It’s honestly shocking how Chief Keef has been in the Rap scene for around a decade and still puts out such a surplus of music. Every year for as long as I can remember, he has dropped at least three projects, sometimes even feeling more generous by releasing six or seven in a twelve-month span. Now, as big of a Sosa fan as I am, I’ll be the first to say it’s clear that not every single song on every single one of these projects is a hit. At the same time, however, a lot of OG Keef fans claim that he might’ve fallen off or he doesn’t make anything worth listening to anymore. To that extent, I’d say that they need to check their facts and open their ears because there is most certainly an abundance of gems within this overflow of new music. Whether it’s in his self-produced work, his collaborations with Zaytoven, or working with other artists, he has an envelope-pushing gift that thrust him into the spotlight so many years ago and remains within him to this day.
He took to the internet in order to share an uncharacteristic duo of songs with the aforementioned hitmaker Zaytoven, one called “Woosah” and the other titled “Street Cat”. The first track features Zaytoven’s telltale, intricate piano keys, vibrant synths, and some extremely prominent trumpet blares. The drums and percussion are absent for a good majority of the song to be honest before some claps and quiet snares come in as it furthers along. The introduction to this track is long and somewhat drawn out, but Keef provides heavily autotuned hums and ad-libs as a sort of red-carpet entrance for his verse, as he laughs and harmonizes with the beat. He actually sings for his short verse, getting away from some of his deeper, more muddy vocals and going with a more angelic, pure sound. I found out that “Woosah” actually refers to breathes used during meditation to become at peace with your inner self, so Keef uses this throughout the song. He mentions fast cars, guns, and violence, but then also talks about how the drugs he’s on keep him at peace like the breathing exercise supposedly does.
As for the second offering in this two-pack, filtered, video game-sounding synths, clean percussion, and wild, digital noises lay a foundation for a bit more hard-hitting song than its predecessor. Keef opts for a grimier delivery, while also remaining somewhat calm, cool, and collected at the same time. He never seems to really raise his voice or show too many emotions, staying rather composed and quiet as if he’s numb to any threats or dangers after the upbringing he had in the streets of Chicago. His cadence is a bit choppy but extremely consistent, never really switching it up too much throughout but also never breaking the rhythm of the track either. In this record, Sosa talks about a plethora of things like smoking good weed, people acting tough on the internet and then pretending as if nothing happened in real life, and how he was basically raised by the streets, vowing to live that way for his entire life no matter how wealthy or successful he becomes.
There’s a two-part visual that comes along with this double feature as well, but I’ll treat it as one because it all takes place in the same setting, so the two portions aren’t extremely differentiated other than with the change of songs halfway through. This setting is inside of what has to be Chief Keef’s mansion. The walls are a pure shade of white, but beyond vibrant and colorful pieces of art cover the walls everywhere you look which adds a really lively and appealing aesthetic to the scene. He’s also decked out in some neon garments including a GloGang shirt and Off-White shoes, which complement the artwork pretty nicely. He makes his way to different areas of his house, one of which is a large common area full of televisions and other entertainment as he sits on a bike and spits his bars. Keef also makes his ways through the halls of his home, taking us on a bit of a tour of the estate. When the song transitions, he puts on an almost identical shirt, but this one has more purple accents than the other. This plays up a reoccurring theme of purple with certain quick animations and oversaturated lights, but it’s really the only minor difference when compared to the first part.
I’m one of those people who will never complain about new Chief Keef music, but I’m also not going to play it repeatedly if I really don’t enjoy it just because it’s Sosa. Luckily, I did enjoy this surprise offering from the man himself. “Woosah” delivered a lighter vibe to the party while “Street Cat” brought us back to the hard-hitting street anthems that the Drill legend is known for. While I definitely enjoyed the second track a bit more than the first, I think they’re both noteworthy in their own respects. He made the video with what he has so it wasn’t anything insane or beyond intricate, but luckily what he has is a beautiful house that is a pretty perfect setting for a rap video, so it definitely did the job. Who knows if this is a teaser for a possible new Zaytoven collaborative project or if it’s just a couple loosies but either way, I’m here for it. Don’t miss out on Chief Keef’s great new songs called “Woosah” and “Street Cat” below.