For most rappers, puttin on for your city is nothing new. In fact, holding down one’s hometown is mandatory in hip-hop and, if neglected, rappers ought to be stripped of the chains their labels bought for them. But conscious emcee and native Chi City-an Common has decided to use more than just his rhymes to make an impact on his community.
Earlier this month it was announced that Common’s charitable organization known as the Common Ground Foundation is partnering with Kanye West’s nonprofit Donda’s House Inc. and the Chicago Urban League to create The Chicago Youth Jobs Collaborative, an initiative designed to create 20,000 jobs over the course of the next five years for Chicago youths.
Forgetting for a moment the mind-numbing logistics behind making 20,000 jobs appear out of thin air — because, ya know, if it were that easy it would’ve been done long ago — what Kanye, Rhymefest (another Chicago rapper who, along with his wife, helps run Donda’s House) and most notably Common are doing is tremendously admirable. In the wake of nine murders and 36 souls being wounded this past weekend (Easter weekend!), The Windy City is in dire need of its heroes to not only serve as a moral compass, but to provide the resources necessary to effect change in the streets.
There’s a laundry list of reasons (far too long to delve into) that have created this environment that breeds and sustains the genocide going on in Chicago’s South Side. Although, according to poppinlines.com, a study by the Chicago Urban League concluded 92% of all teenage black males are unemployed. Knowing this, one can easily conclude that the lack of responsibility, structure and income many of these young men are faced with can be a catalyst for much of the violence we’re seeing not just in Chicago, but inner-cities around America.
Ultimately, the goal is for these jobs to become year-round endeavors. The Chicago Youth Jobs Collaborative is also being launched in conjunction with The AAHH! FEST, a music festival that will serve as a yearly fundraiser to raise money for the jobs and additional programming. The festival will be held September 20-21 at Hyde Park in Chicago.
If that weren’t enough, Common Sense is working on a new album entitled Nobody’s Smiling— a self proclaimed “call to action” project centered around the violence in Chicago. The LP is also being produced by Chicago beat-maker No I.D.
Hip-hop often takes the heat for glorifying violence in this country. While often overblown when compared to other forms of entertainment and media, its influence isn’t nonexistent. Witnessing Rhymefest, Kanye West and Common taking action will hopefully serve as the impetus for change in a city that sorely needs it.