Chicken P is the frontrunner in one of the most exciting scenes in the country.
Following in the footsteps of its neighboring cities in Chicago and Detroit, over the last two years Milwaukee has emerged as the next up Midwestern city. With a gritty, bustling underground scene and a truly one-of-a-kind signature style, Milwaukee is a one-of-a-kind place breeding some of the most unique sounds and artists of the moment.
After diving into the scene one will find a few different flavors of the Milwaukee sound, bound together by their common lingo, distinct production utilizing lowends and claps to varying degrees, and seemingly more born entertainers than any other zip code in America. Since dropping his first tracks in 2016, Chicken P has grown to become one of the city’s most widely respected veterans – representing a more rap-first, street-centered sound that combines the unorthodox melodies and overall Milwaukee feel with a grittier, more Detroit-style production.
A certified street legend with a deep catalog showcasing his unique flows and intensely midwestern style, his sound is fresh, raw, and exists in a sweet spot between two of the most compelling regional sounds of the moment. As a result he’s become a favorite amongst fans of the increasingly popular off-kilter flows, Detroit-type beats and that unmistakable Midwestern swag.
If somehow you are are not yet hip to Chicken P, many of your favorite artists and tastemakers are already on board: from Detroit frontrunners like Veeze, Babyface Ray, and Skilla Baby, to cult favorites from around the country like Sexyy Red, Rylo Rodriguez and OhGeesy, and even basketball players like Jalen Green and Jon Dillingham.
We sat down with Chicken P to discuss his eventful rise, his new tape ‘Still Bussin’ and the rest of the “Bussabrick” mixtape series, and the recent Milwaukee rap surge from the POV of one of the scene’s most important veterans.
Check out Chicken P’s new tape ‘Still Bussin’ below
The Rise of Chicken P
ACW: Take us back to the beginning of Chicken P
Chicken: It was almost a decade ago at this point bro. I remember it was actually November 2016 when I dropped my first song, it was called ‘Pressure” with Gwapo Chapo from out here. I was already a lil known in the city, and when I started putting out music I just started to get a buzz organically. And from then people were fucking with me in the city. Producers would send me beats, or even figure out which studios I would be at and either try to pop up or leave packs with the engineers. That’s how I really got going at first.
ACW: Back then you weren’t Chicken P though right? And where does Chicken come from?
Chicken: Yop, yop. Back then I was Lil Chicken. I changed it a few years ago cuz I felt like, shit I’m grown I ain’t little no more. So from then I was like don’t call me lil, call me Chicken or Chicken P. And what does Chicken mean, it means whatever you think bro. Some people think it means money, some people think it’s somethin else.
ACW: Can you shed any light on why Milwaukee loves “P”
Chicken: Well look I can’t speak for nobody else. But for me, I really took it from Master P. To be honest he really inspired with this rap shit, as far as his hustle, so that’s where I got it from. Me personally I wasn’t really looking at P as a Milwaukee thing, but I guess there is a lot of P’s comin out this mf right now.
ACW: Who were you listening to growing up?
Chicken: Growing up, 50 Cent was my really favorite since like 4th grade. If you’re asking my top 3 all time, it would probably have to be Gucci, Future and Boosie. And I always fucked with Master P like I said.
ACW: Was there a certain moment or song when you really started to see things take off?
Chicken P: Hell yeah, “Fast Cash Babies.” That was like the first song that really did it, with my brother Jigg god rest his soul. Originally that was supposed to be an intro for one of my projects, but after I had gone to jail in 2018 he jumped on the song and then we dropped it March 2019. And when it dropped it did millions of views bro in a short ass time, like literally more views than any video in Milwaukee history. And that’s what did it forreal.
ACW: Another one that always stands out when you look you up is “N****s Cheap” with Joe Pablo.
Chicken: Hell yeah Joe that’s boy, my cousin, he locked up too right now. That one was a little farther down the road, like 2022, but hell yeah that one went crazy. To me, the “N****s Cheap” era, that was really the start of the new era and what’s going on right now.
ACW: When did you start to notice that people were really fucking with what you got going on? What has it been like to experience a new wave of fans?
Chicken P: It was really when I came from jail this last time bro in 2023, it felt like my fanbase had boosted times a thousand. Before I had went in, people were fucking with me but I wasn’t taking it all the way serious. Then when I came home I saw how shit had skyrocketed through the roof. And I think it’s cause people got to see my whole story step by step. They seen me when I had nothing, they seen me turn a little bit into something, they seen me lose it all, and then get it back. So when I got out I knew I had to give this shit my all. I dropped a song ASAP and got right back in my groove and it was on from there.
Road to ‘Still Bussin’
ACW: You just dropped Still Bussin. whats the significance of the Bussabrick mixtape series, and what are some of your standout tracks from each.
Chicken: I dropped Volume 1 in 2022. I had caught a case, bailed out, and that same day went to the studio and recorded like 10 songs. That turned into Volume 1. Off there, “Daddy Not Bae”, “Dawg Ass Chicken,” “Beast Mode” and “Talk to God”, and I’ll say them the ones.
