Chance the Rapper Slams ‘Goofy,’ ‘Exploitive’ ‘Chi-Raq’

Spike has found himself coming to the defense of his project since filming began earlier this year. But in Lee’s film, the women are witholding sex in an effort to end the violence in Chicago’s South Side. Mitchenor says “Chi-Raq” does what it’s supposed to: evoke strong emotions about gang violence. I understand that. This is a business. Kudos to everyone for tackling the film’s rhyming dialogue, a mix of slam poetry and Shakespearean verse (written by Lee and Kevin Willmott) that ranges from clever to corny. When the victim’s mother (Jennifer Hudson) and the community’s influential priest (John Cusack) unsuccessfully plead for witnesses to come forward, Lysistrata is inspired to put an end to the senseless black-on-black killing. (In the film, a woman named Lysistrata organizes a similar strike with the women of Chicago, and later around the world.) After the trailer first appeared, Chi-Raq was criticized by many, including Chicago rapper Rhymefest.

It’s an adaptation of Aristophanes’ 413 BCE antiwar satire Lysistrata, in which the title character – whose name means “army disbander” – convinces the women of Greece to withhold sex to get the men to stop fighting the Peloponnesian War. Their motto: “No peace, no piece”.

Like the film, he said, his track is about “understanding humanity”. “We just sat there and they shared their stories”. Prosecutors have charged the officer, Jason Van Dyke, with first-degree murder.

The demonstrations in Chicago were similar to those in other American cities, including Ferguson, Mo., New York and Los Angeles during the last few years over allegations of excessive force used by police against people of color.

Taking issue with the updated plot points, Chance the Rapper explained over Twitter today that he’s not a fan of Lee’s latest parable, calling it “goofy” and not made to “Save Lives”.

“We have to develop the capacity for empathy for people who aren’t like us, don’t talk like us, look like us”. “For me, that don’t work”. It’s bigger than just some gang guy pulling the trigger.

It’s nearly impossible to get a movie that is trying to say something important into a multiplex in this day and age, so we’ll see if a movie that’s a colorful blend of sex and social commentary can gain any traction. It’s a good job for people who like to watch others interact without ever having to do so in real life.

It must have been pretty unbelievable to be on set with him and some of his regulars like Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes and Roger Guenveur Smith, to be part of that crew must have been a great feeling?

Film critics are pretty solitary people.

Still, only Spike Lee would be brazen enough to jumble a serious critique of racism and sexism and political impotence in a pastiche as colorful, crude, impassioned and goofy as this.

According to Snipes, Parris’ natural leadership ability helped her in the role. Lysistrata herself, though, tends to get lost in her own story. To prepare for his role, he interacted with the community where the movie was filmed.

Amazon Studios will release “Chi-Raq” starting tomorrow, December 4, 2015 in a theatrical release deal that involves both Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate (noteworthy as both have previously teamed up on prestige film fare). Then, on an artistic level, I just want to tell the truth and make sure that people can learn something from whatever it is I’m doing. “It may not be pretty and packaged with a bow, but this can be a reflection to someone of something they’re going through and inspire them to make a change or difference”. Chicago Mayor Rahm McDonald first took issue with the films title for being a play on the words Chicago and Iraq, saying it would paint the city in a negative light and hurt tourism.