Youth gang violence in Chicago has seen a huge increase in recent years, and Chi-town natives Kanye West and Common are doing their part to put a stop to it.
Both rappers already have their own foundations (Donda's House and Common Ground, respectively), and have decided to team up with the Chicago Urban League to create new job opportunities year round for Chicago teens.
The AAHH! music festival will also contribute to the funding for the initiative, and will take place September 20-21 in Hyde Park.
Common spoke of the efforts in a press conference yesterday:
"Obviously, one of the biggest reasons our kids are going through what they’re going through is because of poverty," he said. "I was doing an event in the neighborhood and there were some kids from Englewood and I said, ‘Man, what do y’all really need? What’s gonna stop this?’ And they were like, ‘We need money. Man, if we could work.’ They want a chance".
The program is aiming to create 20,000 new jobs for the city's youth.
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