Spike Lee's Chicago-based film Chiraq is already courting a ton of controversy from people within the city who are dubious of the filmmaker's intentions. The title stems from a slang word used to describe the violence in the city, and some are hoping Lee will focus more on the positive. That does seem to be the case since the story centers on a woman who puts it all on the line to try and end gang warfare. But one combustible element of the film's production won't be involved, at least not in the capacity originally thought.
Kanye West fired off a letter to EW stating that he won't be starring in the film as originally reported. The Chicago rapper says “Contrary to published reports, Kanye West will not be starring in Chiraq. However, there are discussions for West’s possible involvement in the film’s soundtrack, schedule permitting.”
That schedule includes his upcoming album and likely tour to go along with it, so West may be booked up for awhile. It'll be interesting to see if Lee maybe expands the role of fellow Chicago rapper, Common, to make up for West's absence. John Cusack, Jennifer Hudson, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jeremy Piven are on board the musical comedy which is based on the Greek play, Lysistrata.