After that I recorded Volume 2, but I went to jail again before I could drop it. So I decided to drop it while I was in jail, and that’s the one that was really the attention-grabber. My streams started goin crazy after that and people were like “Oh he locked up AND he locked up?”. Some of the ones off there: “Buss One 101,” “KSubi Jeans On” and “13 Favors” – that one was actually supposed to be called “13 Fever” but the guy named it that on accident so I just went with that.
Then when I came home, I dropped Volume 3. That was like December last year. 3 had a lot of songs people were really fuckin with: “Rollin”, “Big One”, “Mode Again”, “100k Wednesday.” And “Oath” too for sure.
And now I just dropped Still Bussin. So its just different phases of my life these past few years, but it all feels like part of the same chapter you get what I’m saying?
ACW: You also just dropped a joint tape “LA to Midwest”
Chicken: Hell yeah with my boys Gusto Leimert and Roadrunner TB. Gusto really from LA originally but they both in Ohio now. Them my boys though like without the rap shit, so it was fun putting that together.
ACW: Who are some of your favorite producers to work with?
Chicken: Gotta be Boom and Rich, Fresh Rich. Them my favorites bro I ain’t gonn lie. I fuck with All Out W4r. Grabba Beats that my boy. Clyde got some hard shit. There’s a lot of them though bro I really just go off the energy of the beats.
Chicken’s Take on the Milwaukee Rap Surge
ACW: What do you think about the new wave in Milwaukee?
Chicken: Bro this shit bigger than its ever been right now. No disrespect at all to anyone that came before us, but I’m 29 I been here my whole existence and I never seen it like this. It feels like there’s more life to this mf now. There’s more events, more stars coming to fuck with us, people more willing to come the city. It’s blowing up forreal. A lot of my rap buddies wanna come out here, shoot videos see what it’s about. Nobody was tryna come out here not too long ago
ACW: What do you think of the emerging scene and some its younger faces like Certified Trapper and Ayooli? How do you feel about the dance moves? And what is it about Milwaukee that creates such entertaining characters?
Chicken: Them my lil brothers bro. It’s a lot of cool new artists poppin up out here doing their thing. And hell yeah I fuck with the dances. It adds to the culture bro. It makes us unique and everyone just having fun. And I don’t know what it is exactly bro but it’s just a certain type of person that this place creates. This city here is different, its gonna create some of the craziest shit and most unique personalities you ever seen.
Milwaukee kind of a in between size city, it’s small enough for everybody to kinda know each other but big enough that you’re necessarily gonna be running into people everyday. For the most part though everyone’s connected some kinda way so its easy to get in contact with people. But its still enough space to hide if you need to.
AW: What do you make of the whole Kia Boys phenomenon or the Tommy G Milwaukee documentaries?
Chicken P: I mean as far as the Kia Boys thing I’ll say this. Their kids bro, when I was a young kid their age I was doing dumb shit too, so I get it. But like, I do think they could be taking their time and using it more productive – staying safe and out of f*ckery. Really all it is they ride around, do burnouts, 90 degree turns, crash into other people cars. I know they could use all that energy for something more productive. I ain’t against them though cuz I know everyone come from something and everybody do crazy shit in their youth. So I just try to be a voice and role model as much as I can be to show em that there’s more out here.
ACW: It seems like a lot of the popular Detroit artists are fans of you. Could you tell us about the relationship between Detroit and Milwaukee? Were you listening to a lot of Detroit rap growing up?
Chicken: Hell yeah we all was. I’ll say this though they were listening to us too. We really similar in a lot of ways forreal. There’s a lot of overlap, we’re only a couple hours apart, we be on a lot of the same shit it’s just like we got different slang for it. A lot of the Detroit artists I’ve been locked in with for a long time. They fuck with me I fuck with them, and just Michigan as a whole bro: Flint, Kalamazoo, Grand Rapids, Pontiac, Benton Harbor, Saginaw all through Michigan forreal.
ACW: How does it feel seeing other artists, people like Sexyy Red, fucking with the scene and specifically your music?
Chicken: To be honest bro, I been feeling like a lot of people been fucking with me for a long time. So now when you see it it’s like “I knew it,” it feels good though.
And Sexyy, that’s my n**** bro. She been fucking with me for a long time forreal. She brought me out at her show in Milwaukee earlier this year, her people hit my people and I’m like “Shit I could never tell Sexyy no” so I pulled up and we did that shit. Shoutout Sexyy… My bad bro whachu was saying I just seen a dude with a V12 badge on a old ass Benz that threw me off
ACW: Hah I don’t blame you! Any other collabs, shows, etc. you got coming up that people should know about?
Chicken: I’m just tryna keep pushin my sound out there bro. I’m really bouta drop like 5-6 tapes in the next year. We’re bouta do a back-to-school drive for the kids out here, and give out turkeys and hams in the fall. And collabs, I wanna work with whoever wanna work with me forreal. And I am finna go on tour soon, I can’t tell y’all about it just yet but look out for that.