The only thing harsher than the winter in Chicago is its mortality rate. While there was a 16 percent drop in 2017, police still reported 650 homicides and 2,785 reported shooting incidents. Chicago is, sadly, still tops in those categories, more than New York and Los Angeles combined.
G Herbo, a denizen of Chicago’s East Side, explores that deep cultural malaise in a new Mass Appeal mini-documentary, City Of Sorrow. In it, the rapper returns to Hyde Park Academy, where he attended middle school, to speak to the students there.
“Nobody wants to stay in Chicago where it’s like, 800 murders. You got to strive for something,” Herbo says. Turning to the kids, he shares words of positivity. “I just wanted to tell y’all that no matter what you do in life, the main three things to remember is to keep faith in yourself, stay focused and keep working hard.”
With an appearance from Mikkey Halsted, the video can be viewed below. Herbo’s Humble Beast album is out now.
