by Afiya J. Watkins
Article Reprint
Chicago has been in the press lately for all the wrong reasons. Violent crime is at an all-time high. Rampant gang activity has earned the great city the nickname “Chiraq”, a moniker hinting to the war-like reality of some of Chicago’s toughest neighborhoods. Some in the city’s hip hop community seem oddly proud of this troubling depiction, but not all.