Midwest Hip Hop - Chicago

Chicago

Chicago has harbored several locally popular acts since the early 1990s, including Do or Die and Crucial Conflict; the former being a fast-rapping group associated with Twista, and the latter of which was a group with a decidedly down-home, country sound. Chicago soon became known for more than fast rapping with the rising popularity of Common Sense, protege of producer No I.D., who put flippant battle raps over a jazzy backdrop. Other rappers in this vein included Vakill, who also gained some notoriety in Chicago. Da Brat, a female Chicago native, also had a hit in this period with Jermaine Dupri's label So So Def.

In 2004, Chicago producer and rapper Kanye West broke the scene with his multi platinum debut, College Dropout on Roc-A-Fella Records. He became an industry commodity, reworking and repopularizing Wu-Tang producer RZA's style of speeding up Soul instrumental and vocal samples to fit hip hop beats. The style became known as "chipmunk soul". The same year, West produced two hits for Twista, "Slow Jamz" and "Overnight Celebrity"; these led to the rapper's first platinum release, Kamikaze. In 2005, Common (having dropped the "Sense" from his name) signed with Kanye's GOOD Music, West also being a student of No I.D. This led to Be, Common's second gold album. West attempted to push longtime associate Rhymefest, a Chicago battle rapper and ghostwriter; his support helped carve the MC a local niche and some national attention. A guest spot on West's 2006 second album, Late Registration, also solidified the buzz of up-and-coming Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco, whose debut album Food & Liquor was the No. 1 rap album in the country upon its release. His later album The Cool directly references his Chicago roots.

Chicago is currently home to a thriving underground rap-music scene. Blogs such as Fake Shore Drive, SBG (See Beyond Genre), and Midwest Live have become a "vital nerve center" for the local underground rap music scene. A 2009 film, I Am Hip Hop: The Chicago Hip Hop Documentary documented the underground rap-music scene in Chicago from 2004–2009. In 2009, the song "Legendary" was released by Chicago rappers Saurus and Bones, Twista, and AK-47 of Do or Die showcasing the Midwest style of fast lyrics over a dark beat.

Kevin Beecham a.k.a. Formless compiled and wrote "The Chicago Hip Hop Story" which is featured on the website of Chicago-based hip hop record label Galapagos4.