Spike Lee has hit back at attacks from Chicago musician Chance the Rapper over his controversial drama Chi-Raq.
In an extended interview with MSNBC, the Oscar winner addressed criticism from Chance – real name Chancelor Bennett – who has labelled Chi-Raq an exploitative venture put together by outsiders who have no experience of life in the city. “You don’t do any work with the children of Chicago, you don’t live here, you’ve never watched someone die here,” the rapper tweeted. “Don’t tell me to be calm.”
Let me be the one from Chicago to personally tell you we not supporting this film out here
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
That shit get ZERO love out here. Shit is goofy and it's a bunch of ppl from NOT around here telling u to support that shit 🙅🏾🙅🏾🙅🏾
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
The people that made that shit didn't do so to "Save Lives". It's exploitive and problematic
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
Just clarifying, I'm not damning the director of the film or anyone involved in making it. I am damning the film and the ideas it conveys
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 5, 2015
Also the idea that women abstaining from sex would stop murders is offensive and a slap in the face to any mother that lost a child here
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
You don't do any work with the children of Chicago, You don't live here, you've never watched someone die here. Don't tell me to be calm
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) December 4, 2015
Lee’s new film, which is based on the classical Greek comedy Lysistrata, depicts a Chicago so riven by gun crime that the wives and girlfriends of South Side gangsters embark on a sex strike in a bid to halt the violence. The director suggested Bennett might be taking a negative stance towards the movie because his father, Ken Williams-Bennett, works for Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel as his deputy chief of staff. The city leader has faced criticism for his failure to stamp out the very gun violence that Chi-Raq addresses.
“First of all, Chance the Rapper should say full disclosure: his father works for the mayor,” said the film-maker. “He’s the chief of staff, whatever the title is. His father is the chief of staff. It ain’t the criticism. If you’re so concerned about Chicago, do your research, show me where he’s made a criticism about the mayor. I think your finds will be surprising.”
Added Lee: “He’s not criticised the mayor. Why? His father works for the mayor. And on top of that, Jennifer Hudson is in the film. She plays a pivotal role. Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother and nephew were murdered in Chicago. Why would she be part of a film … If what Chance the Rapper is saying is true, why would she be in the film?”
Lee said Emanuel had tried to convince him to change the title of the film, a portmanteau of Chicago and Iraq. “He was trying to convince me to change the title of Chi-Raq,” said the Do the Right Thing director. “First of all, I didn’t come up with the title. Local Chicago rappers came up with the title. And his reasons for changing the title were troubling to me. He said the title Chi-Raq would hurt tourism and economic development.”
Lee’s new film, which has been hailed as the director’s best in years, was nevertheless shut out of the Golden Globes nominations on Thursday.
