Valee: A New Wave of Music

Music is not limited to a specific area or region, but it does frequently show up in certain places. Right now, the R&B world is using Chicago, New York, Atlanta, and LA as models in the making of music. One of the most unique sounds I’ve heard in rap comes from local Chicago rapper, Valee.

Valee has been trying to make a way for himself in the world of rap for some time now. He started off locally and gained popularity over time. Valee is now signed to G.O.O.D Music. He was noticed by Pusha T and Kanye West after his mixtape “1988” was met with success partly due to it’s hit song, “Shell.” The head of Chicago’s own Fakeshoredrive, Andrew Barber, is even involved in the management of the 31-year- old artist. He was even featured on Kanye’s solo album.

Valee brings a very new spin on things to the music world with his unique style of rap. Although his music could be classified as Trap or Trap Rap, he is going about it in a new way entirely. Valee has a different sound than a lot of other rappers. He raps very fast and in a manner that seems as though he is jamming as many bars into a single verse as possible. This results in some of his songs being shorter than most rap songs tend to be. Aside from the pace, the subject matter of his raps includes outlandish claims to depict his lavish lifestyle.

This new style of rapping Valee is introducing is accompanied by very subtle production decisions. One of which is the use of St. Louis producer, ChaseTheMoney, who brings very experimental beats to the table. This new sound may have been originated by Valee, but it is quickly being duplicated by other artists around the industry.

Although others may sound similar, don’t forget that Valee is the pioneer of the sound displayed on hits such as “Shell,” “Womp Womp,” “Miami” and other songs. Valee takes even more musical leaps on his newest project Runnin Rich where he collaborates with other Chicago acts such as King Louie, G Herbo and Vic Mensa.