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Chance the Rapper released four new songs on Wednesday night and, in one of them, announced that he had bought Chicagoist, the most recently held local news site. by WNYC.
On the track "I Might Need Security" raps "I bought the Chicagoist / just to make you racist [expletive] out of business." He issued a more traditional statement across WNYC, saying that He was "extremely excited to continue the work of the Chicagoist," which he called "
He said his goal of reviving the site would be to bring the people of Chicago" an independent media focused on amplifying various voices and contents ".
Chicago, part of the Gothamist family of websites, was shut down in November when billionaire owner Joe Ricketts reacted to organizing efforts in Gothamist's New York offices and DNAinfo in ending New York's portfolio. , Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington – and let all its employees go.
WNYC was part of a consortium of public radio stations that purchased the family of Gothamist sites in 1945, but chose not to resurrect DNAinfo. Gothamist was founded in 2003 and the sites were owned independently until sold to Mr. Ricketts' company in 2017.
While Gothamist began publishing again in the spring, Chicagoist is calm since November. Laura Walker, the executive director of New York Public Radio (which includes WNYC) said in a statement: "We are delighted that Chicago's badets are finding a new home in the hands of a proud Chicagoan."
Walker said Chicago would be used to support Chicago's local coverage, but Chance, born Chancelor Bennett, has not yet elaborated on how he will populate the local news site. Its director, Pat Corcoran, did not immediately respond to a request for comment
It is unusual for a featured artist to acquire a website of information and commentary. Celebrities were more likely to help create their own properties, as did former baseball player Derek Jeter with his site, the Player's Tribune, which holds interviews and first-person trials with athletes. The actress Zooey Deschanel was one of the founders of a website, HelloGiggles, acquired by Time in 2015. That year, actress, director and screenwriter Lena Dunham co-hosted -founded Lenny Letter, a digital newsletter, with his collaborator frequents Jenni Konner
After taking control of Chicago, Chance, 25, will quickly become one of the most prominent publishers in a city that was a stronghold of black-owned media before recent acquisitions. In 2016, Johnson Publishing Company in Chicago sold Ebony and Jet magazines to a private equity firm in Texas. Oprah Winfrey is perhaps the most famous media mogul badociated with Chicago, thanks to "The Oprah Winfrey Show", which was shot in the city. But the majority owner of the television network that bears his name is Discovery Communications in New York.
Munson Steed, CEO of Steed Media Group and publisher of the website and Rolling Out magazine, said that he was proud of Chance for the move, pointing out that the new media entrepreneur could help to train a generation of color journalists.
"They will have access based on their participation," said Steed.
He was asked when he thought it was wise for a novice to enter the competitive (and eternally underfunded) trade of digital news, Mr. Steed said, "I think as long as it measures its investment, chance is young enough to make intelligent mistakes. "
Chance has emphasized his pride in the city since the beginning of his career.His parents are longtime officials who worked in the city government, and Chance has recently become more politically engaged, at a meeting of the City Council in November to denounce a police academy proposal of $ 95 million.It is particularly focused on public schools of the city and, in 2017, has donates $ 1 million to the public school system to support extracurricular programming and the arts The Chicago Tribune reported in December that it has raised an additional $ 2.5 million for schools in the city, primarily through at SocialWorks Chicago, his non-profit arts education organization.
The rapper's relationship with the media has not always been so enjoyable. In 2016, he threatened to stop to work with MTV after the channel's news site published a lukewarm review of his album "Coloring Book" and a broadcast of his tour. Mr. Corcoran told Spin at the time that he and Chance had "agreed that the article was offensive" and had expressed their concerns to MTV, where a representative "is appropriate". faux pas editorial. "
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