Chicago hip hop - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Gritty/Grimy

Chicago hip hop or Chicago rap music, has no uniform sound or standard style similar to East Coast hip hop

East Coast hip hop

East Coast hip hop is a regional subgenre of hip hop music that originated in New York City, USA during the 1970s. Hip hop is recognized to have originated and evolved first in the East Coast...

. Chicago hip hop often varies between Alternative hip hop

Alternative hip hop

Alternative hip hop is a sub-genre of hip hop music. Allmusic defines it as follows: -Origin:...

, Gangsta rap

Gangsta rap

Gangsta Rap is a subgenre of hip hop music that evolved from hardcore hip hop and purports to reflect urban crime and the violent lifestyles of inner-city youths. Lyrics in gangsta rap have varied from accurate reflections to fictionalized accounts. Gangsta is a non-rhotic pronunciation of the word...

, and Hardcore rap depending on the area of Chicago the rapper is from.

Crucial Conflict

Crucial Conflict is a Chicago hip hop group best known for its 1996 single "Hay" and "Scummy" . The members of Crucial Conflict are Coldhard, Wildstyle, Kilo, and Never. They frequently collaborate with fellow Chicago rappers Do or Die and Twista...

is a Chicago hip hop group best known for its 1996 single "Hay" (from the album The Final Tic) and "Scummy" (from the album Good Side, Bad Side). The members of Crucial Conflict are Coldhard, Wildstyle, Kilo, and Never. They frequently collaborate with fellow Chicago rappers Do or Die and Twista. They recently finished their album Planet Crucon, with their newest single, "Barn Fire".

Crucial Conflict, with the help of Do or Die, made the Chicago rap community more visible. With fast-paced raps, the band was compared to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, with whom they later ended up feuding. When the smash hit "Hay" was released, it improved the sales of the band's album The Final Tic.

They have collaborated and worked with such artists as Three 6 Mafia, Do or Die, Twista, R. Kelly, 2Pac, Warren G, The Outlawz, George Clinton, Project Pat, Da Brat, Busta Rhymes, DJ Quik, Big Sha, ACE The Yung Heavy and many others. Crucial Conflict has also recorded tracks for movie soundtracks such as How To Be a Player, Rhyme & Reason, Belly, and Thicker Than Water. They also made a brief cameo appearance in the 1998 Hype Williams movie Belly, which starred DMX and Nas.

Common

Common's success as an underground rapper in the nineties was the first time that significant attention was paid to Chicago hip hop as a separate entity. The singles from his first album reached the top ten in the Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and the attention of music critics and fans alike shifted to the midwest based on Common's lyricism. This opened the door for other blossoming MCs from Chicago in the mid-nineties (such as Da Brat

Da Brat

Shawntae Harris , better known as Da Brat, is an American rapper and actress. Her debut album, Funkdafied, sold one million copies, making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.-Early life:...

), but Chicago hip hop was still vastly overshadowed by the West and East Coast hip hop scene. Still, Common has found mainstream success in the 21st century with Grammy winning albums like Finding Forever and Be, and is recognized as an icon of midwest hip hop.

Kanye West

Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...

's lyricism, then not prevalent in rap music, disregarded any talk about how well-respected, or "hard" the rapper was on the street. As Kanye became successful, many other rappers from other places like Drake

Drake (entertainer)

Aubrey Drake Graham , who records under the mononym Drake, is a Canadian recording artist and actor. He originally became known for playing Jimmy Brooks on the television series Degrassi: The Next Generation....

and Kid Cudi

Kid Cudi

Scott Ramon Seguro Mescudi , better known by his stage name Kid Cudi , sometimes stylized KiD CuDi, is an American rapper, singer and actor. He first gained major attention after the release of his debut mixtape A Kid Named Cudi. In 2009, his single "Day 'n' Nite" reached the top five of the...

realized that they could use alternative hip hop to gain mainstream success as well, and many rappers re-orientated their styles from a gangsta rap persona to an emphasis on other things. This was significant for Chicago, as many rappers from there do not have hardcore styles, having been influenced by Common or Kanye West. The recent surge in popularity for alternative hip hop finally gives Chicago artists an opportunity to be successful. As the violence in hip hop toned down during the late 2000s, conscious rappers such as Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco

Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...

and The Cool Kids

The Cool Kids

The Cool Kids is an American hip hop group. Consisting of rappers Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll , the group is based in Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan...

became a regular in the Chicago rap scene.

