Raysean Autry, co-founder of the Kollege Kidd hip hop blog and social media channels, passed away two weeks ago, after a hard-fought battle with COVID-19, MTO News reported.
Yesterday the media entrepreneur was laid to rest. Here are some pictures:
Raysean’s brother Richard Autry, with whom he co-founded Kollege Kidd, is also in the hospital battling the virus.
Raysean and Richard co-founded Kollege Kidd together in Chicago back in 2011. At the time, the brothers said they launched the platform because “there was a lack of media representation for underground hip hop and especially its young fans – the millennial demographic.”
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According to the Kollege Kidd website, the platform was created with the goal to “fill that void by covering talented unsigned and newly signed artists.” Besides hip hop, Kollege Kidd also covered topics like sports, fashion, animation, video games, television and film.
According to his social media, Raysean graduated from Ohio’s Bowling Green State University in 2010 with a degree in Telecommunications, Television and Film. He worked as a technical director and camera operator for the Bowling Green-based news channel WBGU-PBS and also was an intern for CNN.
After news of Raysean’s passing broke late on Thursday (Dec. 30), fans and supporters paid their respects on social media.
“Gotta say I appreciate EVERYTHING [Kollege Kidd] did for me and the whole city during the blog era,” Chance the Rapper wrote on Twitter. “REST UP.”
“RIP [Kollege Kidd’s] Founder [Raysean Autry],” another person wrote. “[There are] reports the well-known music reporter passed away from COVID-19. Condolences to the family, friends and fans of [Raysean] Autry.”
“Rest in peace,” a third fan tweeted. “Part owner Raysean Autry, who owns the blog Kollege Kidd with his brother, has passed away from complications of Covid-19. Condolences go out to his family & friends.”
