “Chief Keef was charged with four felonies — three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm on a police officer and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon”.

However, “it wasn’t Chief Keef’s first felony charge. The high school dropout was arrested on Jan. 27, 2011, and charged with manufacture and delivery of heroin near a school, public housing building or park, a Class X felony, according to police records”

(Konkol). Keef has become a successful rapper right after the video of the debut song called “I Don’t Like” was released on March 11, 2012 and earned millions of views on

YouTube website and sold thousands of copies. The first full length album followed in

December 18, 2012 and was named “Finally Rich”. Soon after that, voices discussing

Keef’s success in broader cultural context have begun to appear. A deeper insight in

Keef’s accomplishment and in his motivation provides the article on the blog called the

US Prison Culture:

Keef is an unrepentant American capitalist. He wants to make as much money as he possibly can and will portray whatever image will help him to achieve his goal. In this particular way, he is really no different than Donald Trump or the myriad other captains of industry in this country. Unfortunately for Keef, he was born poor and black. (…) Keef is more commodity/merchandise in the capitalist system than mogul. He is more pawn than powerful. This statement analyzing Chief Keef’s persona tackles the previously mentioned concept of capitalism in the USA in connection to music. It is suggested that the capitalism, which is one of the representative feature associated with the economy of the USA, is visible also in context of Chicago and might reflect how deeply rooted the significance of this concept in the US culture is and that it resonates also in areas such as Drill music.

Next successful rapper originating from Chicago, Durk Banks also known as Lil

Durk, who in reference to David Drake’s article grew up in South Side’s neighborhood called Englewood as well. He did not perform well at school and decided to adopt the carrier of musician instead. As far as his criminal records are concerned:

Durk was arrested on June 5 after police allege the Chicago rapper attempted to toss a .40 caliber handgun in his car when officers approached him in the Englewood neighborhood in Chicago. (…) This latest arrest is his second weapons offense. In October 2011, Durk was pulled over for drinking in his vehicle. During that incident, authorities say he was in possession of a gun. He served three months in Vandalia State Prison behind the charges in 2012. (Coleman) Obviously, not only Durk and Chief Keef actually come from the Chiraq area, they also have many things in common including the school dropout and criminal charges.

Additionally, Durk when interviewed by Kathy Buettner about his childhood mentions:

“’my daddy was locked down since I was 7 months old. I got a momma who worked real hard to take care of my brother, my two sisters and me, but I got no fatherly guidance’”. Durk’s father has been actually sentenced for life on the bases of drug dealing charges (O’Connor). Likewise, Keef, in some of his singles, addresses the issue

28 of growing up without his father; for instance in the song called “How It Went,” he mentions: “Air Force 1s, I don’t wear no Prada/I’m just getting money I ain’t have no father”. In another song of his called “Lucky Bastard” he remarks: “Baby, I ain’t have no father, I only had my mother/They say that mothers raise soldiers/Well, my mama raised almighty!” (”Chief Keef Talks Growing Up”)

Noticeably, both of them spent most of their childhood without their father present. This fact is important since there seems to be pattern when the young African

American children in the South Side in many cases lack the family guidance and therefore they “turn to streets” as it is suggested in the documentary The Field. This principally means that they become members of street gangs which may satisfy their sense of belonging somewhere since the family failed to satisfy this need.

Moreover, there is yet another similarity that is of significance and needs to be mentioned and that is the gang affiliation of these two major present-day rappers. Justin

Charity in his article denotes that even though they both are associated with different crews - “300” also “3Hunna” in case of Keef and “OTF” in Durk’s case – they both belong to the gang movement called Black Disciplines which in essence stands as an umbrella term for its smaller fractions (Charity).

Next, another two Chicago’s artists who are the most visible ones in connection to the Drill music are the rapper Lil Reese and DJ Young Chop. Similarly to Keef and

Durk, Lil Reese comes from South Side and is a member of the Black Disciplines

(Charity). In 2010 he was according to Andres Tardio’s article “pleaded guilty to burglary charges and was given two years of probation, according to court documents”.

Reese features Keef in the song “I Don’t Like” which was major carrier turning point for both of them that have brought them fame internationally. In addition, the producer

29 of this successful song is the previously mentioned Young Chop whose fame has since the song release risen as well. What followed was that the successful rapper Kanye

West has made a remix of this song and consequently Keef has been offered a cooperation by the Interscope Records that secured a great deal of money for the rapper for the following three year (Drew) which is a great success provided that Interscope

Records label cooperates with worldwide known music artists such as Eminem,

Madonna or U2 (“Interscope Records”).