Lupe Fiasco

was a guest artist on "Touch the Sky

Touch the Sky

"Touch the Sky" is a song by American hip hop artist Kanye West. It was released in early 2006 as the fourth single from his second album, Late Registration. The song features Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco on his radio debut and was produced by Just Blaze, standing as the only song on the entire album...

" with Kanye West

Kanye West

. His debut album was Food & Liquor
Food & Liquor
Lupe Fiasco's Food & Liquor, commonly referred to as Food & Liquor, is the debut studio album by American recording artist Lupe Fiasco, released on September 19, 2006, on 1st & 15th Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features production from The Neptunes, Kanye West, Mike Shinoda, Craig...

. Receiving both critical and public praise, Food & Liquor peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...

, and at one point was at #2 on the Hip Hop Billboard Charts. It was nominated in 2007 for three Grammys, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Solo Rap Performance. Fiasco's The Cool was released in late December 2007. His single "Superstar

Superstar (Lupe Fiasco song)

"Superstar" is a song performed by rapper Lupe Fiasco featuring Matthew Santos. It is the first single off his 2007 album Lupe Fiasco's The Cool. iTunes released "Superstar" on September 25, 2007 along with a radio version of "Dumb It Down."...

" peaked to #10 on The Billboard Hot 100, making it his most successful single on the chart.

brandUn DeShay

Brandun DeShay is an American hip hop

Hip hop music

Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...

rapper, record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

and is also a former member of Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All.. Born on the westside of Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, he has produced for former Young Money artist Curren$y, independent rapper Dom Kennedy

Dom Kennedy

Dom Kennedy is a West Coast rapper from Leimert Park, Los Angeles, California. Since 2008, Kennedy has released 5 Independent record label studio albums, most notably his 2010 "critically acclaimed mixtape" From the Westside with Love. His 6th studio album From the Westside with Love II released...

, and Billboard Magazine cover holder Mac Miller

Mac Miller

Malcolm McCormick , known by his stage name Mac Miller , is an American rapper from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

. His first official music video, Why You Gotta Zodiac Like That has been in rotation on MTVU

MtvU

mtvU is a division of Viacom's MTV Networks which produces a 24-hour television channel that is available on more than 750 college and university campuses across the United States, as well as several digital cable packages...

No I.D.

Record producer No I.D.

No I.D.

No I.D., officially known as Immenslope and also known as Ernest Wilson , is a hip hop and R&B record producer, also the vice-president of Def Jam Recordings, best known for his early work with Chicago rapper Common and is known as "The Godfather of Chicago hip hop".. The nickname No I.D...

has been cited as having an instrumental role in the development of alternative hip-hop. Having worked with both Common and Kanye West

Kanye West

. In fact, West mentions No I.D. as his mentor in his song "Big Brother" from the Graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...

album. He produced most of Common's first three albums.

Do or Die

Do or Die is an American rap trio originally from Chicago, Illinois, consisting of group members Belo Zero, N.A.R.D. and AK-47. The trio has sold more than 3 million albums. The group experienced mainstream success with the gold single "Po Pimp", Produced by The Legendary Traxster off of their...

is a gangsta rap

Gangsta rap

trio originally from Chicago, Illinois. The group experienced mainstream success with the single "Po Pimp", a collaboration with fellow Chicago rapper Twista, from the album Picture This. Group members are brothers Belo, Nard and AK-47. The trio has sold more than three million albums. Many of the tracks feature Chicago's own Johnny P singing the hooks and The Legendary Traxster

The Legendary Traxster

The Legendary Traxster is an American songwriter, rapper and record producer. A native of Chicago, he is best known as a producer for Twista, Do or Die and Ludacris. He is the owner and CEO of CWAL Records....

on production.

Twista

Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...

is known primarily for his rapid-fire delivery. At one point recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

as the world's fastest rapper, Twista's success has come largely with other Chicago acts (notably Kanye West and Do or Die). His most successful album to date, 2004's Kamikaze
Kamikaze (album)
Kamikaze is the fourth studio album by Chicago, Illinois, rapper Twista which reached the top of the US Billboard 200 album charts in early 2004 based on the success of the lead single "Slow Jamz". It was released on January 27, 2004. The album has received generally positive reviews from critics...

