Chilly Chills

Here’s something you don’t see everyday in the thousands of Kimye blog posts that go live on the Internet every 24 hours: Kanye West smiled again.

West’s recent freestyle on the Charleston shootings impressed the crowd and the world at Hot 107.9’s Birthday Bash 20 in Atlanta. And his surprise guest, 2 Chainz, hyped them up even more (June 20). Once the ‘All Day’ artist left the stage though, an Indy rapper from Atlanta by the name of Chilly Chills was the one to give West and crew the chills.

Cameras caught Yeezy dancing with Soulja Boy to Chills’ single ‘Poppin In Here’ backstage — in a video later posted to Soulja’s Instagram. Like he did in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, the rapper cracked a smile (but held it this time), even in the presence of 2 Chainz, Cap 1, Fonzworth Bentley, Mike Will, and videophones. Yeezy kept jamming out and even put that joint on replay.

Kanye brought Chills to Street Execs studio before heading to Compound with Drake, 2 Chainz, and Future. Outkast joined them at Waffle House to watch Chills recite his poem, “Little Things That Amount to Much.” Andre 3000 of Outkast pulled him aside for a 15-minute chat and they reportedly bonded over music and their Atlanta roots. Back at Street Execs, Chills played ‘Jesus Pieces’ for his major industry co-signers before ending the night.

The lucky rapper posted the video of West and Soulja to his Instagram with the caption, “f*** ya co-sign, we good…❄” - Vibe

OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS, ATLANTA HAS SERVED AS A HUB FOR EMERGING TALENT IN THE HIP-HOP WORLD. MOST OF US ARE FAMILIAR WITH THE HEAVY HITTERS INCLUDING GUCCI MANE, FUTURE, YOUNG THUG, MIGOS, ETC., BUT THERE ARE PLENTY OF UP AND COMING ARTISTS WORTH KEEPING AN EYE ON.

THAT SAID, WE’D LIKE TO INTRODUCE YOU TO CHILLY CHILLS, ONE OF OUR 10 FINALISTS FOR OUR ATX FAN- VOTED CHALLENGE TO WIN A PERFORMING SLOT AT OUR SWISHER SWEETS ARTIST PROJECT ATX SHOWCASE.

CHILLS GREW UP IN THE DIRTY SOUTH, SPECIFICALLY A CITY NAMED MECHANICSVILLE IN ATLANTA, GA. LOOKING TO MAKE A RETURN TO SXSW, CHILLS IS NO STRANGER TO THE ANNUAL FESTIVAL. IN FACT, HIS FIRST MAJOR SHOW PERFORMANCE HE’S EVER DONE TOOK PLACE AT SXSW DURING THE 2014 FESTIVAL. CONSIDERING IT A GAME-CHANGING MOMENT IN HIS CAREER, CHILLY IS FOCUSED ON RETURNING TO AUSTIN THIS YEAR TO MAKE AN EVEN BIGGER IMPACT THAN HE DID BEFORE.

STARTING THE YEAR OFF STRONG, CHILLY IS FRESH OFF THE RELEASE OF HIS BRAND NEW ALBUM 30 DEEP. THE 13-TRACK PROJECT WAS RELEASED ON JANUARY 30TH AND SYMBOLIZES GROWTH AND PROGRESSION. TAKING A PAGE FROM NAS, LIL WAYNE AND OTHERS, THE FRONT COVER FEATURES A BABY PICTURE OF CHILLY. FANS CAN EXPECT A NEW RELEASE ENTITLED “ANDRE 2017” TO DROP SOME TIME VERY SOON.

DEEMING HIMSELF “MR. SOPHISTICATED IGNORANCE”, YOU COULD SAY CHILLS HAS A REBELLIOUS SIDE TO HIM, HOWEVER HIS INTELLIGENCE OUTWEIGHS IT. CHILLY TOLD US THAT GROWING UP, HE IDOLIZED TUPAC AND EVEN LOOKED AT HIM AS A FATHER-FIGURE, OR SOMEONE THAT CAN PROVIDE INSPIRATION DAILY. HE EVEN ALLUDED TO EDWARD SNOWDEN AS ONE OF HIS IDOLS AND ROLE MODELS — WE TOLD YOU HE WAS REBELLIOUS.

