If you are someone who is in tune with the Milwaukee music scene, Chicken P is a name that I am sure you recognize. Formerly known as Lil Chicken, he has been a staple in Milwaukee Hip Hop for many years. Chicken P was one of the artists who started the current wave of popularity for the Milwaukee Slap music sweeping the nation. If it were not for the bricks he laid down in the mid to late 2010s, Milwaukee Rap music would have never gotten as big as it is getting. He was definitely an inspiration for artists like Myaap, J.P., and 414bigfrank. Chicken P helped cultivate the mean, low-end sound that has become the staple of Milwaukee music today. Over the last few years, as Milwaukee Hip Hop in general has continued to thrive, Chicken P has been having more success than ever. In 2022, he started his BussaBrick album series, which has produced some of his biggest songs to date. Songs like ‘Venting’ and ‘Rollin’ from BussaBrick Vol. 3 have garnered a ton of streams on Spotify and Apple Music, helping Chicken P gain the kind of momentum that he deserves. Chicken P has been very active in 2024, having already released a full-length album called Hardest N****a Livin’, which spawned some more awesome tracks like ‘Shark’ and ‘Ain’t Runnin’ Out’ which have been doing numbers online. Chicken P also just released a new EP called 4evaLit; I recently covered the lead dynamic single from this project ‘Low Life Rich N****a,’ so go check out that write-up after reading this if you have not yet and would like to. With that being said, here is how I feel about Chicken P’s 4evaLit. Please let me know in the comments below what your favorite songs are from this project, and also comment on how you feel about it as a whole!
Given what I know and would expect from Chicken P’s music based on what I have heard in the past, I could have never seen ‘1 Thing’ coming from him. Frankly, this song sounds nothing like anything I have heard from Chicken P before. This is a Pop-Trap track with stuttering drums and without much of a low-end element to it at all. Instead, the melody for this song is pretty bright. The melody is driven by a groovy bassline that has a very somber tone, and it is complemented by various levels of shimmering synths and bell sound effects that add to the downtrodden feeling of the bassline. Chicken P’s vocal performance on ‘1 Thing’ is pretty awesome. I love how he shows his singing range on this song; the high notes that he hits throughout the track give the song so much texture. ‘1 Thing’ is not the kind of song I thought we would get from Chicken P to start this project, but I have to say that I dig it a lot. ‘Say My Name’ follows a similar Groovy Pop-Trap theme to what we got on the first track. As far as the tone of the melody, these songs are not too different. This melody is also warm yet somber; it is driven by a super interesting guitar riff that scratches the brain in the best way. There are not many synths or sound effects that complement this melody apart from some bell sounds that come in and out. I like the fact that this song refrains from the usage of synths, as the guitar riff that drives this melody is great and deserves to be the main face. The beat for ‘Say My Name’ is a bit more deliberate than the one on ‘1 Thing,’ giving this track a bit more of a laid-back feeling. Chicken P’s vocal performance on ‘Say My Name’ is pretty calm and smooth. His tone hits the melody so well and helps the song feel all-encompassing. ‘Say My Name’ is another great song that shows a side to Chicken P I did not know we could get. ‘Drink My Soda Hot’ is a song that leans a bit more into the low-end and gritty music that one would assume they would get from Chicken P. This song feels like a fusion of the music he is known for and the music we got on the first two tracks. The song has a bright and wavy melody which contains a bit of a G-Funk feeling to it. This almost feels like a Milwaukee version of that West Coast G-Funk music made popular by 213 and continued by Shoreline Mafia. I really like the various extremely atmospheric synths that come in and out, as they make me feel like I am floating. The beat for ‘Drink My Soda Hot’ is almost like a Pop-Trap Slap music fusion, taking elements of both styles of music. Chicken P raps with a gruff and raspy tone on this one, which contrasts the silkiness and aerial feeling of the melody. The way that Chicken P’s vocals create a juxtaposition with the melody makes the song hit extra hard. ‘Drink My Soda Hot’ is yet another example of Chicken P expanding his sound and nailing it, and I would say he started this EP 3 for 3.
