Another young rapper has fallen because of violence, and another Chicago native at that. Mario "Big Glo" Hess, the second cousin and label-mate of Chief Keef, was pronounced dead at a hospital in Chicago Wednesday night.
Reports indicate that Glo, formerly known as Blood Money, was attacked by two shooters at around 9:45 on Wednesday night. He was struck at least ten times, but was transferred to hospital before being declared dead. He was apparently able to speak in transit to the hospital, and claimed that he didn't know his assailants. A yet-to-be identified 28 year-old man was also caught in the crossfire, although he was apparently unconnected to either party. The other victim is listed as being in "serious" condition.
Big Glo was the oldest member of the Glory Boyz Entertainment label, the label run by Keef, had recently signed to Interscope Records and his agent stated that he had been "working to get Glo out of the city." The rapper had made appearances alongside Keef in videos such as "F--k Rehab."
The incident only brings more attention to level of violence in the city of Chicago, and particularly to the gun violence associated with its popular "drill rap" subgenre.
A documentary series from Vice, titled Chiraq, has traced the movement. The documentary's title is a reference to the "war zone" outlook on Chicago due to its rates of violent crime rates. Chicago led the nation with just more than 400 murders during 2013. Although that number is eye-opening, it's still a huge drop from ten years earlier, when Chicago hosted 600 murders. Many have labeled drill rap as part of the problem due to its stark lyrics that focus on gangland violence (as well as a host of other ills).
Keef was present at a shooting several weeks ago, although he was not charged with any connection to the violence. Keef posted a photo of Glo to Instagram, but didn't offer any words on the incident.
