I'll always have a soft spot for chicago music of all kinds and his antecedents are very clear -- if we had a single thread for the Chance/Saba/Noname scene, I probably would have bumped that -- but I don't think it's just personal niche taste-catering that is making me so charmed by Kaicrewsade. Despite the connections to the past, this stuff is deliciously fresh.
The most obvious thing to mention first is the jazz production. His impeccable 2024 album Yvette is mostly* skittery drums, trumpet lines, melodic bass, warm aqueous and/or trippy spacey keys and the blend is seamless. Nico Segal guests on "2009." You could put the instrumental version of this out on International Anthem.
* check "#baby boy" if you're curious what he sounds like over drum machines.
I haven't listened enough to have much insightful to say about the rapping, but I like it lol. He's not as self-serious, morose, or spoken-word-adjacent as the aforementioned trio could be. He mostly conjures up a cloud of smoke ("Half a Joint and Jazz" is one apt title) and floats on it, though not in an ethereal, wispy or unfocused way; plus on the newer tracks posted below he's more amped. There may be serious topics being broached, I haven't focused on the lyrics.
Yvette is superb from start to finish, and all his new songs are excellent too.
"Match?/Slow Dancing to Liv.e" is a neat showcase for his taste, style & talent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZFhkV6_O_4
Getting high at the lakefront soundtrack "Geeksqaw!!!!":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiND9gKCYYw
And "Beeper!!!!" is a condensed burst of energy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zITa5FB0IZs
― rob, Sunday, 14 September 2025 14:12 (four months ago)
bumping this in case any weekday ilxors are interested
plus I listened to half of Yvette just now and realized my description of his rapping is kinda off: his flow is more flexible than I'd clocked, and he does do emotion and introspection. it still feels more textural than writerly compared to Chance et al., but it's not as vibey as I'd thought on first listen, and I detected other influences this time (e.g., Carti on #baby boy)
― rob, Monday, 15 September 2025 17:51 (four months ago)
I was going to try to describe the music on "Match" but decided it would sound too florid. it's beautifully composed, a bit like Makaya McCraven's In These Times
― rob, Monday, 15 September 2025 18:15 (four months ago)
new album Joint4u! dropped. only just hit play, but I'm excited for the title track w/Jamila Woods
― rob, Saturday, 20 September 2025 15:02 (four months ago)