When all the aspects of the musicians’ backgrounds are compared, it could be concluded that the Drill rappers are essentially products of the environment they grew up in. Their personalities as well as their lyrics appear to be shaped by the violence, the motivation to achieve something in one’s life and the struggle for money. There also seems to be a pattern that gives existence to such personas including elements such as school dropout, criminal charges and gang membership. This is, however, not a coincidence but rather a result of these young people growing up in the part of the city with long history of poverty, which is also ranked as one of the most dangerous where criminality in general is high and mainly gang-related.

3.2.2 Presence of Segregation

As far as the school dropout trend is concerned, there is a geographical difference between the south area of the city including schools located in the South Side district and the north area. According to Elaine Allensworth’s report, the South Side district did not demonstrate any progress in relation to high dropout rate between the years 1991 and 2004. On the contrary, the performance declined even more. As far as the ethnicity is concerned in the report, the African Americans were those who performed the poorest as a group. As the Youth Connection Charter Schools research

30 indicates, the main reasons for dropping out of school are extreme poverty and drug abuse. Identically, South Side, the poor district, where crime relating to drugs and gangs is widespread, additionally struggles with the issue of high school dropout rate.

Eventually, these extensive dropouts might be perceived as another symptom of the segregation that has been imposed on the neighborhoods of the South Side in the past.

What worsened the situation of the education in the South Side was the decision of Chicago’s Board of Education from 2013 to close number of public schools in

Chicago as a part of the educational system reform. In the Englewood neighborhood alone, as much as 17 schools were closed out of 49 that were suggested for closing

(“TALE OF TWO CITIES”). These closings were aimed mostly at low-performing schools which are located mainly in the South Side. Furthermore, according to the educational reporter for Chicago Public Radio ˗ Linda Lutton, the group which is likely to be affected the most are the African American kids who are “’the lowest performing kinds in almost any urban school district’” (Chicago Public Schools). In fact, the closings might have encouraged the African American youth to join gangs since their schools have been closed and so they got recruited by gangs.

In reference to the concept of Chiraq, for instance the documentary Welcome to

Chiraq shows DJ Young Chop from Chicago’s South Side who reveals he has been to

Europe but has never been to Chicago’s city center before. Provided he lives in the city all his life, there is something bizarre about having never been to the central area of the city which in addition is not far from his residential area in the South Side. The answer to this question may be again the hyper segregation environment that divides the city.

In addition, journalists Steve Borgia and Mick Dumke mention Lyndon

Johnson’s speech of 1965 dealing with the issue of segregation in the USA where he

31 remarks the concept of “city within a city”. Subsequently Borgia and Dumke summarize that it could be applied also in case of Chicago where the segregated African American community created their own model of city which is totally different from the rest of the

Chicago. Furthermore, there are other interpretations that agree on this division within

Chicago, for example: “Chicago is also segregated by ethnicities (Greek Town,

Chinatown, Humboldt Park, etc.) and sexual preference (Boys Town/Wrigleyville,

Edgewater, etc). So the City of Chicago isn’t a continuous city at all, but more like several separate cities under the Chicago umbrella” (“TALE OF TWO CITIES”).

Generally, there seems to be a trend in divisions among certain groups within the city.

Another fact that contributes to the seriousness of the issue of segregation and that at the same time supports the city-within-a-city concept is discussed in the report by

Leah Hope. What is demonstrated there is that there are number of medical establishments called trauma centers in the city, however, there is not a single one in the

South Side. Since this area is typical of the high number of shootings, it seems to be the place that needs this institution at the first place. Consequently, the question of what is behind this status quo and whether the component of discrimination and racism might be involved is emerging. Referring back to the Lyndon Johnson’s statement, the missing trauma center issue supports the idea that the South Side is generally perceived as a different city within Chicago rather than part of it. Once again, the consequences of segregation emerge even in connection to health care service.

