Chillinit Essentials

Almost nothing is off the table for notorious weed-loving rapper Chillinit. The Hurstville, Sydney-born artist’s popularity grew with little media support, relying mostly on YouTube and social media to build a large, devoted following. And though it took time for many outside of that community to take him seriously, there’s no denying his impact—or his talent. Like his biggest influence and hero 2pac, Chillinit swings between deeply explicit tales of drugs, sex and excess (“230 Pounds”, “One Breath One Take”) and tender revelations about his upbringing, family and mental health (“Inner Thoughts [Honesty]”, “Ready for the Pain”)—often within the same track (“Marijuana & Bussdowns”, “Wish You Well", “Freedom”). Even when revelling in crassness, it’s his delivery that’s most impressive: He continuously finds clever, funny ways to flex, tell stories and drop in pop culture references. It’s this—together with his increasingly interesting, melodic production choices—that sets him so far apart from many of his peers.