King Louie on Chicago Gun Violence: ‘The Devil’s Working Overtime’
King Louie appeared on CNN one week after the rapper was shot in the head in Chicago to discuss the shooting and gun violence in the city.
“I was in my car, I was starting to leave a friend’s house and someone started shooting at my car. I think they shot 22 shots or whatever, and I was hit seven times,” he told anchor Don Lemon. “Three of the slugs are still with me today. Two in my chest and one in my head.”
King Louie is one of the most recognizable figures in drill music. The 27-year-old, credited with coining the term ‘Chiraq,’ recently collaborated with other Chicago artists on an anti-gun violence track called “Put the Guns Down.”
“The devil’s working overtime in Chicago,” King Louie told CNN, trying to explain the city’s problem with gun violence. “The devil’s working overtime — evil.”
The rapper told Lemon, “I feel blessed” and thanked his friends, family and fans for their prayers. “I don’t think I would be here today if it wasn’t for prayer,” he said. “So I deeply appreciate all of the prayers that people have made for me. Everybody that prayed for me. The prayers of my family and everything, cause they got me through and kept me strong. We just got to be strong and pray for our city and the right people just got to do the right things.”
According to the Chicago Tribune, 2,937 people have been shot in Chicago so far this year, 350 more than in 2014.