Headlines Love Sosa: 12 Trials & Tribulations Of Chief Keef

The plight of rappers unable to escape the lure of the streets, and those that succumb to the pitfalls of celebrity, is an issue that spans generations of music, from Tupac, to James Brown, back on through to Chuck Berry.  Chief Keef has emerged on the rap scene out of nowhere, like a squad of guerilla soldiers bombarding a Special Forces unit in a Peruvian jungle.   “Young and brash” does not even begin to describe the raw talent and pull of Keef who is a representative of the violent Chicago streets. 

After multiple viral hits, and enough co-signs you would think this was a petition, the Interscope artist’s debut studio effort, Finally Rich, fell relatively flat.  This could be due to the 17 year old being in and out of court, and eventually re-incarcerated shortly after the LP hit retailers.  Now, facing a seemingly manageable two months at a Youth Detention Center, the future is still bright and limitless for the Chi-town native, but if he continues down the path he followed leading up to his sentence then he could be the next Max B, instead of the next rapper carrying the torch for Chicago.   

Here we present the "12 Trials & Tribulations Of Chief Keef", a look at the news stories over the past five months that detailed the missteps, poor decisions, and just bad luck the teenage rapper endured leading up to his two month sentence. 

"Kanye Ain’t Do Shit For Me"

Arguably the biggest track of 2012 was “Don’t Like”, or maybe it was theG.O.O.D. Music “I Don’t Like” Remix that helped propel the track to the next level.  Kanye was looking for the hottest rising talent and was put onto fellow Chicago native, Keef.  The mega producer gave his latest hit a listen and decided to give it the remix treatment. 

Many people felt young Keef would be happy for his track getting so much exposure because of ‘Ye, but Sosa didn’t see it that way.  Taking to Twitter, Keef said “@KanyeWest aint’do shit for me Hoppin on da song wasn’t enuff I made myself hot #300 all by myself.”  From a business and marketing stand point this seemed like a major misstep, but it was only the beginning of Mr. Kozart’s next few tumultuous months. 

Laughs At Lil JoJo’s Death On Twitter

The violence in Chicago’s streets has been escalating at an alarming rate, andone of the victims was young rapper Lil JoJo, who had beef with Keef that ran deep due to gang ties.  Unfortunately,JoJo met his demise, and when Sosa heard of this he naturally took to Twitter,not to offer condolences, but to gloat. Authorities learned of these tweets and eventually looked at Keef, and his crew’s, possible involvement in the shooting.  This is when things started to unravel for the young rapper.  

Twitter Fight With Lupe Fiasco Who Announces His Retirement

The same as he openly laughed about the death of Lil JoJo, Chief alsothreatened Lupe Fiasco.  This came after Lupe, a Chi-Town hip hop veteran, had said that he was afraid of youth in the Windy City being influenced by Chief Keef. “Lupe fiasco a hoe ass nigga And wen I see him I’ma smack him like da lil bitch he is #300,” was what the Finally Rich rapper tweeted, clearly not afraid to mix it up with anyone from Chicago’s rap scene.  Perhaps Lupe was frightened off, because shortly afterwards he tweeted that he would be retiring after fulfilling his contractual obligations. 

Posts X-Rated Photo On Instagram

As you know, Chief Keef is serving two months at a Juvenile Correctional Facility for violating his probation.  Notice he is at a Juvenile Jail, as he is still not a legal adult, so this one is doubly offensive.  Apparently feeling that simply rapping about getting “brain” wasn’t enough, Keef posted a pic on Instagram of him receiving, *ahem* “oral satisfaction” from a female.   The pic was quickly deleted from Instagram as it showed two minors engaged in a sexual act.  

Prosecutors Say Keef Violated Probation Filming "Gun Range" Video

As MMG’s Gunplay can tell you, it’s not a good look to get your name in the headlines when there could be warrants out for your arrest, or you are on probation.  Pitchfork had filmed a segment at a gun range with Keef earlier in the year, and in the wake of JoJo’s death took it down.  This alerted prosecutors - who most likely don’t check out hip hop blogs daily – that the video existed, and they began their push for Mr. Kozart to be back behind bars for violating probation.  Since he was originally booked for pointing a gun at an officer, being on video firing off semi-automatic weapons was not the wisest decision.  

Shows Up To Court In Fatigues and Signs Name As "ChiefKeef"

Keith Kozart was summoned to court after prosecutors said he had violated probation, and a hearing was set to determine if he in fact had.  Not feeling that this was of any importance,Sosa decided to rock a white tee and baggy fatigue pants.  It was also revealed by his probation officer that Kozart had been signing court documents as “Chief Keef”.  It was understandable that Keef showed up underdressed, as this was a very busy year and he had media appearances, studio sessions, and music videos to show up for...

Bails On "Hate Bein Sober" Video Shoot

Well, maybe Keef didn’t think it was important to show up to everything he was booked for.   After recording the obnoxiously infectious single “Hate Bein Sober” with Wiz Khalifa and 50 Cent, the new Interscope artist failed to show up to the shoot in the desert.  This of course drew ire from the always vocal Fifty, who reported on Twitter that the label was ready to bounce young Keef,but Fif told them not to.  There appears to be no hard feelings between the three, and at least the Chicago rapper didn’t tweet something like “@50Cent & @WizKhalifa ain’t do shit for me”afterwards. 

Probation Officer Says He Violated Parole By Moving

Close call for the “Don’t Like” rapper here, as he was called into another probation hearing, this time for moving from South Side Chicago to the more plush Northbrook, without informing his parole officer.  Fortunately, he was able to stave off jail time as the judge ruled in his favor, and this was not the first bullet Keef had dodged...

Cops Shot At Keef During '11 Arrest

Previously, all that was reported was that Keef had pointed a gun at a police officer and that is why he was locked up initially.  Just after his first probation hearing, we learned that when police came on the scene after gun shots were reported they attempted to question Kozart, who flashed a blue-steel handgun at the cops and then took off.  Police pursued on foot,and Sosa turned around a couple times pointing – but never firing – his gun at police, who responded by firing at the teenager.  Luckily, no bullets connected, but as we all know he was eventually detained, and served time.

Taken Into Custody After Judge Rules He Violated Probation

On Tuesday, January 15^th, after reviewing the infamous Pitchfork “GunRange” video, a judge ruled that Keef was indeed in violation of his probation,and he was taken into custody shortly thereafter.  He would not have to wait long to learn his fate, as the sentencing hearing was set for just two days later. 

Sentenced To 2 Months In Jail & Apparently Cried/Begged To Judge

Chief Keef’s luck had apparently ran out as he was sentenced to serve two months at the Illinois Youth Center in St. Charles III.  Some felt this was a more than manageable sentence for the rapper, but reports broke that he pleaded with the judgesaying, “I beg you please.  Give me one more chance to show you.  I am a very good hearted person.  I have not picked up any more cases.  That’s not my life anymore.” 

Sued For Child Support By Girl In Middle School

Adding insult to injury, reports continued to trickle in even after Chief Keef reported to the detention center.   Keep in mind that details are murky, and unconfirmed by Keef, but a young woman had filed a lawsuit against Sosa for child support for a daughter who was conceived in 2011.  The age of the girl has not been verified, but it is known that she is only in middle school.   Fans can only hope that Keef can stick to rhyming about the street life, but manage to stay away from it, as he has become pivotal in this generation’s hip hop landscape.