Chief Keef's court appearance yesterday proved that there is a big difference between Keef, the rapper famous for his violence-glorifying street anthems "I Don't Like" and "Love Sosa", and Keith Cozart, the 17-year old Chicago native who operates under this moniker.
The larger-than-life persona Cozart occupies on record seemed notably absent from the courtroom Thursday, and in its place stood a frightened and regretful teenage boy. "I beg you, please," Keef pleaded. "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.", the young rapper stated, breaking into tears by the end of the sentence.
The Chicago judge had a harder time separating Cozart from his alter-ego. Prosecutors actually used the spoken word intro to "Love Sosa" as ammunition against Keef, arguing that it supported the gang-influenced, gun-toting behaviour Keef was meant to avoid during his probation.
Cozart's lawyer, Dennis Berkson made an effort to make the distinction between Keef's words on record, and his actual intentions. "People say whatever they want in a song. I'm sure that the Beatles said really goofy things in songs," Berkson said. "It doesn't mean they were out to commit a crime." Keef confirmed this statement, revealing that some of his lyrics were "bull stuff."
Berkson later justified Keef's music as a means to communicate with the youth of today, "You have to remember he's 17 years old. And he speaks about things he knows. He talks a language that a lot of young people listen to, as evidenced by sales of his records and his popularity on YouTube."
Cozart's mother also weighed in on his sentencing outside the courtroom, supporting that Keef "didn't do anything, not really. He's just rapping about what he lives next to."
Keef was brought back into custody to serve his time following the sentencing, but Berkson is confident that the experience will not silence the teen rapper, "He has a lot to say, and he has a lot to say in the future. And he'll go on from here".
[Via]