Chief Keef | |
---|---|
Chief Keef performing at Lollapalooza 2012
|
|
Background information | |
Birth name | Keith Cozart |
Also known as | Chief Sosa, Almighty Sosa |
Born | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
August 15, 1995
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
|
Years active | 2011–present |
Labels | |
Associated acts | |
Website | www |
Keith Cozart (born August 15, 1995),[1] better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper and record producer from Chicago, Illinois. Keef began finding success in his music career while under house arrest, as his music videos were met with local acclaim. His increasing popularity led to a brief bidding war among labels, and ultimately Keef signed a major record deal with Interscope Records; later signing with 1017 Brick Squad. Keef would also become the CEO of his own record label, Glory Boyz Entertainment, later developing into Glo Gang. His debut album Finally Rich was released on December 18, 2012.
Since he rose to fame, Keef has continued to experience ongoing legal issues. These legal issues, accompanied with Keef's notability within Chicago's drill music genre, have caused Keef to gain a gangster-like image, which has been compared with past gangsta rappers, such as 50 Cent. Despite being dropped from Interscope in late 2014, Chief Keef would continue self-releasing mixtapes through his Glo Gang label. Although Keef had originally planned Bang 3 to be released as his second album, a then-track from the album, "Nobody", developed into its own project. Keef would release Nobody as a full-length album in December 2014, while continuing to delay the often-pushed back Bang 3.
Contents
Early life
Keith Cozart was born in Chicago, Illinois and grew up in the Englewood neighborhood on the city's South Side.[2][3] He began rapping at a very young age, regularly listed as 5, using his mother's karaoke machine and blank tapes to record his music.[4] He attended Dulles Elementary School and the Banner School, a therapeutic day school.[5] Cozart dropped out of Dyett High School at age 15.[6][7]
After an early legal issue, in which rumors of Keef being killed in a shootout with police ensued, Keef was arrested and charged with unlawful use of a weapon.[8] This charge resulted in Keef being placed under house arrest at his grandmother's house for 30 days, followed by another 30 days of home confinement.[8] It has been noted that by the time this incident occurred, Keef had already achieved local South Side popularity, and that much of his early fan base was composed of high school students in the area.[8][9]
Music career
2011–2013: Early years, Finally Rich, and subsequent mixtapes
In 2011, Keef first earned local attention from Chicago's South Side community with his mixtapes, The Glory Road and Bang.[10] While under house arrest for a previous weapons charge, Cozart posted several videos to his YouTube account.[11] These videos were at the fore front of Chicago's hip hop subgenre, drill.[11][12] The attention he received increased during the short time between the release of his mixtapes, Bang and Back From the Dead, and music videos, including "Bang", "3Hunna" and "I Don't Like".[8][13] Once his house arrest ended, WorldStarHipHop released a video of a child hysterically celebrating Keef's release from house arrest, prompting Keef to achieve further virality.[8][9] Early in his music career, Keef's song, "I Don't Like" became a local hit in Chicago, which was described by a local party promoter, as "the perfect Chicago song because 'niggas just hate everything out here.'"[9][14] It also caught fellow Chicago rapper Kanye West's attention, and West created a remix of the song with rappers Pusha T, Jadakiss and Big Sean.[15][16] David Drake of Spin writes that in 2012, Keef, "suddenly shot up out of obscurity."[17]
In the summer of 2012, Keef was in the middle of a bidding war with many labels to sign him including Young Jeezy's CTE World.[18] While 2013 would prove to be a relatively quiet year, in terms of his music output, Keef would begin the year by signing with Interscope Records, as a separate deal promised his own label imprint, Glory Boyz Entertainment (GBE).[18] The deal was worth six million dollars over a three album layout, as well as an additional $440,000 in advance, to establish GBE.[19] The deal also set up rights for Interscope to pull out of the contract in the case that Keef's debut album would fail to sell 250,000 copies by December 2013.[20] Chief Keef's debut studio album Finally Rich, was released on December 18, 2012.[21] Featured guests on the album included rappers 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and his fellow Glory Boyz member Lil Reese.[22]
On March 26, 2013, it was announced that Keef would be a part of XXL Magazine's 2013 Freshman Class.[23] On May 8, 2013, Gucci Mane announced via Twitter that Chief Keef was the newest member of 1017 Brick Squad Records.[24]
