“Nobody wants to stay in Chicago where it’s like, 800 murders. You got to strive for something.” —G Herbo
G Herbo’s path to greatness wasn’t paved with yellow brick. The neighborhood he grew up in on Chicago’s East Side is known—fondly, to some—as “Terror Town.” Passage through a metal detector is required for entrance into his old middle school.
In the latest MASS APPEAL documentary, ‘City of Sorrow,’ G Herbo makes his triumphant return to Hyde Park Academy, where he attended middle school.
“Before I get out of here, I just wanted to tell y’all that no matter what you do in life, the main three things to remember is to keep faith in yourself, stay focused and keep working hard,” the Humble Beast rapper tells an excited crowd inside Hyde Park Academy auditorium—the same place he used to show up to school smelling of weed. “Ain’t nothing easy. Everything in life is hard, there will be ups and downs, you’re gonna lose, you’re gonna fail. But you only fail if you give up.”
“You cannot just… ‘Oh, get out of the streets.’ You’ll either die or go to jail.’ Everybody knows that,” says Mikkey Halsted—the former rapper, current president of A&R Machine Ent. Group, and mentor figure to Herbo—as he waits to make a turn at a streetlight. Halsted deconstructs many of the stigmas and myths surrounding life in Chicago as he takes our cameras through Herbo’s former stomping grounds.
“Leave the streets to do what? Go work in McDonalds? ‘So the people that was trying to kill me last week, can see me in McDonalds?’”
Herbo did find a way to leave the streets and went to work at places like Hot 97’s Summer Jam. His story is one that Halsted, and the city of Chicago wants to push out to a wider audience. “I damn near saw, like, Nas and Tupac,” Mikkey says about encountering Herbo’s talent for the first time. That’s what I felt. So, I came to get him. I came home.”
Watch City of Sorrow here.
Subscribe to Mass Appeal here:
http://goo.gl/LqG3wZ
What started as a humble graffiti ‘zine in 1996 would soon grow to be one of the most trusted outlets for youth-spawned urban culture. Today, Mass Appeal is a media collective led by authentic voices and inspired minds. We are a platform for radical creatives who are transforming culture.
Theres alot of people who look in from the outside talking bout i can't relate/understand but they dont even try to understand. Dude named over 19 ppl while being less than 20 n over the years he has humbled down his music from 2012 was way more aggresive. N unlike other artirst herb actually stood out the spotlight with lame, necessary attention n i still shpport herb n glad to were he made it even doe i still he underrated still
This gives me chills man this was amazing. Especially from PTSD deluxe where he uses some excerpts from this in the song high school or 4am to 8am. Herbo is a legend and an inspiration
"Ain't nobody run the city, we all from the city."
Who Else come Back to watch For Motivation ?
deadass cried love him
I mean, the way i see it, in the chi they just play for keeps
♥️
11:04 AYYY THIS IS IN 4am to 8am!
G herbo is the difference and more will be born to change the economy.
Theres alot of people who look in from the outside talking bout i can't relate/understand but they dont even try to understand. Dude named over 19 ppl while being less than 20 n over the years he has humbled down his music from 2012 was way more aggresive. N unlike other artirst herb actually stood out the spotlight with lame, necessary attention n i still shpport herb n glad to were he made it even doe i still he underrated still
19 homies dead at 17 that sent shivers
It's brazy looking back at how far Herbo and Bibby done got. Big ups to them
8:32 song?
Greatest.
Bruh the teacher from 63rddd
12:11 this game me deja vu as well
11:08 i got some wicked deja vu from the album….
This gives me chills man this was amazing. Especially from PTSD deluxe where he uses some excerpts from this in the song high school or 4am to 8am. Herbo is a legend and an inspiration
We need an updated G her o documentary since PTSD released