, and its two singles, "Slow Jamz

Slow Jamz

"Slow Jamz" is the Grammy-nominated first single from Twista's album Kamikaze and from Kanye West's debut album The College Dropout. Released in 2003, the single, which features Kanye West and Jamie Foxx peaked at number one in the USA for a week on February 10, 2004 becoming Twista's, West's and...

" and "Overnight Celebrity

Overnight Celebrity

"Overnight Celebrity" is the second single off Twista's 2004 album Kamikaze. The song was produced by Kanye West. It contains a sample of the Lenny Williams song "Cause I Love You"...

", were all chart toppers.

Rhymefest

Che Smith , known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", which won a Grammy at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced...

hails from a Chicago neighborhood known as Jeffrey Manor. Although relatively new—he has only released one album, Blue Collar
Blue Collar (album)
-Reception:Despite being a sleeper upon its release, the album was met with positive reviews. HipHopDX gave it 4 stars out of 5, while Pitchfork Media ranked it as high as 8.0/10.-Samples:Dynomite ...

. He was a co-writer of Kanye West's 2004 single, "Jesus Walks

Jesus Walks

"Jesus Walks" is a hip hop song by American rap artist Kanye West. It was released on May 25, 2004 as the third single from his debut album, The College Dropout. The song is built around a sample of "Walk with Me" as performed by the ARC Choir. "Jesus Walks" was well-received by music critics, who...

". His debut album, Blue Collar hit #61 on the Billboard 200

Billboard 200

Da Brat

The Jermaine Dupri protégé had chart success in 1994 with her single and video entitled "Funkdafied,"(so so def) taken from her debut album of the same name

Funkdafied

Funkdafied is the debut album by female rapper Da Brat. It was released in 1994 and sold over one million copies, making her the first solo female rapper to go platinum...

. During the rest of the decade, she remained somewhat low-key and came to be known more for her featured appearances on other rappers' and R&B singers' albums than for her own solo work.

