Chief Keef

Drill rapper Chief Keef was born Keith Farrelle Cozart in Chicago in August of 1995 to a teenage mother. Estranged from his biological father, Chief Keef spent his formative years living at Parkway Garden Homes with his grandmother, who was his primary guardian. After dropping out of Dyett High School at 15, his affiliation with the Black Disciples gang began to catch up with him. In December of 2011, Keef was arrested for firing a gun from his car in Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood, but there was a silver lining. After being placed on house arrest for 60 days, he had an ample amount of time to pump out music videos onto his YouTube account. His debut single, “I Don’t Like” featuring Lil Reese, arrived in 2012 and became both a local and commercial hit, peaking at No. 73 on the Billboard Hot 100. Kanye West took “I Don’t Like” to further heights when he remixed it with Pusha T, Jadakiss and Big Sean, sending Chief Keef into another stratosphere.

A bidding war between major labels ensued and Chief Keef wound up signing with Interscope Records. His inaugural album, Finally Rich, was released in 2012 via Interscope and his own imprint, Glory Boyz Entertainment. It debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 and was eventually certified platinum in 2022. Chief Keef released his sophomore album, Bang 3, in 2015 despite being dropped from Interscope. He followed up with Dedication in 2017 and 4NEM in 2021. Within that time, Chief Keef has released a small arsenal of mixtapes, including 2019’s GloToven with Zaytoven. He’s also made appearances on dozens of singles. In 2023, he teamed up with Skrillex on “Bad For Me” as well as Trippie Redd on “Atlantis” and “Rock Out.”

  • Selected Discography: Finally Rich (2012), Bang 3 (2015), GloToven (2019), “I Don’t Like” (2012), “Love Sosa” (2012), “Nobody” featuring Kanye West (2014)
  • Related Artists: Lil Reese, G Herbo, Young Chop
  • Read More: The Return of Chief Keef

Load More Articles