Back in July, Pitchfork.tv drew heavy criticism after posting an installment of their “Selector” video freestyle series featuring Chief Keef firing weapons in a gun range. Now, in light of Chicago’s growing crime rate and the recent murder of Keef’s rival Lil JoJo, the media outlet has pulled the episode with the Chicago upstart.
Pitchfork’s Editor-in-Chief Mark Richards released a statement earlier today apologizing for the company’s inconsiderate choice of location in the video. He explained that they wanted a unique set on which to film, but in light of the increased incidents of gun violence in Chicago and the death of Keef’s rival Lil JoJo, they felt it was irresonsible to keep the video archived on their website.
“‘Selector’ is a Pitchfork.tv show in which we interview rappers and watch them freestyle over beats. We often try to conduct these shows in unusual locations, and several months ago we interviewed Chief Keef at a gun range in New York City,” the apology reads. “This concept was rushed and never should have happened…but this particular episode was insensitive and irresponsible. 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. We apologize for this mistake and have removed the video from our archives.”
Check out the full statement over at Pitchfork.
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