RIP FBG Duck

[READER]( Chicago rapper FBG Duck died yesterday, at age 26. Two years ago he achieved a rare ubiquity with his single "Slide," the video for which has more than[53 million YouTube views]( counting. But those numbers don't entirely capture the hold Duck's song had on the city and hip-hop at large. It seemed like any rapper who wanted to show off their talents and show fans they had their finger on the pulse recorded a "Slide" remix; Queen Key went so far as to [make a video]( which features a cameo from Chance the Rapper. Duck released his own remix too, which features a verse from Atlanta phenomenon 21 Savage. The single helped him [land a deal with Sony](. Even when the Reader didn't write about him at length, he was a reference point that allowed us to render a clearer picture of [Chicago hip-hop](. "Slide" felt so inescapable. I remember hearing WGCI play "Slide" at least twice over the course of an hourlong Zipcar excursion that year, though admittedly the precise timing of those details eludes me now—regardless, when I think about listening to the radio back then, Duck was the most memorable part. Duck was shot and killed in the middle of the afternoon on a tiny stretch of Oak Street in the Gold Coast, one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the country. Because of the nature of his death, and because of Duck's ties to gangs, we are going to sit through a lot of bad-faith arguments about Chicago violence from pundits and politicians. It's already begun. Earlier today the mayor told the press Duck ["fancies himself as a rapper, but was also a member of a gang,"]( as if to diminish his death. Reader music editor Philip Montoro said it best when [he tweeted]( "Let it be known—if you're in a gang, the mayor isn't terribly bothered if somebody kills you." Yesterday I doomscrolled through news about Duck, some of which included videos that appear to be Duck lying prone on the pavement. Activist Ja'Mal Green tweeted that police on the scene failed to offer [Duck first aid]( and that should bother anyone with a functioning heart. Duck deserved to be cared for and helped while he was still alive. In December, Duck released ["Chicago Legends,"]( a trenchant homage to a coterie of deceased figures who influenced the sound and culture of drill. I've lost track of the number of news outlets that parachuted into Chicago to document this misunderstood strain of hip-hop since Chief Keef broke out in 2012, but the [exploitative nature of some of the coverage]( made me wary. Duck's "Chicago Legends" achieved what many of those pieces could not. His vivid verses offer some of the best writing about drill I've witnessed. But I'm also touched by the way he explicitly evokes each rapper's humanity regardless of the set they represented. We should do the same for Duck. Sincerely, Ed B, Minute Dubs Osa North, [itsjustwater 3]( Iron Wigs, [Your Birthday's Cancelled]( Hospital Sports, [On We and You]( ["The South Got Something To Say: A Celebration of Southern Rap"]( (NPR) ["To be young, Black and endangered in Chicago,"]( by Matt Harvey (The Triibe) [Asheville trio Nest Egg smashes psychedelic sounds into postpunk oblivion on Dislocation]( By [Steve Krakow]( [Rapper-producer Montana Macks drops a collection of soulful instrumentals]( Plus: Anni Rossi puts out a playful video mixtape, and arts nonprofit Quiet Pterodactyl releases an all-star compilation to benefit Chicago music venues. By [J.R. Nelson]( [@JR1Nelson]( and [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Chicago rapper Jovan Landry gives her production skills a well-deserved spotlight on World Vibe]( By [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Juice WRLD’s Legends Never Die is a haunting capstone to a life and career cut short]( By [Luca Cimarusti]( [@LucaCimarusti]( [Issue of Jul 23 - Aug 5, 2020 Vol. 49, No. 40]( [The Books Issue]( [Download Issue]( (PDF) [DONATE]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2020 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Ste 102Chicago, IL 60616-3228 [Add us to your address book](