LIKE SEVERAL POPULAR ARTISTS THESE DAYS, CHILLS HAS AN INTERESTING WAY OF RECORDING HIS MUSIC AND IT DOESN’T INVOLVE A PEN AND PAPER. “I RECORD OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD AT ALL TIMES,” CHILLS TELLS US. “I’M IMPATIENT SO I DON’T LIKE TO WRITE MY LYRICS DOWN WHEN I’M RECORDING.” CAN’T KNOCK IT TIL YOU TRY IT! - Swisher Sweets Artist Project

It’s a typical summer day in Atlanta, humidity strangling the air as traffic ambles down narrow street corners. An unidentified air conditioner battles the opened windows of a small room as the door shuts behind a tall, slender figure. His white t-shirt juxtaposes the colorful nature of his shoes and hat, a silent confidence filling the room as Chilly Chills approaches. He momentarily greets everyone in the room before righting himself in a small black chair. His expression is unreadable behind the thick frames of his sunglasses.

Not a single word is wasted when Chilly Chills speaks, a thoughtful pause coming before every statement. Born in Chicago and raised in Atlanta, Chills’ casual style and stoic demeanor suggest that he’s from somewhere far away, a beachfront neighborhood in Los Angeles, perhaps.

“I’m from Mechanicsville, bro,” Chills assures. “I went to Maynard Jackson High School, so I’m really from right down the street.”

Wasting no time on introductions, Chills delves right into his earliest experiences with music and the sounds that inspired his passion early on.

“It’s all instinctual; my family played a lot of different music when I was little,” Chills says. “I heard a lot of James Brown, Michael Jackson, Miles Davis, and Kenny G as a youngster. I’m from the hood, but those are the tunes played by my elders. Of course, when it came to rap, it was Tupac, Biggie, DMX and Eminem. I really loved the Marshall Mathers LP, that was my real introduction to music on my own, forming my own opinion of what music was. That explains why I do music and the way I do it.”

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Although Chills credits a number of influences with the development of his sound, he places a strong emphasis on hometown hero Sammy Sam. In Chills’ opinion, Sam played a big role in giving him the confidence to become the artist he is today. Specifically, he mentions the inspiration of a peculiar terminology he‘s coined, known as “sophisticated ignorance”.

“Even though many parts of me are sophisticated, I still have some levels of ignorance within. Everyone does, in their own way,” he says. “From the highest to the lowest of economic standpoints. For example, Bill Clinton getting impeached from the highest office in America for receiving what he received from his mistress is a perfect example of sophisticated ignorance.”

Where It All Started

Chills has established a name for himself as a rapper unique from any other due to his ability to blend his street experiences and perspective with conscious, thought provoking lyrics. As he gains steam in the music industry earning co-signs from artists such as Kanye West, his fan-base continues to expand alongside him. He states that although his unorthodox take toward music has only recently taken on a popular appeal, his style has been present since the beginning.

“I’ve always been very diverse with the music I listen to. In high school I was one of the only ones listening to N.E.R.D and Coldplay,” Chills says. “I was listening to Parachutes before that even hit our culture. My range goes from soulful to EDM, and the styles I like vary. Because of that I can go street, I can go poetic and I can sing. I’m everywhere at once.”

“I never really cared about other people’s acceptance of my music because of where I come from. Where I’m from, all you’re worried about is surviving.”

Chills went on to explain how his poetic interests led to him taking a shot at rap.

“I was a poet first. Originally, I entered this program that taught us to make skits raising awareness about STD and drug abuse prevention for cash prizes, Chills says. “I really impressed the instructor, and she entered me in the V103 poetry slam. From there, I ended up on the Quiet Storm at 16 years old. I was classmates with guys like Jose Guapo, Trouble, and Lucci, but at that time I was very shy as a rapper because I was so into my poetry. I knew that what I intended to deliver rap-wise would be very different from what was popular at the time.”

