Chief Keef is running for mayor of Chicago, and as is the case with his rap songs, he doesn’t appear to follow any rule book but his own. After all, the city wrapped up a mayoral election just months ago, and Keef’s got some outstanding warrants preventing him from entering Chicago anytime soon. Keef made the announcement on Twitter yesterday as part of a response to his ongoing struggle to perform anywhere near Chicago via hologram.
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Chief Keef
But regardless of who is in the right in the eyes of the law this entire episode feels like a big win for Keef—or at the very least a publicity coup. The story’s gone national, with Keef becoming a symbol for free speech activists in the process, and it’s easy to see him staying in the spotlight, at least as long as the rapper and his camp push the hologram issue with no sign of the mayor’s office relenting. That might not last longer than a couple weeks, but a couple weeks is more than enough time to give a boost to Keef’s latest project. His forthcoming album, Bang 3, is due to come out August 18 on FilmOn TV and MondoTunes, which signed Keef to a $2.5 million deal for two albums. Greek billionaire Alki David owns a majority stake in MondoTunes and nabbed Keef the deal; David also founded Hologram USA, which has been behind Keef’s aborted virtual performances.