Chicago is a hot bed for hip-hop music right now and the most recent product of the windy city happens to be an artist by the name of Lil Bibby. At the young age of 19 Lil Bibby has already completed milestones that a lot of aspiring artist will never reach such as becoming a XXL Freshman. Not even the fact that he’s a XXL Freshman but the fact that he created a buzz within such a small window and kept the momentum going. I remember first hearing about Bibby back in the summer of 2013 and by October he was down in Atlanta ripping it on our Chicago Hope stage. One thing about Lil Bibby is he saw the opportunity he had and made sure to cease the moment.
After releasing videos for songs such as “Kill Shit” and “For The Low,” Bibby started to generate an ascending buzz around Chicago. People really gravitated toward the music including local platforms such as Fake Shore Drive and Elevator. Word spread like a wild fire and pretty soon figures such as NBA MVP Kevin Durant and hip-hop superstar Drake were co-signing Lil Bibby’s music. The Drake stamp went a long way and seemed to put a lot of pressure on Bibby as he was crafting his debut project “Free Crack.” There were a lot of rumors that the OVO general might even appear on the project.
"Free Crack” is a very tumultuous, introspective roller coaster ride through different phases of Lil Bibby’s life. The work as a whole is very cohesive. Bibby provides us with the backdrop of his life on “Raised Up” before taking us to the club on “Whole Crew,” which was produced by Hit Boy & Rey Reel. One of the stand out records for me was the Black Metaphor produced street anthem “Water.” On the track, Bibby rhymes about his hustler’s ambition and desire to succeed after over coming the struggles of his youth.
Since releasing “Free Crack” the streets have been in a frenzy for more music and best believe Bibby is hard at work on the next batch. Via popular demand he announced an EP titled “The Book” and even released the first single “Dead or In Prison.” Since then Bibby has been chefing up another batch of “free crack,” this time along side Dj Drama. “Free Crack II” is slated to drop later on this year and you better believe the fiends will be lined up, anxiously awaiting their fix.
