Chief Keef, 17-year-old Chicago rapper, was taken into custody Tuesday for a probation violation. The young Chicago musician was convicted of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon last January for pointing a gun at Chicago police officers and was consequently sentenced to 18 months of probation.
Keith Cozart, a.k.a. Chief Keef, made a promotional video for his work in June, featuring footage of himself shooting a gun at a New York gun range, a task that was supposedly asked of Cozart from his record company, Interscope Records. However, this display violated the conditions of his probation: to stay away from guns, gangs and drugs.
Cozart’s attorney, Dennis Berkson, reportedly told Cook County Juvenile Court Judge Carl Anthony Walker that Cozart’s actions did not violate the spirit of his probation, considering the gun was fired inside of a range, under the supervision of a trainer.
This is not the first time that Chief Keef’s name has been associated with firearms. In September, Chicago rapper Lil JoJo, a.k.a. Joseph Coleman, was gunned down. Prior to the shooting, Cozart and Coleman were in an ongoing Twitter fight, and according to the Chicago Sun-Times, after Coleman’s death, Cozart tweeted, “Its Sad Cuz Dat N—- Jojo Wanted To Be Jus Like Us #LMAO.”
Chief Keef’s publicized amusement at his fellow musician’s murder was responded to poorly by his Twitter followers, to which he claimed that his account had been hacked into and that he had not written the message. The animosity between the rappers also raised suspicions on whether Cozart had ordered Coleman’s death, but Cozart remains to be accused of any involvement in the murder.
Presently, Cozart is scheduled for a sentencing hearing Thursday, and according to the Chicago Sun-Times, after Tuesday’s hearing, his manager told reporters, “You can kiss my ass.” Judge Walker maintains that Chief Keef has a “clear record of a disregard for the court’s authority.”
