Late Rapper To Be First Vietnamese American Honored With Street Name

CHICAGO (CBS) -- A young rapper who drowned two years ago will become the first Vietnamese American to have a street named in his honor in Chicago.

WBBM Newsradio's Mike Krauser reports John "Vietnam" Nguyen was a gifted hip-hop artist and poet known for his performances at "Louder Than A Bomb," an annual youth poetry slam in Chicago.

He also was known for his activism in the Uptown neighborhood, and next week, the 5000 block of North Winthrop Street will be named Honorary John "Vietnam" Nguyen Way.

Nguyen is the first Vietnamese American to get such an honor. He's also the youngest person to get an honorary street name, and the first hip-hop artist.

In the 19-year-old's own words, he was about "peace, love, unity, and having fun."

He drowned in 2012 while trying to help save a friend who panicked while swimming in a lake in Madison, Wis., where he was attending college.