"Hologram" technology featuring the Pepper's ghost illusion is becoming a recurring gimmick in concerts, protests, and political rallies. The technique has been used to stage a "holographic" protest in Spain, and was used by current Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to appear live simultaneously in 53 locations in 2012, and 88 in 2014. In the concert business, it was used to display a virtual projection of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur at the 2012 Coachella Festival, as well as a similar posthumous projection of Michael Jackson at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards.
Now rapper Chief Keef will reportedly utilize a semitruck modified by HologramUSA to deliver a benefit concert in Chicago from a soundstage in Beverly Hills, California this Friday. The benefit concert is intended to raise money for the families of Keef's friend and fellow rapper Marvin Carr, who was killed in a drive-by shooting, and Dillan Harris, a toddler killed when the suspects crashed into a bus stop. Why not go to Chicago in person? Because Chief Keef, also known as Keith Cozart, has an outstanding warrant for his arrest.
From USA Today:
CHICAGO — The rapper Chief Keef plans to hold a benefit concert for two victims of violence here this week using hologram technology, because he says an outstanding warrant for his arrest makes it too difficult for him to return home.
The victims were killed in a nearly unfathomable tragedy on Saturday when Keef's friend and fellow rapper Marvin Carr was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in the city. Two men police say were involved in the fatal shooting of Carr then fled the scene and crashed their car into a 14-month-old boy sitting in his stroller while he and his mother waited at a bus stop.
After the deadly crash and shooting, Keef would hold the benefit in his hometown of Chicago for the families of Carr and the little boy, Dillan Harris. But Keef, 19, whose real name is Keith Cozart, has an outstanding warrant for his arrest for unpaid child support. Instead, he plans on appearing for the benefit scheduled for Friday at a yet-to-be-determined location via hologram from the West Coast.
Rev. Michael Pfleger, a Catholic priest and prominent anti-violence activist in Chicago, wrote on his Facebook page that Keef "has been one of the encouragers of the violence." "Why doesn't he Man Up and acknowledge it's time to stop this violence and Apologize for his part in it!!!! Chief Keef....SHUT UP!!!!!" Pfleger wrote. Alki David, whose HologramUSA and FilmOn Network will produce the concert, told USA TODAY that Pfleger's response was "intolerant." He added that Keef, who will soon turn 20, is a young man who is maturing and trying to get beyond his past mistakes. "That is indeed no real Christian message," David said of Pfleger's comments. "Anybody who can make any change in what is going on with violence in Chicago is a personality like Keef. Rather than criticize him, no matter how you feel about him, you should get behind this."
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Common Dreams reports
After months of massive flesh-and-blood protests against Spain's draconian new "gag law", deemed "the worst cut of rights and freedoms since the Franco regime", enterprising activists held the world's first virtual protest, with thousands of ghost-like figures marching before the Spanish Parliament to prove that holograms will soon have more freedom than people. Almost 100 groups organized the action under the monikers Hologramas Por La Libertad and No Somos Delito--We Are Not A Crime.
The controversial Citizen Safety Law, blasted by human rights groups since its approval in the Spanish Congress, is scheduled to take effect on July 1. Its oppressive measures [are essentially the] government's over-the-top response to widespread anti-austerity, pro-democracy protests known as the 15M. The law's three texts--The Penal Code, the new Anti-Terror Law, and the Law on Citizen Safety--ban and punish with heavy fines and/or jail a vast array of fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly.
[...]To many, the surreal hologram protests perfectly capture the Orwellian quality of the restrictions: In the new Spain, says one protester, "If you are a person, you can not express yourself freely--you can only do (that) if you become a hologram."
At a hip-hop festival called Craze Fest in Hammond, Indiana, just outside of Chicago, rapper Chief Keef appeared on stage as a hologram. But his Saturday night performance only lasted one song before the police shut it down.
Chief Keef, born Keith Cozart, originally planned to hold a benefit concert for his friend and a toddler who were both killed during a shooting this month. The concert was to be held at a theater in Chicago, but Mayor Rahm Emmanuel's office reportedly pressured the theater to cancel the event, according to the Chicago Tribune. The New York Times says the mayor's office called Chief Keef "an unacceptable role model" whose music "promotes violence."