List of notable musicians

Add-2
Add-2
Andre DiJuan Daniels , better known by his stage name Add-2, sometimes stylized as Add 2, is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. He first gained popularity after the release of his second mixtape, A Tale of Two's City: Volume 2. In 2009, his single "Luxury" was featured on MTV, MtvU's top 5...
B.E.
Be Easy
Be Easy
Be Easy may refer to:* "Be Easy" , a single by T.I* "Be Easy" , a single by Massari* "Be Easy" , a single by Ghostface Killah...
Bo Deal
Brandun DeShay
Brandun DeShay
Brandun DeShay , stylized as brandUn DeShay, is an American hip hop rapper and record producer. Born in Chicago, he has produced for former Young Money artist Curren$y, independent rapper Dom Kennedy, and Von Pea of Tanya Morgan. His first official music video, Why You Gotta Zodiac Like That has...
Bump J
Chameileo
Common
Common (rapper)
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, Jr. , better known by his stage name Common , is an American hip-hop artist and actor....
Co-Still
The Cool Kids
The Cool Kids
The Cool Kids is an American hip hop group. Consisting of rappers Antoine "Sir Michael Rocks" Reed and Evan "Chuck Inglish" Ingersoll , the group is based in Chicago, Illinois and Detroit, Michigan...
Crucial Conflict
Crucial Conflict
Crucial Conflict is a Chicago hip hop group best known for its 1996 single "Hay" and "Scummy" . The members of Crucial Conflict are Coldhard, Wildstyle, Kilo, and Never. They frequently collaborate with fellow Chicago rappers Do or Die and Twista...
Da Brat
Da Brat
Shawntae Harris , better known as Da Brat, is an American rapper and actress. Her debut album, Funkdafied, sold one million copies, making her the first female rapper to have a platinum-selling album.-Early life:...
Demarco Castle
Demarco Castle
Demarco Castle from Chicago, Illinois was once an aspiring rapper/singer associated with another superstar MC out of Chicago, Lupe Fiasco. Formerly known through the stage name of Gemini and most recently GemStones, he has dropped that former moniker and everything associated with it and has...
Diverse
Diverse
Diverse is an American rapper. An underground hip-hop artist, he has received critical acclaim "from knowledgeable heads worldwide".-Career:...
DJ Dough From the Go
DJ Kool Ant
DJ Lo Key
DJ Magic
DJ Smokey
Do or Die
Do or Die
Do or Die is an American rap trio originally from Chicago, Illinois, consisting of group members Belo Zero, N.A.R.D. and AK-47. The trio has sold more than 3 million albums. The group experienced mainstream success with the gold single "Po Pimp", Produced by The Legendary Traxster off of their...
Earatik Statik
Earatik Statik
Earatik Statik is a Chicago based underground Hip Hop group that has been around since 1999. The group consists of two MCs, Sef Rich and Carlos Polk.-Early years:...
Fast Eddie
Fast Eddie
Fast Eddie , is an American House producer from Chicago, Illinois.-Career:Prior to his entry into the realm of production, Fast Eddie was one of the premier DJs of the early Chicago House movement....
E.C. Illa
E.C. Illa
- Beginnings :A native of the “Uptown” and “North Pole” neighborhoods of Chicago’s North side, E.C. Illa began his recording career in 1990 as a member of The Ill State Assassins, a rap and production group that spawned several successful nationally-recognized artists such as Twista, The...
Gemstones
Gemstones
Gemstones is the third solo album by Adam Green, released in 2005. The album is characterised by the heavy presence of Wurlitzer piano, whereas its predecessor relied on a string section in its instrumentation.-Track listing:#Gemstones – 2:24...
Gerald Walker
Gerald Walker (rapper)
Gerald Joshua Walker Jr. better known by his stage name Gerald Walker is an American vocalist and alternative rapper. He is best known for his witty yet lengthy song titles and his mixtape, The Other Half of Letting Go.-Early Years:...
GLC
GLC (rapper)
Leonard D. Harris is an American rapper from Chicago.-Early life:Leonard D. Harris found poetry and hip-hop at an early age and used both to cope with the passing of his parents. “As long as you’re talking about the negativity, you’re only attracting more negativity into your life. Stay positive. I...
The Hood Internet
The Hood Internet
The Hood Internet is a Chicago-based production duo specializing most notably in mashups of hip-hop with indie rock. They also run a blog of the same name through which they release their music, a venture that helped their foray into performing live DJ sets of their material...
Hotstylz
Hotstylz
Hotstylz is a rap group based out of Chicago, Illinois, USA, and signed to Yung Joc's label Swagg Team Entertainment, distributed by Jive/RCA Records...
The Individuals
The Individuals (Chicago band)
The Individuals are a Chicago based Rap/Hip hop/Reggae band. Ando Tha Don, Big Lou, Raw Bizness, and T.C.O. are the current members of what started as a six member act...
Jeremih
Jeremih
Jeremiah Felton who performs under the mononym Jeremih , is an American recording artist and producer signed to Def Jam Recordings. Jeremih's debut single, "Birthday Sex" , peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100...
Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
Keezo Kane
Keezo Kane
Keezo Kane is an American hip-hop producer. In 2004, he signed to Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music label.-Production credits:*Right About Now : "The Beast"...
Kid Sister
Kid Sister
Melisa Young better known by her stage name Kid Sister, is a rap artist based in Chicago, Illinois, well known for her single "Pro Nails", featuring Kanye West.-Background:Melisa Young was born July 3, 1980 in Markham, Illinois...
Kidz in the Hall
Kidz in the Hall
