Balancing his characteristic humor with newfound vulnerability, Keef’s latest is a worthy capstone to a prolific year in which the Chicago rapper has resurrected his reputation and career.
Keith Cozart has been known to the public as Chief Keef since 2012, when his first hit, “I Don’t Like,” vaulted him into the national consciousness. He was 16 years old then, and for many, he was inextricably linked with the crisis of gun violence in his native Chicago. The lightning to the thunder that was “I Don’t Like” was a WorldStar video of a kid excited that Keef, who had been sentenced to house arrest for unlawful use of a weapon, had been released—the first hint of the enthusiasm that would accompany the rapper’s initial rise. But Cozart is 22 now, and in industry terms, his arrival might as well have been a decade ago. His latest full-length, Dedication, is a testament to how much he’s grown—not necessarily as an artist (though that’s there too), but as a person. It’s a worthy capstone to a year in which Keef has released four solid-to-great solo projects, resurrecting his reputation and career.
Keef’s unconstructed approach to rap has earned him ferocious critics, in addition to those who would summarily dismiss him for being simply a bad influence, a media spectacle, or both. In his hometown paper’s good-faith review of his major label debut, Finally Rich, the writer Greg Kot asserted that Keef’s sole innovation had been to appear colder than any other contemporary gangster rapper, and dismissed his mumbled verses as “robotic, deadpan, stoned.” It was a fair assessment, if a stingy one. But five years later, with Keef matured and mellowed, it’s easier to listen to his current music and pick up on the charisma that caused one of his deeply passionate Chicago fans to threaten to beat the hell out of anyone questioning his reputation back in the day.
There are several indications of Keef’s growth on Dedication, but nostalgia is the principal element that unites the record’s grab bag of styles and approaches. It’s everywhere. Glimpses of his school days surface on “Keke Palmer,” where there’s an early reference to blue books; on “Text,” he recalls toting a BB gun in his lunch bag in second grade; and on the fearsome throwback “Glory Bridge,” he’s thinking about how fly he looked at school. In a recent interview, Snoop Dogg asks Keef what he loves the most about being from Chicago. The rapper, who has lived in California for the past several years, thinks for a moment, and then confesses to missing the city in its entirety.
It’s that willingness to admit to vulnerability, to having emotions other than fury, that keeps Dedication interesting throughout. Keef will never be a perfectionist. His verses are not compulsively crafted or alive with brilliant wordplay; they’re compelling mainly for their turns of phrase, for the sudden jokes or changes in perspective. His deadpan sense of humor remains well intact. The second verse of “Told Y’all” includes the immortal line, “Pull up in all white like a Nazi,” and there’s a funny couplet on “Keke Palmer”: “Hopped on yo shit and killed it, like ‘Whose song is this?’/All up in my DM, man, ‘Who mom is this?’” Keef admires Lil Wayne, and while he doesn’t share Weezy’s technical ability, he does share his role model’s gift for the unexpected left turn, the hilarious surprise.
Atlanta’s D. Rich produced more than half the songs on Dedication, with standout turns from StuntMan (“Keke Palmer,” “Text”) and Ness (“Glory Bridge”). In contrast to Thot Breaker and with the exception of the weirdly tender standout “Negro,” the record is decidedly drill, and on the imperial beats for “Mailbox,” “Cook,” “Get It,” and others, Keef teleports back to his old life. But while it’s not quite JAY-Z-on-American-Gangster-style reminiscence, even the more vividly violent songs here feel like they were made at a remove. “I passed the streets with flying colors” he boasts on “Bad,” another highlight, and the past tense is clearly intentional.
Though the record has some weak links, it’s cleverly sequenced to minimize mediocrities. It opens with two fantastic singles, “Ticket” and “Keke Palmer,” and is backloaded with can’t-miss tracks including “Negro,” “Less Speed,” “Kills,” and “Told Y’all.” Along with a couple of appearances from the GBE rapper Tadoe, there are solid features from A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Lil Yachty, but they blend in so well that you barely notice how unusual it is for Keef to break with his traditional insularity and collaborate with artists outside his immediate circle. It’s just another sign of his newfound humility, a quality that comes with age—and one that, after this year, should make even the most ferocious anti-Keef partisans willing to give the 22-year-old’s music another chance.
