The “Chicago [Hip-Hop] Renaissance”

I’ve never written about music in this way before, and I also am not a hip-hop savant. I’m not from Chicago But, I’m a real genuine music nerd and lover, and I happened to do a couple google searches on this topic and found nothing that communicated what I have been thinking about this new young crew of Chicago hip hop/soul/RnB/funk artists the past year or two. So, I figured I’d write something up and share it with you all. And while I already told you what I’m not, I will briefly tell you who I am, since that’s important in regard to how I tell this story: I am an educated White (mixed ethnicity) cisgendered female millenial. I have class privilege now, but I didn’t grow up with it. I grew up poor, and was raised by a single, drug-addicted father who experienced several bouts of incarceration and other instabilities, leaving me to be partially raised by my granny. I have transcended this experience and am now an educated “professional”, but I always carry my background with me. I’m an anti-authoritarian, anti-racist/sexist/abilist/age-ist/etc., staunchly pro-social, a Leftist, progressively spiritual, sensitive, emotional, and strong. And with that…

Let’s talk about all these young [19 to 28] folks in Chicago making magic. Really now. Chicago has been known as fertile ground for hip hop for many years, that we all know. In a recent interview with Anthony Valadez, the precocious Ravyn Lenae reminded him that it all started with Common [not Kanye], the prolific lyricist who as of late, has dedicated more and more of himself to social issues, including the ever-so-heavy issue of mass incarceration in the US.

I don’t need to talk about the originals — Kanye, Common, No ID, Lupe, Twista, even Luda (lol). We all know the impact — particularly that of the first three. Vince Staples and Jhené Aiko, two of my favorite artists, are signed to No ID’s ARTium. One could argue that no one has influenced hip hop as a genre [musically, not lyrically] in the 21st century more wildly than Kanye West. I know people feel all kinds of ways about Kanye right now, but we can’t take away what he’s done as a complete musical pioneer.

I mean, MBDTF…808s…come on.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=tp5CWvn7SxA

So these new cats…I don’t even know where to begin. There is something uniquely millenial and generation Z about these youth. The artistry is on point, clearly, but there is something else special about these folks. They are making music out of love, out of progress, and they seems completely unmotivated by the prospect of fame. Sure, we all want to make a living and do what we love, but entertainers have a wider array of career intentions than those of us in other careers, and so I admire all these cats for just wanting to make good art for the people. 

Here are some of my faves:

Phoelix

Tobi Lou

Ravyn Lenae

Chance

Joey Purp

Whole Pivot Gang:

• SqueakPIVOT
• Joseph Chilliams
• Saba
• MFn Melo
• Dam Dam
• Frsh Waters
• daedaePIVOT
• Daoud
• John Walt

Jean Deaux

Noname

Vic Mensa

Smino (From St. Lo, residing in Chi)

Mick Jenkins (From AL, residing in Chi)