While the new generation of Chicago rappers embrace the bloody nickname ‘Chi-Raq,’ two of the city’s hip-hop elder statesmen, Kanye West and Common, are using their star power to bring about positive change.
Partnering up with Chicago’s Urban League, the two performers want to bring 20,000 jobs to the city streets which have claimed the lives of countless inner-city youth for years.
Common’s foundation Common Ground along with Kanye’s DONDA organization will be holding a music festival this September which will raise money and awareness for their cause.
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Common told poppinglines.com, “Obviously, one of the biggest reasons our kids are going through what they’re going through is because of poverty. I was doing an event in the neighborhood and there were some kids from Englewood and I said, ‘Man, what do y’all really need? What’s gonna stop this?’ And they were like, ‘We need money. Man, if we could work.’ They want a chance.”
No details are known yet about what the quality and type of these jobs will be, but theGrio will continue to give updates once we know more.
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