Keef would feature on "Hold My Liquor", the fifth track off Kanye West's album, Yeezus, released on June 18, 2013.[25] Keef's contributions to the track were praised by musician Lou Reed, with Reed stating, "Hold My Liquor is just heartbreaking, and particularly coming from where it's coming from – listen to that incredibly poignant hook from a tough guy like Chief Keef, wow."[26]
On his 18th birthday, August 15, 2013, Chief Keef celebrated by releasing the mixtape Bang, Pt. 2.[27] Bang, Pt. 2 was highly anticipated as the first project following his debut album, but received a mixed to negative critical response.[28] On October 12, 2013 a further mixtape, Almighty Sosa was released.[29] Like Bang, Pt. 2, Almighty So also received mixed to negative critical responses.[28][30] Following his October 2013 jail term, he began working on his second studio album and a biopic.[31]
2014–present: Bang 3, Nobody, and The Cozart
2014 marked a year in which Keef would begin experimenting with the production of his music, which Meaghan Garvey of The Fader noted as being fitting for Keef, as the rapper has, "always been more concerned with vibe than meaning, and production is his most efficient tool to create a mood without getting bogged down by pesky syntax."[28]
On January 14, 2014, Chief Keef announced working on a new mixtape entitled Bang 3, which as the title suggests, is the third installment to his Bang series.[32] On February 13, 2014, Chief Keef revealed the cover art to his upcoming mixtape Back From The Dead 2 which served as the sequel to his critically acclaimed mixtape, Back From The Dead.[33] On February 17, 2014, Keef would state that his former lean addiction and bad mixing contributed to the lack of quality music on his two mixtape projects Bang Pt. 2 and Almighty So and that he himself was also disappointed in both projects.[34] On February 26, 2014, Keef revealed that he would release a EP before his second studio album Bang 3, entitled Bang 4, as a preview of sorts.[35] On February 27, 2014, Fredo Santana announced that he and Keef were going to release a collaboration album.[36] On March 13, 2014, Chief Keef would release the first official single from Bang 3 entitled "Fuck Rehab" featuring his fellow Glo Gang artist and cousin Mario "Blood Money" Hess, which would mark for Hess's final appearance on a song before his death on April 9, 2014.[37] On March 14, 2014, Chief Keef released the official music video for "Fuck Rehab".[38] On March 31, 2014, Interscope executive Larry Jackson announced that Bang 3 would be released on June 10, 2014, but it was again delayed.[39]
On October 21, 2014 Keef was dropped by Interscope Records, but confirmed via Twitter that every project he had planned, including the release of the long-awaited Bang 3 would still be released, as he planned.[40] Young Chop criticized Interscope's decision to drop Chief.[41] Despite being set for a Christmas 2014 release, Bang 3 did not materialize.[42] Keef's mixtapes, Mansion Musick, which was set for a November 28, 2014 release, and Thot Breakers, which was set to release on February 14, 2015, were also noted to not release as scheduled.[43] However, on October 30, Keef and Gucci Mane were successful in releasing Big Gucci Sosa, a 12-track collaborative mixtape.[44][45] On October 31, Keef's Back From the Dead 2, a sequel mixtape to his 2012 effort, Back From the Dead, was made available for digital download from iTunes.[46][47] Keef experimented with the production of his own tracks, self-producing 16 of the 20 songs on the mixtape.[48] David Drake of Pitchfork Media, stated, "For his first steps into rapper-producer territory, he shows promise—though it’s tough to imagine most of these beats working outside the context of a Chief Keef album, as they are primed to frame his vocals."[49] The mixtape was ranked 25th on Rolling Stone's list of the 40 best rap albums of 2014, with the publication commenting, "The bleak world from which he came still shapes his sound; it's a bleak and lonely record, with few guests and a darkly psychedelic shape formed by drugs and likely PTSD. Yet he finds a gleeful humanity inside the world's rotten core, with bluntly potent, economical rapping that gets strong mileage per word."[50]
In November 2014, Chief announced Nobody, a "Glo Producer album," that featured guest vocals from Kanye West and Tadoe.[51][52] The album was set to be released on December 2, 2014,[52] but was ultimately released on December 16.[53] The album's title track was noted for being one of Keef's more emotionally driven outputs, with Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound writing, "the track itself feels like the apex of a night spent binge-drinking."[48][54][55] Additionally, the album was awarded a 7.0/10 score by Pitchfork Media's Meaghan Garvey.[48]
On February 18, 2015, Keef released Sorry 4 The Weight, a 20-track mixtape.[56][57] The mixtape was largely a solo effort, featuring only Andy Milonakis and Glo Gang labelmate, Benji Glo.[43][58] In 2015, Keef's track "Faneto" was noted for slowly building momentum since its October 2014 release.[59][60]