3.3 Responses to the concept

3.3.1 Trigger of Violence

After the hit “I Don’t Like” by Chief Keef and DJ Young Chop was released, one of the reaction was a hit by young rapper Lil Jojo called “3Hunnak (BDK)” which

32 obviously mimicked Keef’s song in terms of beats, lyrics as well as the video clip. The abbreviation BDK stands for Black Disciple Killers where Lil Jojo belonged to and which is a rival gang to Keef’s crew 3Hunna. Things escalated when Lil Jojo released a video of him and other BDK members harassing 3Hunna affiliate Lil Reese. What followed was that few hours after the video had been posted online, Lil Jojo was shot while riding a bike in his neighborhood. The immediate reaction of Chief Keef on the social media was following: “Its Sad Cuz Dat Nigga Jojo Wanted To Be Jus Like Us

#LMAO” (Welcome to Chiraq). Later, as the investigation begun, Keef denied the authorship it by claiming that his account had been hacked into. The question is, however, whether the murder is a coincidence or whether it in fact relates to the gun- related violence as a consequence of the gang wars within Chiraq.

Furthermore, the documentary The Field features three teenage African

American boys who talks about their lives and their personal perceptions of Chiraq. All of them hold guns in their hands. One of them mentions the idea that they “are trying to make a way” and subsequently adds that “out here in Chiraq, age don’t mean anything”

(The Field). The message that this interview carries is that the young African Americans living particularly in South Side of the city have simply acknowledged the fact that they need to fight through the streets of Chiraq to become somebody and to gain recognition no matter how old they might be. This idea is also supported by the opinion of the

Roman Catholic priest from Englewood neighborhood located in the South Side,

Michael Pfleger, who in the interview for the documentary Welcome to Chiraq mentions young teenage kids who, being inspired by success of their peers, are driven by the thoughts: “’how evil can I get in my rapping, how gangsterish can I get in my hip-hop because that’s what’s paying.’” Pfleger’s statement predominantly stresses the tendency towards violence and possible perception of Drill music being the force that

33 triggers the violence in young generation, but it also tackles the financial aspect and the issue of business.

3.3.2 Struggle for Money

The next interpretation is concerned with the financial motivation. As Toni

Delerme, an African American journalist originating from Chicago who publishes mostly hip-hop related articles on the Huffington Post website writes:

When listening to drill music, I hear stories of struggle and courage. I hear the voices of men doing whatever they have to in order to put food on the table for their families. Within the music, I personally see my friends and family who have fallen victim to the harsh streets of Chicago. What may sound like songs of random violence to you are true stories to me. What he is trying to stress, is that this kind of music may be also motivated by the vision of getting financial resources for themselves and their families. The rapper Lil

Durk in the interview by David Drake shared that his entire music carrier is not as important as is his family and that all his earnings are meant to support them.

Furthermore, the more successful musicians gradually set greater goals such as gaining fortune and become famous. As Lil Durk, in this case in the interview for Vlad

TV, further mentions, is that everyone in Chicago is concerned about acquiring reputation and being recognized for what they do. At the same time, as the Chicago’s rapper Rhymefest suggests, due to its murderous and violent reputation, Chicago has attracted several music companies that recruit young people to rap about it with the promise of financial reward (McClelland). From this point of view, the motivation could be regarded as strongly capitalistic. What is more, it could be argued that it also echoes Frederick Douglas’ archetype of “self-made man” which is a concept that emerged in connection to American culture. According to Douglas, it is an individual of not very favorable background who by his own actions acquires higher social status and

34 recognition. By the same token, in context of Chiraq, the Drill artists are mostly from lower class and poor families who gradually have made their way to the top like for instance Chief Keef who in the song “Finally Rich” mentions:

‘I know I'm finally rich But ain't a damn thang gonna change Me and my boys still bang (Bang Bang) We'll clap a nigga up no range (I’m finally rich) I could ride foreign cars (Skirrt) And I love all my fans (My fans) Without y'all I wouldn’t get far (I’m finally rich)’ This extract might be interpreted as an expression of gratitude for the fame a wealth he has finally gained through Drill music.

3.3.3 Business opportunity

What also needs to be mentioned is the emergence of the market with merchandise connected to Chiraq and Drill music which include clothing and other goods with Chiraq signs or pictures of guns. Immediately after Chiraq and Drill proved to be resonating with large amount of fans and earned millions of views in YouTube channels, the businessmen spotted the niche in the market and reacted quickly. This kind of business is in fact based on the label Chiraq as such. Therefore, it is in the interest of the entrepreneurs to maintain this brand for they would continue to benefit from the sales as long as the term is popular. By this token, the source of the term attractiveness could also be promoted by the business owners who seek the profit. What is shown here is once again the notion of capitalism that is incorporated with the economy of the USA and that is one of the elements of Chiraq.

