Chief Keef dropped Finally Rich in 2012 when he was just 17-years-old and still very much in the streets. He had long been a household name in Chicago, and he was quickly blasted onto the national stage, where the response was not always welcoming. In the two years that followed, as he was dropped from Interscope and his productivity was further stunted due to ongoing legal troubles, his name stayed in the headlines, but his music didn't receive nearly the same clamoring response as his early tracks, like "I Don't Like," which has proved to have the longest shelf-life of any track off the GOOD Music Cruel Summer compilation.
This year, thanks to a new label deal with a Greek billionaire, one that has given Sosa more independence and more support, Keef has made a big comeback, and he's now more consistent than he ever had been during his teenage years. He's also ignored all beefing and focused on getting more experimental and honing in his singular energy and sense of humor.
Other rappers have started to take notice, too, as Keef has appeared on a number of high-profile releases. Here are his 5 best. The results may surprise you, as we've got one collab with his incarcerated mentor, one with a longtime 300 young bull, and two with a certain white rapper.
Any collabs that we slept on? Let us know your favorite tracks of the year from the Almighty Sosa Batman.
Fredo Santana & Chief Keef: "Dope Game"
Ain't No Money Like Trap Money
We had to include a Chicago collab. Here's one from two young'ns who have had similar stories and usually reflect similar attitudes on their music. Though the "Dope Game" subject matter is nothing new, their energy, particularly Keef's, shows that Chicago has been, and will continue to be, on the cutting-edge, whether that means auto-tune, ad libs, singing, or dancing. Sometimes it's too much, but "Dope Game" combines the perfect amount of drill savagery and all-in-good-fun silliness.
Travi$ Scott - Nightcrawler (feat. Chief Keef & Swae Lee)
Rodeo
There's quite a lineup on this one, and we're including it in the list 'cuz Keef shone the brightest, partly because Swae Lee followed by Travi$ Scott imitating Swae Lee wasn't too exciting. Anyway, this is an instance when freedom of substance mixed with complete confidence, and ownership of the Metro Boomin and 808 Mafia production, results in a standout feature. When I call a Keef track ignorant, I mean no disrespect, as it truly is an art form to dilute one's words to the point that they become irresistible objects of pure intuition. Pass the curry and spicy garlic, please.
Chief Keef feat. Mac Miller - "I Just Wanna"
Bang 3
Mac Miller was one of 3 features on Bang 3, and he stole the show. "I Just Wanna" shows that Mac can do trap and that Sosa can make a song about getting money and smoking mari-ju-wana -- duh -- and still give it a stimulating level of depth. Though Keef, even in his tame old age (now 20), is still living a savage life, filled with more vice than most of us could handle even if we were so affluent, he's able to convey a tone of total innocence.
Gucci Mane feat. Chief Keef: "Constantly"
Trap House 5
Say what you want about these two and their rapping skills, but they've got integrity, and every time they step in the booth, they do so with complete belief in themselves. Integrity is everything these days, and that's why big Guwop and little Sosa are more versatile than their more lyrically adept counterparts. On "Constantly," they go for a dose of cloudy, dreamlike romance, and they've got the self-assurance to pull it off in a way few others could. Charlamagne tha God once proclaimed their partnership a "match made in hell," and, indeed, the careers of both men have been volatile since Glo Gang linked with Brick Squad. But amid all the extracurricular drama, both rappers have managed to continue innovating, even from behind bars.
Mac Miller feat. Chief Keef: "Cut the Check"
GO:OD AM
The Mac Miller appearance on Bang 3 was a special surprise, and we were just as happy to see Sosa return the favor on Mac's new (not yet released) album, GO:OD AM. On "Cut the Check," Keef is given a tough act to follow, as Mac goes straight balls-out in a relentless trip through his insolent conscience. But when Sosa comes in toward the end of the villainous instrumental -- whoa -- this is a wholly different, and matured, Chief Keef. He's really been studying his bars and his enunciation is spot-on -- not that we're complaining when he's incomprehensible, but still. He's no one-trick pony.
A Sosa and Mac mixtape would really fuck up the game.