Home Team • Joseph Chilliams
Photo by Katrina Tarzian
Age: 25 • Neighborhood: Austin • Follow: Twitter // SoundCloud
The name Joseph Chilliams may not ring out across the country, state, or even the city right now, but it's only a matter of time before his fun and oftentimes experimental style of rap breaks out to the masses. While Joseph has been on a roll lately with four solo releases in that last two months, his presence in the Chicago hip-hop scene goes back a few years.
Growing up in Austin on Chicago's west side, Joseph, his brother Saba, John Walt, and MFn Melo formed a collective called Pivot Gang. A single posse project called Jimmy was released just over two years ago that paid homage to their currently incarcerated friend and fellow Pivot member with the same name. Joseph's name is all over the record, both on the lyrical and production sides of the game. The overall project received a fairly underwhelming reception, but the content was very strong. It was evident that the entire Pivot Gang had something to offer the music world.
Two years later and Saba's critically acclaimed ComfortZone remains Pivot Gang's claim to fame. While Saba has since risen to a fairly notable position, the rest of the Pivot Gang has refused to be eclipsed by Saba's success, but rather prove their individual worth with solo releases of their own. Chilliams has been the most active lately with the release of several well received singles, but details regarding the status of his long-awaited solo project have been almost non-existent. We'll take what we can get for the time being, but the music world is deserving of experiencing the character that is Joseph Chilliams.
Rap skills aside, Joseph's personality is something that can only be properly experienced first hand. He hashtags #nsync with his SoundCloud drops and says that he is making "Kirk Franklin proud, one drop at a time." If you mess with the music and the sharp punchlines and don't want to wait for that first headlining performance to experience Joseph in person, be sure to give him a follow on social media and catch him working with Young Chicago Authors at an open mic near you. Also, be sure to pay close attention to the Twitterverse on Friday, as Joseph Chilliams and ShowYouSuck have something special cooked up for the fans.