In late 2012, Chief Keef arguably became one of the most popular Chicago rappers since Kanye West. His mixtape titled “Back from the Dead” was released in March 2012 and featured the hit single “I Don’t Like”. Later that year, Keef’s first album, “Finally Rich”, featured the single “Love Sosa” which peaked at number fifty-six on Billboard’s Hot 100. Complex eventually placed it at number 20 of the 50 best songs of 2012.
Keef’s music, known as Drill, features violent lyrics as well as beats based primarily on trap music. His music has become popular because it commodifies the violence and poverty of south-side Chicago and Keef’s listeners feed on that violence. In a documentary created by Viceland’s Noisey, the filmmakers went to a town hall meeting in south-side Chicago to see what they thought about Keef’s music. During the meeting, people voiced concerns over the influence that the music has on their children who are actively looking for role models. Keef’s music has had such an influence on the youth of Chicago that even his presence in the form of a hologram can cause unwanted violence. In 2015, Keef planned to perform a concert at Red Moon Theater in Hammond via a hologram feed sent live from California, however, according to an ABC7 news report, the concert “was postponed at the city's request.” The city also called Red Moon Theater and “requested they not host the concert, calling Chief Keef ‘an unacceptable role model’ who ‘promotes violence’ “.
About one month after Keef’s “Back from the Dead” mixtape was released, another Chicago rapper known as Chance the Rapper released his first mixtape titled “10Day”. The mixtape cumulated some attention and landed him a spot as an opening act for Childish Gambino, however, it wasn’t until a year later, with the release of his sophomore mixtape, “Acid Rap”, that Chance the Rapper became a more nationally recognized name. The album landed on Rolling Stone’s 10 Best Mixtapes of 2013 and has been downloaded almost two million times. Although Chance grew up in Chatham, a neighborhood in south-side Chicago, his style of music is far different form Chief Keef’s. “Acid Rap” was influenced by acid jazz, a form of jazz in the 1980s which incorporated elements of soul and funk. His lyrical content is witty and tends to be light-hearted, however, Chance often makes remarks about south-side Chicago. For example, in a song titled “Pusha Man/Paranoia”, Chance raps “They murking kids; they murder kids here / … / Where the fuck is Matt Lauer at? Somebody get Katie Couric in here.” Chance addressed this section of the song in an interview with Arsenio Hall stating that “It’s a great metaphor for a bunch of black people struggling and everybody romanticizing it and making music about it. We got a couple of news reports about it but nobody’s really – as far as outside help – really helping us.” Chance’s lyrics stand in a direct opposition to Chief Keef and the fact that the violence of his music glorifies south-side Chicago and encourages the media to glorify it as well.
Three years later, Chance’s highly anticipated third mixtape, “Coloring Book”, was released. The album peaked at number eight on U.S. Billboard 200 and was received extremely well by music critics. The album featured an entirely new sound which carried a spiritual theme supplemented by the use of gospel choirs and uplifting lyrics. Songs such as “How Great” and “Blessings” are worship songs that directly praise God and show gratitude. Other songs, on the album, however, continue the theme of reformation in south-side Chicago. Chance calls for peace in the song “Angels” stating that “It’s too many young angels on the south side / Got us scared to let our grandmommas outside” and discusses the danger of summer time in south-side Chicago in the song “Summer Friends”.
Chance has not only exposed the issues of violence in south-side Chicago, but he has also done so without glorifying it. He has also brought awareness to the fact that the violence of Chicago tends to be glorified through media outlets. His music encourages self-love and highlights the importance of virtues such as faith and hope. In a way, Chance has become the new role model for the youth of Chicago. His success story has shown young rappers that they don’t need to rely on the glorification of violence but should rather focus on their uniqueness. Although Chance and Keef’s music are an antithesis of each other, when Chance was asked how he sees himself in relation to Keef and the Drill scene during a Pitchfork interview, he responded by stating that “For me, it's all one and the same. I make my music and artists of different genres make their kind of music, but we all live in the same city. We all see it, we all feel it.”
