SoundCloud’s Ascending is a monthly series spotlighting emerging artists from around the world who are next up. This year’s roster has featured rapper 1900Rugrat, indie pop songwriter Erin LeCount, genre-blending honestav, alt-R&B talent SAILORR, minimal house selector Josh Baker, and now, BabyChiefDoit — known for his electrifying flow and sharp lyricism.
Hailing from Chicago’s South Side, BabyChiefDoit has been steadily carving out his space in the rap game since his breakout single “Pancakes & Drugs” blew up in 2024, garnering millions of streams on SoundCloud. Coming out of the city’s raw underground scene, BabyChiefDoit puts the struggles and ambitions of his upbringing into every bar.
Inspired by drill legends like Chief Keef and powered by the wild energy of Waka Flocka Flame, the 17-year-old rapper blends aggressive flows with a youthful unfiltered perspective, bringing a fresh take to Chicago drill with a Southern trap edge.
BabyChiefDoit joined SoundCloud in 2023, and within a year, found himself in the top three of the most-streamed creators by new users on the platform. His single “WENT WEST” hit No. 1 on the SoundCloud Trending Hip-Hop & Rap charts and went on to mark his debut appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, further cementing his breakthrough.
“The way I stay grounded while being watched by the world is just because I’m unapologetically me,” BabyChiefDoit says, reflecting on how he stays true to himself while managing success as an artist.
“I’m trying not to let anything change that. I’m not trying to uphold anybody’s legacy. I started making music often just for me to listen to, and it’s still made mainly for this reason.”
Elaborating further, he adds, “I make these songs the way I make them just because that’s what I like to hear, not because I’m pressured to fall in line with the ones before me.”
In 2024, he dropped his debut mixtape, ‘ANIMALS ONLY (ICE COLD),’ a 18-track deep dive into the evolution of Chicago drill that quickly resonated with fans. But despite the fast rise, BabyChiefDoit stays grounded balancing the grind of his rap career with his responsibilities as a high school student. That work ethic got him named “Rapper to Watch in 2025” by Complex, and more recently, he earned a coveted spot as part of the 2025 XXL Freshman Class.
Earlier this summer, BabyChiefDoit brought that same energy to the stage at Rolling Loud, one of the most influential hip-hop festivals, turning heads with a performance that had the crowd locked in and quickly went viral across social media. Adding more fuel to his momentum, in August, BabyChiefDoit dropped his latest single, “Mr. President,” switching up his flow effortlessly and gliding over a beat co-produced by himself, FoxWhyYouSoGodly and Questionizer.
And if that wasn’t enough, he stopped by SoundCloud’s offices in New York City to record an exclusive freestyle for THE BOOTH, the platform’s latest live performance series, where he laid down “The Wood Freestyle” showing off the raw power that’s pushing his rise.
Known for mixing gritty Chicago drill with the chaotic pulse of Southern trap, BabyChiefDoit is proving he’s a force to be reckoned with. And the best part is, he’s just getting started.
Stay tuned because BabyChiefDoit’s story is only beginning to unfold. Follow his journey on SoundCloud and never miss a new release.
LISTEN TO “THE WOOD FREESTYLE” BY BABYCHIEFDOIT, RECORDED EXCLUSIVELY FOR SOUNDCLOUD’S THE BOOTH
LISTEN TO “MR. PRESIDENT” BY BABYCHIEFDOIT ON SOUNDCLOUD
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