Every once in a while, in those great gusts of Chicago winds, you’ll come across something worth keeping around. This is precisely what happened when The Boy Illinois crept onto the scene. This 23 year old University of Illinois College Student is aiming to grab the ears of listeners with a slick delivery and sharp wordplay.

Illi first hit the scene in 2008, releasing his first solo project “Inhale Part 1: State Representative”. The mixtape touches on subjects from the depths of insecurity in “Stress”, to the triumphs in “What a Hell of a Feeling”. He also released a video from this mixtape for his single, “One Love”

In August of 2009, The Boy Illinois released his second mixtape, entitled “Inhale Pt. 2: Loyalty Before the Love.” With this tape, you can clearly see his growth and progression as an artist. His metaphors are deeper, his flow smoother and it’s apparent that he is on his way upward. He has huge potential and will more than likely be making a major impact in hip hop within the next few years.

Many have tried to pinpoint exactly who he sounds like and what combination of rappers make up his style, but The Boy Illinois is undoubtedly in a league of his own. You are able to experience the changes in the rhythms’ of his rhymes. One thing that sets him apart from most rappers is that he spits with honesty; expressing what’s really on his mind and it’s completely personal: different, thoughtful, creative and truly from the heart. Illi plans to follow in the footsteps of many other great MC’s that hail from Chicago, but yet carve his own place in music, and in the history of Hip Hop, at the same time.

As of late, The Boy Illinois has been gearing up for the release of his third mixtape “Inhale 2.5: A Thin Line Between Loyalty and Love” which will be followed by mixtape number four “Inhale Part 3: After School Program” and soon after will be the release of his album: Empty Bottles and Roaches. One thing’s for sure, if you haven’t been a passenger on ‘The Boy Illinois Bandwagon’ before, you definitely will become one sooner, than later.