King Louie - Drilluminati

Chicago rapper King Louie has just released ‘Drilluminati’, his second mixtape of the year after July’s ‘Showtime’. A leading star in his city, he was a smart utiliser of local hand-to-hand promotion and part of the early group of rappers who actually coined the term “drill” – as this searching SPIN profile explains – and signed to the label Epic earlier this year. He presents a more accomplished and mature side of Chicago’s local rap scene than l’enfant terrible Chief Keef and his Glory Boyz crew – whose appeal comes in part from the fact their style is still so raw and unvarnished.

The content’s still stark but King Louie’s highly-developed rapping ability is evidenced throughout the tape, whether he’s working with local producers C-Sick, Young Chop or Nez & Rio; all triumphant on beats by the likes of Shawty Redd and the J.U.S.T.I.C.E League or perfecting casually aggressive on his solo single Val Venis.