It's Already Summer in Chi-raq
I had to take a mini-vactaion from writing; I'm still listening to music, though. Shout-outs to Chicago, Illinois for all the work being done for music in that city. Shall we take a review of how hot Chicago, infamously dubbed "Chiraq", has gotten?
XXL Freshman List
There are 3 south-side Chi-Town rappers, and a lone east side artist that made the XXL List in 2014: Chance The Rapper, Lil Durk, Vic Mensa, and Lil Bibby. These dudes have put in extraordinary work within their own city as well as everywhere else. Each of their projects, each locally grown and mussed over, has gotten bigger and seeped into the mainstream. Lucky for us listeners, they all still retain the Chicago grit and musicality in their sounds.
Chance The Rapper
We've all heard Acid Rap at this point, if not- check my review on the critically acclaimed mixtape that I wrote a while back. This dude has toured extensively, performed at Coachella, and even worked alongside other lyrically-inclined artist such as Gambino and SZA.
Lil Durk
He'll tell you himself.. "This Ain't What You Want". This former Glory Boys Entertainment affiliate has propelled himself to "drill music" presidency with his Signed To The Streets mixtape. Rolling Stone had named this project the 8th best mixtape of 2013. As of recent, he is working on his debut album with under French Montana's label, Coke Boys.
Vic Mensa
This young artist has been through his share of ridiculousness, seriously. If falling off a bridge and maiming yourself isn't a day ruiner... well it is. This incident and more is referenced on his critically acclaimed solo project, Innanetape. Formerly part of the band, Kids These Days, this rapper has collaborated with some hip-hop heavyweights such as Ab-Soul and Hit-Boy. His EP Street Lights is scheduled to come out sometime this year.
Lil Bibby
Hailing from East-Side Chicago, the Free Crack rapper has also made a name for himself. Lil Bibby is praised as a mature and focused artist that knows how to pay homage to his idols. He's been interviewed by several major Hip-Hop radio stations, magazines, and media outlets. Drake has even reached out to the young artist and its rumored that the next step for Lil Bibby is an EP. Vibe did say Lil Bibby was the dude to watch in 2014.
All in all,
So once again, shout out to the city of Chiraq. On a socially conscious note, 2013 was statically a safer year for the city: lower murder rate than years previous. Through the rappers mentioned above the true colors of Chicago can shine through past the violence. Juke music, Jazz, Blues influences, and mixtures of several of these genres are sampled and played on in all these artists' music. The list doesn't just stop with these 4 either; some other notable underground Chicago artists whose music is pretty hot include: Dreezy, Noname Gypsy, Lil Herb, and Lil Reese.
Music is heating up this year already. 2013 left me speechless and good thing- I have more listening to do in 2014. This was but a small glimpse into what the entire XXL Freshmen List of 2014 has to offer. Sure these list are always debated, however it can be said that the 2014 class rivals the 2012 list when it comes to people that are on the cusp of breaking out. These artist that are breaking out, that are hungry, and are prolific with the hard hitting bars: music lives for them and their fans.
P.S.- Check Out All The Chiraq remixes... Who Did The Beat The Most Justice?