On April 24, 2015, Keef announced his next album would be titled The Cozart, adding that it would be released soon.[61]
Other ventures
Glo Gang
Glo Gang | |
---|---|
Founded | 2014 |
Founder | Chief Keef |
Status | Active |
Distributor(s) | Independent |
Genre | Hip hop, midwest hip hop, drill |
Country of origin | United States |
Location | Chicago, Illinois Los Angeles, California |
Official website | http://glogangworldwide.com/ |
As part of his signing with Interscope Records, Keef's label imprint, Glory Boyz Entertainment (GBE), was established.[62] Keef, along with his manager, Rovan Manuel, each owned 40% shares of GBE.[19] Keef's cousin, and fellow rapper, Fredo Santana, Keef's uncle Alonzo Carter, and Anthony H. Dade, owned the remaining 20% of GBE.[19] Various associates of Keef's would be signed with the label, such as rappers Lil Reese, Fredo Santana and producer Young Chop.[63][64][65] The label had already been active since 2011, however only released mixtapes and was not a full on record company. After releasing Keef's Finally Rich in December 2012, the label was set to release an album by Lil Reese in the coming months, along with various mixtapes. However, on January 3, 2014, Chief Keef said that Glory Boyz Entertainment was "no more," and was starting a new record label named Glo Gang.[66][67] Prior to his death, Blood Money revealed in an interview the members of Glo Gang to be Chief Keef, Tray Savage, Ballout, Capo, Tadoe, Justo, and himself.[68]
- Current artists
- Chief Keef
- Tray Savage
- Ballout
- Capo
- Tadoe
- Justo
- Benji Glo
- Mane Mane
- Lil Flash
- Terrintino
- Former artists
- Fredo Santana
- SD
- Blood Money (Deceased)
- Gino Marley
- Lil Reese
Personal life
Cozart was born when his mother was 16, and is named after his deceased uncle.[69] Keef is estranged from his biological father;[70] when he was a minor, Cozart's legal guardian was his grandmother, whom he lived with during his residence in Chicago.[19] At the age of 16, Cozart had his first child, a daughter, born Kayden Kash Cozart and nicknamed Kay Kay.[1] Cozart was served with a request for child support by the child's mother.[71] In November 2013, DNA documents revealed that Keef was the father of Erica Early's then-10 month old daughter, and was subsequently ordered to begin paying child support.[72] In September 2014, Keef announced the birth of his third child, and his first son, whom he named Krüe Karter Cozart.[73] In May 2015, Keef was sued by another woman, claiming that Keef is the father of her child.[74] Due to never originally responding the legal documents, Keef was ordered to court, with a warrant for his arrest placed as the consequence for his absence in court.[74]
Two of Keef's cousins, Fredo Santana and Tadoe, were signed to his Glory Boyz Entertainment label.[75] Cozart's stepbrother was shot dead on January 2, 2013.[76] Another of Cozart's cousin, Mario Hess, also known as Big Glo, who performed under the stage name Blood Money, was shot and killed in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood on April 9, 2014.[77] Hess had been signed to Interscope Records just two weeks prior to his killing.[78][79]
After being evicted from his Highland Park home, Keef relocated to Los Angeles.[80][81] In an interview with Noisey's Rebecca Haithcoat, Keef told Haithcoat his favorite part about Los Angeles is, "the quiet."[81] In 2014, Keef began indulging in his new-found hobby of art collecting, once he discovered the paintings of art teacher Bill da Butcher, while in rehab.[81] Once acquainted, da Butcher became Keef's personal artist of sorts.[81]
Legal issues
On January 27, 2011, Cozart was apprehended on charges of heroin manufacture and distribution.[82] As a juvenile offender, Cozard was determined "delinquent," rather than guilty of his charges, and served time on house arrest.[82]
In December 2011, Cozart left his grandmother's home holding a coat over his hands in front of his waistband. A policeman stopped to question the rapper, who dropped the coat, flashed a handgun and ran away. Officers chased then 16-year-old Cozart, who turned around several times and pointed the gun at them. The policemen "discharged their weapons," but missed. They caught him a half-block later and recovered the pistol, which was loaded. Cozart was charged with three counts of aggravated assault with a firearm on a police officer and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon. He was also given a misdemeanor charge for resisting arrest. He was held in the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center until a judge sentenced him to home confinement at his grandmother’s house.[83]
On September 5, 2012, Chicago Police stated that Cozart was being investigated for a possible connection in the shooting death of fellow rapper and Englewood resident, Joseph Coleman, who performed under the stage name "Lil JoJo".[84][85] This came after Keef had mocked his death on Twitter,[86] which he later claimed was the result of his account being hacked.[87] Coleman's mother has openly claimed that Chief Keef paid to have her son killed.[88]
