Since the early 90s, the territoriality of hip hop has been a major staple in the rap game. East vs. West beefs ensued, as other regions tried to catch up. Just as New York was a hub of artistic growth in 1994, Chicago has created a league of its own through a gradual build in creativity, leading up to the artistic powerhouse that it is today. In this post, we'll examine the history of the Chicago hip hop scene as well as its incredibly promising future
The PastChicago rap gained mainstream attention late into the times of hip hop becoming a legitimate music genre. It wasn't until 1996 that Chicago started to gain some traction across the nation, with the help of Crucial Conflict's single, "Hay" and Do or Die's album, Picture This, both of which quickly became certified gold. Soon after, in 1997, Twista released his first charting album, Adrenaline Rush. Common released his first album to gain commercial success, Like Water For Chocolate in 2000, although Resurrection (released in 1994) is considered a classic today. Chicago began to gain recognition in the rap industry, however, its lack of a unified sound seemed to be a possible setback: Twista and Crucial Conflict both exemplified the "chopper" style that was popular in the Midwest at the time through the success of the Cleveland group, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony; Do or Die rapped with a gangsta style; Common was more of a backpacker and jazz rapper
Chicago hip hop stood in a place of recognition during the early 2000s, however the hip hop scene wasn't fully acclaimed. Then, 2004 came around and Kanye West dropped The College Dropout, which was the best selling hip hop album from Chicago ever at the time, selling 441,000 copies in the first week. After The College Dropout, multiple albums came out with extreme commercial success including Common's Be, Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, and Kanye West's Late Registration, all unified under a soul background. Chicago hip hop thrived, and ultimately became accepted, and acclaimed by the mainstream
The PresentChicago hip hop has seen the rise of multiple new artists, catapulting the city's artistic growth to new heights. Chance the Rapper made his official debut into the hip hop scene with the release of his mixtape, 10 Day in 2012. A year later, he dropped what is known now to be one of the greatest mixtapes of all time in Acid Rap infusing both soul and gospel influences into a fresh new sound causing critical acclaim over his vast creativity. Vic Mensa came up next, showing the world that Chicago hip hop is once again on the rise with the release of his mixtape, Innanetape in 2013. Mensa has recently caught the eye of Kanye West, prompting two (known) collaborations in the form of "U Mad" and "Wolves". Lastly, Mick Jenkins released his critically acclaimed mixtape The Water[s] in 2014, utilizing a loose metaphor of water to touch on multiple topics at hand, mainly the importance of truth
As these rappers have started to make a name for themselves in the "creative" side of Chicago's hip hop scene, a new subgenre of hip hop was being created: drill. No other drill rapper has gained as much attention as Chief Keef has, through his debut album Finally Rich and a steady output of mixtapes. Drill only recently became a legitimate hip hop subgenre, so it's tough to predict its future, however a noticeable decline can be observed, especially after Chief Keef has been dropped from Interscope Records
The FutureWith veteran Chi-town artists still creating massive buzz, and recently established artists causing waves in the industry, the question to be asked is who's next to blow? I'll discuss some artists that are just beginning to make names for themselves, going in order of who I predict will blow up last to first
Towkio
With the recent release of his mixtape, .Wav Theory, Savemoney member Towkio has begun his climb to stardom. Wav. Theory establishes Towkio's distinct sound, mixing aspects of EDM, pop, and hip hop all into one cohesive project. The features on this album give hints to the fact that Towkio is kind of a big deal: Kaytranada produces two tracks, Vic Mensa appears on one track, Leather Corduroys appears on one track, and Chance the Rapper appears on two, meanwhile calling this tape the "hottest of 2015". With such fantastic production and a terrific concept, it's not a statement to be ignored
Leather Corduroys
Leather Corduroys is a group consisting of two more Savemoney MC's, Joey Purp and Kami de Chukwu. While Joey Purp trends towards cloud rap, Kami de Chukwu tends to have a grittier style, however these styles don't clash in their collaborations, rather they add to the experimental aspects of their 2015 project, Seasons. Joey Purp has already gained a good amount of hype from his solo debut, The Purple Tape, so if he gains more traction on his next project, Leather Corduroys is soon to follow
Lil Herb
Though the majority of the drill scene is filled with repetitive, mindless artists, Lil Herb manages to stand out as a hard gangster rapper, who happens to have a conscious side. Welcome to Fazoland was the standout drill tape of 2014, and as Herb preps to release another mixtape Ballin' Like I'm Kobe in 2015, there seems to be nothing stopping him from dropping the most acclaimed drill body of work since Finally Rich
Saba
There is not a doubt in my mind that Saba will be the next artist to blow up from Chicago. In 2012, he released his debut tape GETCOMFORTable, however, most people will recognize him as the artist featured on "Everybody's Something". Saba's features alone could help him break into the mainstream, with a whole song to himself on Surf and a confirmed feature on Mick Jenkins' upcoming EP Wave[s], among others. Saba's inviting sound, coupled with an interesting array of subject matter caused his 2014 mixtape, COMFORTZone to really introduce himself as an elite MC in the upcoming Chicago scene. It's only a matter of time before Saba drops his next project, and when it happens, the world will see that Saba is one of the best upcoming artists in hip hop
In ConclusionThe Chicago scene is in great hands at the moment. There's an outstanding amount of creativity sprouting from the city and it doesn't seem to be stopping soon. We are witnessing an artistic revolution in Chicago hip hop right now, something that hasn't been seen since Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco made their way into the industry. Pay attention to Chicago, and be sure to enjoy the music
