🔎 CHI-RAP ARTIST RADAR WHO'S NEXT OUT OF CHICAGO? CHI-RAP.COM isn't waiting until everybody is already viral to start paying atte...

🔎 CHI-RAP ARTIST RADAR

WHO'S NEXT OUT OF CHICAGO?

CHI-RAP.COM isn't waiting until everybody is already viral to start paying attention.

ARTIST RADAR is where we track Chicago and Chicago-area artists, producers and independent talent who are actively building right now.

No fake hype.

No calling somebody “the next big thing” because of one press release.

We're looking at the music, live performances, releases, production and momentum — then letting the audience decide who deserves a closer look.

This edition puts Zay Kyro, Leovisa, MondoHardy and Ashton Perry on the radar.

🎤 ZAY KYRO

Chicago-born • Underground / Multi-Genre Hip-Hop

Zay Kyro is building outside the easiest Chicago box.

Rather than simply duplicating the drill sound Chicago is internationally known for, Zay has talked about the challenge of carving out a different lane in the city's underground scene.

His 2026 output includes:

• YOU AND I
• FRENEMIES
• SHELL SHOCK
• 10 DOWN
• IN THE SCENE

That amount of activity is enough to get our attention.

The bigger question is what record ultimately defines the Zay Kyro sound.

CHI-RAP RADAR

Momentum Score: 7.4/10

Status: FEATURE / CONTACT

🎥 VIDEO WATCH

CHI-RAP could not yet verify an official YouTube video closely enough to embed without risking linking the wrong upload.

That's actually part of Artist Radar.

We're not going to manufacture a video just to fill space.

Zay — send CHI-RAP the official video you want Chicago to hear first.

📱 FOLLOW ZAY KYRO

Instagram: @zaykyro

🎤 LEOVISA

Chicago • Rapper / Producer

Leovisa immediately gets extra attention from CHI-RAP because he isn't only standing in front of the microphone.

He's producing too.

That matters.

Chicago hip-hop coverage frequently gives all the attention to the artist performing the song while ignoring the people actually constructing the sound.

Leovisa's SoundCloud catalog includes self-produced work, while “Ralph Lauren” arrived as a recent 2026 release.

That makes him exactly the type of artist we want Artist Radar to track.

CHI-RAP RADAR

Momentum Score: 7.2/10

Status: FEATURE / CONTACT

🎧 LISTEN

Leovisa's current material can be heard through his SoundCloud catalog.

🎥 VIDEO WATCH

We haven't verified a current official YouTube visual for Leovisa that we're comfortable embedding yet.

Leovisa — send CHI-RAP the official visual that best represents where your sound is going right now.

🔥 MONDOHARDY

Independent Hip-Hop / R&B

MondoHardy has one of the deeper catalogs in this edition of Artist Radar.

His 2026 project PARTYHARDY gives new listeners a full project to dig into instead of judging him from one song.

The catalog also includes the ForTheYouth collaboration “Living Product.”

Unlike some of the artists we're discovering at the earliest stage, MondoHardy already has an established YouTube Topic catalog, meaning listeners can find officially distributed music through YouTube's music system.

One song currently surfaced through that catalog is:

🎧 MONDOHARDY — “Hii-KEY”

From PARTYHARDY

CHI-RAP verified that the recording is distributed to YouTube through UnitedMasters.

CHI-RAP RADAR

Momentum Score: 6.9/10

Status: CONTACT

🎥 VIDEO / YOUTUBE

Search YouTube for:

MondoHardy — Hii-KEY

Also check the official MondoHardy - Topic catalog for more releases.

For now, we're linking the verified catalog rather than embedding an uncertain third-party upload.

🎹 ASHTON PERRY

Aurora, Illinois • Producer

Don't overlook the producer.

Aurora's Ashton Perry enters Artist Radar from the production side.

Current event information identifies Perry as an Aurora producer whose influences include Tyler, The Creator and Pi'erre Bourne.

That's enough to make us curious.

It isn't enough for CHI-RAP to pretend we already know exactly where he's headed.

And that's the difference between Artist Radar and hype.

CHI-RAP RADAR

Momentum Score: 6.5/10

Status: WATCH

We're looking for:

• Production credits
• Artist collaborations
• Beat tapes
• Official videos
• Upcoming releases
• Live production/DJ appearances

🎥 VIDEO WATCH

No official Ashton Perry video has been verified yet.

If you're Ashton or you've worked with him, send CHI-RAP an official production credit or release we should hear.

👀 WHO SHOULD CHI-RAP FEATURE FIRST?

That's where you come in.

Which artist from this Artist Radar deserves a complete CHI-RAP.COM feature?

🔥 ZAY KYRO
🔥 LEOVISA
🔥 MONDOHARDY
🔥 ASHTON PERRY

And if you're a Chicago rapper, singer, producer, poet or DJ building something we should know about:

PUT CHI-RAP ON IT.

Don't just send us follower counts.

Send:

🎵 Your strongest song
🎥 Your strongest official video
📸 One good promotional photo
📍 Your Chicago connection
📝 A short bio
🔥 What you're working on next