Joey Purp

Joey Purp streaming 'iiiDrops' ft. Chance the Rapper, Mick Jenkins & Vic Mensa (who has a new EP)

The Chicago hip-hop avalanche that is the SaveMoney collective — including Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Towkio, Vic Spencer and other talented MCs and producers — started with an idea. Joey Purp should know. He was there.

“SaveMoney existed before we were making music,” says Purp in an interview as he wrapped up production on his new mixtape, “iiiDrops.” “We were just kids, but in Chicago you’re bred a certain way. It’s a historic culture and in a very adolescent way, you always share a name for your little friend group. You see your older brothers and friends have handshakes. It’s the environment we grew up in, identifying ourselves in a way, separating ourselves from that culture we didn’t want to take part in because we saw that it was not the most positive way to go. We didn’t look to the guidance or leadership of someone else, because we knew they were not the best role models. We wanted to be our own role models.” [Greg Kot for Chicago Tribune]

Joey Purp is one half of Leather Corduroys, and as the quote above points out, he’s in the SaveMoney collective with fellow Chicago rappers Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa and more. Chance and Vic are both on Joey’s just-released iiiDrops mixtape, as is fellow Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins, Chance collaborator Saba, and more. If you like those guys, you’re almost definitely gonna like Joey. And even if you don’t — Chance the Rapper is kind of more “Chance the Singer” now, but Joey’s got a more traditional style that would’ve gone over just fine in 1996. Check out the new tape below.

No tour dates outside of Chicago for Joey yet, but Chance the Rapper (whose excellent Coloring Book came out recently) will be in the NYC-area this weekend for Summer Jam on Sunday (6/5) with Pusha T, A$AP Rocky & Ferg, Young Thug, and more. Vic Mensa will be in NYC proper that same day for Governors Ball with Kanye, Joey Bada$$, Vince Staples, and more. Vic also announced his new mixtape There’s Alot Going On, which is reportedly coming out on Friday:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BGFUCE1G2tN/

UPDATE (6/3): Vic Mensa’s There’s Alot Going On is out now. It’s a 7-song EP and you can stream it here: