Chicago rapper Chief Keef plans to perform in a concert Friday to benefit the family of a toddler who was fatally hit by a car fleeing a shooting that left Keef’s friend and fellow rapper dead.
Keef, whose real name is Keith Cozart, will appear in the Chicago concert via a hologram. The event will be free, but concertgoers can donate funds to benefit the family and Keef and Alki David, owner of Hologram USA, will match the funds raised.
The concert is also expected to feature special guests, which will be announced “very soon.”
Keef said he wanted to put on the concert to “raise awareness about the out of control situation” in the city.
Police say the 13-month-old boy was fatally hit while sitting in a stroller on a sidewalk in Chicago’s Lawndale neighborhood. Police say the vehicle that hit him matched the description of one seen fleeing the scene of a shooting earlier in the day. That shooting killed 22-year-old Marvin Carr, also known as rapper Capo, a member of Chief Keef’s “Glo Gang.”
Keef, who has been living in Los Angeles, “loves his hometown Chicago but cannot attend due to outstanding warrants his legal team is addressing,” according to a spokesperson for Hologram USA.
Last year, a $50,000 bench warrant was issued for Keef’s arrest after he missed a court hearing for a municipal traffic ticket for driving under the influence of marijuana.
Local
Father Michael Pfleger, who has actively advocated against gun violence in the city, criticized Keef for holding the concert, calling him “one of the reasons we have all this violence.”
“He has been one of the encourager's of the Violence.....Instead of having a concert...why doesn't he Man Up and acknowledge it's time to stop this violence and Apologize for his part in it!!!!” Pfleger wrote on his Facebook page where he also told the rapper to "shut up."
The concert will be produced and sponsored by FilmOn Networks, which recently signed Keef to a two-album deal.
Last week, Keef released a single from his new album mourning his cousin, rapper Blood Money, whose real name is Mario Hess. Hess was killed in another Chicago shooting last year. The song is a cover of John Waite's "Ain't Missing You.”
The concert is expected to also be available for streaming at FilmOn.com.
