Almost three years since his last solo project, the 26-year-old rapper continues to reimagine and reinterpret his influences, which is part of what makes his new music feel so alive.
For a while, Chief Keef has been the antithesis of the modern rap superstar who coasts on musical trends and collaborations. Finally Rich, released almost a decade ago, was a decent enough swing at the prototypical major label debut. But since then, the Chicagoan’s mixtapes have materialized so specifically out of his own interests that they seem to ignore just about everything happening in rap. If album drop dates weren’t visible on streaming services, it would be nearly impossible to tell if a Keef tape was from 2013, 2017, or 2021. His apparent rejection of the game left a certain corner of fans disappointed that he wasn’t the hitmaker they imagined he could be and left others thrilled that he chose to instead churn out weird, often erratic trips into his psyche.
I tend to side with the latter, which isn’t to say the music is always good. But when it clicks, you get a tape as singular and creative as Almighty So, GloToven, or his latest project 4NEM. If you were to tell me that Keef spent the past year recording this album unplugged with access to nothing but a USB of Gucci Mane and Three 6 Mafia mixtapes and Lex Luger and Zaytoven instrumentals, I would believe you. I suppose that’s nothing new—since Keef was a teenager, he’s been infatuated with ATL trap and Memphis street rap. But the way he continues to reimagine and reinterpret those influences is part of what makes 4NEM feel so alive.
Similar to Keef’s most noteworthy albums, 4NEM is driven by the beat selection. “Bitch Where,” produced by Akachi and Sonickaboom, might be the coolest. For the first minute, Keef’s triumphant raps (“Made it out the Chi’/If I didn’t, wouldn’t see today”) are backdropped by a drumless instrumental and horns that blare louder than a fire alarm. Once you’ve given up the hope of percussion, the drums suddenly begin to thud and the moment is euphoric. “Tuxedo” is similarly led by horns that bring back memories of the Flockaveli era, but this time the hi-hats rattle throughout and clash with Keef as he shifts between chants and growls.
Production may be the catalyst of 4NEM, but his commitment on the rapping end separates it from more minor tapes in his catalog. “See Through” is a trip. Over intermittent drums and bells that ring like a gong being hit with a mallet, Keef puts his vocals through filters that sound like he’s rapping behind a hollow wall and packs the verse with twisted jokes that are unclear if they’re intended to be jokes or not: “You don’t smoke or drink, boy, your fuckin’ pee see-through/My piss need goggles and telescopes to see through.” Both verses on “Picking Big Sean Up” are on the shortlist of the tape’s best, but the second sticks out as he jumps from chilling one-line reflections to freestyled gibberish delivered with croaky vocals, as if he hadn’t taken a sip of water in days.
For all his artistic ingenuity, Keef uncharacteristically puts the bottom line over the art for a moment. (It’s hard to ignore that the album is packaged with an NFT of the artwork, a deflating trend he’s embraced.) But even 4NEM’s throwaway tracks have high points: the interpolation of Three 6 Mafia’s “Slob on My Knob” on “Like It’s Yo Job” is played out but worth it for the chaotic ad libs, and the “Ice Cream Man” beat is flat yet saved by weirdly robotic AutoTune croons. That’s the level Keef is at here, though 4NEM shouldn’t be considered a renaissance or a return to his glory days. Every now and then, he digs further into his brain and tweaks his sound while still pulling from the same foundation, and born is a gem like 4NEM.
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