Ep. 15 - Chi DNA: #RealTalk with a Veteran Raptivist ft. Tweak'G

This is the fifth 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.


GUEST
Tweak’G is a rapper and activist who has been on the front lines
of the two successful grassroots campaigns in Chicago--#ByeAnita
and #TraumaCenterNow at the U of Chicago. Her aggressive and
truthful lyrics have been incorporated in the movement, most
notably in the now infamous #RealTalk which targets Rahm’s
administration after the Laquan McDonald shooting and cover-up.
Born and raised in Chicago, Tweak spent 6-years in the military
and now simultaneously traverses Chicago’s activist and
underground rap scene as an unapologetic Black Lesbian ready for
her next project.


OVERVIEW
Tweak’G discusses growing up in Chicago, how the Laquan McDonald
scandal politicized her, the current #NoCopAcademy fight, and the
new U of Chicago trauma center for adults opening in May 2018.
Tweak and BrownTown also contrast the activism of today and
yesteryear, noting differences in challenging patriarchy and
deconstructing gender roles and sexuality.


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.


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Follow Tweak on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Listen to her
on Soundcloud and YouTube.


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CREDITS: Intro song #RealTalk by Tweak'G.
Outro song 16 Shots by Vic Mensa. Audio engineered by
Genta Tamashiro.


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