Juice WRLD and Frankie Knuckles murals painted over in Chicago

29 April, 2023

Juice WRLD and Frankie Knuckles Credit: Bryan Steffy and J. Countess / GETTY

Murals memorialising Juice WRLD and Frankie Knuckles have been mysteriously painted over in Chicago.

The murals dedicated to the Chicago icons were a part of street gallery in the city’s West Loop neighbourhood called The B_Line, and have been completely painted over in brown paint. As reported by The Chicago Reader, artists from all over the world have contributed to the collection of street art.

This is the second time that one of the Frankie Knuckles murals has been vandalised. In 2021, one of his murals was splashed with white paint as part of a series of attacks on murals of Black figures in Chicago.

Chief curator and managing director Levar Hoard told Block Club Chicago: “Whoever destroyed the murals did it intentionally because its location is well known and attracts tons of people to the neighbourhood. We’re trying to get the bottom of it.”

Attorneys have been contacted, as Hoard believes that the artists whose work was destroyed should receive compensation.

Corey Pane, the artist behind the Juice WRLD mural, told RA: “I’m not sure exactly what happened—we’re still trying to figure that out. But no matter who did this, it’s sad to see it go because it meant so much to so many people.”

Juice WRLD passed away in December 2019 after suffering a drug-induced seizure at Chicago’s Midway airport, nine months after the release of his second album, ‘Death Race For Love’. He was 21-years-old.

Earlier this year, Lil Bibby confirmed that the late rapper’s final posthumous album would be arriving soon.

Meanwhile, a petition was launched to stop the demolition of a building which once housed Chicago nightclub The Warehouse. Frankie Knuckles hosted the venue as its first musical director, playing a mix of genres like soul, R&B and disco, which marked the beginnings of the house genre. ‘The Godfather Of House’ Knuckles passed away in 2014, aged 59.

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