On October 17, 2012, Cook County prosecutors asked a judge to remand Cozart to juvenile detention for alleged parole violations stemming from a video interview he held at a shooting range which included him discharging a firearm. A hearing was set for November 20, 2012, which was subsequently pushed back January 28, 2013, and then moved up to January 15.[89] The website that posted it, Pitchfork Media, was ordered by the court to provide the interview's footage after they removed it three months prior.[90] On December 31, 2012, Cozart was issued a judicial summons for a new and unrelated alleged parole violation. Prosecutors claimed that he failed to notify his juvenile parole officer about a change of address. A hearing was set for January 2, 2013.[91] Cozart scored a victory in court, when the judge allowed him to remain free over prosecutors request that he be jailed.[92]
On January 15, 2013, Cozart was taken into custody after a juvenile court judge ruled that the aforementioned gun range interview video constituted a probation violation. Two days later, Cozart was sentenced to two months in a juvenile detention facility and was additionally made a ward of the state.[93] On March 14, 2013, Keef was released from a juvenile detention center after serving the 60 days for violating his probation.[94]
On January 17, 2013, Keef was sued by Washington, D.C.-based promotion company Team Major for $75,000 for a missed show.[95] According to the firm, Keef was supposed to perform at the IndigO2 Arena in London this past December 29, 2012 but never showed. Neither Keef nor his label has given any kind of response as to why he missed the date.[95] He ignored the lawsuit and the court sided with Team Major, ordering Keef to pay $230,019 to Team Major by default.[96]
On May 20, 2013, he was arrested in an upscale hotel in DeKalb County, Georgia for allegedly smoking marijuana in public and for disorderly conduct.[97] He was released later in the day.[98] Eight days later, Keef was arrested for driving 110 mph in a 55 mph zone in his hometown Chicago, and also for driving with an unlawful amount of passengers. He was later released on a bond.[99] He returned to court on June 17, and pled guilty to speeding. He was ordered to pay a $531 fine, serve 18 months of probation, complete 60 hours of community service and undergo random drug tests.[100]
On October 15, 2013, Keef returned to jail for a 20-day sentence due to a probation violation. The probation violation was due to testing positive for marijuana.[31] On October 24, 2013, Keef was released ten days early for good behavior.[101] However, again on November 6, 2013, Keef was sent back to jail on another probation violation.[102] Then following a stint in rehab, Keef was arrested on March 5, 2014 in Highland Park, Illinois for DUI of marijuana, driving on a suspended license and cited for having no proof of insurance.[103]
On February 4, 2014, Kim Productions filed suit against Cozart to recover losses they allege they incurred after he failed to appear at a RapCure benefit concert in Cleveland, Ohio in June 2013.[104] The suit alleges that Kim Productions provided Cozart with a $15,000 deposit for the performance. Despite the advance, the lawsuit further alleges that as a result of Cozart's failure to appear, the concert had to be cancelled.
In June 2014, Cozart was evicted from his Highland Park home.[80] Although Bal Bansal, the owner of the house, maintained Keef was a good tenant, and that his departure from the home was voluntary, police confirmed it was an eviction.[80]
Image
![]() |
A 30-second sample of the chorus to "Love Sosa", which has contributed to Keef's image as drill's forerunner
|
Problems playing this file? See media help. |
Cozart is often seen as a representation of the "Chiraq" gangsta rap culture.[105] LA Weekly reported that, at least on Instagram, Cozart, "appears to take fatherhood seriously."[105] LA Weekly also reported that Keef's Glo Gang entourage respects the rapper. One member of the Glo Gang, Ballout, stated, "We learned all that from Sosa, we be in the studio with him so much,” calling him, "a rhyming machine. A music genius. Black Justin Bieber, if you ask me.”[105] The New York Times stated that Chief Keef, "symbolizes," Chicago's drill music scene, and is the, "best known of the young generation of Chicago rappers."[106] In November 2012, Lucy Stehlik of The Guardian, described Keef as drill's, "alpha male."[11] David Drake of Pitchfork Media writes, "Chief Keef is in rarefied air for street rap—a creative voice with an original, cohesive aesthetic," adding, "to the grassroots, among a new generation of stars, he sits at street rap’s aesthetic center, not its margins."[49]
