Chief Keef

Latest Release

Essential Albums

  • Finally Rich (Deluxe Version)
    Finally Rich (Deluxe Version)
    Finally Rich (Deluxe Version)

    Over the course of 2012, Chief Keef had gone from a mostly unknown Chicago cult figure to hip-hop’s buzziest phenomenon. In less than a year, the teen superstar had dropped an instant classic single (the hater’s anthem “I Don’t Like”); incited a major-label bidding frenzy, and re-invigorated mainstream interest in Chicago’s thriving underground rap scene. All that, and he still hadn’t released his official debut. So when Finally Rich finally arrived, expectations were high, with fans and doubters alike waiting breathlessly to see if all that hype would pay off. A less confident artist might have approached this high-pressure situation cautiously, making sure to call in big-gun cameos and packing the tracklist with flashy features and trendy producers. To be sure, there are a handful of big-name guests scattered across Finally Rich: A Rick Ross verse is appended to the older mixtape hit “3Hunna,” while 50 Cent and Wiz Khalifa are shoehorned into the proudly hedonistic “Hate Bein’ Sober.” But these moments mostly emphasize the success of Keef’s stand-alone vision. If anything, the established rap superpowers seem a bit awkward situating themselves within the 17-year-old’s universe—a universe that comes with its own slang, characters, and codes of honour (not to mention its own slightly-off rhythms). Finally Rich is at its best when it’s fully immersed in Keef’s world, a feat that’s accomplished with plenty of help from Keef’s go-to producer, Young Chop, whose wall-of-sound beats had defined the sound of Chicago drill (and who’s credited on more than half the album). Finally Rich lets loose a small handful of undeniable hits, including “Love Sosa,” a power dirge whose darkly catchy hook would be shouted loud at parties throughout the fall and winter of 2012. But just as worthwhile, and as influential, are deep cuts like “Citgo,” a shimmering mirage of slurry drill balladry that quietly inspired the rappers and producers who’d define the next decade of rap—many of them self-taught musicians who made themselves in Keef’s iconoclastic image.

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About Chief Keef

The day in 2012 that a 16-year-old Chicago kid was freed from house arrest was the day hip-hop shifted on its axis. Chief Keef (born Keith Farrelle Cozart in 1995) had been charged with waving a gun at a cop and was posting music from lockdown: simple yet booming trap tunes full of matter-of-fact violence spit by a menacing voice with a gift for catchy repetition. When a video of a local fan celebrating Keef’s freedom blew up, people around the world started seeking his mixtapes, and the Chicago drill genre was born—gritty, revenge-seeking rap that dropped listeners into the city’s South Side wars. Keef signed a multi-million dollar deal with Interscope and debuted with 2012’s Finally Rich, a drill-defining declaration of nihilistic not-niceness, followed by a celebrity-studded (Pusha T, Big Sean, Jadakiss) Kanye West remix of his “I Don’t Like.” But being an innovator became another kind of confinement. Keef’s sound was a product of Chicago’s history of segregation and street gangs, and fame shined light on that ugly legacy, resulting in heightened scrutiny, real threats, and the mayor blasting him as “an unacceptable role model.” Keef moved to Los Angeles, adjusted his style, and declared himself the inventor of mumble rap, the slurry, eccentric sound co-signed by Future and more recently revised by Post Malone. His 2017 mixtape Thot Breaker showcases this veer into pop, featuring him rapping over dancehall beats (“Can You Be My Friend”) and sounding startlingly romantic. The drill is gone, and now Keef is truly free.

FROM
Chicago, IL, United States
BORN
August 15, 1995
GENRE
Hip-Hop/Rap

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