2021 was a wild year in the world (sound familiar?). The COVID-19 pandemic placed a lot of things on hold in the music business in 2020, this year, the world began to open up, and artists got back to work. When outside opened, the music started to flow. Tours, festivals, picnics, and BBQs were at an all-time high.

With all these events going on, new music was needed to enjoy the vibes. We had major releases from artists such as Drake, J.Cole, Kanye West, Lil Baby, and more provide the soundtrack for the year. 2021 gave us so much good music; my favorite song of the year was Wiz Kid’s Essence. Lil Durk & Lil Baby’s Voice of The Heroes was a fantastic project that most might’ve slept on. Like Voice of The Heroes, there are so many records that I feel were slept on in 2021. As the voice of this new wave of Chicago Hip Hop culture, I would like to highlight records from Chicago artists that didn’t get the recognition they deserved.

More notable artists such as Vic Mensa and Lil Zay Osama dropped some heat that didn’t get the looks I believe they should have gotten nationally. Other artists such as 3800 Drippy and Fly Skinz didn’t receive the love on the local level I think they should have.

The playlist below is compiled with 35 records that yall slept on in 2021 from Chicago artists. Some songs are not on streaming outlets, so the honorable mentions are on the actual playlist, but you can still enjoy them by clicking the YouTube video links.

1. 3800 Drippy – KNO I KNOW

20. Cat With The Mac – Itty Bitty

27. Tino Buck$ – Back Stabbers