Politics as Usual

Chitown emcee Rhymefest (a.k.a. Che Smith) has decided to put words to action: The conscious rapper has decided to run for 20th Ward Alderman.

From The Huffington Post:

"The wheel doesn't have to be reinvented," Smith said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "It just has to be reinstated."

Promising to bring economic prosperity to the ward, which includes parts of Woodlawn, Englewood and Back of the Yards, Smith said he would use his hip-hop celebrity to encourage more development projects. He suggested that fellow Chicago rappers Common and Kanye West could be coaxed into helping the ward as well.

'Fest's opponent in the race, Willie B. Cochran, responded to the announcement with a statement that was cartoonishly condescending and insulting:

"You have an intelligent voting public, and if they want to replace an educated public administrator with a rapper who refers to women as hos and bitches in his videos, who uses his performances to promote the use of weapons and gang activity, then the voting public has changed a lot," Cochran said. "I don't see him as being a real threat at all."

Mr. Cochran seems wildly unfamiliar with Rhymefest and his music, which is typically socially responsible. The gangsta rapping stereotype with which Cochran lazily misrepresents 'Fest couldn't be further from the truth. Perhaps, if nothing else, he should look up 'Fest's Wikipedia page:

On October 19, 2006, Rhymefest met with the United Kingdom's Parliamentary Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron of the Conservative Party. They discussed the issue of violent rap lyrics which Cameron had highlighted as a problem and they both agreed that hip hop music should not be banned, but that rappers should portray the positive side of life in their music.

Not exactly the gold-toof'd, malt liquor drankin fool you were expecting, huh Willie?