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Lil’ Mouse: ‘I rap about what I see and know’



Chicago rapper Lil’ Mouse took to Twitter to defend himself amid the criticism he is receiving over his derogatory lyrical content and offensive viral music video “Get Smoked.”

“DESPITE What People think, I’m just like any other entertainer, I’m just only 13, and everybody not gon understand mouse, my neighborhood or surroundings, I rap about what I see and know, not what I glorify #HellaBandz,” he wrote.





The 13-year-old rapper, who represents the Wild Wild Hundreds on the city’s gritty South Side, made the front page of the Chicago Sun Times after an uproar erupted over the young emcee’s presence in his video. In the music video, the Chicago youth bounces with fellow comrades as he raps about sex, drugs and murder.

Lil’ Mouse raps, “30 clips and them hollow tips/ have his a** sitting in roses/ Rolling off a pill/ P**sy better kill/ My N**gas in the field/ You might get killed.”

South Side Chicago resident P. Noble, who produced the video, told NewsOne in an exclusive interview he finds nothing with Lil’ Mouse’s lyrical content.

“Lil Mouse is writing his own lyrics about what he sees in his community every day,” Noble said, according to NewsOne. “This is an eye opener for people about what’s really going on in urban communities. His message doesn’t disturb me. It’s what young people call, ‘Keepin’ it real.’ And this is the way the music industry is headed.”

Many critics ponder whether Lil’ Mouse is being placed in harm’s way with the music and videos he is producing.

“If Lil Mouse were White and strumming a guitar the reaction would be much different, Noble said. “He is being singled out because of what he’s rapping about. It’s a way for him to keep it real. I don’t celebrate negativity, the abuse of women, or violence, but I do celebrate a youth coming out of a situation of poverty and despair. I’m pretty sure he’s going to do well.”

Lil’ Mouse’s popularity grew after Hip Hop superstar Lil’ Wayne featured the young emcee on his “Dedication 4” mixtape. The Young Money Cash Money Billionaire traded bars with the South Side Chicago rapper on track eight of his mixtape.

“I’m rolling/ All my n***gas rolling/Keep that f***king red bandanna Hulk Hogan,” Lil’ Wayne raps.

Lil’ Wayne has received backlash for the track. Though Lil’ Mouse’s popularity has grown, the co-sign from Lil’ Wayne has fueled more criticism.

But perhaps the criticism shouldn’t be placed upon Lil’ Mouse’s shoulders. Lil’ Mouse stated he is rapping about his surroundings and what he sees.

It should be considered a state of emergency that a young boy is witnessing this kind of activity in a residential neighborhood. It is better to expose the problems the inner city is facing rather than to sweep it under a rug.

But Lil’ Mouse may not be the best presenter to showcase the social ills of the society he is living in. His music borders on the lines of glorifying the struggles of the urban black community.

The city of Chicago is experiencing what many consider a “genocide” of primarily Black and Latino people with over 300 homicide victims in 2012 alone. The Huffington Post wrote an article with a disturbing title stating Chicago’s homicide rate is worse than Kabul, Afghanistan.

Lil’ Mouse may receive more positive attention if he were to combat his community’s issues with his lyrical skills. Until he changes his music’s lyrical content, the only message his music is promoting is his people falling to victim to getting “smoked.”

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