Instead, Chief Keef told his fans that he would perform at an undisclosed location and enlisted Hologram USA to help him appear virtually rather than physically, citing outstanding warrants for his arrest in Illinois. Fans weren't told Chief Keef would be performing in Hammond at Wolf Lake Pavilion as part of Craze Fest until 9pm that night.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Chief Keef performed his hit "I Don't Like" [remix and NSFW] from a sound studio in Beverly Hills, California. "[He] was talking about putting a stop to violence when the power was cut off. Police rushed toward the stage, turning the music off about 10:25pm. Shining flashlights, they ordered concertgoers to leave. Fans who gathered Saturday left the grounds in an orderly fashion, though disappointed."
Wanted in Illinois, appeared as a hologram in Indiana, still shut down by police. Good thing for him he was in California.
Additional material from the BBC.
Diehard fans turn virtual teen singer into Japanese mega-star
She wears extremely short skirts, sports blue pigtails to her knees and has the boundless energy of a playful puppy. During her 10-year career, she's released more than 100,000 songs in a variety of languages and opened shows for Lady Gaga. And yet Hatsune Miku, who boasts 2.5 million Facebook followers, doesn't actually exist — at least not in the typical way we think of a flesh-and-blood diva. Miku is a computer-simulated pop star created more than a decade ago by Hiroyuki Ito, CEO of Crypton Future Media in Sapporo, Japan.
A virtual music star, driven by fans and voice-synthesis software. Here's a sample video, if you're curious. I can't judge the voice, since I don't speak japanese, but the animation is remarkably good.
takyon: Wikipedia for Hatsune Miku and Vocaloid. Have some fun with Miku! meme (YTP version. Warning: Gets LOUD).
News? Maybe not. However, you're on the right track:
- The Ultimate Escapism
- Logitech is experimenting with a keyboard built for virtual reality
- Virtual reality could be the answer to treating phantom pain (Opioids Haven't Solved Chronic Pain. Maybe Virtual Reality Can)
- VR developers pivot to location-based entertainment
- Watch J-Pop Dance Trio Perfume's Virtual Reality Music Video Ad for Panasonic
- All hail the Godbot: In Silicon Valley artificial intelligence isn't just king, it's literally a new religion
- Sex Robot Samantha Will Free Humanity From Work, Says Its Creator (Sex robot creator claims demand is so high he wants to start mass producing Samantha heads)
Related: Rapper Chief Keef to Use "Hologram" to Perform For Benefit Concert
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(Score: 2) by Freeman on Tuesday July 14 2015, @03:59PM
I'm guessing they mean some cheesy "Hologram". Not, Star Trek Quality Hologram.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 4, Informative) by tibman on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:08PM
It's not an actual hologram. The word has been stolen and used to describe the floating image effect. Pepper's ghost is 2D.
SN won't survive on lurkers alone. Write comments.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Tuesday July 14 2015, @04:14PM
I used the illusionary quotation marks technique and a hyper link illusion to indicate that it is not the Holotube.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:06PM
Keef "has been one of the encouragers of the violence." "Why doesn't he Man Up and acknowledge it's time to stop this violence and Apologize for his part in it!!!!
I fail to see how one can construe the creation of music with taking part in violence. Even if you don't like this particular music the notion that a guy singing funny causes people to go out and shoot each other is ludicrous.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:19PM
Ask Hatsune Miku.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:23PM
But Keef, 19, whose real name is Keith Cozart, has an outstanding warrant for his arrest for unpaid child support.
I am happy to see that this technology is being developed to help those in need...
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 14 2015, @06:45PM
The Chicago PD can just garnish the Benefit Concert's wages in order to help repay the outstanding child support.
So long as it doesn't exceed the amount made to benefit relatives of the deceased, it is a win win win.
(Score: 2) by bob_super on Tuesday July 14 2015, @08:46PM
Judges routinely charge people over video links from the local jail. Maybe they just need to make this a two-way tech.
(Score: 2) by Alfred on Tuesday July 14 2015, @07:36PM
He may have good reasons to not be in Chicago. Too cold. Maybe he doesn't want to get shot. Maybe he sucks at live performance and this will all be prerecorded. Oh, that warrant is a good reason too.