Due to his lack of interest in producing rap songs that sounded like a majority of the artists coming out of Atlanta during the time, Chills had to use alternative techniques to get exposure.

“I had to find other ways to make myself relevant as an artist. I went to things like Art, Beats, & Lyrics, and traveled to a lot of other cities to really get my sound heard,” Chills says. “I never really cared about other people’s acceptance of my music because of where I come from. Where I’m from, all you’re worried about is surviving.”

Chills credits positive influences early in his life with establishing his confidence to be different. While the untrained eye may see his attitude as egotistical, a closer look shows that it stems from strong spiritual beliefs he unapologetically stands by. Living through his tribulations has given him the ability to conceive and manifest powerful music that promotes positivity.

“Luckily, the community I grew up in and the people I was blessed to be around helped me become conscious enough not to settle for a mainstream sound,” Chills says. “They really helped me develop my third eye, if you will. I had to find creative ways to blend my subject matter with a catchy sound, further attributing to my sophisticated ignorance. Because I was able to grow up and live through a lot of the scenarios that these rappers just talk about, I have a confidence that allows my music to be aggressively positive rather than aggressively negative, which is all you hear today. I was groomed into that because it’s my destiny.”

Chilly Chills’ cool temperament and succinct wording make it difficult to believe that he grew up in some of the harshest conditions one can imagine; his style and appearance blanket the fact that he’s previously lived a life in the streets. But appearances are often deceiving, and Chills is grateful for having had the opportunity to find his way in Atlanta.

“I moved to Atlanta from Chicago before high school, so I was already conditioned in an intense environment. Growing up in the struggle, you don’t notice the obstacles you face everyday because to you it’s just normal life,” Chills says. “Atlanta forced a certain calmness into me. In Chicago, at 9 years old you’re already a teenager mentally due to the experiences you go through. Atlanta is so community based and family oriented that I instantly felt a sense of love here. I want to preserve that.”

“Because I was able to grow up and live through a lot of the scenarios that these rappers just talk about, I have a confidence that allows my music to be aggressively positive rather than aggressively negative”

Letting the Music Speak

In the last year alone Chills has made tremendous waves with his records. Earning the respect of his city has played a large part in his success, but Chills admits that it hasn’t been easy. Ironically, he says the hardest part of his journey hasn’t been getting backed by the hood, but more so from the music industry and Hip-Hop fans.

“By the time i was ready to release my project Poppin In Here, I had already built up enough confidence to take over the world,” Chills says. “I was fed up with the way people wanted to receive music. I have such a positive intent in mind, but I know many listeners don’t want to water that plant in their brain. I already had the support from the hood, but the crazy part was that people who controlled these major media outlets viewed me as ‘too street’, they marginalized me. That’s when I made Poppin in Here to trick the masses. I had to do that to let people know there’s a double consciousness within me.”

Chills’ awareness of self and his message are a recurring theme in his artistic narrative, which is a refreshing take in the midst of an era with surface-level lyrics and sparse musical accountability. As he’s asked about his take on the current state of Hip-Hop and his place in it, Chills further proves why he’s truly in his own lane.

“You have two demographics of people. There’s the people who care about the substance within their music, and you have the people who just want to heard by the masses,” he says. “Personally, I believe music will make its transition to having a positive influence, but in order to make that change, it’s going to take a genius; I say that in the sense that he’ll be able to convince the masses to accept uncompromising quality music and digest it. Once he sets that trend, everyone will follow. The current state of Hip-Hop can’t last forever.”

Chills then explains how he chooses to lead by example, noting his song “Hell Yeah” speaks on loving women rather than denouncing them.

“That song is all about women and my love for them,” Chills says, an increased passion coming from his voice. “Our Black women are the most vulnerable people on Earth, and I thank God for the Bryson Tillers and Drakes out there, because women need that. They need someone to connect to emotionally. Whether we accept it or not, women run the world. As an artist you’re only popping if women love your work.”

