Growing up, the up-and-coming rapper would listen to Nas and other classical rappers and admire their abilities to tell a story. Another musical idol, Kanye, inspires $lim to create a distinctly personal brand of rap. When asked to describe his music, he’ll explain, “It’s the best,” with a laugh, continuing, “It’s just my life, real shit. It’s a mix of trap but with a bit of melody.” Chicago $lim is not bound by any genre or put in any box; he’s happy to take whatever sounds good and use it to create musical genius. His music is, in a word, “dxpe.”
The road to success has been long and paved with difficulty. Born the son of a pimp on the West side of Chicago, he was raised by a single mother. But that was just the start of struggle for $lim. The young artist has overcome something very few have dealt with. After a night with friends (the details of which are foggy at best) Chicago $lim woke up in a hospital room with no recollection of what had transpired. He was told he’d been in a car accident, an accident which incurred tragedy (the driver of the other car tragically passed away). $lim wasn’t driving, but suffered such severe injuries that his body went into shock and his heart stopped. With luck, EMTs were able to revive him, but he stayed in a coma for 72 hours. It’s not a stretch to say that life will never be the same for the up and coming rapper. He had to relearn everything: the names of people he loves, how to walk and talk and perform simple everyday tasks. But while his body went through rehabilitation, his soul did too. Slowly but surely, Chicago $lim got his groove back. The new and improved rapper came out of the accident with scars and a new sense of purpose. The artist knew he survived the accident for a reason – to become something worthy of surviving. He thought, “I gotta do better than this. I don’t have to be perfect, but I have to be better.”
That’s exactly what Chicago $lim has become; better, smarter, stronger. His newest album, Wave$, is a testimony to his renewed sense of purpose. “It’s called Wave$ because that’s life. Life is ups and downs, and the ocean is forever going to be a gust of whatever I’m against. It’s going to be good - really good - and some downfalls.” He’s focusing on what’s important, and forgetting what isn’t useful to him. The hook to “Nah Nah” says it best:
“You gon regret it, I used to sweat it, I used to know your name now I forget it.”
Wave$ is available on all digital platforms, starting February 9th.
Find him on social media: @iamChicagoSlim
© Starlight PR
