It was highly anticipated as the first project following his debut album, but received a mixed to negative critical response. On his 18th birthday, August 15, 2013, Chief Keef celebrated by releasing the mixtape Bang, Pt. Keef's contributions to the track were praised by musician Lou Reed who said, ''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.' In May 2013 he signed with 1017 Brick Squad Records.Ĭhief Keef is featured on 'Hold My Liquor', the fifth track on Kanye West's album, Yeezus, released on June 18, 2013. Featured guests on the album include rappers: 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Young Jeezy, Rick Ross and his fellow Glory Boyz member Lil Reese. The deal gave Interscope the right to pull out of the contract if Chief Keef's debut album Finally Rich, released on December 18, 2012, had failed to sell 250,000 copies by December 2013. The deal was worth $6,000,000 over a three album layout, with an additional $440,000 advance to establish GBE. In a separate deal he was promised his own label imprint, Glory Boyz Entertainment (GBE). While 2012 proved to be a relatively quiet year in terms of his musical output, Chief Keef began the year by signing with Interscope Records. In the summer of 2012, Chief Keef was the subject of a bidding war among record labels wishing to sign him, including Young Jeezy's CTE World. As a result, Keef 'suddenly shot up out of obscurity'.Īlbum cover of Finally Rich by Chief Keef(2012) It caught Kanye West's attention, and he remixed the song with rappers Pusha T, Jadakiss and Big Sean. A local party promoter called it 'the perfect Chicago song because 'n*ggas just hate everything out here''. Keef's song 'I Don't Like' became a hit in Chicago.

While under house arrest, he posted several videos to his YouTube account, forerunners to Chicago's hip hop subgenre, drill. In December, he was arrested for firing a gun from his car in Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood he was placed under house arrest at his grandmother's residence for 30 days, followed by another 30 days of home confinement. In 2011, Chief Keef first attracted local attention from Chicago's South Side community with his mixtapes, The Glory Road and Bang. He dropped out of Dyett High School at age 15.Įarly years, Finally Rich, and subsequent mixtapes (2011–13) During his childhood, Chief Keef attended Dulles Elementary School and the Banner School, a therapeutic day school.

He began rapping as a 5-year-old using his mother's karaoke machine and tapes to record his music. His legal guardian was his grandmother with whom he lived in Chicago. Chief Keef has been estranged from his biological father, Alfonso Cozart, since he was a minor. He is named after his deceased uncle, Keith Carter, who was known as 'Big Keef.' He lived at the Parkway Garden Homes, locally known as O-Block, located in the Washington Park neighborhood on the city's South Side, a stronghold for the Black Disciples street gang of which Chief Keef is a member. 1.5 Glotoven and Almighty So 2 (2019–present)Ĭhief Keef was born Keith Farrelle Cozart in Chicago, Illinois, to Lolita Carter who was 16 and unwed.

1.2 Early years, Finally Rich, and subsequent mixtapes (2011–13).In recent years, critics have pointed to Chief Keef as a major influence on contemporary hip hop through his innovation with the drill subgenre and the impact of his music on other artists. Though he was dropped from Interscope in late 2014 and later signed to 1017 Records, he continued self-releasing projects through his own Glo Gang label. His debut album Finally Rich was released in December 2012, and featured the singles 'I Don't Like' and 'Love Sosa', which would popularize the Chicago rap subgenre drill.Ĭhief Keef has faced ongoing legal issues during his career, including weapons possession charges, house arrest sentences, and a performance ban imposed by Chicago authorities.

A bidding war between major labels resulted in Keef signing with Interscope. In 2012, his popular local single 'I Don't Like' was remixed by rapper Kanye West and reached the Billboard Rap Top 20, further raising Cozart's profile. Cozart's music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school students from Chicago's South Side. Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.

Chief keef albums ranked