Within the ever-shifting panorama of Chicago’s media ecosystem, few platforms have demonstrated the cultural endurance and neighborhood influence of What’s the Phrase. Based in 2011 by Cordaro “Cody” McKee as a school publication at Southern Illinois College in Carbondale, What’s the Phrase has advanced into one in every of Chicago’s most influential cultural platforms, offering area for underrepresented voices whereas documenting the town’s wealthy musical heritage and cultural actions for over a decade.
What started as a useful resource for Black college students on campus has remodeled right into a multifaceted media group that amplifies native expertise and shapes conversations round Chicago’s cultural identification. By way of interviews, occasion protection, and considerate cultural evaluation, McKee has constructed What’s the Phrase into greater than only a publication—it’s turn into a motion with lasting influence on Chicago’s creative neighborhood.
Let’s begin initially. What impressed What’s the Phrase?
It’s simply to provide folks with no voice, a voice. I began a publication again in 2011 in Carbondale, Illinois, after I was in school. It was my sophomore yr in school, and it began as a result of I simply needed to provide the Blacks on campus a voice. Let the scholars know what’s happening, how they will get in tune with completely different actions, after which simply give completely different curators an area to show their skills.
Began off with interviews overlaying campus occasions. Even had an internet collection the place I used to be the primary shot, the place I gave a number of native expertise an opportunity to be an actor, even those that was within the School of Communication. They was main; they obtained an opportunity to be in an energetic collection whereas they was in school, and I labored on their appearing abilities and stuff.
When it comes to the platform itself, what sort of influence do you’re feeling What’s the Phrase has had on the Chicago music and media scene?
I really feel the influence it had was that it allowed the on a regular basis particular person to get extra of an perception on new artists, as a result of majority of our viewers are followers. I keep in mind after we first began getting notoriety and getting traction and getting that respect. Folks was attempting to match us to Andrew Barber, and shout out to Drew. That’s an important man; positively an individual who’s placing on for Chicago hip-hop, for certain, within the media. However the distinction between us and Drew was Drew’s following and followers is strictly music. I don’t know too many individuals that learn about music, rap, and stuff Andrew does, and he’s actually one in every of them.
What we executed as a publication is Hip Hop not as music, however simply Black American tradition, Black and Brown American tradition. In order that’s from the best way we discuss, the best way we costume. That’s the sports activities. That’s the neighborhood stuff. That’s the tradition dialog, the conversations that now we have proper now, even the best one is 100 folks versus a gorilla. However after we begin speaking about how now we have these cultural bases that simply be with us, after which we perceive it was a platform for that. It’s a Chicago platform.
We might speak about all the pieces outdoors of Chicago, as a result of they are saying Chicago folks after they go locations, all they speak about is Chicago. I consider with this platform it permits those that’s not from Chicago to know that okay, we love our metropolis. However on the subject of simply media and simply information of what goes on on this planet outdoors of Chicago, folks from Chicago are very educated, and we’re among the dopest folks.
What do you suppose it’s about Chicago tradition that’s so compelling and so completely different?
You may’t title one sound. I hate that they put the drill on us. You go to those completely different small pockets I speak about. However you bought all these completely different teams of individuals, completely different sounds. You may’t put one factor on us. Sinéad simply got here out, and now everyone simply remembers that Chicago is without doubt one of the greatest blues scenes on this planet, if not the perfect blues scene on this planet.
We obtained a lot music right here. That’s what makes our tradition so distinctive as a result of New York is New York. LA, you recognize the place folks from. However even when you come to Chicago, I can inform precisely the place you’re from as a result of there’s one thing that’s completely different from the place you’re from.
The place do you see What’s the Phrase within the subsequent 10 years? What’s the final word objective for the model?
The final word objective for me is to get into media schooling. Someplace attempting to determine the right way to simply hold a pipeline and sources going for Chicago creators to get within the business. I do know one of the simplest ways to try this is thru schooling.
That’s gonna be one in every of my objectives for 10 years and simply proceed to be a useful resource. However after all, I wish to pivot into different issues. I’ve positioned myself to begin serious about different avenues, since you do one thing for thus lengthy, you develop and increase. However the platform itself I really feel is such a gem that I wish to permit it to maintain going to maintain giving these different voices and people different curators a platform.
And simply to be there for this homegrown factor. So, 10 years from now, What’s the Phrase will most likely nonetheless be doing what it’s doing, however on a global scale. However for myself, I’ll most likely not be a hands-on CEO; I might need anyone else doing that.
What recommendation would you give somebody who’s seeking to comply with in your footsteps and construct their very own platform?
I’d say, don’t. I believe that was the factor that I want that I had. I want I had a system and an infrastructure, as a result of that’s the Chicago manner — everyone wish to be the person, all of us wish to have our personal factor.
All of us wish to have our personal factor, and that form of messes us up as a result of that limits our superpowers that restrict us to changing into… I wish to say Voltron, however I do know I grew up on Energy Rangers. So when all of the Energy Rangers all the time used to return collectively, it stops us from doing that, or when you’re an anime, from Goku and Vegeta becoming a member of collectively. It stops that as a result of it turns into a contest as an alternative, and we must be collaborating.
So I’d say, don’t begin a platform. I’d say, construct your self as a person. So in case you are a dope digicam particular person, be the perfect digicam particular person you might be. Be the perfect vlogger. Be an excellent particular person and construct different folks up. If in case you have a media character, be the perfect media character, and work out what which means on your model and the way you conduct enterprise and stuff like that. Collaborate.