In continuation, Chills gave his perspective on why artists that promote love and acceptance rather than violence and money don’t get the same exposure by the music industry.

“The reason why the big labels don’t want to deal with us is because they fear that our voice will take away their control over what people think and value. If their success was based on being soulfully rich instead of a bottom line, I guarantee you’d see a difference in what we hear. The concept is no different from looking for diamonds, gold, and anything else of value. As a Hip-hop artist you have to dig deep within to unearth great music, but once it’s been done, you’re able to offer something that’s priceless.”

Whether we accept it or not, women run the world. As an artist, you’re only popping if women love your work.”

Chilly Chills is currently putting the finishing touches on his next project, Cut Corners, available August 31st. Calculated as always, he remains cryptic about the details surrounding the EP.

“My next move is going to be very big, which is why I’ve really just been working in silence and privacy,” Chills says. “I don’t like posting any pictures or hype on social media; when it comes it comes. I will say that you can expect production from Charlie Heat, as well as some collaborations with Black Metaphor. Outside of that, I also have some tracks in the works with DJ Toomp and 808 Mafia. You know I have to keep that sophisticated ignorance at a premium.”

For more information about Chilly Chills, follow him on Instagram and Soundcloud, or visit www.chillychills.com - A3C Festival

You’ve seen the top, bottom and all sides of Atlanta. But Chilly Chills going to show you heart of it.

Chilly Chills says that he is approaching music with what is called the “boiling frog method.”

“People hear some of my songs and just get caught up in the beat,” he says. “It’s like the boiling frog method. You can sit a frog in a pot of water, and start to boil it. At first it just feels like a jacuzzi. But after a while, it relaxes and falls asleep. After that it dies from the heat. People are going to get so caught up in the beat that when they finally do catch on to what I’m saying, it’s too late, I already have them.”

If you couldn’t tell, Chilly Chills loves to use metaphors. It’s that way of thinking and how he applies it to his music that has made him one of the rising stars in Atlanta’s highly competitive rap scene. While he already has the blessings of some of the city’s OGs, he is out to guide people who are his age and younger. Whether that’s through music, donating money to local schools or being a spokesperson for the anti-tobacco Fresh Empire campaign.

“I’m gonna make a shift in the culture,” he says. “It’s gonna hit the fan. It’s gonna fee like when NASA blasts one of their rockets, but says that they didn’t do it.”


Who: Chilly Chills was born and raised in the Mechanicsville community of Atlanta. It’s the part of town that T.I.’s ATL movie was heavily centered around.

Credentials: Both Kanye West and Andre 3000 have gave him musical blessings. He has opened for J. Cole and performed at SXSW and A3C.

Fun Fact: Chilly Chills is actually a name and a phrase. His original nickname was just “Chilly,” but he tends to be chill most times, so “Chilly, chills.” He also attended both Alabama State University and the University of Alabama to study Communications.

HipHopWired: We’ve heard Bankhead, the SWATS, College Park, Decatur and even now Marietta get shouted by way of Migos. But Mechanicsville is a part of Atlanta that we don’t hear from often.

Chilly Chills: Mechanicsville is the heart of the city of Atlanta for those who don’t know. It’s one of the most prominent communities in Atlanta. The movie ATL was based there. You had to brush shoulders with people from here if you we’re gonna say that you was from Atlanta. The Braves play in Mechanicsville. The Olympics was there. Magic City is in Mechanicsville. It’s the heart of the city. We’re preserving the old Atlanta in Mechanicsville, we’re not doing what other people in the city are trying to do. We always got our due in the city, but never really recognized nationally. Bankhead is known because T.I. was one of the hottest artists in the game and is still an OG. Then you saw East Atlanta get acclaim with Gucci Mane. But I need people to understand that the reason this city has catapulted is because of Mechanicsville.

HHW: When did you start making music?

