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Chicago. My home, where I was raised, a city filled with good memories and memorable experiences, yet also a city filled with heartbreak and a burden of violence it carries on it’s broad shoulders in the middle of the map
Cole Bennett took on a task no other visual artist has ever attempted, capturing the essence, soul and culture of a city so many creatives and artists are proud to call home, Chicago. To be honest before I personally knew Cole I didn’t really know what to think of him. Originally my first assumption of him was just another out of town white dude looking to take advantage of artists talent for his own benefit just like so many before and after him. Fortunately, I was wrong. I first met Cole on the Depaul campus where my close friend and business partner Timmy was picking up some Lyrical Lemonade merchandise from Cole. I was crossed between expecting to see yet another white guy from the burbs pretending to be a tough city kid from the hood or rather an arrogant asshole who thought little to nothing about anything other than himself. I saw neither of these traits in Cole, instead I saw a humble individual who is passionate about an art form and culture he loves and wants nothing but to send positivity out to the world through his art. Since then I have been following Cole’s work closely and we have been on good terms and have frequently run into each other at events. I don’t sugarcoat things, I am honest about everything and therefore I thought it was necessary before diving into my thoughts on the project, to give you my thoughts and experiences with it’s creator, Cole Bennett
When I first heard Cole was planning on releasing The Culture I really wasn’t sure if he would pull it off. I originally thought that a documentary centered on the music scene and culture of Chicago should be done by someone who grew up directly in it. I of course didn’t share my thoughts to Cole or anyone for that matter due to my respect towards him and his art and also based on the fact that I wanted to see him prove me wrong. I ran into him at a show in Joliet back in December and brought up the movie to him, he filled me in more and was very humble about the entire project. I didn’t sense any arrogance or fakeness in the way he described it to me and it made me more excited than anything for the project to actually be released
6:30 PM, January 28th. The Culture was finally released. I can honestly say I was extremely excited for this based on the fact that not only were people I knew personally included in it but also because it’s an actual documentary about the greatest city and Hip Hop scene in the world, nothing better right? As I plugged in my HDMI cable and put this visual on the big screen my heart was pounding as I didn’t know what to expect. As soon as “Live & Die In Chicago” by King Louie starts playing I realized Cole knew exactly what he was doing, and I was about to watch something truly amazing
Throughout the film Cole not only incorporated short interview segments with artists, but also a view on the world of fashion as well as dance and the journalist side of the scene. We see artists like DLow shed light on “Bop” and his claim to fame as well as how as a city we need to stop the violence and better ourselves as people. Cole also featured freestyles from locally known names such as Logan Cage and Femdot, showcasing the raw talent the artists who come out of this city really have
One of my personal favorite aspects of the film is how Cole interviewed a variety of artists in the scene, from the now defunct trio Hurt Everybody to Lil Chief Dinero, Cole would ask them each the same question off camera, and my best guess is the question was, “What does Chicago mean to you?”. Each artist gave a unique response that not only showed the diversity of perspectives and backgrounds they came from but also the impact one cities culture can have on a person
Cole also made note to interview Chi pioneers and legends Do Or Die and Twista. I knew that if Cole only focused on the new school scene of Chicago he would have failed in regards to really analyzing the true culture of Chicago. Cole not only has these artists share wisdom on the scene but also does a good job of explaining these artists impact on not only the city but also on Hip Hop as a whole. Cole also does what many “out of towners” are scared to do, actually interview and interact with Drill artists and not to mention interview them at their home. It takes alot of guts and courage to travel to a crime ridden and impoverished neighborhood in order to obtain what you need for your art and I respect Cole for that. He not only shed light on the violence in Chicago and its negative impact on the scene but also the perspectives of Drill artists specifically GMEBE and Spenzo respectively
Probably the most memorable aspect of the entire film was the interview of Ken Bennett, Chance The Rapper and Taylor Bennett’s father. We learned from Ken not only the stress of a parent hearing their child’s ambition is to be a rapper but also the rewarding feeling of satisfaction of their child’s success not only because they made their dream a career, but also because they influenced a culture of millions
Aside from the fantastic job Cole did on educating us on the music side of the culture, he also dove into speaking with Chicago’s two most popular and acclaimed fashion outlets, Leaders and Jugrnaut. Through both these interviews we learn not only of the impact fashion has on the culture, but also how businesses like these can help anyone who walks in the door with talent not only prosper and grow but also develop a culture of artistic individuals that you really can’t find anywhere else
Owning a blog himself, Cole obviously knew how important media and journalists are to the culture as well. Interviewing one of my favorite families in the industry aside from the Bennett’s, the Sims mother and son duo. Mama Sims is a legendary Chi journalist and member of the 1833 family and her son Noah is a popular producer known for his work with names such as Roosevelt The Titan and Hurt Everybody. Both gave very in depth and valuable feedback and information on the diversity the city holds and how there is really no other city or culture like Chicago’s. Then of course like I stated on Twitter, you can’t make a documentary about Chicago without interviewing two of some of the biggest names behind it, Soundscape Studios Engineer and Closed Sessions co-founder Michael Kolar and Journalist Jake Krez. Kolar described how when you come from Chicago you come from a tough city that truly understands hardship, no shade of course but cities like LA can’t exactly relate to that. Krez explained how Chicago’s impact on Hip Hop in general can’t be ignored similarly to his work for publications such as XXL and DJBooth where Krez is constantly promoting and showing support to our culture
Whether you’re from Chicago or not this film is a must see, not only to truly understand the culture of this amazing cities Hip Hop scene but also to understand that Chicago is not just a corrupt, impoverished, war torn city we commonly hear suburban kids refer to as “Chiraq”, but instead a culture full of prosperity, positivity, love and unity. I’m glad I got to know Cole before he dropped this and i’m glad Cole proved any doubt I ever had of him wrong. This film warmed my heart and I plan to even show it to my family who have endured plenty of grief and loss from Chicago. I plan to show them the light that this film gives us and the motivation it gives to succeed and not fall under the influence of the violence that plagues our communities. Thank you Cole Bennett, for properly respecting and capturing “The Culture”
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