Swedish Ille Freeway left gangster rap: "Don't want the weight on my shoulders"

Ilias Elmi, with the stage name Ille Freeway, helped start the new wave of so-called Swedish gangster rap.

Together with artists such as Yasin and Jaffar, he formed the rap collective Byn block entertainment.  

Growing up in the Stockholm suburb of Tensta, lle Freeway has seen the deadly violence up close and lost friends.

He believes that murder, drugs and weapons have become normalized among the younger generation.  

- That's what's in 2022. That you're a killer, a shooter.

Young people absorb coarse texts

Gangster rap broke through in 2017 and is today the genre that tops the charts of most streamed songs.

Several of the big names have been linked to criminal gangs and convicted of various crimes.  

Ille Freeway also has several convictions, including for minor drug offenses and violations of the Knife Act.

In February this year, he made the decision to leave music and deleted all his songs on streaming services.

He had begun to think about how the rough lyrics about drugs and crime affected the young listeners.

- I don't want that weight on my shoulders, says Ille Freeway. 

His mother's words also played a big role. 

- My mother used to say that if something happens, if you get shot, or you die in a car crash or something, your music will follow you to the grave.

"Not seen before"

Several other major rap artists have chosen to leave.

Dree Low, who was sentenced to prison for robbery in 2021, shocked music Sweden in 2022 when he deleted his entire catalog.

Something that is new in Swedish music history, according to music journalist Petter Hallén on Sveriges Radio. 

- There is a difference between stopping and picking up.

It was something I hadn't seen before.

I also think ahead, it is one of the great artists and the person's catalog that is erased from history.

During the year, the rap artists Aden and Moewgli, also criminally charged, ended their music careers.  

Ille Freeway has left Sweden and is now trying to build a new existence in Somalia, where he works in a family-owned restaurant. 

Have you felt any guilt about your past life? 

-

I have done that.

That's why I dropped out, I don't want anything to do with it, I can't bear it anymore.

I wish I could talk to myself when I was younger.

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