Chilly Chills: Music was actually forced on me. I remember my mom playing jazz all the time growing up. Frankie Beverly & Maze or Kenny G or Kool & The Gang. It hypnotized me and made me go to sleep as a kid. As I grew up I would go over my uncle’s house and he’d have Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s albums. CDs were so cherished back then, you wanted to read the credits and see the pictures. I wanted to see why they cherished it. I wanted to be as excited as they were. Then I started listening to the radio, and I would go print out the lyrics to songs on the radio at the library. 2 Pac, Clipse, Eminem. I wanted to know what they were saying. I wasn’t really rapping or wanting to. But I always had an ear for music. I caught on to Drake back in 2007, on Comeback Season. I got on Wiz Khalifa after Prince of the City 2. But I saw a hole in the game, nobody was mixing the sophistication with the ignorance. I used to do poetry slams at V-103 and the National Black Arts Festival. Nobody was making music with good lyrics but just as hypnotizing as Future, with something that Kendrick would give you. So I started being the change I wanted to see. I had my first show in 2012 on the Live Mixtapes stage at SXSW. I did a poem about my friend who got locked up for life. I was a poet and decided to rap. People always knew about my poetry skills, but that’s when I started rapping. In 2013, I stopped playing. I was waiting on someone to do it for me, but then I read Ghandi and he said be the change that you want to be.

HHW: How do you define “sophisticated ignorance?”

Chilly Chills: I say things that would make you think that I’m a stereotypical rapper, but if you really think twice, I might be saying something deep. No matter what I rapped about, I always positioned myself to feel good doing it. All of my earlier music was not as successful because people liked the beats more than the lyrics. At first it was frustrating but all I had to do was stay in tune with the struggle. I knew what I was going for so I never stopped.

HHW: How did Kanye West and Andre 3000 first hear your music and take a liking to it?

Chilly Chills: Soulja Boy was playing my song “Poppin In Here” and he was showing ‘Ye the music. Then I got a text saying they wanted me where they was at. I met them, and I was very humbled to be around that energy. That was the beginning of the next level for me. It really just helped me feel good towards people I deal with in the city. It’s amazing how people don’t believe until someone bigger than them believes. I knew I was dope before meeting them, but it was attention getting for people who didn’t believe and for people who didn’t know. I’m grateful. When you’re in the world, you got sheep and wolves. A lot of time the wolves are looking down on the sheep following the herd. That meeting was confirmation that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. Anything I make is in the air of what I grew up listening to.

HHW: A lot of people have seen your face and never heard your music. You are featured in the anti-smoking Fresh Empire campaign.

Chilly Chills: I’m involved in that because I’m all about the youth and I am the youth. I was more than thrilled to be asked to get involved. They are doing something positive by piercing the underserved communities and given them knowledge and providing platforms for artists to do more. My grandfather died from lung cancer. Me and my dad didn’t have a relationship. I would have loved to have more time with my grandfather. But since he died from tobacco use, it was a divine sign for me to be involved with Fresh Empire. It’s a non-tobacco campaign that promotes the opposite of what tobacco promotes. They are creating an atmosphere for young people choose wisely. It’s like this generation’s “Above The Influence,” but there is more swag involved and they are more involved with cats in the music industry. A lot of kids are out here smoking cigarettes and Black & Milds. A lot of very young kids man.

HHW: How did going to college impact your approach to music, if at all?

Chilly Chills: I Went to school for a year and semester. It opened my mind to everything. As ironic as it is, i had to go to Alabama to learn that. You have to be yourself but realize that not everybody is going to be like where you’re from. Sometimes coming from the hood we get blinded to things. I graduated early and went to college at 17, I was really blessed. My mom forced me to go to college. I thought college was the government was forcing me into debt. But it helped me. If I didn’t go, I might be stuck in a situation where my mind isn’t as open as it is now. - Hip Hop Wired

Chilly Chills is making his ascension to the top skyrocketing steadily in the rap game. The Atlanta native has received major cosigns from Kanye West and Outkast, and now he is releasing his new nine track DOPE EP, hosted by DJ Greg Street.

