In 2012, Serengeti released the song "Don't Blame Steve" on the "Kenny Dennis" EP, an album dedicated to his recurring song character Kenny Dennis.

The first time I realized just how big a piece of Chicago lore Steve Bartman was going to hold was Halloween 2003, a few weeks after Game 6. I was in Bloomington, Ind., and every fifth person was dressed as Bartman. He was--and remains--iconic.

But as many people have pointed out--including members of the 2003 Cubs--this unlucky fan had nothing to do with the team’s failures in Game 6.

Certainly one of the people who believes that is rapper Serengeti. In 2012, he released the song “Don’t Blame Steve” on the “Kenny Dennis” EP, an album dedicated to his recurring song character Kenny Dennis. The song tells the story of Kenny Dennis being one of the people sitting next to Bartman during Game 6. Serengeti and I sat down this summer to talk about the song, the game and, as it turned out, the meaning of life.

Game 6. 2003. Where were you?
I was in West Rogers Park, with Vanessa, Gladys, and Jackie, all sitting on the couch, and watching the game unfold. I remember that play vividly, and then I remember the collapse. And then I thought it was over.

You didn’t think they had a chance in Game 7?
No. It was too much of a collapse. They were too close. … It was just too close to let it slip through your fingertips. It was tough to come back from that.

I don’t even recall Game 7, to be honest with you. All I recall is Game 6, thinking it was over, and it was. I don’t remember thinking very optimistically about Game 7, if I can recall correctly. It was 10 years ago, huh?

Damn. Damn damn. (Pause.)

So give me then the origin of the song.
I don’t know. Maybe just having some fun, feeling like writing a lot, maybe. Just wrote this little tale. I don’t remember exactly how it came about. It’s funny. Sort of humorous. Because Kenny, in the Kenny world, he was the biggest Cubs fan. But when the Cubs traded Hawk Dawson--or they didn’t sign him, or whatever--he totally stopped everything.

So he was at that Cubs game dressed in blue because he didn’t have teal, because he was actually pulling for the Marlins. Because he pulled for anything Florida at that time, because that’s where Hawk Dawson [ended his career], it’s where he was born, and retired. So that was that story--he was there, he was sitting next to Steve, and he was the guy who actually tried to knock the ball down.

So are you a Dawson fan?
Yeah. I loved Hawk Dawson. He was the best.

How old were you in ’89?
12. Something like that. I used to love Hawk Dawson. H-a-w-k.

Tell me then how the video came about.
Alex Beh [the director of Serengeti’s video “Shazam”], he liked the song a lot. And he was like, “We have to do the video.” He was in Chicago. And it all just sort of happened in one day. I just went ahead and did it. It took about four or five hours.