He is responsible for half the hits in Hip Hop. And he’s done it with a distinctly aggressive, hard charging approach at once brutally honest and sonically sincere. Physically imposing in stature while affably welcoming in conversation - and a true prodigy with a mind made for music - Chicago native Young Chop’s breakout production was 2012’s “I Don’t Like” with controversial partner-in-rhyme Chief Keef. The song and video quickly became a national phenomenon - the city’s homegrown hero, Kanye West, famously remixed the song - ushering in a controversial new sound in the irreverently real, crime-laden, war chanting, eerily dismal rap subgenre known as Drill Music.
Perhaps even more tellingly impactful than the hit single’s success are the two metaphysical fires it started, both of which have yet to stop burning: It compelled an entire nation to watch the unruly world of inner-city Chicago’s talented but troubled teen society more closely. And also effectively introduced the city’s most prolific producer, sergeant of the Drill scene, Young Chop. The haunting, sparse sound he creates, anchored at once by the producer’s heavy hands and the weight of the city on his shoulders, serves as the dark water undercurrent to the grim tales and nihilistic outlooks “Chi-Raq” rappers often speak of atop them.
To call Chicago a city under siege is an understatement. Just 15 days before Chop’s DOPE MAG cover shoot in the city, 82 people were shot over the 4th of July weekend. 14 dead.
The kill rate in one of the nation’s youth-murder capitals is staggering, sobering, and scary. In 2013, with a population of just over 2.7 million, there were roughly 415 homicides in Chicago. Comparatively, larger cities such as New York (333) and Los Angeles (298), recorded far fewer. Making matters worse, at the top of 2014, 1100 Chicago Public School employees were laid-off. 550 of those relieved of their duties were teachers. What direction does the city expect its LDRS gear rockin’/led pencil pushin’ youth to be led in when it continues to lay-off its leaders?
That said, the City is still running and has caught its second Wind, so there are new breathes of fresh air. The homicide statistics listed above are actually 88 fewer than the previous year, a prayer-answered decrease which illustrates progress and encourages hope. And Although Chicago’s graduation rate is below the national average at 65%, this is more than a 20% improvement from a decade ago, when the grad rate was a mere 44%. The city hustles, strives, survives, and continues to thrive in defiance of the odds stacked against it. Further good news arrives in the form of a growing number of youth empowerment programs like Write Chicago, where Hip Hop legend Nas’ commemorative Illmatic XX album was recently gifted to the organizations top teen essayists.
20-year-old Chop, born and raised in Middle America’s coldest chill spot (an inner-city settlement where the public Parks Hyde and even the trains roll L’s), knows firsthand how icy his cities frozen shoulders can get. Still, amidst the math above, there is love below. The budding super-producer continues to work, evolve, succeed, and make impressive plans for a predictably bright future. Chop is, in many ways, exemplary of his city: Not to be phuk’d with but far too firm a foundation to stop following.
As young hit-making producers go, if Mike Will and DJ Mustard have the clubs and radios locked, Young Chop is undoubtedly the soundtrack to the streets. And this beat architect with the blue-collar work ethic who constructs curb classics knows how to do more than Drill: Juicy J’s “No Heart No Love”, Cassie’s “Turn Up”, Big Sean’s “Guap”, Puffy’s “I Want The Love”, Wiz Khalifa’s “Got Me Some More”, Pusha T’s “Blocka”, and French Montana’s “Ocho Cinco”, are but a few gems in young homie’s catalogue.
The chill dude with the Bear size wearing the Cubs jersey Chop’d it up with editor Tone Swep at his exclusive DOPE Magazine cover shoot and shared his early musical influences, experience working with Puffy and Kanye; explained why he passes on taking pictures with male groupies, and gives us all a window into his world, his city – Chicago.
Written by Tone Swep
Creative Directed by Arionne Alyssa
Images by Alexander Harris III
Read the Full Length Interview
(Tone Swep: TS) What initially drew you to music at such a young age? You were in elementary school, only 11, when you started making beats.
(Young Chop: Chop) Music always been with me since I was little. My uncle was playing Cash Money and Master P. My mother was playing R&B oldies-but-goodies. My aunt was playing everything from R&B by R. Kelly and Mary J. Blige, to New York Hip Hop, West Coast. Everything. Then one day my cousin showed me FL Studio, when I was like 11. So I tried it. And I caught on to it real quick. Almost like I was supposed to do it. My mother bought me a computer, and I started downloading all the software out at the time. And then any new software, and sounds. It’s been on ever since.
