ANGELA YEE: First of all let’s be clear Chief Keef is only 16 so don’t be --
SOSA: I ain’t 16.
YEE: Oh, you're not? Why does everybody say you’re only 16 years old?
SOS: They can say what they wanna say.
YEE: So how old are you?
SOSA: 3hunna.
TIA: Since the release of his mixtape ‘Back From The Dead,’ Chief Keef has made a name
for himself with his unique sound, distinct flow, and lo-fi music videos.
TIA: Chief Keef is part of a generation of Chicago rappers who redefined the midwest’s
sound with drill music, the trap sub-genre known for its gritty beats and grim lyrics.
His influence goes beyond the Windy City.
TIA: In April 2018, Sosa called it out himself, tweeting:
And if you look at 2018’s new wave of artists, he’s got a point.
UZI: I'm not gonna lie I listened to a lot of Sosa forreal forreal.
ALMIGHTY JAY: Yeah he got a big influence on the muhfuckin’ rap game though.
All this new rap shit nigga every artist wants to be like Chief Keef.
Tay-K: I fuck with Chief Keef heavy, I get a lot of my flow from Chief Keef.
TIA: In 2011, Chief Keef was already known in local high schools for “Bang.”
The next year he dropped the classic “I Don’t Like” with an accompanying music video.
It’s racked up over 30 million views to-date.
Interviewer: How did you come up with that?
Chief Keef: I heard some shit I ain’t like
that made me mad enough to make a song called "I Don't Like."
TIA: A few months later, Kanye West remixed
the song, with Pusha T, Big Sean, and Jadakiss.
The new version introduced the world to Sosa and Chicago drill.
SOSA: They was like Kanye wanna get on your shit, I’m like yeah?
SNOOP: And then when he did it he made all the other rap niggas fuck with it.
SOSA: Mmhmm SNOOP: And you didn’t even have to ask him.
SOSA: Exactly.
TIA: Part of what sets Keef apart is his distinct flow and pronunciation.
His style could be compared to today’s mumble rappers and his slang even pops up in songs
from chart-toppers like Cardi B.
TIA: And then there's his signature ad libs.
G HERBO: Sosa and them put us on the squad shit. They was yellin' "squad" we was yellin' "squad."
TIA: While the Chi had already produced rappers like Da Brat, Common, Twista, Kanye West and
Lupe Fiasco, Chief Keef brought drill music’s regional style to the mainstream,
thanks in part to producer Young Chop.
CHOP: I feel like our shit more darker.
It’s darker, we brung the darker deep keys, when niggas was playing the C,
we was playing the F and shit like that.
TIA: And though Chop was the mastermind behind many of the beats,
that Chicago sound has spread around the world.
TIA: Even Sosa’s music videos switched the game up.
In a sea of Worldstar videos, his 2012 clip for “I Don’t Like” went viral.
TIA: Because Keef wasn’t signed to Interscope Records yet, Sosa kept it simple,
unlike other big budget rap music videos at the time.
And in turn, others did too.
Maine Fetti, who directed Bobby Shmurda’s “Hot Nigga” told Noisey quote:
TIA: Chief Keef’s discography is massive.
He’s dropped countless projects since his first studio album ‘Finally Rich’ debuted in 2012,
and it’s hard to deny his impact.
TIA: I’m Tia with Genius News bringing you the meaning and the knowledge behind the music.