Calboy

Drawing from personal battles with mental wellness and dependency issues, Chicago rapper Calboy channels these experiences into his most potent verses. One mixtape even carries the title Anxiety, yielding tracks steeped in somber melodies over expansive trap production. Early releases like the single "Can't Tell" built an initial following, but the 2018 track "Envy Me" achieved massive reach through its viral video. Recognition expanded in following years through projects such as Wildboy and the 2020 EP Long Live the Kings.

Born Calvin Woods in 1999, he grew up in Calumet City, a tough South Chicago neighborhood defined by crime and violence. These conditions shaped his early lyrics, which addressed both the demands of street life and the anxiety plus depression they provoked. He assembled the Paper Gang crew of fellow artists and associates, creating music alone and with the group. His debut mixtape The Chosen One appeared in 2017, followed months later by Anxiety. The brief ten-song set Calboy the Wild Boy arrived in 2018 on Paper Gang. While preparing his next work, Calboy released the single "Envy Me" in September 2018, which quickly drew millions of streams. The resulting attention, linked to Chicago’s rising wave of melodic rap, earned him a deal with RCA. The Wildboy mixtape was compiled around the hit in 2019, featuring Lil Durk, Young Thug, Polo G, and others. He closed the year with the G Herbo-assisted "Purpose" and opened 2020 with the February EP Long Live the Kings. Further contributions from Lil Baby and Lil Tjay helped refine his melody-driven approach. Additional singles surfaced in early 2021, including the Lil Wayne collaboration "Miseducation."