READ: The Rapper That Made Kanye West Smile From Ear To Ear

In it, he thanks the lord above for giving him the blessing of waking up, and getting a thumbs up from Kanye on ‘Look at God.’ He also details the luxurious perks he has found himself in; coupled with the feeling of not having to teach or chase on ‘Fly Away.’ And in ‘ATLiens’ he describes his upbringing by detailing how he grew up; infused with street tales and social media mishaps that perhaps don’t matter.

In addition to the new EP, Chilly also released a video for his track ‘Dope’ which features him performing with an American flag as his backdrop; alongside his band all dressed in black outfits. Take a listen to Chilly’s DOPE EP below, and peep the video for ‘Dope.’ - Vibe

“I’m the dope. Nah, for real,” announces Chilly Chills on the title track of his project Dope. Within a few minutes of being in the presence of the Atlanta native, it becomes clear Chills fully embraces those words musically, personally, and spiritually.

That description is not mere self-aggrandizing hyperbole. The stimulant metaphor serves as an example of the message Chills promotes through his artistic brand. A message that conveys the power of overcoming struggle, yearning for knowledge, exhibiting patience, and presenting a burning passion to paint a picture bigger than himself. It all comes together under his “sophisticated ignorance” lifestyle.

“I’m from the heart of the city. I’m not in a gang. I don’t sell dope. Everybody else wants to do that in order to be a rapper. I’m from the most criminalistic place in Atlanta, yet I come with a positive spirit,” Chills tells AllHipHop.com. “I’m not shunning those people. I’m bringing those people with me to kick it with the people who aren’t on that. It’s a bridge between the gap.”

Chills is a product of the Mechanicsville neighborhood located adjacent to the Turner Field baseball park. At the age of 9, his family moved from Chicago to the Atlanta locale made famous in the film ATL starring Tip “T.I.” Harris and Lauren London. Mechanicsville has also gained a reputation for its violent crime statistics and illegal narcotics economy.

While most people tend to avoid revealing the drug history of their loved ones, Chills puts his family’s past out in the open. His lyrics even include mentioning his father was a crack cocaine smoker. The vulnerability in his raps is one of the ways Chills uses entertainment as a vessel to spread the importance of sincerity and insight to his listeners.


“I’m tricking the mainstream market into knowledge. I’m tricking my people into going back to values,” explains Chills. “Not saying we lost them. We just don’t flex them. We’ll flex that Lamborghini. Ain’t nothing wrong with flexing that Lamborghini, but let the folks know you got off MARTA before you got in that motherf*cker.”

Part of Chills’ willingness to express honesty through art is an extension of his early beginnings as a poet. He developed his poetry skills at Southside High School, and there are still clips on YouTube of the young rhymer performing his spoken word pieces.

The conversion to Hip Hop music in 2012 was the result of Chills’ getting tired of waiting for the rap game to change. So he began to record his own songs and took on the role of being a tastemaker for the sounds he had been looking for in others.

“Though we got a lot of rappers, people are just rappers. They don’t even know themselves,” Chills states. “The acronym for rap – R.A.P. – is rhythm and poetry. I started doing poetry. All I needed was rhythm.”

It is not surprising Chills eventually took the emcee route. His parents were known to listen to top stars of the culture such as 2Pac, DMX, and Jay Z. In addition, Chills viewed Atlanta underground rappers Hitman Sammy Sam and Big Gee as influential prototypes on how to grind to success.

Cuts from the Chilly Chills collections Poppin In Here and Dope are Southern-based Hip Hop at their core, but the Georgia boy also looked to legends of Soul/R&B to inspire his live presentation. A Chills show usually does not take place without seeing the spitter maneuvering around a microphone stand on stage.

“I was influenced by Michael Jackson and James Brown. I was influenced by The O’Jays, people who used mic stands back in the day to do Doo-Wop dances. It’s a very pivotal part of my performance,” relays Chills.

Not only do icons of yesteryear inspire Chills, but superstars of today have proudly cosigned the rising ATLien as well. His well received appearance at the Birthday Bash 20 concert in June led to him hanging out with Grammy-winning acts Kanye West and OutKast. Andre 3000 and Big Boi were even blessed to hear Chills recite his “Little Things That Amount To Much” poem in a Waffle House parking lot.


