Chicago hip hop

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The hip hop scene in Chicago, Illinois has produced a group of artists and styles.

Contents 1 Musical Styles 1.1 Gritty/Grimy 2 Notable musicians 2.1 Crucial Conflict 2.2 Common 2.3 Kanye West 2.4 Lupe Fiasco 2.5 No I.D. 2.6 Do or Die 2.7 Twista 2.8 Rhymefest 2.9 Da Brat 3 List of Notable Hip hop musicians 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Musical Styles

[edit] Gritty/Grimy

Chicago hip hop or Chicago rap music, has no uniform sound or standard style similar to East Coast hip hop. Chicago hip hop often varies between Alternative hip hop, Hipster rap, Gangsta rap, and Hardcore rap depending on the area of Chicago the rapper is from. Chicago rappers from the West Side tend to have more of a Hardcore rap style, unlike the South Side (Chicago).

[edit] Notable musicians

[edit] Crucial Conflict

Crucial Conflict is a Chicago hip hop group best known for its 1996 single "Hay" (from the album The Final Tic) and "Scummy" (from the album Good Side, Bad Side). The members of Crucial Conflict are Coldhard, Wildstyle, Kilo, and Never. They frequently collaborate with fellow Chicago rappers Do or Die and Twista. They recently finished their album Planet Crucon, with their newest single, "Barn Fire".

Crucial Conflict, with the help of Do or Die, made the Chicago rap community more visible. With fast-paced raps, the band was compared to Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, with whom they later ended up feuding. When the smash hit "Hay" was released, it improved the sales of the band's album The Final Tic.

They have collaborated and worked with such artists as Three 6 Mafia, Do or Die, Twista, R. Kelly, 2Pac, Warren G, The Outlawz, George Clinton, Project Pat, Da Brat, Busta Rhymes, DJ Quik, Big Sha, ACE The Yung Heavy and many others. Crucial Conflict has also recorded tracks for movie soundtracks such as How To Be a Player, Rhyme & Reason, Belly, and Thicker Than Water. They also made a brief cameo appearance in the 1998 Hype Williams movie Belly, which starred DMX and Nas.

[edit] Common

Common, has been making music since his 1992 debut album, Can I Borrow a Dollar?. Common's mainstream success has steadily increased in his long career, with his most recent album, Finding Forever, receiving both critical and public praise, as well a Grammy Award. Common is currently signed to fellow Chicagoan Kanye West's G.O.O.D (Getting Out Our Dreams) Music record label.

[edit] Kanye West

All of Kanye West's official album releases —The College Dropout, Late Registration, Graduation, and 808s & Heartbreak were critical and mainstream successes. All four were chart toppers and were nominated for and won various Grammy Awards including Album of the Year for his first three albums.

[edit] Lupe Fiasco

Lupe Fiasco's notability has come very recently. He was a guest artist on "Touch the Sky" with Kanye West. His debut album was Food & Liquor. Receiving both critical and public praise, Food & Liquor peaked at #8 on the Billboard 200^[1], and at one point was at #2 on the Hip Hop Billboard Charts.^[2] It was nominated in 2007 for three Grammys, including Best Rap Album, Best Rap Song, and Best Solo Rap Performance. Fiasco's The Cool was released in late December of 2007. His single "Superstar" peaked to #10 on The Billboard Hot 100,^[3] making it his most successful single on the chart.

[edit] No I.D.

Record producer No I.D. has been cited as having an instrumental role in the development of alternative hip-hop. Having worked with both Common and Kanye West. In fact, West mentions No I.D. as his mentor in his song "Big Brother" from the Graduation album. He produced most of Common's first three albums.^[4]

[edit] Do or Die

Do or Die is a gangsta rap trio originally from Chicago, Illinois. The group experienced mainstream success with the single "Po Pimp", a collaboration with fellow Chicago rapper Twista, from the album Picture This. Group members are brothers Belo, Nard and AK-47. The trio has sold more than three million albums. Many of the tracks feature Chicago's own Johnny P singing the hooks and The Legendary Traxster on production.

[edit] Twista

Twista is known primarily for his rapid-fire delivery. At one point recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's fastest rapper,^[5] Twista's success has come largely with other Chicago acts (notably Kanye West and Do or Die). His most successful album to date, 2004's Kamikaze, and its two singles, "Slow Jamz" and "Overnight Celebrity", were all chart toppers.

[edit] Rhymefest

Rhymefest hails from a Chicago neighborhood known as Jeffrey Manor. Although relatively new--he has only released one album, Blue Collar. He was a co-writer of Kanye West's 2004 single, "Jesus Walks". His debut album, Blue Collar hit #61 on the Billboard 200.^[6]

[edit] Da Brat

The Jermaine Dupri protégé had chart success in 1994 with her single and video entitled "Funkdafied,"(so so def) taken from her debut album of the same name. During the rest of the decade, she remained somewhat low-key and came to be known more for her featured appearances on other rappers' and R&B singers' albums than for her own solo work.

[edit] List of Notable Hip hop musicians

[edit] References

Seven Oddities Records DreamTek Prone Crutial Conflict

[edit] External links

• Gowhere Hip Hop - #1 Chicago Hip Hop Blog
• Fake Shore Drive - The Chicago Hip Hop Blog
• No ID vs. Traxster Website
• The Chicago Hip Hop Story
• [http://www.midwestlive.com Join the Midwest Movement.