A rare localized viral video, Chief Keef's "Bang" crested 500,000 views this past weekend. Originally released in early August and shot with a distinctive style by esteemed Chicago videographer DGainz, the video rapidly became a massive hit in Chicago's south side, primarily amongst Keef's fellow teenagers. Meanwhile, the rest of the city was largely unaware of "Bang"'s existence. Still, by November, the song had become such a smash that Keef was performing for hundreds of ecstatic teens who knew the song by heart. DJ Kenn's beat boasts dramatic string swells reminiscent of Lex Luger's "Hard In The Paint." But where the latter song has driving momentum, the looser drums here give "Bang" an unsteady groove, which frames Keef's gritty rapping and the titular adlib with a sort of rhythmic freedom.
For most, this track existed purely as YouTube cinema. Although Keef released a mixtape (with a DJ-tagged version of the song) that garnered around 1,000 downloads, the video reached 400,000 views, becoming the runaway hit of DGainz' substantial catalog by the year's end. Once World Star posted a video of one of Keef's exuberant fans celebrating the artist's release from a brief jail stint, the floodgates opened; WGCI-FM Chicago reportedly sought a copy of the track for radio play, and Lil B is rumored to be making an appearance on a "Bang" remix. But a no tags version of the song, which you can download below, hasn't been available until now.
Download: Chief Keef, "Bang" (No tags)
