He began rapping as a 5-year-old using his mother's karaoke machine and tapes to record his music. His legal guardian was his grandmother with whom he lived in Chicago. Chief Keef has been estranged from his biological father, Alfonso Cozart, since he was a minor. He is named after his deceased uncle, Keith Carter, who was known as 'Big Keef.' He lived at the Parkway Garden Homes, locally known as O-Block, located in the Washington Park neighborhood on the city's South Side, a stronghold for the Black Disciples street gang of which Chief Keef is a member. 1.5 Glotoven and Almighty So 2 (2019–present)Ĭhief Keef was born Keith Farrelle Cozart in Chicago, Illinois, to Lolita Carter who was 16 and unwed.1.2 Early years, Finally Rich, and subsequent mixtapes (2011–13).In recent years, critics have pointed to Chief Keef as a major influence on contemporary hip hop through his innovation with the drill subgenre and the impact of his music on other artists. Though he was dropped from Interscope in late 2014 and later signed to 1017 Records, he continued self-releasing projects through his own Glo Gang label.

His debut album Finally Rich was released in December 2012, and featured the singles 'I Don't Like' and 'Love Sosa', which would popularize the Chicago rap subgenre drill.Ĭhief Keef has faced ongoing legal issues during his career, including weapons possession charges, house arrest sentences, and a performance ban imposed by Chicago authorities. A bidding war between major labels resulted in Keef signing with Interscope. In 2012, his popular local single 'I Don't Like' was remixed by rapper Kanye West and reached the Billboard Rap Top 20, further raising Cozart's profile. Cozart's music first became popular during his teen years in the early 2010s among high school students from Chicago's South Side. Keith Farrelle Cozart (born August 15, 1995), better known by his stage name Chief Keef, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer.

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