Chief Keef began experimenting with producing his music in 2014. Meaghan Garvey of The Fader noted this was fitting as the rapper has "always been more concerned with vibe than meaning, and production is his most efficient tool to create a mood without getting bogged down by pesky syntax."[35] In January, Chief Keef announced he was working on a new mixtape entitled Bang 3.[39] In February, he unveiled the cover art to his upcoming mixtape Back From The Dead 2 the sequel to his critically acclaimed mixtape, Back From The Dead.[40] During February, Chief Keef said his former lean addiction and bad mixing contributed to the lack of quality music on his two mixtape projects Bang Pt. 2 and Almighty So and that he was disappointed in both projects.[41]
Later in February 2014, he announced an EP before his second studio album Bang 3, entitled Bang 4, as a preview.[42] The following day, Fredo Santana announced he and Chief Keef were going to release an album collaboration.[43] In March, Keef released the first official single from Bang 3 entitled "Fuck Rehab" featuring his fellow Glo Gang artist and cousin Mario "Blood Money" Hess. This marked Hess's final recording before his death on April 9, 2014.[44] On March 14 Chief Keef released the official music video for "Fuck Rehab".[45] Although Interscope executive Larry Jackson announced that Bang 3 would be released on June 10, it was delayed again.[46]
In October 2014, Chief Keef was dropped by Interscope Records. He confirmed via Twitter that every project he had planned, including the release of the long-awaited Bang 3, would still be released.[47] Young Chop criticized Interscope's decision to drop Chief Keef.[48] Despite being set for a December 2014 release, Bang 3 did not materialize.[49] Chief Keef's mixtapes, Mansion Musick set for a November 28 release, and Thot Breakers set to release on February 14, 2015, were not released as announced.[50] However, he was successful in releasing Big Gucci Sosa, a 12-track collaborative mixtape, with Gucci Mane,[51][52] as well as Back From the Dead 2, which was made available for digital download from iTunes.[53]
Chief Keef self-produced 16 of the 20 songs on the mixtape.[54] David Drake of Pitchfork Media said, "For his first steps into the rapper-producer territory, he shows promise—though it's tough to imagine most of these beats working outside the context of a Chief Keef album, as they are primed to frame his vocals."[55] Rolling Stone ranked the mixtape 25th on its list of the 40 best rap albums of 2014 commenting, "The bleak world from which he came still shapes his sound; it's a bleak and lonely record, with few guests and a darkly psychedelic shape formed by drugs and likely PTSD. Yet he finds a gleeful humanity inside the world's rotten core, with bluntly potent, economical rapping that gets strong mileage per word."[56]
In November, he announced Nobody, a "Glo Producer album" that featured guest vocals by Kanye West and Tadoe.[57] It was set to be released on December 2,[57] but appeared on December 16.[58] The album's title track was noted for being one of Keef's more emotionally driven tracks.[59] Chris Coplan of Consequence of Sound wrote "the track itself feels like the apex of a night spent binge-drinking."[60] The album was awarded a 7.0/10 score by Pitchfork Media's Meaghan Garvey.[54]
On February 18, 2015, Chief Keef released Sorry 4 the Weight, a 20-track mixtape.[61] Elliott Pearson of The Alibi commented: "Sorry 4 the Weight is another consistent chapter in the rapper's singular Midwestern gothic repertoire, and if 'What Up' is any indication, he's made serious progress as a beat-maker too."[62] The mixtape was largely a solo effort, featuring only Andy Milonakis and Glo Gang labelmate, Benji Glo.[50][63] In 2015, his track "Faneto" was slowly building momentum since its October 2014 release.[64][65] On April 24, 2015, Chief Keef announced his next album, titled The Cozart, saying it would be released soon.[66] In 2015, he signed with FilmOn Music, a record label owned by Greek billionaire Alki David in 2015.[67] Keef later named his son Sno FilmOn Dot Com Cozart to promoteBang 3, but the label retracted their naming rights to his son.[68]
On July 11, 2015, Marvin Carr, better known by his stage name Capo, a longtime member of Chief Keef's Glo Gang label, was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting in Chicago.[69] After killing Capo, the driver of the vehicle reportedly struck a stroller holding 13-month-old Dillan Harris killing him instantly. Chief Keef announced on Twitter he would be holding a free benefit concert as a tribute to Capo and encouraged concertgoers to donate to the Harris family. He also announced the formation of the Stop the Violence Now Foundation, in an attempt to decrease crime in Chicago.[70] Because of outstanding warrants in Illinois, Keef was scheduled to attend the concert via hologram from a sound stage in Beverly Hills.[71]
The concert, organized by HologramUSA and FilmOn Music, was planned to be held in Chicago's Redmoon Theater.[72] It faced a series of delays after Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel's office claimed Chief Keef was "an unacceptable role model" and that his music promoted violence.[73] Chief Keef's representatives then worked out an arrangement with promoters of Craze Fest in Hammond, Indiana, to hold the concert there. Local police stopped Keef from performing again.[74] Chief Keef's hologram made a plea for peace in Chicago saying, "Stop the violence, stop nonsense, stop the killing. Let the kids grow up", before performing "I Don't Like".[75] Fearing the concert was a threat to public safety, Hammond mayor Thomas McDermott, Jr. had the city's police department shut down the generators powering Chief Keef's hologram. McDermott was quoted as saying, "I know nothing about Chief Keef. All I'd heard was he has a lot of songs about gangs and shooting people — a history that's anti-cop, pro-gang and pro-drug use. He's been basically outlawed in Chicago, and we're not going to let [him] circumvent Mayor Emanuel by going next door."[75] Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn criticized Emmanuel and Hammond for their decisions, claiming they infringed upon Chief Keef's First Amendment rights.[72]
In November, Keef's contract with FilmOn was suspended over management issues.[76] The following month, FilmOn sued Keef's management team and producers for the unauthorized release of music.[77]
Dedication, Glotoven and Almighty So 2 (2016–present)
In March 2016, Chief Keef tweeted that he was retiring from rapping. The announcement came as his recorded output was slowing down.[78] However, later in the year he was featured on MGK's song, "Young Man".[79] He also released a 17-track mixtape Two Zero One Seven in January 2017.[80] Chief Keef joined a long line of rappers, including Jay Z, Lupe Fiasco, Nicki Minaj and others, who claimed to have retired only to return to making music.[81]
Chief Keef released four mixtapes in the lead up to releasing his third album, Dedication, on December 1, 2017.[82][83] The Guardian called Dedication his "most satisfying album to date".[84]
In 2018, Chief Keef was able to drop more mixtapes, such as Mansion Musick and Back from the Dead 3 and more mixtapes in The Leek series. He also did more features for musicians such as Playboi Carti, Soulja Boy, and G Herbo.[85][86]
In early 2019, Chief Keef and Zaytoven worked together in the studio. Chief Keef later confirmed they were making a collaborative mixtape called Glotoven. It was released on March 15, 2019, and was supported by the single "Spy Kid".[87] On April 20, 2019, Chief Keef revealed he had another mixtape planned, dubbed Almighty So 2. He then released a song with Youngboy Never Broke Again called "Fireman". The mixtape is also scheduled to have features from Lil Uzi Vert, Soulja Boy and Lil Reese, among others. Chief Keef also released another single titled "Boost".[88]
In March 2020, Chief Keef earned his first major production credit on Lil Uzi Vert's second studio album, Eternal Atake, with the song "Chrome Heart Tags".[89] Chief Keef was later featured on Uzi's album Lil Uzi Vert vs. the World 2 with a vocal performance on the song "Bean (Kobe)", which became his highest-charting song on the Hot 100 at number .
