In the summer of 2018, the Instagram account Rappnyheter was started.
At first, the account launcher mainly posted videos and new releases from the Swedish hip hop scene, but in a short time, the account developed into one of the most important news sources about rap.
The idea was to highlight positive news about hip hop and rap that was not seen in the big media houses.
Recently, however, crime surveillance has become a new part of the anonymous account holder's content.
When the artist Nils ”Einár” Grönberg was kidnapped in the spring of 2020, pictures of Einár in a vulnerable situation were sent directly to Rappnyheter, which has a trust among hip-hop artists and fans that larger, traditional news media do not have.
- Those [who sent the pictures] saw it as if the site will publish everything that has to do with rap.
Also explicit pictures.
I think they had the wrong idea of what my side stood for.
I got these pictures, but I did not think it was morally right to post, says Rappnyheter's founder.
Worried about the future
Kulturnyheterna reported previously reported on the extensive spread of rumors that has gained momentum on social media since the murder of Einár on October 21 this year.
In the comment fields on Instagram, there are names and guesses as to who may be behind the murder.
This in turn has led to Facebook, which owns Instagram, closing down several accounts after sharp criticism from users.
Rappnyheter's founders are worried that the disinformation among young fans could lead to a major conflict where they take a stand either for Einár or for other artists who they speculate may be involved in the murder.
- It poses a lot of problems.
The rumors have led to different groupings, you see it in different social media.
It is "team one" versus "team two".
It creates unrest and you do not know what it can develop into.