‘Back’ sees Chicken P return to the gruff and dark Slap music sound that he has become known for. This is easily the most lit song of the project so far; the first thought that came to my head when I started listening to this one is: “Man, this is a banger.’ The melody for this one is very understated and gloomy. It is driven by a bassline that will give anyone the stank face when it comes on, and it is complemented by off-kilter synths that give the song a daunting element. The beat for ‘Back’ hits so damn hard. The bass on this one totally rattles and gives the song so much emphasis. Chicken P’s rapping on this track is gritty and mean; he takes the menacing feeling of the track over the top. Chicken P gives listeners the best version of what he is known for on ‘Back.’ The aforementioned single ‘Low Life Rich N****a’ comes next. Considering I already did a full write-up on this one(that you should go read), I am not going to say a ton about this one. I will say that sonically it is pretty similar to the song before it. This one is a bit more upbeat, bringing a raucous energy. The bells that help drive this melody are even more foreboding than the ones on the previous track as well, making ‘Low Life Rich N****a’ hit even harder. I really enjoy Chicken P’s off-kilter flow on this one, as it makes his performance so commanding and pertinent. ‘Low Life Rich N****a’ is another example of Chicken P performing excellently at the sound he helped create. ‘Time & Time Again’ almost feels like a fusion of the softer sound we got on the first few songs and the tougher sound we got on the last two. The melody for this one is pretty groovy and sweet. It is driven by groovy synths that sound like a saxophone and a dainty R&B vocal sample. The beat for this song is intricate and bangs super hard. I like how the bassline that drives this beat has a bit of a funky tone to it, as it sounds so nice when paired with this melody. Chicken P raps with a similar forceful and off-kilter flow to the one on ‘Low Life Rich N****a.’ Like his performance on that, his rap performance is so in-your-face and brash in the best way. I especially dig the growling ad-libs that come in and out of this track, as they add to the song’s larger-than-life feeling. ‘Time & Time Again’ is a cool track that takes elements of both types of music before it on this EP and turns them into something unique and cool. Chicken P closes out the EP with ‘Touchdown,’ another groovy R&B Trap with a sound that is kind of relaxed and intense at the same time. Like so many of the tracks on this project, the melody for this one has a bit of a G-Funk feeling due to the funky bassline that drives it. The guitar riff that drives this melody has a very soulful feeling to it as well. Something is foreboding and harsh about this melody, though. I would say this one has a lot more of a negative and intense feeling to it than the other songs on the project with this style. Chicken P may deliver his best rap performance of the project on ‘Touchdown,’ which is honestly saying a lot because he has been very good throughout the project. Everything about his rapping on this song is dope; from his interesting flow to the emotional tone he raps with to the plethora of fun ad-libs, Chicken P pulls out all of the stops on this track. ‘Touchdown’ is a great way for Chicken P to end the EP, and it sends things off on a ferocious note.
One of the most awesome things I have noticed about Chicken P as I have followed him throughout his career is it seems like he has just kept getting better and better. From the moment he first started gaining traction several years ago, it was apparent that he always had major amounts of talent. Over the last couple of years, though, Chicken P has been honing in his sound and he has been able to show off the best of his rapping abilities and overall style of music. 4evaLit is a continuation of this, and I may argue it is the best and most consistent project he has put out yet. Not only does Chicken P excel at the enticing Milwaukee Slap music sound on this project, but he also shows some diversity and range as well. I like how Chicken P went outside the box on 4evaLit and showed different sides to his artistry, as this variance makes the project so compelling. Ultimately, in my opinion, the best moments on the EP were the songs where he is at his most aggressive and jarring, but that does not take away from his ventures into other styles of Trap music as well on the EP. 4evaLit is a great EP from one of Milwaukee’s best and most popular rappers, Chicken P, and it shows that the best may be still to come if he can continue on this trajectory.
EAST SIDE VIBES 