Heralded as “Chicago’s Most Charming Rapper,” Joseph Chilliams captures the harsh realities of the city as well as wider spread stigmas with a quirky approach, creating something that can appear humorous on the surface yet dark and personal when observed in depth. This is evident on his debut full-length release, 2017’s Henry Church , an album that finds Chilliams placing originality on a pedestal and breaking down barriers of masculinity, with a title he claims to be the English translation for Enrique Inglesias.

As inspired by MF DOOM and Eminem as he is Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, Chilliams is quick to connect with an audience through the incorporation of popular film, music, and television references. These influences shine especially bright in Chilliams’ music videos – he reimagined the famous dance scene from Napolean Dynamite in the video for Henry Church single “Fergie,” while reenacting various stunts from MTV’s Jackass for “B2KK”. “The visuals match the vulnerable tongue-in-cheek silliness Chilliams exhibits with a pen,” praised SPIN Magazine. “His pop culture reference-heavy writing has a knack for juxtaposing love and trauma in a way that accentuates both moods, while making you laugh against all good sense.”

Joseph Chilliams is a founding member of Chicago rap group Pivot Gang, alongside his younger brother Saba, and rappers MFnMelo, Frsh Waters, and John Walt, who passed away in the first quarter of 2017. Prior to the release of Henry Church , Chilliams had breakthrough featured verses on Noname’s “Forever” and Saba’s “Westside Bound 3 ”.

Having toured North America and Europe in 2017, including a sold-out headlining show at Schubas in Chicago, Joseph Chilliams is set to hit the road again in 2018 on the Care For Me Tour.