Ep. 25 - *LIVE AT DEPAUL* Chi DNA: Exile, Refuge, & Displacement ft. Jessica Puri & Heavy Crownz

This is the sixth Chicago Drill and Activism (AKA "Chi DNA")
installment of Bourbon ’n BrownTown. Chi DNA is an ongoing
documentary and multimedia project, which also features
interviews, micro-documentaries, and editorial pieces on drill
rap and the activist resurgence in Chicago.


LIVE AT DEPAUL
The DePaul University Honors Program hosted Bourbon ’n BrownTown
in this live podcast event as part of their ongoing Speaker
Series. In conjunction with the Chi DNA Speaker Series, this
event tackled the Honors Program’s themes of the year, exile and
refuge, as well as local/global displacement as a whole. After
introducing SoapBox, the Chi DNA project, and the Bourbon ’n
BrownTown format, BrownTown, their guests, and the university
audience watched the Chi DNA Micro-Doc Episode 3 as a springboard
for their discussion and following Q&A. Watch before you
listen!


GUESTS
Jessica Puri is a Nigerian-born Public Health professional with
5+ years of experience in scientific writing, health research and
public health communication on the Bachelor and Masters level.
She is currently pursuing a doctorate in Integrated Health
Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine in Northwestern
University. She sits on the alumni advisory board for the Center
for Community Health Equity and the Board of Directors for
SoapBox.


Heavy Crownz is an MC and high school educator hailing from
Chicago's Englewood community. With a degree in History from
Tuskegee University, Crownz aims to create personal music from
the soul in a style of flow he calls AfroTrap. His strongest
motivations to go on have been the need for people to have good
music with substance and purpose.


OVERVIEW
The group starts by defining displacement: a forced movement of
people from their homes, neighborhoods, and/or occupational
activities from natural or man-made causes. From there, they
discuss the connections between international crises,
intracommunal violence, and disenfranchisement in Chicago as well
as the cultural representations they manifest. Recorded four days
before Columbus Day, the discussion touches on intentional
segregation and destabilization of Black and Brown geo-specific
areas both in Chicago and the Middle East. BrownTown and company
draw parallels between highly criticized and complex
international crises, gang violence in Chicago, and the broader
implications of white supremacy that help create and exacerbate
them on a policy and narrative level. Jessica brings in her
first-hand international experiences while breaking down the
rhetoric around refugees in America. She subverts the often
problematic language to explain the importance of refugees and
providing a safe haven and resources for those experiencing
trauma—home and abroad. As the team weaves drill rap and activism
in and out of the conversation, Jessica analyzes Caullen and
Heavy’s anecdotes using an ecological model to helps us better
grasp the decision-making processes of folks’ suffering from
intergenerational and contemporary trauma (mentioned: Rico
Reckless interview). Heavy explains what his moniker, the “63rd
Representer,” tells us about growing up in a hypersegregated
Chicago and the current state of gentrification (enter: Obama
Community-Benefits Agreement). The group later draws out the
importance of art as a coping mechanism, in its many forms. Near
the end of the conversation, the group touches on notions of
Black masculinity in and outside of drill, code-switching (see
episode 29), and what being “appropriate” really means. How do
displaced people deal with trauma, particularly when resources to
do so are scarce? How can we un-do known oppressive policy of
yesteryear to better shape an equitable future? Where does drill
rap and activism play into all of this and why is it important?
Here’s BrownTown's take.


CHI DNA
The Chicago Drill and Activism project explores the creation,
meaning, perspectives, and connections between drill rap and the
resurgence of grassroots activism since the early 2010s through
the eyes of the people involved. It focuses on contemporary
Chicago as an intentional place for the resurgence of these two
formations of cultural and political resistance during relatively
the same time period. It examines how authenticity, community,
and other important values to the subjects are impacted and
promoted via technology, social media, and a rejection of
traditional means of movement politics and corporate structures.
As told by activists and drill rappers alike, the project
situates the the subjects’ experiences and actions into a broader
theoretical and empirical history of systemic inequality and
resistance in Chicago. Follow the ongoing project at Chi-DNA.com
for more.


Read more about the event from DePaul student Deyana
Atanasova on SoapBox Editorial.


--


Find Heavy’s music on Spotify, Soundcloud and YouTube. Follow him
on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.


Follow Jessica on LinkedIn and Instagram.


--


CREDITS: Intro music by Fiendsh. Outro song
Absolutely by Heavy Crownz. Audio engineered by Genta
Tamashiro. Episode photo by Andrew Merz.


--


Chicago Drill and Activism
Site | Twitter |
Micro-Docs | Support


Bourbon ’n BrownTown
Facebook | Twitter |
Instagram | Site |
Patreon


SoapBox Productions and Organizing, 501(c)3
Facebook | Twitter |
Instagram | Site |
Support