Wildboy

If you still think Chicago rap exists within the Chief Keef/Chance the Rapper dichotomy, you haven’t been paying attention. South Side native Calboy is proof: With his breakthrough single “Envy Me,” which quickly skyrocketed from casual SoundCloud upload to Billboard-charting viral dance sensation, the teenage rapper’s melodies brought a melancholy edge to the scene. Combine the romantic melodrama of Juice WRLD, the Auto-Tuned warbles of Lil Durk, and beats that evoke a trippier take on Noah “40” Shebib’s hypnotic sampling, and you’ve got Wildboy, Calboy’s impressive debut full-length. For a youngster, he’s got depth, too: On “Ghetto America,” he recruits Durk and Yo Gotti to break down the trauma that stems from growing up in the hood. Watch this space—the guy’s got next.