On his new song “I’mPossible (Basquiat)” Malcolm London doles out autobiographical nuggets and snapshots of his Chicago surroundings before properly introducing himself near the track’s end: “This is me, Malcolm London—poet, activist, educator, and now a rapper.” London is no stranger to rap—the Save Money member has dropped solo cuts before (2013’s “2 AM”), collaborated with scene leaders (such as Vic Mensa for 2012’s “OnGaud”), and guested on rap tracks to perform readings (such as Frank Leone‘s “Redeye(s),” on which London reads the names of Chicagoans murdered in the first two weeks of November 2014).
That comparison mimics the way people often talk about hip-hop, particularly with regards to local hip-hop. The number of think pieces that pitted “golden boy” Chance the Rapper against “bad boy” Chief Keef have thankfully slowed down, but at its height the juxtaposition managed to strip away a little of the MCs’ humanity and further removed the complexities that have made their best material so alluring. With London joining the legion of voices defining Chicago hip-hop hopefully people will see this multidimensional scene a little more clearly.