3.3.4 Prevention

Another approach is reflected in Becky Blanchard’s recapitulation that the

African American rappers essentially derive from the African oral tradition of “Griots

[who] were the keepers and purveyors of knowledge, including tribal history, family lineage, and news of births, deaths, and wars”. By this token, rappers could be seen as informants denoting what is currently happening in their neighborhoods and in the society as such, and passing these facts to broader audience explicitly or in form of allegories, in the same way as the African American slaves did through their “rhyming games” which were aimed to address furtively their white masters (Blanchard). In this manner, the superstar of Drill - Chief Keef, whose popularity has exceeded the nation’s borders, could actually draw a great deal of attention of the policy makers not only in

Chicago and the state of Illinois but possibly also from abroad where various movements and institutions concerned with the problems Keef’s songs illustrate may take notice. As Leor Galil points out in his article by quoting the Hip Hop journalist

David Drake: ”’Keef has done more to publicize the fact that Chicago has a crime problem than the crime problem has publicized Keef.’” The message included in this statement proposes that Keef’s enormous popularity in media has subsequently brought the issues of Chicago’s South Side to the forefront.

Nevertheless, another thing is that in fall of 2013 a program called “Got Bars?” was launched in the South Side by the famous African American rapper Kanye West and

Rhymefest who both originate from Chicago. The goal of this program was to gather young people of Chicago interested in Rap music and enhancing their skills in this area.

As the documentary The Field shows, the main idea was not only to train the participants to be professionals but also to promote the idea this kind of music is not necessarily connected with the violence and life in gangs. By this token, “Got Bars?” is

36 in essence a prevention program using Rap as a tool against the cumulating violence in

Chicago and in reference to the phenomenon of Chiraq. Eventually, a new angle in connection to Chicago’s Rap scene is revealed here regarding the prevention aspect.

3.3.5 Anti-Chiraq

Another response to the Chiraq phenomenon, in 2014 a campaign called “Anti-

Chiraq Movement” has been established. According to the journalist Ryan Chandler the people who are involved in this program are the ones who care about the city and want to unite their inhabitants. What is more, a number of young rappers and musicians are involved and being recruited as well. In reference to the Chandler’s interview with the founder of the movement, musician called Aaron ‘YdotGdot’ Pierce, the nickname of

Chicago reflects the glorification of death which encourages the violence rather than contributes to solving the problem in Chicago. Moreover, he adds that some of the performers who used to celebrate Chiraq tend to change sides joining the Anti-Chiraq

Movement at present. In fact, this aspect reveals the possibility that the popularity of

Drill music might be only a fashion trend that is not likely to last for a long time since it is might be replaced by another one in the future. The question that remains is whether the Anti-Chiraq Movement is actually going to bring any solution to the Chicago’s most striking issues or if it is only another trend of fashion that soon wears off without bringing any solution to the most distressing matters the city has been dealing with for decades.

CONCLUSION

Chiraq is a term that reflects not only the habit of attributing labels to cities across the USA but more precisely the conditions in the South Side district of Chicago.

This area is infamous for the street gangs, frequent shootings and gun-related homicides. All of these sociological phenomena are linked to the issue segregation which historically divided the city into two parts and created a concept of a city within a city (Borgia and Dumke) resulting in Chicago being at present one of the most segregated city in the USA. There are, however, several more aspects of historical development explaining Chicago’s condition which are the organization of ethnic gangs by different groups of immigrants in the late nineteenth century and subsequently the

Prohibition era that has given rise to the black gangs in particular.

As far as the origin of the word Chiraq is concerned, it is a product of newly established

Hip Hop subgenre – Drill music – which is in essence another form of African

American oral tradition whose predecessor in Chicago was Jazz. Furthermore, the label resonates with large number of audience although the responses are ambiguous. The fame and wealth that Drill has brought to the pioneer of this genre, gang affiliate and resident of the South Side – Chief Keef – create a strong motivation for the young audience to follow his footsteps which created a dichotomy in opinions.

Some believe that it in fact promotes violence even more, others argues that the occupation of music making actually serves as prevention to the violence. Another kind of response relates to the concept of capitalism showing that Chiraq is actually a business opportunity for recording companies and retailers. Most recently, voices rejecting the usage of Chiraq as a label for Chicago have appeared. Most noticeable is the Anti-Chiraq Movement that has been created with the aim to eliminate the violence

38 and the remove the notion of the overall military theme relating to the South Side. The movement cooperates and is promoted by several rappers as well, some of whom before the movement was established and they got recruited, had actually been endorsing

Chiraq.

