SEARCH FOR: TOP 50

When I saw Memphis star Fresco Trey pop up in my tiktok feed last week, I was a bit taken back, as the artist that this site and Elliot Montanez’s Lemonade Stand interview had introduced to me to, was now a viral sensation gaining traction across a multitude of platforms. His latest single and accompanying music video “Couple Hunnid,” is absolutely taking off, after his obvious natural talent caught fire across media platforms. The track is brilliant, with polished vocals rolling out lyrics surrounding themes of the true price and power of money. What really sparked my attention was the flawless hook, which also has seemed to clutch the ears of millions. “Made a million just off of the sad songs, couple hunnid make her fall in love with me.” On top of Trey’s natural gifts, the instrumental brings a unique strings-heavy beat that crosses genre borders and appeals the track to an even further audience. The video has reached nearly 500K views in a month, and shows no signs of slowing down as numbers and fanfare continue to rise. The visual, directed by Lach, is more than just a music video, it’s a short film. It depicts Fresco Trey …

I’m embarrassed that I’m just now stumbling on Keepitinside, but this is a moment where better late than never is an adequate position to hold. I’ve been finding some really great music recently and that’s something I’m never going to take for granted. It’s an immensely refreshing feeling when you come across tunes that agree with you in all stylistic areas and this latest one that I get to feature today is just that. Although it released back in November, “gotta deal” by Keepitinside is an offering that needs to be dealt with the utmost urgency. From the beginning of the song, I already knew I was going to like where the song was heading. The dope guitar strum really et the tone for the hard hitting production that would follow. This is an overall dynamic piece that still possesses super laidback energy which will allow a lot of people to connect with it. From top to bottom, Keepitinside is just overflowing with talent. The artist/producer showcases his soothing voice, meaningful lyrical content and downright creative expertise throughout the entire 2 minute and 28 second song. Written about “dealing with the consequences of poor mental health in relationships” Keepitinside has …

I know I talk extensively about just how underrated and amazing the music scene is here in Chicago, but it’s just something that is constantly on my mind, and if no one else is going to praise it the way it should be, I’m going to shout it from the rooftops until I’m blue in the face if it means that one more listener is put on to the blossoming sounds here. Considering Our Top 50 Chicago Projects of 2021 just came out a few weeks ago, it’s still fresh on my mind, and it’s something that I find myself constantly sharing with others in order to show them exactly how diverse the styles are here in the Windy City. Year after year, there are a variety of names who find themselves featured on the list, and rightfully so, but one of my absolute favorite local icons is OG Stevo. He’s definitely not a new name to regular Lyrical Lemonade consumers or fans of the local music in this city, but I can’t believe the amount of complexity and adaptability he portrays throughout his extensive and impressive discography, which is one of the many reasons why his project Days in …

Somehow I still have not written about Jugg Harden yet despite his The 13 Tape being one of my very favorite projects to drop in 2021 but today he is making his debut in our pages with his new visual for his track “Tariq” where he walks over a 50 Cent sample with his distinct nonchalant delivery. His lyricism is clever and his attitude is obviously self-assured which rings out across his broad catalog of music he has unloaded over the past year or so and although he has not had a true mainstream breakthrough yet he still has built a dedicated cult-following that is growing by the day. I really think Jugg Harden will have a huge breakthrough in 2022 and I am excited to watch it unfold.

PG County, Maryland rapper Tae Dawg has been one of the most exciting voices in an underground scene that has been going cold to a certain degree lately, standing alongside artists like Joony and Lil Gray who continue to keep the equally unique and influential scene moving forwards. With the help of Sparkheem who is both a groundbreaking force in pioneering the distinctive DMV-sound but also uniquely gifted in terms of artist development as he diligently works with each artist he is engaged with, playing a big hand in every aspect of these releases from song structure to rollout. Tae Dawg is making his long overdue today in Lyrical Lemonade with his new project OozinDawg 2 and he much like his collaborator Lil Gray has a seemingly endless bag of flows that range from aggressive staccato bars over harsh hard thumping instrumentals to catchy melodic crooning that to me are equally enjoyable and his versatility is truly what has set him apart on his last two projects that both stuck out as underground gems in their own right. He includes two features coming from DMV rapper Big Flock who has been cultivating a massive cult following of his own over the …