Keef has drawn comparisons to 50 Cent, as The New York Times writes, that like 50 Cent, Keef makes thuggery, "a major part of his early-career persona."[106] Lupe Fiasco, who has been involved with a controversy with Keef, has been referred to as an "antagonist" of sorts to Keef's more gangsta-rap persona. The New York Times writes, "Lupe Fiasco is a stern and didactic teacher, but it’s arguable that Chief Keef’s music is far better at ringing warning bells."[106] Another rapper, Common, has praised Chief Keef's contributions to rap, stating, "I think Chief Keef brought something that nobody else was doing and he brought it raw. He brought it real. With that, I have to respect that as an artist that he has come and brought that."[107] Other rappers, such as Rhymefest and Lupe Fiasco, however, have been critical of Chief (see controversies section below).[108][109]
Additionally, Chief Keef is often referred to as, "Sosa," by himself, his peers, and the media.[105][110][111] The nickname, "Sosa" is a reference to Sammy Sosa, a former Chicago Cubs player.[112]
Controversies
Hip hop feuds
In June 2012, Chicago rapper Rhymefest authored a blog post critical of Chief Keef's image and message, describing Cozart as a "bomb" and a "spokesman for the Prison Industrial Complex". The post was also critical of rappers Waka Flocka Flame and Rick Ross, citing similar reasons.[108] Rhymefest reiterated these views in a subsequent interview with Salon.[113]
In an August 2012 interview with Baltimore radio station 92Q Jams, Lupe Fiasco stated that Chief Keef "scares" him and went on to describe the other rapper as a "hoodlum" and representative of Chicago's "skyrocketing" murder rate.[109] Keef responded on September 5 with a tweet threatening Lupe Fiasco,[114] but then claimed that his account had been hacked and that the previous tweet was inauthentic.[115] On September 13, 2012, Fiasco released a video interview in which he made amends to Keef.[116]
On one occasion, Keef uploaded an image onto Instagram featuring the alleged stolen chain belonging to rapper Quavo of Migos.[117] Though this incident escalated an already existing tension between members of Glo Gang and members of Migos, the beef between the two groups was later seemingly ended.[118][119]
On September 15, 2012, Cozart uploaded an obscene photograph featuring the rapper receiving fellatio from a female fan onto the image sharing application Instagram.[120] Keef shortly removed the image from his account.[121] However, his account was subsequently banned for violating Instagram's terms of service.[122] Keef has since created another Instagram account, and has had his activities on the app mentioned by various outlets.[123][124]
Discography
Studio albums:
- Finally Rich (2012)
- Bang 3 (TBA)
References
- ^ a b Buyanovsky, Dan (May 6, 2013). "From The Mag: Chief Keef At Home". XXL. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ Austen, Ben (September 17, 2013). "Public Enemies: Social Media Is Fueling Gang Wars in Chicago". Wired. Retrieved October 6, 2013. "Chief Keef and Lil JoJo, two rappers from the South Side neighborhood of Englewood..."
- ^ Gale, Alex. "On the Verge: Rapper Chief Keef". BET. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ Drake, David (April 27, 2012). "Where Did Chief Keef Come From?". Complex. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Drake, David. "Where Did Chief Keef Come From?". Complex. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ^ Shapiro, David. "Chief Keef's Double F Life". Interview. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ^ "Chief Keef turns 19, shows for a concert, but is he growing up?". Chicago Sun-Times. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Drake, David (March 12, 2012). "Hip-Hop's Next Big Thing is On House Arrest at His Grandma's: Meet Chief Keef". Gawker. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ a b c Delerme, Felipe (August 21, 2012). "Chief Keef: Lost Boys". The Fader. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Jeffries, David. "Chief Keef Bio". MTV. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- ^ a b c Stehlik, Lucy (16 November 2012). "Chief Keef takes Chicago's drill sound overground". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ Caramanica, Jon (4 October 2012). "Chicago Hip-Hop’s Raw Burst of Change". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
- ^ Kramer, Kyle (April 28, 2012). "RedEye Interview with Chicago rapper Chief Keef". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ "Chief Keef". BET. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Lipshutz, Jason (May 1, 2012). "Listen: Kanye West & Friends Remix Chief Keef's 'I Don't Like'". Billboard. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ Alexis, Nadeska (May 1, 2012). "Kanye West Drops Chief Keef’s ‘I Don’t Like (Remix)’ For G.O.O.D. Music". Rap Fix. MTV. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Drake, David (June 25, 2012). "Chicago Rap Blazes Up from the Streets". Spin. Retrieved August 4, 2012.
