(AllHipHop News) Spike Lee’s controversial film Chi-Raq opened in theaters last week, but before the Chicago based movie even hit theaters there was a lot of criticism hurled at the satirical drama. Even Windy City Hip Hop artists such as Rhymefest, Chance The Rapper, and King Louie refuse to support the new Spike Joint.

[ALSO READ: Spike Lee To Be Awarded Lifetime Achievement Oscar]

Lee did a recent interview with Sway In The Morning to discuss Chi-Raq. The award winning director got emotional as he pushed back against critics that say he is exploiting the violence in Chicago.

Lee said:

For those haters who have not seen the film who felt that we were making fun of the murder on the streets of Chicago or we were making light of it – Let me ask everybody a question. Jennifer Hudson’s mother, brother, and nephew were murdered in Chicago. Why would Jennifer Hudson be in a film that ridiculed her murdered mother, brother, and nephew? Why is she being part of that?

He continued:

[At the end of the movie] these black women are holding up posters of their young children that were murdered in the streets. Why would they ridicule their children by being in a film that did that? So people talking that sh*t, they don’t know what the f*ck they’re talking about. This film, in no way, shape, or form, makes fun of anybody that got killed. This film was made to save lives, and all this other sh*t people are talking about is a distraction.

Besides Hudson, Chi-Raq also stars Nick Cannon, Teyonah Parris, Samuel L. Jackson, Wesley Snipes, Angela Bassett, La La Anthony, and Dave Chappelle. The Amazon Studios produced film grossed $1.2 million in its opening weekend.

[ALSO READ: Nick Cannon Releases “Chi-Raq” Song Amid Controversy]

Watch Spike Lee’s interview below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4SftNnceZg]