Spike Lee Defends Nick Cannon And Blasts Chicago's Rap 'Savages'

Spike Lee has been catching a lot flack from Chicago rappers for his new film Chi-Raq.

Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Lil Bibby Lil Reese, Fredo Santana and Chance The Rapper are among the Windy City emcees that have criticized Spike for the way he portrays their city in the film.

Among the complaints are that he trivializes Chicago's violence, and that he miscast Nick Cannon as the rapper star of the film.

Spike responded to those criticism head on during an interview with Sway in The Morning.

First, he passionately argued that Jennifer Hudson -- and others who have been personally affected by Chicago's violence -- wound't have appeared in the film if it was making a joke of their dead relatives.

Then he ripped into Chicago's drill squad for questioning Cannon's bona fides.

"For these rappers in Chicago ... 'Nick Cannon soft. Nick Cannon white bread'. Here's the thing that's really sick. Nick Cannon is not a savage," Spike said. "Is that the new, norm for these young thugs in Chicago? To be a savage. That's what you aspire, to to be savage. I should not cast Nick Cannon because he didn't kill nobody. Because he didn't have motherfuckin' bodies on him ... I'm not going for that bullshit. There's nothing commendable about being a savage. That's not who we are ... You should not be getting props for how many bodies you got. If you think that's being a man -- how many bodies you got -- you have a problem."