- ^ a b Miles, Dante (January 19, 2013). "Chief Keef Speaks On 50 Cent Not Being His Mentor, Signing With Interscope Over CTE". HipHopDX . Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c d Konkol, Mark (January 23, 2013). "Exclusive Details of Rapper Chief Keef's $6 Million Record Deal". DNAinfo. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (January 23, 2013). "Chief Keef's Deal With Interscope Records Revealed To Be Worth $6 Million". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven (November 12, 2012). "Chief Keef "Finally Rich" Tracklist & Cover Art". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
- ^ B., Jarrett (July 7, 2012). "Chief Keef "Finally Rich" Artwork". Hip Hop Wired. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
- ^ "XXL Freshman Class 2013 Cover Revealed - Page 2 of 2". XXL. March 27, 2013. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ Diep, Eric (May 8, 2013). "Chief Keef Joins Gucci Mane's 1017 Bricksquad". XXL. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ Yeezus Credits (PDF) (Media notes). Kanye West. Def Jam Recordings. 2013. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Reed, Lou (July 3, 2013). "Lou Reed on Kanye West's Yeezus: 'It brings tears to my eyes'". The Guardian. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Russell, Alex (August 15, 2013). "Mixtape: Chief Keef "Bang Pt. 2"". Complex. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
- ^ a b c Garvey, Meaghan (October 28, 2014). "A Definitive History Of Chief Keef As A Producer". The Fader. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ X, Dharmic (October 12, 2013). "Mixtape: Chief Keef "Almighty So"". Complex. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Aceto, Matt (October 20, 2013). "Review: Chief Keef's "Almighty So"". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Jackson, Dan (October 15, 2013). "Chief Keef Heads To Jail For Probation Violation". XXL. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Lilah, Rose (March 31, 2014). "Chief Keef Announces "Bang 3" Release Date [Update: New Date Announced". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Smith, Trevor (February 13, 2014). "Chief Keef Reveals "Back From The Dead 2" Mixtape Artwork". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ V, Russell (January 17, 2014). "Chief Keef Admits He Hates His Mixtapes Because He Was on Lean". VladTV. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Smith, Trevor (February 26, 2014). "Chief Keef To Release "Bang 4" EP Before "Bang 3"". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ C.M., Emmanuel (February 28, 2014). "Chief Keef And Fredo Santana Are Coming Out With An Album". XXL. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - F*ck Rehab (feat. Big Glo) - Single by Chief Keef". iTunes. Apple. March 13, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ "Chief Keef f/ Blood Money "F**k Rehab" Video". Complex. March 13, 2014. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ J., Miranda (March 31, 2014). "Chief Keef's New Album Has A Release Date". XXL. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Williams, Houston (October 21, 2014). "Exclusive: Chief Keef Dropped By Interscope Records". All Hip Hop. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
- ^ Smith, Trevor (November 7, 2014). "Young Chop On Chief Keef's Parting With Interscope: "How Did They Drop Him? He Sold 200,000"". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ "Chief Keef’s Bang 3: The Best Album That Never Happened". The Source. January 19, 2015. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ a b Middleton, Ryan (February 18, 2015). "Chief Keef Releases 'Sorry for the Weight' Mixtape Ahead of 'Bang 3'". Music Times. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ Tardio, Andres (November 1, 2014). "Gucci Mane And Chief Keef’s Horror-Themed ‘Big Gucci Sosa’ Mixtape Is Just In Time For Halloween". MTV. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ Lilah, Rose (October 30, 2014). "Stream Chief Keef & Gucci Mane's Collaborative "Big Gucci Sosa" Project". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ "Back from the Dead 2". iTunes. October 31, 2014. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Carter, Caitlin (October 31, 2014). "Stream Chief Keef's 'Back From The Dead 2' Mixtape [TRACKLIST]". Music Times. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ a b c Garvey, Meaghan (January 12, 2015). "Nobody". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ a b Drake, David (November 24, 2014). "Back From The Dead 2 / Big Gucci Sosa". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved November 29, 2014.
- ^ Drake, David (December 23, 2014). "Chief Keef, 'Back From the Dead 2'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ "Chief Keef’s "Nobody" Collaboration with Kanye West Finally has a Release Date". The Source. November 22, 2014. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ a b Lyons, Patrick (November 22, 2014). "Chief Keef Announces "Nobody: The Album" Featuring Kanye West & Tadoe". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ Carter, Caitlin (December 15, 2014). "Chief Keef, Kanye West Collaboration "Nobody" Has Leaked Ahead Of Album Release". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved December 18, 2014.
- ^ "Listen To Chief Keef’s New Single, “Nobody,” Featuring Kanye West". The Source. December 15, 2015. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Coplan, Chris (December 15, 2014). "Chief Keef and Kanye West team up for “Nobody” — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ "Sorry 4 The Weight". Datpiff. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ Pearson, Elliot (March 25, 2015). "Sonic Reducer: Micro reviews of Drake and Chief Keef's new tapes". Alibi. Retrieved March 28, 2015.
- ^ Muller, Marissa G. (February 23, 2015). "Here’s What Happens When You Get Chief Keef & Andy Milonakis in the Studio Together". Radio. Retrieved March 22, 2015.
