Rapper King Louie discusses Chicago violence, surviving gunshot to the head
CHICAGO (FOX 32 News) - Chicago rapper King Louie sat down with CNN's Don Lemon to discuss how he was hit seven times in a shooting last week. He is also working on a project asking people to "put the guns down."
Louis Johnson Jr., better known by his stage name King L or King Louie, was shot at Wednesday afternoon in Ashburn. The 28-year-old is the rapper who coined the term, “Chiraq.”
King Louie was sitting in his car near the intersection of 83rd and Pulaski around 3:30 P.M. when bullets started flying. He was transported to Advocate Christ Medical Center in stable condition, and was also sitting up and talking.
The rapper was slated to performer at a Chicago club on Christmas Day.
“I'm basically playing my bad role and just narrating the negativity and the violence that I grew up in in Chicago. And you know what I'm saying, making it artistic,” King Louie said.
He calls it "art" when he raps about ‘Chiraq,’ but takes offense to film director Spike Lee's interpretation of the word and the recent release of his movie.
Police claim King Louie is a documented gang member, but the rapper has spoken out against this kind of violence in the past. Most recently, in a PSA asking people to put the guns down.
Spin Magazine attributed King L as being one of the Chicago rappers who made Chicago the "hottest hip-hop" scene in 2012.