List of the top 20 Chicago rappers you should watch out in 2023

Once admitted to the soul, music becomes a sort of spirit and never dies. This quote might explain why people sometimes lose themselves to those beats. The different genres considered, it is a case of pick your poison, among them being rap music. Originally from New York City in the 1970s, rap music has grown worldwide. How many rappers from different regions can you name? And who are some of the top Chicago rappers you should watch out for in 2023?

Chicago has been known to provide some of the finest rappers, with popular mainstays like Kanye West dominating the field and even making it to a international stage. Many have continued to come up, while others are breaking a sweat to reach higher levels.

Top 20 Chicago rappers in 2023

Rap music comes in many subgenres, including but not limited to old school, jazz rap, trap, gangsta rap, bounce, rap rock amongst others. So, what is Chicago rap music called? Chicago rap music is called Drill, a subgenre of Hip-hop music that originated in Chicago.

1. King Von

Unfortunately, not all great Chicago artists rappers have maximised their full potential due to early deaths. Owing to the fact that some subgenres are associated with crime, for example the Drill genre.

King Von is one of the Chicago drill rappers whose life was cut short following a shooting. Some of his best-performing hits were Crazy Story and Took her to the O. He continued to make hit songs and mixtapes before he met his death on 6 November 2020.

2. Lil Keisha

Keisha is one of the Chicago female rappers who have come out to claim a spot in a male-saturated ground. She came to the limelight in 2017 through her debut, Bride of Chucky, where she featured Grammy Award winner Shawnna.

She has released Thinking about you and Candle light, amongst other hits. She has played a huge part in paving the way for female rap culture, as more female Chicago rappers continue to claim space.

3. Chief Keef

Also known as Keith Farrelle Cozart, Keef grew up in the south side of Chicago, where his career was birthed. He is one of the Chicago drill rappers who managed to gain popularity at an early age. Chief became famous through his mixtapes tapes in 2012 and has become a fully-fledged rapper. Among his best hits is Love Sosa, and I don’t like.

4. Polo G

Rapper Polo G'S real name is Taurus Tremani Bartlett. He is one of the o block Chicago rappers who made an appearance on King Von’s album shortly before he met his death. Polo rose to prominence following the release of his singles Finer things and Pop out. His second studio album, The Goat, released in 2020, peaked at number 2 on The Billboard 200.

5. Common

Formally known as Common Sense, Lonnie Rashid Lynn debuted with the album. Can I borrow a dollar in 1992. In 2003, he won a Grammy Award for the best r&b song; in 2005, his album Be, was nominated for Best rap album.

6. Juice Wrld

He was also known as Jarad Anthony Higgins. Juice Wrld was one of the trap music Chicago rappers who met their death early in their career. He was labelled a hip-hop, emo rap, trap and sound cloud rap artist. He released a song- Rikers, featuring drake, amongst other hit songs. He has also worked with Polo G on Trippie Red, Bennie Blanco on Graduation, Marshmello on Come & go, and Halsey on Life’s a mess.

7. G Herbo

G is an American rapper and songwriter best known for his album Swervo. Together with Lil Bibby, they released the album which led them to gain fame. The song has since then accumulated more than 50 million views. At some point, Drake referred to the duo as ‘the future of hip hop’, and their popularity hit the fan.

Herbert Randall Wright the third, as are his official names, has produced and released other hit songs like Lord Knows, Take me away, and I like to name a few. Unfortunately, he is among the rappers who died in Chicago, having overdosed at the age of 21.

8. Lil Bibby

Lil Bibby is a rapper and record executive who has done impressive work. Being among the first drill rappers, his name will surely come up when the question Who were the original Chicago drill rappers? comes up. His popularity in America rose through his songs and music. He has worked with Juice Wrld and Kid Laroi.

9. Saba Pivot

Saba Pivot, whose real name is Tahj Malik Chandler, is a Chicago-based rapper and record producer. He gained recognition after releasing his two independent mixtapes in 2012 and 2014. He has also been featured in Chance rappers’ mixed tape Acid Rap.

He has had a couple of releases, his latest being his third album, Few Good Things, on 4th February 2022. He has featured other Chicago rappers like G Herbo, Krayzie Bone, Allen Kane and Pivot Gang. The song rose to position 44 on US independent albums in 2022.

10. Lil Durk

His top tracks include What happened to Virgil ft Gunna, Mad Max, Who want Smoke ft G Herbo, & 21 Savage, Broadway Girls featuring Morgan Wallen, among others. His latest release was Hanging with wolves, released in December 2022.

11. Chance the Rapper

The Holy hitmaker, also known as Chancelor Jonathan Bennet, is known for releasing mixtapes such as Acid Rap and Coloring Book, which received a Grammy Award for best rap Album and a BET for best mixtape. He has collaborated with famous faces like Kanye West, Justin Beiber and Lil Wayne.

12. Taylor Bennet

Taylor has been stealing the show with his unique lyrical style, flow and live performances. In 2013, he received recognition for his self-released mixtape, The Taylor Bennett show. He has released two more mix tapes- Mainstream music—the restoration of an American Idol and a collaboration with his older brother Chance the Rapper.

13. King Louie

King Louie is one of the first artists to bring Chicago’s drill music to an international audience. In 2015, he came close to making the list of Chicago drill rappers killed by gun violence after being shot in the head and chest.

Fortunately, he survived and has since released Live and Die in Chicago, one of his best-performing tracks. The hit paints a picture of the socioeconomic struggles and violence in Chicago.

14. Lil Reese

Since his debut mixtape, 'Don't like' Lil Reese, also known as Tavares Taylor, has released six more mixtapes, including Super Vultures, a collaborative project with Lil Durk. Being featured in Chief Keef's I Don't like, gained him international recognition and received popularity through his music videos Us and Beef.

In 2013, he released his second solo mixtape featuring Chief Keef, Lil Durk, Fredo Santana, Waka Flocka and Wales as guest appearances.

15. Twista

Twista, whose real name is Carl Terrell Mitchell, is an American rapper who made a name for himself by breaking the world record for the fastest rapper. He surpassed Eminem’s record by a few syllables per second.

His song, Mista Tung Twista, is his fastest song on record, where he sings 1,287 words in 4 minutes and 36 seconds. His songs include Overnight Celebrity, Sunshine, Glock, and Prayer, among others.

16. Lupe Fiasco

Famous for his hit songs Daydreamin’, Suspersatr, I gotcha, and Lamborghini Angles amongst others, Wasalu Muhammad Jaco, popularly known as Lupe fiasco, uses alternative rap and Midwest rap as his rap styles. He has collaborated with Farel, Williams, Jill Scot, Ed Sheeran, and snoop Dogg among others.

Who is the best Chicago rapper?

You cannot talk about Chicago's best rappers and fail to mention Kanye West. Kanye, or Ye as some people might prefer to call him, became a worldwide hitmaker and has produced for artists like Jay-Z. He has also won multiple Grammy Awards.

His album The College Dropout became a hit that saw his name take up space in the best rappers list. So, when they ask Who is the biggest artist out of Chicago? Kanye’s name will pop up somewhere alongside others as one of the most iconic hip-hop rappers of all time.

The music entertainment industry has continued to grow as artists find new ways to capture the hearts and following of their fans. Chicago rappers have managed to garner diehard fans since the days of their all-time big artists, their creativity and style has continued to evolve and improve.

Yen.com.gh published a list of top 15 richest musicians in Africa and their net worth. The music industry has continued to grow, as people continue to learn how to convert their talents and hobbies into cash.

The music industry has grown tremendously world-wide with different regions absorbing and embracing the different styles from different regions.

Source: YEN.com.gh