A music video shoot with up-and-coming Chicago rapper THF Lil Law turned wild after foes began firing at each other at the intersection of W. 44th Street and Princeton Avenue on August 25, 2024. In the deluge of more than 76 bullets recovered at the crime scene, miraculously no one was injured.
The incident was reportedly sparked by a lyric from Lil Law, directed at fellow Chicago rapper Boss Top, currently locked up. The diss track got quickly sparking some life into the numerous tensions that run deep within the city’s drill music scene, where lyrical attacks frequently spiral into real-world violence. According to witnesses, the hit was called and executed by associates of Boss Top, who opened fire on the set in response to the perceived slight.
Chicago rapper THF Lil Law’s video shoot erupts in gunfire during filming 🙏🏾PIC.TWITTER.COM/MG07K1EJFU
— Kollege Kidd (@KollegeKidd) AUGUST 30, 2024
The Chicago rap scene, especially the drill music subgenre, has been the perfect voice for the raw portrayal of street life and often violent scenarios. This most recent incident only adds to the increasingly disturbing overlaps between art and reality, where lyrics in one realm seem to have all too frequently portended death in the other. While dishing and rivaling are something normal within hip-hop, when it comes to the drill scene—especially in Chicago—they most often turn from battles of words to that of gunshots.
Following the shots that rang out, THF Lil Law went on social media to reassure his following of fans that he was okay. It was kind of a relief from the shock and awe. He said in very few words,
“I am good, y’all. Appreciate the love.”
This shooting underscores that for all the good and bad of drill rap, one of its most alarming characteristics is the utter blurring of the line between entertainment and the real world—with consequences so deadly. As police investigate further, the incident calls into question the broader role of music in repeating patterns of violence and how the natural life span of music culture can be managed to avoid further tragedies.
