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No, Chief Keef Isn't Our Police Chief ... But There's a Chief Keefe in Utah

By Mark Konkol | September 8, 2014 5:25am
 Layton City, Utah's Chief Terry M. Keefe has advice for the other Chief Keef, Englewood rap star Keith Cozart: "Try being a man."
Layton City, Utah's Chief Terry M. Keefe has advice for the other Chief Keef, Englewood rap star Keith Cozart: "Try being a man."
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DNAinfo

CHICAGO — At the office last week, a New Yorker not hip to the Chicago gangster rap scene asked about Chicago's police chief — "Chief Keef."

After we got done laughing about that, one curious colleague discovered that our Chief Keef, the notorious 19-year-old Englewood rapper currently wanted on an arrest warrant, ironically shares his name with an actual police chief.

In sleepy Layton City, Utah, — a suburb nestled between the Great Salt Lake and the Wasatch Mountains — the police department is run by a lawman named Terry M. Keefe, better known as “Chief Keefe."

While Chief Keefe with the badge spells his name differently than Chief Keef with the rap sheet, both guys pronounce it the same.

By the look of things, though, that’s about all they have in common.

Just to be sure I called Chief Keefe … and got his voicemail.

The message said, “You’ve reached Chief Keefe,” in a slow husky baritone — each syllable a deep vibration muffled by a lush, cop mustache — that couldn’t sound any more different from the marble-mouthed raps of the other Chief Keef.

When I called back later, the husky-voiced man from the voicemail message answered. I politely asked, “Is Chief Keefe there?” … without laughing even once.

“This is Terry,” Chief Keefe said.

I introduced myself and inquired if Chief Keefe the lawman had any knowledge of his notorious name twin, Chief Keef, the dope-smoking rapper.

“I do know about him,” Chief Keefe said. “Someone told me about him. That is the extent of my knowledge.”

It appeared Chief Keefe would be a tough interview.

So I gave the Utah sheriff the lowdown on the younger Chief Keef: He’s a kid from tough gang turf who sold dope, pointed a gun at a police officer and got famous when he made rap video while on house arrest that listed examples of stuff the rapper “don’t like.” I told him about the outstanding arrest warrant, too.

And that seemed to get Chief Keefe to open up a little.

“You know, I found his name interesting, but I didn’t pay much attention to it,” Chief Keefe said. “I’m an older guy. I’m not a rap aficionado, so I didn’t look up his music on Craigslist. I’m pretty sure I won’t like his music. It’s not the genre of music I like to listen to. I like classic rock, country and some classical.”

Chief Keefe and I chatted about music for a bit.

“I like the Eagles. I like the Beatles. Go back to the early '70s, I like the Turtles," the 62-year-old police chief said.

The irony that police Chief Keefe only mentioned stuff that he does like, while rapper Chief Keef tends to focus on the negative — snitches and being sober, among them — was not lost on me.

“I like Paul Revere and the Raiders, the Byrds, Canned Heat, Deep Purple," he continued. “I like America."

Utah’s Chief Keefe said he likes fishing, hiking the backcountry and the solitude you can find there. He likes his job and the simple things in life.

To be fair, it’s probably worth pointing out that Englewood’s Chief Keef does actually like things, too.

He once told me at the juvenile courthouse that he likes his granny, Margaret Carter, the school bus driver who raised him. He also likes Ferraris, Air Jordan shoes and strippers, among other things.

I offered to play Chief Keefe a little of the other Chief Keef’s hit song, “I Don’t Like.”

He politely declined, reminding me that’s the stuff that he doesn’t like.

But Layton City’s finest did have some advice for Englewood’s top rapper.

“Try being a man. Face up to the charges. Turn yourself in and go to court, let a jury of your peers see the proof and decide whether or not you’re guilty of the charges you face,” Chief Keefe said. “You’re doing what cowards do. They’re not man enough to stand up and face the music.”

I couldn’t track down the outlaw Chief Keef to find out what he thinks about that, but it’s probably on the growing list of stuff that he, well, “don’t like.”

And police Chief Keefe certainly couldn’t care less.

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