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Chance the Rapper meets with Illinois governor after Twitter exchange

Posted at 2:43 PM, Mar 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-03 16:43:14-05

By Deena Zaru

(CNN) — Chance the Rapper met with Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner Friday to discuss local education issues and his concerns over recent cuts to public school funding.

“He gave me a lot of vague answers, so we’ll see what happens,” the Chicago rapper said while talking to reporters after the meeting. “He has my personal number. He told me that in 48 hours, you know, Springfield is in session next week.”

The Grammy-winning rapper, whose full name is Chancelor Bennett, said he asked Rauner to “take our kids off the table” as he left his office.

CNN has reached out to the Republican governor’s office and the rapper’s representatives but, so far, requests for comment have not been returned.

Chicago Public Schools officials announced last month that they will cut $46 million from the public school budget after Rauner vetoed a $215 million funding bill in December that schools were counting on to ease their pension burden.

Rauner defended his decision, blaming state Democrats for backing out of a deal to pass pension reform. But Senate President John Cullerton, a Democrat, denied that there was ever a deal.

Chance asked journalists to “give a comprehensive history about how we ended up here” and called out outlets “that post about me walking down the street and s***.”

“as a CPS product, as a Chicagoan, and as a teacher, I want to thank you for using your platform try and advocate for CPS,” one Twitter user wrote.

“The fight has just begun,” the rapper responded.

The meeting was originally set for Wednesday but was canceled and then rescheduled by Rauner due to tornadoes in the state.

“I’m meeting privately with the governor Wednesday,” the Windy City native tweeted Monday. “The two of us will address funding education in Chicago. I’m eager to hear his ideas.”

“Looking forward to hearing your ideas, too,” the Republican governor responded Monday afternoon.

Chance asked for the meeting during a Twitter exchange with Rauner, which began when the governor congratulated the rapper on his Grammy wins last month. The musician won the award for best new artist, among other categories.

“Congrats to @Chancetherapper for making history as an independent artist and taking home 3 Grammys. IL is proud that you’re one of our own,” Rauner tweeted on February 13.

Chance, who backed Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election, took the opportunity to ask for a meeting with the governor.

“Thank you Governor, I would love to have meeting with you this week if possible,” he tweeted.

Rauner responded a couple of hours later, tweeting, “Let’s set up a meeting soon. Looking forward to our conversation @chancetherapper.”

The 23-year-old rapper was born and raised in Chicago and has been outspoken in his opposition to President Donald Trump. He voiced his support for the #BlackLivesMatter movement and led hundreds to an early voting location last November following a free concert.