(TS) You were a teenager and had hit records with “I Don’t Like” and “Love Sosa”, and there’s been no looking back from there. Did you anticipate so much success so soon?
(Chop) Not really, bruh. It just caught so quickly. I was like 18 when those songs came out. It caught me all the way left. It started a whole movement. I wasn’t even thinking that way at the time. I wasn’t even thinking, like: “We ‘bout to take over. These are hits.” I was just wanting to make good music and lift people’s heads up. Keep people moving and also speak on what was really happening here in Chicago.
(TS) Currently, do you continue to work with other members of Glo Gang or are new collaborations with only Chief Keef the primary focus? For his next album and your next album, presumably.
(Chop) I’m working with everybody. So many different artists. My artists. His artists. And other new artists who are trying to get started in the music scene. And also with the big names who want a young sound, maybe something outside of what their fans would normally expect from them.
(TS) Musically, who were some of your early influences? Its trap, its Drill, its Chicago, but I detect some subtle RZA, Swizz, and Dr. Dre in there. The heaviness. The moodiness of your production.
(Chop) Yeah, those producers. And Pharrell, Timbaland, Drumma Boy, Zaytoven, all the people who came before me. Those were mostly the main ones, though. Definitely Pharrell. Definitely him, because he works with all types of artists who make different sounds and he can switch it up. I always liked that about his production.
(TS) Name a favorite song of yours. For me, it would have to be either Big Sean’s “Mula” or Wiz Khalifa’s “Got Me Some More”. French’s “Ocho Cinco” and Pusha’s “Blocka” are G too, though.
(Chop) Man, people slept on that one with Wiz. You just put it back out there though (Laughs!). That one was hard I thought, but most people slept on it. But, I gotta say “3 Hunna” by Keef. That put the stamp on the whole Chicago movement, my brand, and his brand, and let people know what this Chicago sound is. Everybody started calling after that song dropped (Laughs!). And then after the “I Don’t Like” video dropped it was a wrap.
(TS) Much is said about how the Hip Hop world at large views Chicago and the Drill scene. But how does Chicago view the rest of the Hip Hop world?
(Chop) We like more down south music. We listen to nothing but down south. That’s where our focus is at musically. We don’t listen to a lot of what’s on the radio. Gucci is number one. He’s what got us through grammar school. High School. Listening to a lot of Gucci, Waka, and Jeezy.
(TS) Growing up as a kid in Chicago, how did you manage to set your mind to making music instead of falling into the violence like many others around you?
(Chop) It’s easy to get into all what’s going on in the streets. The violence. The gang-banging and all that. I told myself to focus only on the music. I kept telling myself that every day. I was around the craziness. I was getting on the bus in my hood, and off the bus in that hood, and changing buses in another hood. But I made my mama-them buy me a piano (Laughs!). And I never followed n!99as. I was always a leader. Selling drugs and all that? I never followed that. I was too scared of going to jail. And you can’t make no music in there.
(TS) Curtis Mayfield was also from Chicago. And his soundtrack to the 1972 film “Super Fly” wasn’t directly responsible for what was going on in the streets, per se. But some critics felt that Mayfield’s music glorified the misbehaviors and hustles in the hood at the time. From where you sit in a similar seat, behind the boards as a producer now in 2014, do you feel as though your sound influences what’s going on in the streets of Chicago today? Or is it more a case of your beats being the theme music for the hood? A soundtrack for the streets. Do you receive any blame for the rampant violence among Chicago’s youth?
(Chop) Most definitely I do, because they think I’m the cause of everything. Bro, no. No way am I the cause. This sh!t was going on way before we even thought about making music. This ain’t new. When the (project) buildings was up and even while Obama was here it was still murders. We speak on it because we lived directly in the hood, so we talked about it in this music. We were the first talking about real hood sh!t. Kanye and them was more conscious rappers. They focus was more on being creative. We’re talking about 14-year-old n!99as selling drugs and 11-year-olds who will blow your head off. Because that’s the reality surrounding us.
(TS) Last year you dropped your EP “Precious”, produced exclusively by you. I recently saw the album promo for your next project “Still”. What can we expect? How does it differ, if at all, from the first project?
(Chop) It’s somewhat different form the first one, because I’m putting all my artists on the album. The first had Freddie Gibbs and Juicy J and a few other names on it. The “Still” album is me coming into my rap sh!t. And then me pushing my artists. But it’s still that real. It’s still me.
(TS) Dr. Dre, RZA, Swizz Beatz, Pharrell, Timbaland and Kanye are all legendary super-producers. And now there’s a new wave of young producers with Mike Will, DJ Mustard, and yourself. How do you feel like you fit into the equation?
