Weekend Playlist: Chicago's Underappreciated Female Artists
By Sophie Day in Arts & Entertainment on Jun 7, 2014 7:30PM
Chella H photo via her Facebook page
This week, we’ll be highlighting some local female musicians who definitely fall under the “if you don’t know, you should” header. These ladies are bringing it, and if you aren’t already listening to them, you will be soon!
Here's a look at the featured artists:
Glass Lux is a fun euro-pop duo, with Emily Morse at the microphone. The pair hasn’t been together long, but they already have a fun sound all their own. They have been featured prominently both by WBEZ and The Deli Chicago as a group to watch for.
A young face on the Chicago scene, Jean Deux blends beautiful vocals with an effortless rap flow. She is part of a music group consisting of young local artists called The Village.
Speaking of youth, local emcee LStreetz started rapping when she was just 11 years old. Her introduction came in the form of battles before school where she was often the only girl, consistently defeating boys who were much older than her. She is frequently featured on WomenofHipHop.com.
Chella H has been featured in XXL, MTV Sucker-Free and Vibe as well as having two of her songs featured in “Bad Girls Club All Star Battle” on O. She quickly gained attention on the local scene with her first two mixtapes and continues to grow in popularity, though she remains unsigned.
Katie Got Bandz’s name has gained a lot of prominence in the Chicago drill scene. Her video, “Pop Out” has soared past one million views since it was posted last March. You might recognize the featured artist on this track, King Louie, from his verse on Kanye West’s “Send It Up”.
Dreezys another local girl making big waves. Her remix of Nicki Minaj’s “Chi-Raq” expanded her sphere of influence. Last week, she released a new song featuring Chicago’s own Common, and Ross Augusta, called “No Good”.
Tink, of Calumet City, is another young lady in the game, known for her unique identity as both a rapper and an R&B vocalist. After graduating high school last spring, Tink just released a mixtape this past January and has continued to be hard at work.
Lili K has been busy the last few years, graduating from Columbia College Chicago and making appearances at Pitchfork, and SXSW, to name a few. Last year she received nods from both Rolling Stone and NPR as a musician to watch out for. Her first full album is due out this year.
Blizzard Babies are “four cool and charming babes”, according to their Facebook site. Just one quick scroll through their page shows a passion for the local music scene, involvement in all manner of fundraisers, and a great sense of humor. And a lot of that comes through in their music. This group is just fun, all around.