Not Just East Coast, West Coast — Chicago Has Hip-Hop Cred

Chance the Rapper
Chance The Rapper, waits to announce a gift of $1 million to the Chicago Public School Foundation during a news conference at the Westcott Elementary School Monday, March 6, 2017, in Chicago. The Grammy award winning artist is calling on Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to use executive powers to better fund Chicago Public Schools. It follows a Friday meeting with the first-term Republican the artist said didn’t go well. Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press
Chance the Rapper
Chance The Rapper, waits to announce a gift of $1 million to the Chicago Public School Foundation during a news conference at the Westcott Elementary School Monday, March 6, 2017, in Chicago. The Grammy award winning artist is calling on Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner to use executive powers to better fund Chicago Public Schools. It follows a Friday meeting with the first-term Republican the artist said didn’t go well. Charles Rex Arbogast / Associated Press

Not Just East Coast, West Coast — Chicago Has Hip-Hop Cred

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Often overlooked in the national conversation about the history of hip-hop, Chicago’s hip-hop roots go almost all the way back to the birth of the genre.

The home of Kanye, Common, Chief Keef, Lupe Fiasco, and Chance the Rapper, there’s something about Chicago that pushes the boundaries of hip-hop. 

We talk to Che “Rhymefest” Smith and Ryan Brockmeier, director of the documentary Midway: The Story of Chicago Hip-Hop.