Chief Keef hasn't performed in Chicago for over a decade, but that all changes later this year thanks to Lyrical Lemonade's Summer Smash festival.
During Keef's rapid ascent to fame in 2012, with hits such as "I Don't Like," the Chicago rapper had trouble playing shows in his hometown. First, it was house arrest that kept him from performing live, but then it was police shutting down his shows due to concerns over the lyrical content of his music. The last time he attempted to perform in the city was in 2015 via hologram to help raise funds for a child who was killed in a hit-and-run, though the show was shut down by police after warnings from the mayor's office.
On Friday, April 26, Lyrical Lemonade announced that Chief Keef will be making his triumphant return to the city with a headlining performance on Sunday, June 16. Other performers at the festival include Travis Scott's Cactus Jack, Playboi Carti, Kodak Black, Destroy Lonely, Denzel Curry, Ken Carson, Lil Yachty, and JID among others. Last year, the festival saw Kid Cudi, Future, and Carti as headliners.
The Chicago drill pioneer faced difficulties with performances early in his career, in a way that would mirror those in the Brooklyn drill movement years later. In 2019, the NYPD made multiple efforts to shut down performances from artists including Pop Smoke, Sheff G, and Casanova. Assistant Chief Martin Morales of Queens North, in a letter issued to several music festivals in NYC, accused the artists of being "affiliated with acts of violence citywide."
