Hate it or love it, nobody can deny the creativity Chicago has injected into rap in the last couple of years. Chief Keef discovered a based, sinister side to Future’s auto-tuned revolution. Lil Durk’s emotional crooning inspired more than a few rappers and it’s no surprise he’s rolling with Coke Boyz now. The influence of Young Chop and other Chicago producers collectively pushed tempos downard across the country.
The latest innovation out of Chiraq is Bop. The subgenre has been perculating since last year and there’s already a healthy number of great Bop tapes by the likes of Sicko Mobb and Breezy Montana). On the strength of their huge single “Maserati” with Lil Durk, Sicko Mobb landed a deal; at the end of the year, they signed with Sony through Stargate (the Norwegian production crew behind Rihanna’s “Diamonds” and Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow”). So We Invented the Bop is a good place to start for anyone playing catch-up.
Bop sounds like Drill Music if it were repurposed for Dance Dance Revolution or if Soulja Boy’s “Zan With That Lean” were an entire genre in and of itself. Auto-tuned, major-key vocals are a must. The beats tend to be less-threatening drill tracks but bring in a lot of Juke and Footwork’s double-time syncapation. Despite also being hyperlocal Chicago specialities, there hasn’t been much crossover between Footwork and Drill, so it’s a cool momnet of synergy when it happens. You can hear it right on the first track, Sicko Mobb’s “Fiesta”.
Bop is straight up party music, mostly concerned with stuntin as much as possible and hollering at girls. There are token threats and boasts, but “fuck tha opps” music this is not. There’s still no love for police, but mostly because they’re trying to break up the block party. Bop is cut from the same cloth as Snap Music (most recently) was, mostly about who can dance the best and what moves they are doing. D-Low’s “D-Low Shuffle” and Lil Kemo’s “Kemo Step” are entirely instructional; it’s not impossible one or the other will be the next “Cha Cha Slide”. Just sayin.
It’s easier to talk about what Bop is than say anything constructive about We Invented the Bop because you either like it or you don’t. It’s a collection of hits, designed mostly to introduce new fans to the genre. I personally think Lil Chris has the best tracks here (“Bop Like Me” with Breezy Montana and “What To Do” with Amigo, Chewy and Bob). If you are looking for thug shit or anything resembling “that real hip-hop” this is not for you. If you like to have fun, or you just want to see what the hell those crazy kids in Chicago will come up with next, definitely give DJ Moondawg’s tape a shot.
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