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The best album by Chief Keef is Finally Rich which is ranked number 15,231 in the overall greatest album chart with a total rank score of 87. Aplikasi karaoke for pc.
Chief Keef is ranked number 4,719 in the overall artist rankings with a total rank score of 188. Fastest video to mp3 converter.
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eBay.co.uk | CHIEF KEEF: FINALLY RICH (CD) Condition: New | Time left: 5h 21m 5s Ships to: Worldwide | £20.29 Go to store | ||
eBay.co.uk | Chief Keef / Zaytoven - Glotoven [New CD] Manufactured On Demand Condition: New | Time left: 1d 23h 20m 3s Ships to: Worldwide | £9.63 Go to store | ||
eBay.co.uk | Chief Keef - Finally Rich [New CD] Explicit Condition: New | Time left: 2d 16h 48m 19s Ships to: Worldwide | £9.99 Go to store | ||
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Chief Keef best albums
The following albums by Chief Keef are ranked highest in the greatest album charts:
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1. | Finally Rich | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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2. | Almighty So | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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3. | Thot Breaker | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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4. | Sorry 4 The Weight | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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5. | Back From The Dead | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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6. | Back From The Dead 2 | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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7. | Two Zero One Seven | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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8. | Young N Wild | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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9. | Nobody | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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10. | Bang 3 | Chief Keef | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Overall band rank: |
# | Track | Rating | |
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1. | Love Sosa (from the album Finally Rich) | 78/100 (6 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
2. | I Don't Like (from the album Finally Rich) | 77/100 (6 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
3. | Hate Bein' Sober (from the album Finally Rich) | 74/100 (6 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
4. | 3Hunna (from the album Finally Rich) | 74/100 (5 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
5. | Finally Rich (from the album Finally Rich) | 72/100 (5 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
6. | Hallelujah (from the album Finally Rich) | 72/100 (5 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
7. | Ballin' (from the album Finally Rich) | 71/100 (5 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
8. | Diamonds (from the album Finally Rich) | 70/100 (4 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
9. | Understand Me (from the album Finally Rich) | 70/100 (4 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
10. | No Tomorrow (from the album Finally Rich) | 70/100 (3 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
11. | Kay Kay (from the album Finally Rich) | 69/100 (4 votes) Comments: 1 comment | |
12. | Laughin' To The Bank (from the album Finally Rich) | 67/100 (5 votes) Comments: 1 comment |
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keef comes back on hiatus and drops a SOTY. shouldn't be surprised at this point <3.
Chief Keef Albums Sales
just terrible music.. so bad
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15 Songs, 45 Minutes
EDITORS’ NOTES
It wasn’t long ago that Chief Keef took the rap game by storm, influencing a generation of rappers with the minimalistic, emotive rap style that put his native Chicago back on the map. Dedication is the result of Keef's successors wearing that same style thin, forcing him to innovate once again. The album is Keef at his most lyrical, eschewing the nasally melody he'd also tried on for a period, relying here on well-enunciated bars. The bass, too, is subdued, Keef's raps carrying the brunt of the load, and doing so with grace and ease on the double-time 'Less Speed.' Tucked deep at the end is “Be Back,” a song that boasts a cheeky production nod to “Faneto,” Keef’s last bona fide smash.
EDITORS’ NOTES
It wasn’t long ago that Chief Keef took the rap game by storm, influencing a generation of rappers with the minimalistic, emotive rap style that put his native Chicago back on the map. Dedication is the result of Keef's successors wearing that same style thin, forcing him to innovate once again. The album is Keef at his most lyrical, eschewing the nasally melody he'd also tried on for a period, relying here on well-enunciated bars. The bass, too, is subdued, Keef's raps carrying the brunt of the load, and doing so with grace and ease on the double-time 'Less Speed.' Tucked deep at the end is “Be Back,” a song that boasts a cheeky production nod to “Faneto,” Keef’s last bona fide smash.
TITLE | TIME |
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- 15 Songs, 45 Minutes
- Released: Dec 1, 2017
- ℗ 2017 Glo Gang/RBC Records
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