Ever since he burst on the scene in 2015, G.O.O.D. Music artist Valee has been often imitated but never duplicated. His soothing delivery, impressive breath control with flows (listen to "Two 16's") and a lyrical style plenty of rappers have been biting has pushed the 31-year-old rapper into a class all his own, which is why he was inducted into Swisher Sweets Artist Project Class of 2019.

Aside from his unique artistry, Valee credits his hometown of Chicago for his work ethic. "Growing up in Chicago made me have the right amount tough I need to be to do what I got to do and put out music," he explains. "I was only into music like, in high school for a couple of years, but that was because I like loud speakers in the house."

Valee would later buy production equipment to make beats of his own and that's when the music bug really hit him. "I think my goal was to make beats or music that sounds equal or if not better than [the mixtapes] I was downloading," he says. 2 Chainz and Jeezy were some of the artists tapes he used to ride around in the whip.

The Def Jam signee, who joined Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music roster last year, made waves this past summer with his Runnin' Rich project, which features his pet Chihuahua Furrari dyed in a red hue on the cover. His Chicago brethren G Herbo, Vic Mensa and King Louie all show up on the effort, a blend of minimalist production, bass-heavy bangers perfect for the whip and Valee's conversational lyrical tone. And he also dropped off the loosie "Uninvited" featuring Calboy in August.

With fellow Windy City artists like Chance The Rapper, G Herbo, Vic Mensa, Juice Wrld and others making a name for themselves in the rap game, Valee has his own unique position in his hometown. "My place within Chicago hip-hop, I feel like is to just be exactly who and how I want to sound like, you know, for myself and just let it out basically," he states.

In the end, Valee vows to stay consistent with his musical output. "Really, I just see myself putting out a lot of music," he shares. "But, like, good, great bodies of work and having longevity. I'm just gonna make great music and put it out."

Watch Valee discuss his place within Chicago hip-hop in his Swisher Sweets interview below. Also check out his plans to drop "cooler music" in his Sealed With Freshness conversation.

This editorial advertisement is presented by Swisher Sweets.

See 25 of the Best Hip-Hop Album Outros Since 2000

More From XXL