When Chance the Rapper announced via a single in July that he was buying Chicagoist—the hyperlocal news site closed by billionaire owner Joe Ricketts the previous November—there was a ton of speculation about what he’d do with it. At an invitation-only event Friday morning, a collection of journalists, young aldermanic candidates, professors, and supporters got a first glimpse of the goods.
Champ/Chance then delivers a 101-level lesson in Chicago politics, set to music with what Sun-Times journalist Kathy Chaney astutely described as a Schoolhouse Rock vibe.
“The overall idea is to allow more people to have voices, to give a bigger platform for Chicago voices to speak,” Chance said—not just in the realm of hyperlocal journalism but also in the world at large (including, of course, in music). “I’m not trying to say too much, but it’s cool, though—it’s a cool thing.”