Finally, not only is Chiraq in fact a label reflecting permanency of issues in the

South Side district of Chicago, but it at the same time reflects the discrimination and racism that the African American communities still faces in the urban areas nowadays.

In addition, it is likely that Chiraq is a trend that is soon going to be replaced by another fashionable label leaving the real underlining sociological issues of African Americans unchanged.

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APPENDIX

Fig. 1 – Behaviors in gangs (Thrasher 56)

Fig. 2 – Segregation in American cities (Glaeser)

Fig. 3 – Comparison of African American and white population in Chicago (Bogira)

Fig. 4 – Lil Reese promoting his mixtape called Straight Outta Chiraq (“Unpacking ‘Chiraq’”)

Fig. 5 – Cover of Chief Keef’s mixtape called Bang 3 (Chief Keef - Bang 3)

Fig. 6 – Poster of the film called 300 Battle of Thermopylae

ENGLISH SUMMARY

This work focuses on the socio-cultural phenomenon of Chiraq which relates to the city Chicago that by this token is being compared to the war zone of Iraq. What is argued here is how it reflects the situation of the South Side district which consists of number of hyper segregated neighborhoods resembling the concept of city within a city.

Also, the importance is on the historical events that had the biggest influence on the city as well as on the developments that shaped the city’s reputation are discussed.

Beginning in the late nineteenth century the waves of immigrants and migrants to Chicago determined the direction towards which the city was going – gangland. The ethnic gangs including the black gangs that were forming at the turn of the century in fact preserved until these days. Likewise, the cultural heritage in form of oral tradition which the African Americans brought to Chicago in form of Jazz has been preserved.

The most recent form – Drill music a Hip Hop subgenre typical for inclusion of gun sounds and violent lyrical contents – has in fact produced the label Chiraq.

The reactions to the label are various across the city. The young generation of

African Americans is inspired by the fame that the identification with Chiraq has brought to Drill artists Chief Keef or Lil Durk, which consequently raises questions whether the military theme does contribute to the already distressing amount of violence in the South Side. Furthermore, there emerged voices that disagree with the branding embodied by the Anti-Chiraq Movement.

Finally, Chiraq or other nicknames seems to be trends that draw attention to the city but on the other hand leave the real issues of segregation and discrimination of

African Americans that the label Chiraq is based on, unchanged and rigid.

CZECH SUMMARY

Tato práce se zabývá analýzou fenoménu Chiraq, který se vztahuje k americkému městu

Chicago přesněji k situaci v distriktu South Side. Tento distrikt je nechvalně proslulý velkou mírou segregace obyvatelstva, čímž připomíná koncept města ve městě. Dále je diskutován historický vývoj a také události, které dnešní situaci ve městě formovaly a které ovlivnily jeho reputaci spojenou s přirovnání města k válečné zóně v Iráku.

Procesem, který v minulosti determinoval směr, kterým se Chicago bude ubírat, bylo zejména proudění velkého množství imigrantů a také migrantů na přelomu devatenáctého století. Tito přistěhovalci se začali organizovat do etnických gangů, které v některých případech stále existují i v dnes. Ve spojitosti s Afroamerickou přistěhovaleckou komunitou to, co ve městě nadále přetrvalo, je také jejich ústní tradice, která se Chicagu vždy těšila velké popularitě v jakékoli formě. Její nejnovější podoba –

Drill což je žánr stylu Hip Hop – ve skutečnosti dala vznik přezdívce Chiraq.

Práce dále ukazuje, jak odlišné typy ohlasů reagující na označení Chiraq se objevily. Na jednu stranu se mladá generace Afroameričanů nechala inspirovat slávou raperů Chief Keef a Lil Durk, kteří se s tímto termínem identifikovali, na druhou stranu to ale vyvolalo obavy z toho, zda toto označení spojující město s válečnou zónou násilí ještě neumocňuje. Jedna z nejaktuálnějších reakcí je vznik organizace nazvané Anti-

Chiraq Movement, která přezdívku Chiraq odmítá úplně a vnáší ideu toho, že tato označení a přezdívky mohou být pouze trendem, který se zanedlouho může změnit, bez toho aniž by toto označení nějak přispělo ke změně ve městě Chicago a jeho vysoce segregovaném distriktu South Side.