- ^ Drake, David (January 2, 2015). "Bout to Blow: 10 Dope Songs You Should Be Hearing Everywhere Soon". Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ Galil, Leor (April 8, 2015). "The unexpected appeal of 'Faneto,' Chief Keef's slow-growing underground hit". Chicago Reader. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
- ^ Goddard, Kevin (April 25, 2015). "Chief Keef Announces New Album "The Cozart"". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
- ^ Michaels, Sean (January 24, 2013). "Chief Keef's Interscope deal worth $6m, court documents show". The Guardian. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Josephs, Brian (August 20, 2012). "Who Is Lil Reese?". Complex. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Capper, Andy (February 12, 2013). "Santana's in Town - Fredo Santana on Chief Keef, G.B.E., and the Beatles". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Caldwell, Brandon (November 11, 2014). "Young Chop And Lil Durk Get Caught Up With ‘The Murder Team’ (Video)". Vibe. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Meara, Paul (January 5, 2014). "Chief Keef Tweets About Stolen Marijuana While In Rehab | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ James, Nicolas (January 5, 2014). "Chief Keef Discontinues Glory Boyz Entertainment In Favor Of Glo Gang, Calls For New Artists". Hot New Hip Hop. Retrieved March 23, 2015.
- ^ Big Glo's Last Interview: Gucci Mane Is Big Homie. VladTV (YouTube). April 23, 2014. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ @JrCeleb Chief Keef interview featuring DJ Kenn. PAYOLA TV (YouTube). January 11, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ Goldstein, Steven; Turbin, Sarah (December 20, 2013). "Chicago’s ‘Drill Rap’ Movement: Expression of Struggle or a Glorifying of Violence?". Chicago-Bureau.org. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Bossip Staff (December 5, 2012). "Chief Keef Gets Served With Child Support". Bossip. Retrieved December 7, 2012.
- ^ Muhammad, Latifah (November 25, 2013). "Chief Keef Ordered to Pay Child Support for 10-Month-Old Daughter". BET. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ T, Jessica (September 23, 2014). "Chief Keef Proudly Shows Off His Newborn Son on Instagram". VladTV. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ a b Muhammad, Latifah (May 28, 2015). "Report: Chief Keef Hit with Another Paternity Suit". BET. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
- ^ Drake, David (February 9, 2013). "Q & A: Fredo Santana Talks the GBE Crew Album and Chicago Rap Misconceptions". Complex. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Konkol, Mark (January 7, 2013). "Chief Keef's Stepbrother Shot Dead on South Side". DNAinfo Chicago. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Koplowitz, Howard (April 10, 2014). "Blood Money Dead: Chief Keef's Cousin, Rapper Mario Hess, AKA Big Glo, Shot And Killed On Chicago Street [VIDEO]". International Business Times. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Diep, Eric (April 10, 2014). "Chief Keef's Cousin Blood Money Killed In West Englewood Neighborhood". XXL. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Nickeas, Peter; Gorner, Jeremy; Kot, Greg (April 10, 2014). "Chief Keef's cousin Big Glo shot to death in Englewood". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c Berger, Susan; McCoppin, Robert; Cullotta, Karen Ann (June 10, 2014). "Chief Keef evicted from Highland Park home". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 24, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Haithcoat, Rebecca (December 23, 2014). "We Went to Chief Keef's First Art Gallery Show and Interviewed Him". Noisey. Vice. Retrieved March 25, 2015.
- ^ a b Konkol, Mark (January 14, 2013). "Police Shot at Chief Keef After Rapper Pointed Gun at Them, Cops Say". DNAinfo Chicago. Retrieved January 15, 2013.
- ^ Phillips, Rashad (January 14, 2013). "Police Shot At Chief Keef Prior To 2011 Arrest". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Konkol, Mark; Janssen, Kim; Horton, Allison (September 5, 2012). "Lil JoJo Tweeted his location just hours before he was slain". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Gorner, Jeremy (October 20, 2012). "Sources: South Side shootings could be linked to rap feud". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (September 5, 2012). "Chief Keef Laughs At Death Of Fellow Rapper". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Kuperstein, Slava (September 9, 2012). "Chief Keef Denies Involvement In Murder Of Chicago Rapper Lil Jojo, Claims Twitter Account Was Hacked". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Muhammad, Latifah (December 3, 2012). "Lil JoJo’s Mom Says Chief Keef "Paid Somebody" To Kill Her Son [VIDEO]". Hip Hop Wired. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Ryon, Sean (January 8, 2013). "Chief Keef's Probation Hearing Moved Up Two Weeks". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Ryon, Sean (December 5, 2012). "Pitchfork Media Ordered To Turn Over Video Of Chief Keef At Gun Range". HipHopDX. Retrieved December 6, 2012.
- ^ Main, Frank (December 31, 2012). "Sources: Rapper Chief Keef moves to Northbrook but doesn’t tell probation officer". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ^ Meisner, Jason (January 2, 2013). "Judge: No 'credible evidence' Chief Keef moved to Northbrook". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 3, 2013.