When I first got into the underground music scene a little less than a decade ago, my one-stop-shop was obviously SoundCloud. It was here that I could just go on and find an insane number of artists who were maybe getting a few thousand plays here and there, but nothing substantial, even if these were some emcees who were really pushing the limits of music and trying their best to innovate with an unheard-of sound. While so many artists were from other parts of the country, I was inevitably led to Chicago thanks to some of these talents, and when I realized just how unique Chicago’s underground sounds were, I became instantly addicted. One artist who caught my eye early on was Warhol.ss, someone who is definitely not a new name to Lyrical Lemonade, but he has continued to progress even after his move out to the West Coast. After this move, he has linked up with some massive names like Ski Mask the Slump God, Lil Tracy, Lucki, and even Shoreline Mafia when they were still together, and even though I truly believe he deserves much more credit and recognition for pushing boundaries the way he did a handful …

Last year, we had the pleasure of watching some up-and-comers break through the barriers that were once placed on them and achieve massive successes, and seeing this first-hand is truly a spectacle. Artists like Yeat, glaive, $NOT, SSGKobe, SoFaygo, and too many others to name began making waves quite some time ago, but it wasn’t until last year that they truly took things to the next level and popped off. One of my favorite parts about the current state of hip-hop is the fact that it seems like the average age of artists consistently declines, and some high school teenagers are truly making noise. I believe this is because they just don’t care what others think of them or the box that other people believe they should be confined to, so busting through barriers and creating some of the most unique and inventive sounds in the industry is something that shouldn’t come as a surprise due to their youthfulness, and it should be celebrated with every chance we get. When having a conversation about the top talents who broke through last year, BabySantana and Slump6s are essential talking points, and even though I still have a lot of personal familiarizing …

femdot has a magnificent year in 2021, his new project is widely considered one of the best to come out of the city this year, and he recently even appeared in the Top 10 of our Top 50 Chicago Projects article. The host Blake asked femdot about plenty of things such as his new project Not For Sale, being an independent artist, his non-profit, his performance on COLORS, how he met Cole Bennett while they both attended DePaul, the meaning of “bussin”, and they even talked about fem’s signature mechanical pencil. This was a solid interview, learn a thing or two about fem by watching this interview below!

I may be biased because Chicago is the wonderful city that I am lucky enough to call home, but the music scene here is literally as diverse as it can possibly get. It almost feels as if there is our own little renaissance happening where artists don’t feel the need to conform or be anything but their authentic selves, and the sounds that are coming from this Midwestern city are unlike anything you’d find anywhere else. After artists like Chief Keef, Lil Durk, and G Herbo put on for the city with their drill movement, the rest of the country finally started to recognize the potential that we possess here, and artists have taken that and ran with it, and I just wish there was some sort of playlist or full discography somewhere that we could check out in order to see all of these versatile styles in one place. The dexterity of this city is always on my mind, but it always seems to shock me as we put together the Top 50 Chicago Projects of the Year list, something that we just dropped earlier this week that you need to check out if you haven’t had time quite …

The music scene in Chicago has always been absolutely dominant, and no matter how much the rest of the country may sleep on our more locally recognized talents, there are definitely some bigger names that are putting on for our city, and I couldn’t be more excited about that. It’s crazy that when I think back about a decade ago, Chief Keef was making unheard of waves, and I truly didn’t know what other emcees would be able to step up and join him in the spotlight. Since then, artists like Durk, Herb, Bibby, and others definitely lived up to those massive expectations and even exceeded them, so I’m always trying to pay attention to who would be next. The artist that undeniably fit into this role was Polo G, and even before he released his album THE GOAT, he had an unmatched string of hits throughout his discography, so all of the recognition he’s been receiving is definitely well-deserved. This year, he dropped Hall of Fame which ended up at the top of our Top 50 Chicago Projects of 2021 list, which you should check out if you haven’t already, but he continued his dominance by releasing a deluxe …