Chance the Rapper Grapples with Chicago’s Gun Violence Epidemic on ‘Paranoia’
Tags: Racism, Gun Violence, Mental Health, Music, Hip Hop

Chance the Rapper Grapples with Chicago’s Gun Violence Epidemic on ‘Paranoia’

Chance reflects on the grim reality of gun violence in Chicago and comes face to face with his own mortality. HipHopUnrapped Dec 15, 2020·5 min read

Source: @Hiphopunrapped47 on IG

Everybody Dies in the Summer

“Paranoia” starts with Chance confronting his fear of the notoriously violent Chicago summers, when the sweltering heat, lack of jobs, and freedom from school create a lethal combination.

Source: Donald Glover on YouTube, “The Worst Guys (ft. Chance the Rapper) / Genius

While most kids look forward to summer as their favorite time of the year, young Chance hopes rainstorms will ruin what others might call the perfect summer day. Typical summer activities like going to the beach and setting off fireworks trigger Chance’s paranoia, as he has PTSD from the gun violence that has taken the lives of his loved ones.

In May of 2013, Chance’s childhood friend Kevin Ambrose was shot and killed at age 19 while waiting at a train station by his house. On the day of his murder, Chance tweeted:

“This morning Chicago killed another kid. Another kid I know…I’m scared I will die in Chicago from gun violence.”

Kevin Ambrose with Chance the Rapper | Source: CNN

On “Paranoia,” Chance makes a desperate prayer for a longer spring, in fear of the carnage he knows comes with the summer season.

Source: Donald Glover on YouTube, “The Worst Guys (ft. Chance the Rapper) / Genius

While Chicago is affected by gun violence year-round, the city sees a significant spike in homicides during the summer months:

Source: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence: Shootings, Cities, and the Summer Factsheet

On CNN’s Chicagoland series, Chance tells us the song isn’t just about the immediate impact of gun violence, but also how it affects everyone else in his community, saying:

“It’s about the people that are affected beyond the two people that have the confrontation.”

“They Deserted Us Here”

While the devastating effects of gun violence are felt throughout Chicago, Chance feels that the issue is ignored by the media because it affects mostly black lives.

Source: Rapbasement.com

He compares those struck down in his city to the refugees left to fend for themselves in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The lack of government aid to those affected by Katrina was chalked up to the fact that most of those impacted were black, leading Kanye West to famously declare “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.”

While the news extensively covers the deaths of U.S. troops fighting in the Middle East, more Americans have been killed in Chicago than in Iraq and Afghanistan combined, giving rise to the nickname “Chiraq.” Although gun violence in the city affects all races, of the 576 shot and killed in Chicago this year so far, 415 were black.

Source: iCasualties.org, Chicago Tribune, BBC

Even though “Paranoia” speaks on the horrors of gun violence in Chicago, Chance tells us that fear forces him to always keep a gun at the ready just in case.

Source: Donald Glover on YouTube, “The Worst Guys (ft. Chance the Rapper) / Genius

In a 2013 interview with Sway, Chance speaks on how a constant state of paranoia leads to a vicious cycle of gun violence, saying:

“People are afraid. Theres that mentality, that no lackin’ shit, where [people] don’t wanna get caught lacking. It feel like everybody’s out to get me and nobodies on my side…[people] are paranoid thats exactly what it is… I really don’t know what the centerpoint of it is or where all the violence is coming from, but its fucking festering in the city right now.

The Cycle of Violence Continues

Seven years after Acid Rap’s release, violence continues to fester in Chicago, with the city on track to have one of its bloodiest years in decades. Chicago has had 629 homicides in 2020 so far, already exceeding last year’s total of 495 murders, the majority of which involved gun violence.

Source: Donald Glover on YouTube, “The Worst Guys (ft. Chance the Rapper) / Genius

Of the 629 homicide victims in Chicago this year:

576 were killed by gunfire (92%).

399 were black males (63%).

51 were children under 18.

280 children were wounded by gun violence.

“Captain Save-a-Hood”

On “Paranoia,” young Chance pledges to “save” his neighborhood when he becomes wealthy, and he’s made good on that promise. In 2014, Chance launched a campaign to stop gun violence for 24 hours on Memorial Day, resulting in a 42 hours stretch without a shooting in the city.

Source:…

Chance also founded SocialWorks in 2016, a charity focused on empowering Chicago’s youth. Social Works has raised over $5.1 million for Chicago Public Schools and tackles issues such as homelessness and mental health. More than just a rapper, Chance has become a real-life superhero for his community.