Harvey Rejects Relocated Chief Keef Concert

Cicero and Harvey officials say no to planned performances this weekend

Chief Keef is running into problems finding a place to rap this weekend.

Harvey spokesman Sean Howard said Wednesday that the Chicago rapper will not be allowed to perform in that city this weekend after consultations with the venue, police and the mayor.

The Saturday concert was originally scheduled for Cicero's Olympic Theatre, but was canceled by police and relocated to Harvey's King of Diamonds Chicago night club due to security concerns.

But Howard said in a statement that Harvey's mayor became concerned after learning about the planned concert on Wednesday:

"Four years ago the rapper held a concert in neighboring Markham. Gunshots were fired and one person was killed. The rapper has written songs that have led to death threats against his life in southern Cook County. The Mayor's top priority is to protect the citizens of Harvey against any potential threat to public safety. Harvey Police will be on high alert this coming weekend. We stand united with the City of Chicago and the Town of Cicero in protecting our citizens against the threat of violence as it relates to Chief Keef."

The Chicago Tribune reports that Cicero Police canceled the Cicero concert because officials feared Keef’s presence could prompt violence, citing “indications from intelligence sources that there were going to be problems.”

Cicero police were also planning for extra security in the area over the weekend.

The concert fallout is the latest in a series of bad news for the South Side rapper.

It comes just one day after reports that Keef — whose real name is Keith Cozart — was evicted from his Highland Park home.

Earlier this year, Cozart’s cousin and fellow rapper was fatally shot just after signing a record deal.

Mario Hess -- also known as Blood Money -- was shot and killed in April just two weeks after he was signed by Interscope Records. Hess' publicist, Victor Foh, told NBC Chicago the rapper was shot 10 times while on his way to a record studio.

Hess collaborated as Blood Money with his cousin on a number of tracks, including "F--k Rehab," a Chief Keef single released in March that netted more than 13 million views on worldstarhiphop.com in less than a month.

A few weeks earlier, Cozart was questioned in connection with a shooting at his manager’s home that left a man injured.

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