Lucki in Concert
One of the most prolific SoundCloud rappers, Chicago's Lucki (formerly Lucki Eck$) has remained fairly enigmatic and guarded since he broke through in 2013. So when the rapper graces a stage with his syrupy basement flow over deliberately unhurried beats, it's a rare opportunity to see the tireless creator take his art from behind closed doors, into the non-Internet world.
Lucki's approach on stage effectively mirrors his meticulous and lengthy production philosophy. While tracks may hit his SoundCloud stream seemingly out of thin air, everything is calculated. "It looks random but there's still a little planning behind it from me and my team," he told Complex.
In a live setting, the emotion and pain behind his drug-addled raps is palpable, and his underground but robust and dedicated following can feel the authenticity of the moment. And while Lucki certainly sparked a movement among online rappers, he's maintained a definition of the musical style he's created and explained it bluntly to Genius back in 2013: "I don't care if I made it or not, I don't care what nobody else is doing, I don't care what producers think. It's Alternative Trap."
Lucki Background
Born and raised in West Chicago, Lucki (real name Lucki Camel) was a regular at the now infamous YouMedia audiovisual learning space that spawned household-name Chicago rappers like Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa. Lucki was impressed by his contemporaries and knew he had the chops to make it as a rapper as well, so at 16, he dropped out of high school to pursue music full-time.
He released his debut Alternative Trap mixtape in 2013, a title which spawned his genre designation. With multiple tracks consistently clocking in at a million SoundCloud spins, Lucki is considered one of the forefathers of the SoundCloud rap movement. As the blog GoldenPlec states, "The Chicago native's singular style, equally languid and hard-hitting, laid the blueprint in which this generation of extravagant artists are continuing to prosper." He's found his own form of prosperity in steadfast continuity, as well as collaborations with Mick Jenkins, FKA Twigs, Danny Brown, and King Krule.