“It makes me appreciative of that whole experience. It really confirms things that perhaps people in the city won’t confirm,” says Chills about meeting Kanye and Kast. “We’re living in a crab in the bucket mentality in this city of mine right now. So something new, something that has great potential but is foreign to what’s going on, is not being accepted in the city of Atlanta to an extent.”

He continues, “That confirmation from a legend just lets all the people who thought they were big shots know not to be mistaken with this kid. I’m the dope.”

Chills’ grievance with the lack of support from his hometown is not a stand alone objection. Earlier this year, he dropped a freestyle called “Pay Style” where it was made clear The Ville representative’s style is not free.

“‘Paystyle’ is really me being frustrated. That was to let people know, ‘Yeah, I’m a poet. I do it from the heart. But my style ain’t free,” Chills declares. “I don’t mind presenting you this awesomeness, but be compensational. Love is about being reciprocal. So if we’re going to talk about love, it’s got to go both ways.”


Up until this point, Chills has built his movement as an independent artist, and he enjoys the ability to dictate the complete direction of his career. Connecting with a major label is not out of the question. He’s just not pressed about forcing any partnerships at the moment. Also, Chills established on his Dope track “Purpose” that selling his soul is not an option.

“You have these instinctual sounds in your head when something ain’t right. Perhaps that’s a divine message. Those things we call a ‘conscience.’ Perhaps those things God or the divine power communicates to us, ‘That ain’t what you want,’” says Chills. “I ain’t selling my soul. Like I said, love goes two ways. To the labels, it’s just telling them I demand respect. No disrespect to what you represent as a label or an executive. But as an artist who I feel means so much to a generation, I will not have a lesser opinion of myself do to your opinion.”

Chills’ self-confidence acts as a shield against his doubters as well as a symbol to his supporters. The child of Mechanicsville, Atlanta is fully aware of his capability to impact young minds.


Question him about his capacity to touch other people’s lives, and Chills showcases his understanding of how the youth study music to discover a way to escape their hardships and carry their soul to its intended destination. The next great move will be to push future musicians to advance his covert mission of introducing higher level thinking to the unaware.

“If we could get some dope, positive lyrics over some the hottest beats from the hottest beat makers, I think subconsciously the world would change,” advocates Chilly Chills. “As soon as that Dirty Sprite [by Future] dropped, everybody was on the lean. Sh*t, I sip lean, but I spit poems to the kids at Slater Elementary or speak at Alabama State too. It’s a balance of sophisticated ignorance.”

Purchase Chilly Chills’ Dope on iTunes.

Follow Chilly Chills on Twitter @chilly_chills and Instagram @chilly_chills. - AllHipHop.com

In hip-hop, people would have you believe that authenticity is easily marketable. And it is — if the artist is talking about long nights in the kitchen, standing wearily over a pot. Or roaches in their bedroom in their adolescence. All while rocking too many chains and bracelets and kicks from Neiman Marcus. More power to them, but what about the cats who are speaking from a different angle? Far and between.

Chilly Chills from Mechanicsville is one of those rappers in the latter group. A breath of fresh air. It’s not like he doesn’t identify with the stories rappers tell, but his “realness” comes from another place. It’s all personal and sincere and far too sticky to put a hood sheen on it for dollars and a badge that reads ‘Real N*gga Sh*t.’

“Now I’m hopping outta big wheels like a toddler, I was hanging in the Ville with bullet showers, I was using the poetry like umbrellas, I ca’ tell that my music really got power… ”

We all from the same hood but Chilly Chills is talking about it from the inside.

Cop his new Blessings EP from iTunes. - Mad Fresh Daily

The Mechanicsville representative serves up a new visual.


With his Blessings EP out now, Chilly Chills takes time to deliver the first visual off the project with “No Playin”. Considering the EP is only 4 tracks deep, I’m hoping we will get a video for every song. Until that holds truth, watch the Trill Americana-directed visual below. - Str8outdaden.com