(Chop) What I’m bringing is the Got-damned real streets of Chicago. What you don’t really see coming from here. The streets of Atlanta been poppin’ for so long. The West Coast been known for their gangsta sh!t, too. East Coast is hard, too, like Harry Fraud is DOPE. I bring that real hard sound from Chicago, it sounds like what’s happening here right now.
(TS) You are working with Kanye West right now. How has the experience been?
(Chop) When I’m in the studio he just tells me to do what I do. What’s big to me is two different producers coming together. It makes a new sound for him.
(TS) You are also working with Puffy. How has it been getting in the studio with the Bad Boy?
(Chop) What I’m bringing Puff is the young energy. He’s a little older, and not in the streets like that, so he’s hearing from me what’s hot in the streets. It’s coming out real cool.
(TS) You have a ton of hits man, but I want to hear a talented and hungry female get on a Chop beat and kill it. The only Chop/Chick collaboration I can think of is Cassie’s “Turn Up”. What fem fatale’s do you think could hold their own with Young Chop On Da Beat?
(Chop) Bruh, that’s crazy that you brought that up! Most people don’t even know I produced for Cassie. But with a female, the songwriter has to really bring it more than the artist. The artist is going to be able to get whatever the songwriter puts down, so the writer would have to make sure what the artist is going to sing or rap fits the music. Then the artist will know how to get it off. Rihanna and me missed out, though, because “I Want The Love” was for her. That was in her session. Nicki Minaj would really be DOPE. We need to make that happen soon.
(TS) Tell us a little about Chop Squad Records, your deal with Warner Bros, and some of the projects and artists to look out for. I see you pushing Johnny May Cash.
(Chop) He fittna come out real hard. He’s the main focus on Chop Squad. I gotta gang of artists we’re just building up one at a time. The movement is real strong in Chicago. We gotta whole movement going hard. We got blocks and blocks and hoods and hoods riding with us.
(TS) What’s next for you as a producer? How can you expand your sound and reach, take your life and career to an even higher level?
(Chop) I’ve done so much already (Laughs!). “Bang Like Chop” is me doing some EDM. That song shows I can go that direction with the music. I’m going to get into some real, real R&B music. No 808’s on it. Just real R&B. And with everything else just continue to elevate the sound. Take it higher, make everything from the horns and drums to the keys and strings harder and louder.
(TS) Give us one thing about Chicago everybody needs to know.
(Chop) Watch your back. You don’t wanna get robbed (Laughs!). For real, bruh. That’s all I can tell you. These n!99as out here wild. They too wild. They don’t have no feelings most of them.
(TS) Give us one thing about the industry everybody needs to know.
(Chop) Man… it’s a lot of business. Too much phukin’ business. It’s more business than music. We’re getting money upfront real quick – at least, that’s what people think. But what people need to know is you have to wait weeks and sometimes months to get paid. People think because you just got signed money is flowing in. But it’s not like that. Another thing, you have to work for everything. Keep working. They really gotta work. They think being signed as an artist means they don’t have to work. But that is when the real work starts. I came in and worked to get every placement I have. They think it’s easy. It’s not. I’m stressed out some days. Like, I’m going home tired, exhausted. And then the fame. Fame will kill you. It will mess you up if you let it.
(TS) What about the male groupies too, right? Cats want to stand next to you just because you’re in the light. So they can shine.
(Chop) Man! That’s the main problem right there. It be the guys. I’m like, bruh! The dudes be groupies worse than the women. And I’m from Chicago, so I’m thinking they be on something else (Laughs!). So I’m looking at most of these n!99as like, bruh, why are you asking to take a picture with me and you don’t even know me? They just be super weird.
(TS) Give us one thing about Chop everybody needs to know.
(Chop) I listen to a lot of pop music. I want them to understand that. I listen to all types of different music, and I listen to artists from around the world. I’m trying to find different elements from other songs and genres and lanes to make a whole ‘nother new sound for me. I’m not somebody who just listens to the same trap beats all day. I’m capable of doing a lot with this music. So, I’m working. I’m working every day. And that’s all you really supposed to do. Work hard and hope that hard work pays off for you.
Follow Young Chop on Twitter & IG
Watch the Album Promo for “Still” by Young Chop
Watch the Video for “I Don’t Like” by Chief Keep produced by Young Chop
Watch the Video for “Mula” by Big Sean produced by Young Chop
Watch the Video for “I Want the Love” by Puff Daddy produced by Young Chop
Listen to “Turn Up” by Cassie produced by Young Chop
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