Frankie Knuckles and Juice WRLD murals maliciously painted over in Chicago

Murals in Chicago depicting late house music legend Frankie Knuckles and late rapper Juice WRLD have been painted over in a currently unexplained attack on Monday, April 24.

The artworks were part of a street gallery in Chicago’s West Loop neighbourhood called The B_Line, and have been completely obscured in concrete brown paint.

This is the second time since Knuckles passed away in 2014 that a mural of the Godfather of House has been targeted in Chicago, following a 2021 attack where his depiction was splashed with white paint as part of a series of attacks on murals of Black figures.

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His mural was commissioned by The Frankie Knuckles Foundation in 2018, and was unveiled on August 25 that year, which marks Frankie Knuckles Day.

B_Line’s curator, Levar Hoard told RA that he thought the attack was likely “racially motivated”, with CCTV having identified a number of suspects, which he alleged included The Department of Streets and Sanitation parking lot operators and the owners of the viaduct the gallery sits in, Railroad Union Pacific.

However, the Department of Streets and Sanitation and Union Pacific told CBS 2 that it was not responsible.

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He also claimed that thousands of people go to see the murals a month, having gone viral on TikTok over the pandemic.

Hoard expressed his sadness at what happened, telling CBS: “I was definitely disappointed that we’re in a city that does not value art.

“To be honest, it came as no surprise,” he continued. There are a few people who have expressed a high level of displeasure that the mural has brought.”

According to RA, the Chicago Police Department have so far declined to confirm whether an investigation is pending.

Isaac Muk is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow him on Twitter