Music Vs Gun Violence
Chicago Ideas
Issue 38 | March 2016
Agency
Leo Burnett Chicago
Creative Team
Global Chief Creative Officer Mark Tutssel Creative Directors Brian Shembeda Jeff Candido Associate Creative Directors Rene Delgado Jono Paull Art Directors Laura Wood Brian Marcus Copywriter Chip Kelly Head of Design Alisa Wolfson Designers Kyle Poff Rob Schellenberg Executive Director of Production Vincent Geraghty Executive Producer Juan Woodbury Integrated Producer Matthew Monahan
Production Team
Production Company Andre Mayon Inc. Editorial House CUTTERS STUDIOS Recorded, Mixed and Mastered Chuck Bein at See Music Print Studio CUTTERS STUDIOS Account Director Susan Stefaniak Account Supervisor Sara Leakey Senior Account Executive Myco Nguyen
Other Credits
LEO BURNETT INTERACTIVE Executive Producer Chad Emerson Senior Producer Karen Jackson Director of Technology Rob Allen Associate Producer Rachael Holland Associate Technical Director Kate Mitchell Veronica Chavez (QA) Senior Developers Jason Conny Steven Daoud Senior Software Engineer Derrick Shaw Quality Assurance Analyst Brian Walker UX Erinn Dornaus Christopher Ory Experience Design Brendan Mahn Vanessa Garcia Digital Creative Directors Ben Steward Nuno Ferreira
Date
October 2015
Background
In 2015, shootings in Chicago broke all records with more than 2,300 incidents, exceeding those in New York and Los Angeles combined. Music often is blamed for glorifying or inciting gun violence, but could it inspire people to put the guns down? "Put the Guns Down" was an interactive music video that included a string of performances from some of Chicago's best-known hip-hop and rap artists.
Idea
To reach the people most affected by Chicago's gun violence, some of the biggest names in Chicago's hip hop and rap communities were enlisted to start this social movement.
"Put the Guns Down" was written and produced by Grammy-nominated Anthony "The Twilite Tone" Khan, a Grammy-winning artist raised in Southside Chicago. Khan collaborated with talent manager John Monopoly to galvanise the ensemble cast of artists.
An interactive video was created and put up on MusicVsGunViolence.com. Artists featured include Common, King Louie, Katie Got Bandz, Saba, Nick Jr., Tree, Mic Terror, Lil Herb and Noname Gypsy.
The public was urged to add their own anti-gun violence lyrics to the music video at MusicVsGunViolence. com. They also participated in the conversation using #PutTheGunsDown. With each new submission, the video and support for the initiative grew.
Results
The "Music Vs Gun Violence" movement caught the attention of many as it made its way onto headlines of top publications such as Rolling Stone, People Magazine, UpRoxx, Fox 32, CBS Chicago, The Chicago Tribune and dozens of music trades and blogs – earning over 50+ media placements and over 197 million impressions. Dozens of people also contributed their own verses on the website, sharing their personal stories and thoughts on the troublesome matter of gun violence.
Our Thoughts
It's always easier to not do something than to do something. So, bravo to Anthony 'Twilite Tone' Khan for actually trying to make a difference in Gun City. Also for trying to get people to be a part of the idea, adding their own lyrics, sharing their own versions. From what I understand, this idea is having more effect than the results seem to indicate. Rappers are all rapping their versions at gigs around the city and there is a lot of buzz in social media around the hashtag. If this helps prevent one person from pulling a trigger just once, it is worth it.