ACL Festival 2017 Weekend 2, Day 2
Chance the Rapper at ACL 2017 (more by Tim Griffin)

Chance The Rapper reveals he bought Chicagoist in new song lyrics

First there were rumors that Chance the Rapper would be one of the next artists to make a seven-song, Kanye-produced album, and then a feature on Chicago Tribune started another rumor that, in addition to the album with Kanye, he would put out his followup to 2016’s Coloring Book this week. Chance quickly shut that rumor down (“Sorry no album this week, def been in the stu tho,” he tweeted), but now he has returned with four new songs.

On one of those songs, “I Might Need Security,” Chance raps: “I bought the Chicagoist just to run you racist bitches out of business.” And as it turns out, that’s actually true. Chicagoist was — as you may know — the Chicago branch of Gothamist, and Gothamist confirmed that Chance the Rapper’s Social Media LLC purchased the site from WNYC, who acquired Gothamist earlier this year from billionaire Joe Ricketts after he shut the “-ist” and DNAinfo sites down.

Here’s more:

“I’m extremely excited to be continuing the work of the Chicagoist, an integral local platform for Chicago news, events and entertainment,” said Chance The Rapper. “WNYC’s commitment to finding homes for the -ist brands, including Chicagoist, was an essential part of continuing the legacy and integrity of the site. I look forward to re-launching it and bringing the people of Chicago an independent media outlet focused on amplifying diverse voices and content.”

Laura Walker, President and CEO, New York Public Radio, which includes WNYC, released this statement: “We are delighted that the Chicagoist assets are finding a new home in the hands of a proud Chicagoan. 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.”

Well, that sure isn’t something you hear everyday.

Meanwhile, Chicagoist has a new competitor in Block Club Chicago, a new local news site formed by a group of Chicago journalists after the demise of DNAinfo which they recently acquired the archives of from WNYC.

You can listen to “I Might Need Security,” along with the three other new songs — “Wala Cam” (ft. Suba Bwe and Forever Band), “Work Out,” and “65th & Ingleside” — below.