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Chance the Rapper acquires Chicago news site

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Chance the Rapper (265065)
Chance the Rapper

Chance the Rapper hasn’t been sitting back and enjoying his success. In addition to investing in education and being active for social change, the Chicago native has now become a media mogul, at least on a local level. According to Variety, he has announced the deal to buy Chicagoist, a Chicago area news site. He actually explains the move in one of his songs, “I Might Need Security.” Be prepared for some serious lyrics… “I bought the Chicagoist to run you racist bihes outta business,” he spits. He also uses other profanity. Chicagoist.com has been quiet since November 2017, when owner Joe Ricketts, the billionaire founder of TD Ameritrade, shut down the site along with Gothamist, DNAinfo and others. That happened after the sites’ staffs voted to join the Writers Guild of America East as their collective bargaining rep. In a statement, Chance said: “I’m extremely excited to be continuing the work of the Chicagoist, an integral local platform for Chicago news, events and entertainment… I look forward to relaunching it and bringing the people of Chicago an independent media outlet focused on amplifying diverse voices and content.” Chance the Rapper acquired Chicagoist from New York Public Radio’s WNYC, through the artist’s newly formed Social Media LLC, which aims to promote local investigative journalism, diversity and representation for people of color in media. Terms of the deal for Chicagoist weren’t disclosed. The 25-year-old rapper/songwriter/actor/producer, born Chancelor Bennett, hails from Chicago’s West Chatham neighborhood. WNYC had initially taken ownership of the Chicagoist assets, including the site’s archives, Internet domain, and social-media channels, when it acquired Gothamist and its associated sites in February 2018. The public radio station has since relaunched Gothamist in New York City. “We are delighted that the Chicagoist assets are finding a new home in the hands of a proud Chicagoan,” Laura Walker, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, which includes WNYC, said in a statement released early Thursday. “WNYC has a strong commitment to local journalism and building community, and we are pleased that these assets will be used to support local coverage in the great city of Chicago.”

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