- ^ Main, Frank (January 17, 2013). "Tearful Chief Keef gets 60 days in juvenile jail for violating probation". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
- ^ Horowitz, Steven J. (March 14, 2013). "Chief Keef Released From Juvenile Detention Center". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ a b Ryon, Sean (January 17, 2013). "Chief Keef Hit With $75,000 Lawsuit Over Missed Show". HipHopDX. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
- ^ Rys, Dan (August 5, 2013). "Chief Keef Ordered To Pay $230,000 Over Abandoned London Show". XXL. Retrieved August 25, 2013.
- ^ Monde, Chiderah (May 21, 2013). "Chief Keef arrested: Rapper busted for smoking marijuana at swanky hotel". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ "Rapper Chief Keef arrested for disorderly conduct". UPI. May 21, 2013. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
- ^ Ryon, Sean. "Chief Keef Charged With Driving 110 MPH In A 55 MPH Zone". XXL. Retrieved May 31, 2013.
- ^ Main, Frank (June 17, 2013). "Chief Keef's bad day: Pleads guilty, hit with second paternity suit — gets arrested again". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Kramer, Kyle (October 23, 2013). "Chief Keef Released From Jail 10 Days Early". Complex. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Jackson, Reed (November 6, 2013). "Chief Keef Is Going Back To Jail". XXL. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ C.M., Emmanuel (March 17, 2014). "Chief Keef Is Arrested For DUI". XXL. Retrieved July 10, 2014.
- ^ Hailey, Jonathon (February 4, 2014). "New Lawsuit Alleges Chief Keef Hates Cancer Charities". The Urban Daily. Retrieved February 4, 2014.
- ^ a b c d Simpson, Isaac (November 6, 2014). "Was Chief Keef Too Gangster for Interscope?". LA Weekly. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ a b c Caramanica, Jon (October 7, 2012). "Chicago Hip-Hop’s Raw Burst of Change". The New York Times. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Mansell, Henry (November 24, 2014). "Common Says He Respects Chief Keef For Being Raw & Real In His Music". HipHopDX. Retrieved November 27, 2014.
- ^ a b Ryon, Sean (June 27, 2012). "Rhymefest Blasts Chief Keef, Interscope Over Promoting Violent Music". HipHopDX. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ a b Chandler, D.L. (August 30, 2012). "Lupe Fiasco Says Fellow Chicago Rapper Chief Keef "Scares Me" [VIDEO]". Hip Hop Wired. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Hudson, Tanay (November 10, 2014). "Chief Keef Releases Four New Projects On YouTube". All Hip Hop. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ Keef, Chief. "Love Sosa Lyrics". Rap Genius. Genius. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ Seth, Akshay (January 23, 2013). "Let's Do Some Lines: 'Love Sosa' by Chief Keef". The Michigan Daily. Retrieved November 14, 2014.
- ^ Guarino, Mark (December 18, 2012). "Rap’s killer new rhymes". Salon. Retrieved January 7, 2013.
- ^ Keef, Chief (September 5, 2012). "Lupe fiasco a hoe ass nigga And wen I see him I'ma smack him like da lil bitch he is #300". Twitter. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Keef, Chief (September 5, 2012). "my twitter has been hacked I think I'm making a new one dumb hating ass people #DontWannaSeeAYougNiggaShine". Twitter. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Muhammad, Latifah (September 13, 2012). "Lupe Fiasco Makes Peace With Chief Keef, Says "I Love My Brother"". Hip Hop Wired. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
- ^ Jenkins, Brandon (November 17, 2014). "Quavo of Migos Allegedly Robbed by GBE Member, Chief Keef Instagrams Stolen Chain". Complex. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Servantes, Ian (November 8, 2014). "Fredo Santana Threatens Migos for Fighting GBE Member Capo in Chicago". Complex. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Steinfeld, Mitchell (December 12, 2014). "Chief Keef & Migos Apparently Squash Beef". HipHopDX. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Abernethy, Samantha (September 17, 2012). "Chief Keef Kicked Off Instagram For Posting Blowjob Photo". Chicagoist. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ "Chief Keef Banned from Instagram for Lewd Photo". XXL. September 18, 2012. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Rogulewski, Charley (September 16, 2012). "Instagram Cancels Chief Keef's Account Over Sex Photo". Vibe. Retrieved November 8, 2014.
- ^ Carter, Caitlin (January 19, 2015). "Drake, Chief Keef Collaborating? GLOVO Logo Surfaces On Instagram [PHOTOS]". Music Times. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
- ^ Downs, David (October 13, 2014). "Rapper Chief Keef Opens Medical Cannabis Dispensary In Compton". San Francisco Gate. Retrieved March 24, 2015.
|
|