10 Essential Bop Artists From Chicago

If you’ve only heard three bop songs in your life odds are one of them was Stunt Taylor’s anthemic “FeFe on the Block.” Confident, cool, and catchy as hell, “FeFe on the Block” might be the most accessible bop song yet. It's so well put together that it’s pretty much undeniable and irresistible. There are at least 6 strong hooks here that could each support their own song, so cramming them all into one packs an undeniable thrill.

Since “FeFe”’s success Taylor has been making strides to prove himself as more than a one hit wonder with successful results. He’s found a fantastic chemistry in versatile producer C-Sick and their collaboration has produced the sparkling “1 Night” and the pummeling “Flee Amigo”, which sounds like it was recorded inside a pinball machine. With his firm grasp on his songwriting ability, Stunt Taylor holds a lot of promise.

Along with the hyper-catchy music is the dance. Compared to Chicago’s other regional dance, footwork, bopping is much more accessible. Seeing someone footworking makes you think, “I could never do that in a million years,” but seeing someone bop makes you think, “shit, I could at least do some of that.” Bop is an expressional dance, not so much a technical one. Though it does get quite complicated at higher levels, at its core lies a fun leg swooshing motion that anyone can pull off at first attempt.

The current kings of the bopping dance are DLow and Lil Kemo. They take bop’s rudimentary motions, add on the technical precision of footwork, and lace that with their own personal sense of style to create an instantly distinctive take on the dance. DLow in particular has brought bop more national attention than anyone with his infectious “DLow Shuffle” creating an accessible entry point to bopping. Over militant snares and triumphant horns DLow barks out a series of commands that aren’t too difficult to pull off but feel great to hit along with the song. The dance looks as fun as it is and has an appeal that’s put it in the playlists of nightclub DJs and family cookouts all across Chicago.

One of the most versatile bop artists around, Lil’ Chris makes sure he works in as many lanes as possible. Whether it’s grimy drill (“Same Shit, Different Day”, “Lost My Mind”) or cautionary balladry (“Keep Your Head Up”), Chris stays mobile while retaining his ability to write compact, efficient hooks that stick. But it’s his bop music that leaves the longest impression. When his triumphant “I Got” soundtracked DGainz’s “Bop-A-Thon” with Lil Kemo it was the first time bop music made a blip on the radar outside of small Chicago circles. His current calling card, “Bop Like Me,” has the good natured appeal of a nursery rhyme while “What to Do” expounds on the state of delirium that results from having so much damn money you can’t even figure out how to spend it. Even when he’s relegated to hook duty, such as on ThotKingz’s “Boppin’ Bandz,” it’s his contribution that stays in between your ears all day long.

With his laid back, laconic approach to hookcraft, King Deazel’s chorus’ seem to stick almost by accident. But don’t be fooled, the bleepy “Spaz on ‘Em” or the footwork influenced steel drum rattle of “Franklin” are lethally catchy and loads of fun. His most impressive cut to date is “Crackin’,” which hits with the toughness of kevlar during its verses but once the chorus airs out into a sepia tinged melody it unearths whole worlds of emotions that might lie in bop’s future.

Compared to the other artists on this list DJ Nate is a veteran of the bop scene. His “Gucci Goggles” surfaced in 2012 and laid down the sonic blueprint for bop while being a genuinely incredible song. If “Gucci Goggles” is to be believed, spending $195 dollars on a pair of ski goggles with absolutely no intent to go skiing is the greatest feeling in the world. Over the bleepy production Nate effortlessly unleashes hook after hook, creating a song that becomes instantly memorable after one listen. Though he hasn’t been as prolific since, Nate has kept busy releasing street level burners like the sparse, steel drum rattler “Ain’t for Da Drama” and the crisp “Fugazzi.”

In the wake of DLow’s massive success with the “DLow Shuffle” a huge swath of instructional dance songs started springing up all over the city. The majority are shallow rewrites, ripping moves off completely or just not being that fun, but one has managed to stick. DJ Maine’s “Big Sexy Slide” works, in part, because it directly acknowledges DLow’s influence, but more importantly because it’s just as fun as the original shuffle. Where the “DLow Shuffle” aimed for accessibility, Maine’s confidence building dance (“For the big boys!”) is a rapid fire series of commands, some unrecognizable (“Hit Yosemite Sam!”), some simple (“Chin up, chin left!”) and some hilarious (“Hit that keep calm and let a fat nigga fuck!”).

Beyond that Maine has carved out a recognizable style, his auto-tune assisted vocals often burst into a soaring chorus (“Cool Too”, “Turning Shit Up”) that delights every time.

For the most part, Yemi Marie makes modern soul music in a Mary J. Blige mold. But her first foray into bop music is more than enough to earn her a spot on this list. “Love Bop” is both an excellent song and a strong indicator of bop music’s crossover potential. Quick footed verses slip into a dreamy chorus as the song reaches for the clouds before plummeting back down to the dance floor as DLow issues dance commands before seamlessly heading back into Marie’s effortless verses. “Love Bop”s rise/fall dynamics are addictive and feel natural, if the song was given the proper push it isn’t hard imagining finding a footing on R&B radio stations.

Sparkly and infectious, West side trio S.B.E.’s “Killin’ Shit” is a marvelous piece of pop music. Sporting an irresistible lilt during the chorus, “Killin’ Shit” also features three distinct verses that sound like the trio had a great time writing and recording. Each sound like they’re grinning up their sleeves during their verses, even laughing during certain punchlines. Beyond that, S.B.E. are in fine form on similarly bright, hooky tracks like “All I Want” and “Why You Mad.”

Though not a musician, DJ Moondawg is an essential part of the bop scene for providing what are, far and away, the best bop compilations assembled to date. Moondawg’s We Invented the Bop series, currently in its second entry, are well curated, sequenced, and assembled. Both are easily available and feature most of the songs written about here in two convenient, effortlessly listenable packages. For anyone with even a slight interest in bop music, they’re required listening.