What is the Chicago hip hop music scene known for?

Is it known for drill music, a genre that features hard hitting beats with raw lyrics that sheds light on life inside inner-city Chicago through the voices of Lil Durk, Chief Keef, and King Louie, or is it known for conscious hip hop like Lupe Fiasco and Common?

How about tongue twisting, fast-paced rhyming over soulful rap beats like rap artists Twista and Do or Die, or hip hop lyrics mixed with singing over soulful melodies like Chance the Rapper and Kanye?

Is there a specific Chicago sound?

Andrew Barber, founder of the Fake Shore Drive hip hop music blog and media company out of Chicago can attest to the many sounds and diversity of musical perspectives thriving in Chicago’s music scene.

“Chicago is definitely a melting pot. Chicago has been at the forefront of culture for a long time and not really receiving credit,” Barber said adding that this is true for the Midwest as a whole. He mentioned artists like Eminem, Kanye West, Prince, and Michael Jackson being from the Midwest, and the Midwest was still being regarded as a consumer market versus a creative market in the past.

Chicago’s hip hop music scene has had various popular moments.

“In Chicago, hip hop will get hot and then die down,” Barber said while mentioning 1996, 2004, and 2012 being high interest years in the Chicago hip hop scene. People expected the same rise and fall of interest in the Chicago music scene after 2012, but that didn’t happen.

“I feel like it is getting bigger and bigger. Here we are in 2016, and it still is relevant as ever,” Barber said.

And while Chicago music in 2012 may differ from the music hitting the mainstream airwaves in 2016, Barber sees the difference as part of the city’s music scene’s progression. He mentioned that drill music artists like Chief Keef are regarded locally as having added to the ability of other artists to attain music success, even though his music is “perceived as a really bad dark thing to listen to” by some.

Chicago Hip Hop artist Mick Jenkins shares the sentiment that taste shouldn’t dictate what is considered art or influential.

“People always invalidate things they are not a fan of,” Mick said.

Some of his musical influences are Jill Scott, Corinne Bailey Rae, and Erykah Badu, but he also enjoys listening to artists like Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Yachty, and Young Thug, even though their sound may differ from his.

Mick Jenkins is known in the hip hop scene for socially conscious, artfully crafted music, releasing The Water [s] in 2014, Wave [s] in 2015, and now The Healing Component. The Healing Component is set to be released on September 23, 2016 via Mick’s Free Nation label, and the debut track “Spread Love” showcases his intent to show that love is a healing component and positive message for the world.

“It is so easy to fall into a negative mindset and put that energy back out into the world,” Mick said. He added that being able to positively influence the lives of people who come to his shows is instrumental to what he strives to do as an artist. He believes that love and loving oneself is an important conversation that society needs to have, which is what he explores in The Healing Component.

Aside from spreading the message of love, Mick Jenkins’s music is inspired by the world around him, as seen in his latest single “Drowning”, which poignantly addresses police brutality through Eric Garner ‘s last words in the hauntingly repeated chorus “I can’t breathe.” The video released for “Drowning” is equally as thought-provoking.

“Life affects my music. I write from my perspective on the world. I tell my stories. I tell my friends’ stories,” Mick said, adding that music can’t be the end all be all to solving problems in society.

In regards to the violence plaguing Chicago where over 500 people have been shot and killed as of September 2016, Mick said, “Music is not going to solve that problem.”

“I don’t think we are paying attention to things that are causing these problems. There is literally an entire system that puts certain people in certain positions,” Mick said.

Adding to the diverse sound coming out of Chicago, Smino is a hip hop artist who has a genre twisting style that mixes traditional with futuristic sounds. Originally from St. Louis, MO, Smino came to Chicago to attend Columbia College Chicago. He left school but was drawn to the Chicago music scene because of the immediate outlet for people to get to hear his music and the strong culture within the music scene.

“A lot of people are making something out of nothing here, “ Smino said, adding that Chicago’s music culture was inspiring because of black people being instrumental in putting on shows in Chicago.

Tori Howard photo of hip hop artist Smino

His recent project blkjuptr is a result of his yearn to progress as an artist, and he looks forward to his upcoming Red Bull Sound Select: A Quest for Love Tour with Mick Jenkins kicking off on September 29 in Seattle, Washington where he will continue to hone his skills while on the road.

He echoes the feeling of the Chicago scene welcoming different sounds, referring to it as more of a “culture than genre” that is filled with camaraderie like he has with fellow up and coming artist Monte Booker and the rest of the Zero Fatigue Crew.

As controversially defined by Chicago’s Cook County Department of Revenue, hip hop may not be considered to be a “cultural art” in Chicago for business tax purposes. Still, the Chicago hip hop scene is increasingly being more and more recognized through young voices seeking out music for individualized creative expression, social empowerment, and economic betterment.

“I think a lot of people look at hip hop as a platform to be creative and hopefully see some success and be in a positive environment,” Barber said.

For more information on the artists and their upcoming tour or to see a live Facebook Chat with Mick Jenkins and Andrew Barber recorded on Wednesday September 7, 2016 9AM PST/ 12 Noon EST.: https://www.facebook.com/RBSoundSelect/?fref=ts