Nicki Minaj and Lil Herb pay homage to his stomping grounds on the south side of Chicago inhabitants have recently coined “Chiraq”. A play on words that make the violent, desolate region of war relatable to the every-day life on the south side of America’s 3rd most populous city.

The most murderous city in America has become home to the creators of drill music; a type of rap/hip hop that does not glorify wealth and fame, but rather the very honest reality of violence and murder that is all too often seen in that area. Drill music broke into mainstream airwaves in 2012 when perpetuating artists like Chief Keef, Young Chop, Lil Durk and Fredo Santana began their rise to fame. Getting Nicki on this record will without a doubt skyrocket the notoriety of Lil Herb and the drill music genre. We also included the welcome to Chiraq episode 1 from Noisey for some more background on the scene.

“Chi-raq” is a hard, dirty, gritty-street-music track that features heavy rhymes over a simple background of bass and snare. Nicki releases a much sassier side of her persona you wouldn’t see on American Idol. She teases at the end “she might give you a new trick every week until that album drop”, so keep your eyes on her SoundCloud for more. Could this be the beginning of underground trap releases for Minaj? I hope so.