Kidz in the Hall is an American hip hop duo from Chicago, Illinois.-History:Group members Jabari Evans and Michael Aguilar met in 2000 during a talent show at the University of Pennsylvania. They began recording songs, making demos, and performing at local shows which eventually led to Double-0...
The Legendary Traxster
The Legendary Traxster
The Legendary Traxster is an American songwriter, rapper and record producer. A native of Chicago, he is best known as a producer for Twista, Do or Die and Ludacris. He is the owner and CEO of CWAL Records....
L.E.P. Bogus Boyz
Lupe Fiasco
Lupe Fiasco
Wasalu Muhammad Jaco , better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco , is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. As an entrepreneur, Lupe is the CEO of 1st and 15th Entertainment. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his critically acclaimed debut album, Lupe Fiasco's Food...
Malik Yusef
MarVo
Marz
MC Juice
MC Juice
Terry Parker, better known by his stage name MC Juice or simply Juice, is an American freestyle rapper from Chicago, United States. He beat Eminem at Scribble Jam in 1997. He was regarded in 2004 as one of finest freestyle rappers ever produced by Chicago...
Molemen
Molemen
Molemen is a trio of Hip Hop producers from Chicago, Illinois, consisting of Panik , Memo and PNS. The trio runs Molemen Records, which features a stable of affiliated artists, including Vakill, DJ Presyce, Scheme, Astonish, Decay, and Longshot...
Mr. Lee
Mu$h Million$
Naughty N Kane
No I.D.
No I.D.
No I.D., officially known as Immenslope and also known as Ernest Wilson , is a hip hop and R&B record producer, also the vice-president of Def Jam Recordings, best known for his early work with Chicago rapper Common and is known as "The Godfather of Chicago hip hop".. The nickname No I.D...
PacMan
Psalm One
Psalm One
Psalm One is a Chicago-based hip hop artist described as a cross between Lauryn Hill and Devin the Dude. Psalm One was born Cristalle Bowen in Englewood, where as a child she attended Church, singing in the choir and playing guitar, piano, organ, and drums. In junior high she began gravitating to...
Qwel
Qwel
Adam Vincent Schreiber , better known by his stage name Qwel, is an underground rapper, originally from Chicago, Illinois. Qwel is also the co-founder of an underground rap crew called Typical Cats, with MC's Denizen Kane, and Qwazaar. Qwel has been featured on interviews and performances on...
Rhymefest
Rhymefest
Che Smith , known by the stage name of Rhymefest, is an American hip hop artist from Chicago, Illinois whose first official album, Blue Collar, was released on July 11, 2006. He co-wrote Kanye West's "Jesus Walks", which won a Grammy at the 47th Grammy Awards. In October, 2010, Rhymefest announced...
R. Kelly
R. Kelly
Robert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
Rockie Fresh
Rockie Fresh
Donald Pullen , better known by the stage name Rockie Fresh, is an American hip hop artist born in Chicago, Illinois. He released his debut mixtape Rockie's Modern Life, in 2009, and his sophomore mixtape The Otherside in 2010...
Saurus and Bones
Saurus and Bones
Keith Hoskins and Brett Hoskins, better known as Saurus and Bones, are American rap artists from Chicago, Illinois. They gained notoriety in 2009 after the release of their debut album, Mind Like Mine, with their single "Legendary" which featured Chicago hip hop legends Twista and AK47 of Do or Die...
Serengeti
Serengeti (rapper)
Serengeti, real name David Cohn, is a hip-hop artist from Chicago. His music is a sharp departure from most mainstream hip-hop, which he considers "depressing" and always consists of "the same redundant ideas." Serengeti's music includes numerous references to Chicago culture often done in...
Shawnna
Shawnna
Rashawnna Guy , better known by her stage name Shawnna is an American rapper. She was the first female artist signed to Def Jam through Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace Records...
Sly Polaroid
Snig
Snypaz
Snypaz
Snypaz are a Chicago hip hop group formed in 1993. Their first release was the 1995 cassette tape Ridin' High; their 1996 EP, My Life as a Snypa, sold 80,000 copies. Relocating to Houston, TX, the group recorded tracks with Do or Die for their album Headz or Tailz, and soon after appeared on...
Speedknot Mobstaz
Speedknot Mobstaz
Speedknot Mobstaz are a hip hop group affiliated with Twista. They have released albums Mobstability, and Mobstability II: Nation Business. In 1994, they appeared on Twista's 2nd album, Resurrection...
Soundmaster T
Soundmaster T
Soundmaster T is the pseudonym of Edward Terry, a Chicago-based rapper best known for his song "2 Much Booty ." This song was featured in Week 1 of So You Think You Can Dance as well as on the soundtrack of Date Movie...
Twista
Twista
Carl Terrell Mitchell , better known by his stage name Twista, is an American rapper. He is known for once holding the title of fastest rapper in the world according to Guinness World Records in 1992, being able to pronounce 598 syllables in 55 seconds...
Vakill
Vakill
Vakill is an American rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Vakill is known through his association with Chicago Hip Hop collective The Molemen, and for his literate, witty, punch line-filled lyricism and detailed story-telling.-Early years:Raised on the South side of Chicago on 119th Street, Vakill was...
Yung Berg
Yung Berg
Christian Ward , better known by his stage name Yung Berg, is an American rapper from Chicago. He is of African American and Puerto Rican descent. His first single was "Sexy Lady" which features R&B singer Junior. Yung Berg had been previously signed to DMX's Bloodline Records as Ice Berg. He is...
Young Chicago
Young Diesel
Young Ghost

External links

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