Remaking a song from the hottest artist in the industry is a dicey proposition. For most
emerging artists, it’s a bad move, one that keeps them on the musical periphery. For
Dreezy, her rendition of Nicki Minaj and Lil Herb’s “ChiRaq” catapulted her to national
prominence because of her fiery delivery, ferocious lyricism and magnetic microphone
presence. “I’m a fan of Nikki Minaj and I like what she did on the original ‘Chiraq’ with Lil
Herb,” Dreezy says of the 2014 cut. “But I got the best bars in Chicago so it was only right
for me to remix it and represent. The day my version of ‘ChiRaq’ came out her boyfriend
texted us saying ‘You won’t last a week.’” Dreezy has more than outlasted that prediction.
Today, she’s one of the game’s most promising artists, a lyricist equally adept at
delivering mind-blowing punchlines, riveting street-based stories, introspective
selections and odes to true love. Her talent is on full display on 2014’s acclaimed Schizo
mixtape, as well as her just-released Call It What You Want EP. Dreezy developed her
writing prowess growing up in a number of locations throughout the South Side of
Chicago. By the time she was in kindergarten, she started drawing. Soon thereafter, she
kept diaries and began crafting her own tales. “Sometimes I wrote really dark, sad
stories about rape, murder and violence or stories about rocky relationships,” she
recalls. “I remember writing a poem about my grandma when she passed away. I was
always telling other people’s stories weaved with mine. I saw and experienced a lot and
had to mature at a young age. I expressed it all through my poetry.” Even as a child,
Dreezy’s words were piercing. “I had no filter as a kid,” she says. “I was always saying
something and not realizing what I just said. I wasn’t a bad kid. I was just smart for my
age and wanted to express my opinion — and it got me in trouble. My mom got to a point
where she just couldn’t deal and my dad had to tighten my ass up. When I moved to Dad’s,
I learned there’s a time and a place for everything and not to go on first emotion with
stuff.” But the move brought its own set of complications. After getting caught stealing,
Dreezy’s father put her on punishment for three months. Rather than sulk, Dreezy wrote
to a beat CD she had. She’d grown up listening to Ciara, Bow Wow and B2K. But as a
rapper, she was channeling Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Drake. “When punishment was
over I went straight to the studio and recorded all those songs, resulting in my first
mixtape, The Illustration,” Dreezy explains. “I was talking about my life and really going
hard, just giving bars. My auntie made a bunch of copies and I passed them out at school.
The principal heard it, called me in to the office over the loudspeaker – and busted me
for cursing on the tape. Dreezy’s profane raps were matched by straight-As in the
classroom.