Despite growing speculation and a hot couple of hours on Twitter, native Chicago artist Chance The Rapper dashed his fans’ hopes Tuesday after announcing he would not be running for mayor.
Chance The Rapper, real name Chancelor Bennett, has become increasingly more involved in Chicago politics since his rise to fame. The “No Problem” rapper has piped up on President Trump and, most recently, endorsed Amara Enyia, current director of the city’s Austin Chamber of Commerce, during a news conference at City Hall Tuesday. (RELATED: There’s Growing Speculation That This World-Famous Rapper Is Going To Run For Chicago Mayor)
“I’ve been longstanding in saying that Chicago needs new leadership and a new mayor. So I’m proud to announce that I will not be running for mayor,” he told a media gaggle this morning.
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“Today is the beginning of Chicago’s next step,” Enyia said, following her high-profile introduction by Chance The Rapper.
It’s worth noting that Chance’s father, Ken Bennett, a former Obama and Rahm Emmaul administration official, is endorsing Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle in the mayor’s race.
“It’s like a wide-open race now. I think 15 or 16 candidates?” Chance The Rapper said on a recent episode of Joe Budden’s podcast. “If you look at the specific things I’m working on … it’s usually something that has something to do with equity … not necessarily equality. Or it has something to do with women’s rights, or black women’s rights, period. Education. It’s a lot in the same area. Homelessness. You could call it all economics.”
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So, no Chance The Mayor for now. But you can bet we’ll be hearing more from him as Chicago politics grow increasingly relevant to the rap community.