Chief Keef's Gun Range Interview: Pitchfork Apologizes

[NelsonG]

By Carter Maness

Given the spate of gang-related violence gripping Chicago and, particularly, the recent murder of rapper Lil Jojo and subsequent Twitter taunts by Chief Keef, indie music website Pitchfork has retracted a July episode of their Web series "Selector" where they filmed the Chi-town rapper freestyling at a gun range.

The cringe-worthy clip received an immediate backlash because Keef, only 17-years-old, pointed a gun at a police officer last December and had been on house arrest for aggravated unlawful use of a weapon until recently. The series often films rappers at unique locations (Action Bronson rapping in an ice cream truck, for example), but the Keef episode was in noticeably poor taste given both his history of violence and the crime-wave plaguing Chicago all year.

"Given recent news regarding the shooting of Chicago rapper Lil Jojo and the investigation of people involved in Chicago's rap scene, this seems like the right time to express our regrets regarding that episode," reads part of the retraction penned by the outlet's editor-in-chief Mark Richardson. "We apologize for this mistake and have removed the video from our archives."

Chicago police have indicated they are investigating Keef's tweets after Lil Jojo's murder for possible connections to the homicide. Earlier this summer, Keef signed a deal with Interscope.

[url=http://rapfix.mtv.com/2012/09/07/chief-keef-gun-range-interview-pitchfork-apologizes/]View the full article[/url]