After the murder of Trayvon Martin in 2012 in Sanford, Florida, and the release of his murderer George Zimmerman without any charges there was an escalation in violent acts against the African American race. There has been an increase in unarmed African American men and women becoming victims to an unjust justice system built to protect all citizens of these United States. African Americans, under these circumstances, are being pressured, once again to come together and take a stand against the mistreatment of their race by creating movements, such as Black Lives Matter and more. Riots and protests are one way to fight back, but some African Americans have decided to utilize their talents and skills as a retaliation tool and are taking a different approach from marching and protesting out in the streets.

An artist by the name of ChiMeMp does this very thing in his song “Broken Chains”. In “Broken Chains” ChiMeMp touches on a lot of the controversy happening all over the country. For example, the line “I would put my hands up but you gone kill me anyways” brings light to the phrase “Hands up, don’t shoot!” that became popular after the killing of unarmed Michael Brown by a police officer, Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, Missouri. ChiMeMp brings light to how the killing of unarmed black men and women began to occur too often to sit well with the African American community. Another line in Broken Chains, “See that Chevy in the yard and assume I sell dope,” brings light to the stereotypes towards African Americans, particularly males, and being successful. There are known to be a lot of African American males getting caught up in selling drugs in order to obtain easy money. As the saying goes “one bad apple spoils the whole bunch” applies to the drug lord stereotype placed against all African American males even when their success was worked hard for. ChiMeMp touches on how the American system is built to keep African Americans at a standstill, never progressing and bettering their own communities. Even when African Americans own nice things they have worked hard for the first conclusion will always be that they or someone in their family sells drugs. ChiMeMp represents the African Americans waking up to what is going on and working to drop these stereotypical labels. The mistreatment against the black race is angering more and more African Americans everyday but as ChiMeMp put it, “Hello America. You created this and got the nerve to be scared of us?”

ChiMeMp was born in Chicago, Illinois, but ended up moving to Memphis, Tennessee at the age of fourteen. This is how he created his name by mixing the two cities that made him into the man he is today. ChiMeMp plans to utilize his music to break the stereotype that Memphis music is all about killing, stealing, and trapping. He chooses to omit profanity from his music so that all ages, race, and sex can enjoy his works. Growing up and watching his father dip and dab into the music arts and being around different studio settings and atmospheres is what evolved ChiMeMp’s love for recording and making music. The older ChiMeMp got the more he started to see that there was no way of making his dreams come true without the funds to expand himself and his brand. After three years of evolving his thinking and work ethic from selling drugs and working warehouse jobs, to working as a nuclear power plant technician and doing some professional driving, ChiMeMp finally got the funds needed to build the fan base he wants to touch with his music. Along with being an artist, ChiMeMp owns his own business called “ChiMeMp Presents” a program that will allow less fortunate kids and college students to come and display their different talents for free. ChiMeMp is working hard to bring clean, positive insight back into Memphis rap by providing free partnership and studio time to other up and coming artists like himself. ChiMeMp is paving a path for those coming after him to take that will open black minds and touch on the issues of what is occurring today. Be on the lookout for this artist as he slowly transforms the rap game starting in the Memphis area.