Un Kasa “4 Ya Life” (Video)

Watch “4 Ya Life” by Un Kasa, a new video from the 1st & 15th label compilation, ‘Chill’s Spotlight 6: Underground’

1st & 15th founders Lupe Fiasco and business partner Charles “Chilly” Patton curated ‘Chill’s Spotlight 6’ to highlight underground lyricists, including Harlem rapper and Dipset affiliate Un Kasa

An evangelist for real hip-hop and one of the greatest lyricists in the genre’s history, Lupe Fiasco made it his mission to elevate lyricism with ‘Chill’s Spotlight 6: Underground’, the new compilation released by his label 1st & 15th.

Today, the label co-founded by Lupe and his close friend Charles “Chilly” Patton shines a spotlight on Un Kasa, and his new music video for “4 Ya Life”.

A well-respected battle rapper from Harlem, Un Kasa is known to NYC rap fans for his affiliation with The Diplomats, appearing on albums like ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ and ‘Purple Haze’.

An urgent warning to wack rappers worldwide, “4 Ya Life” is an incendiary throwback, challenging his opponents to back up their flex-heavy tough talk: “At the club, talkin’ bout your yacht and your wrist / That’s how you get shot in your ribs, and just get dropped off a bridge“.

In the video, Un Kasa stalks New York City rooftops, moving from his home neighborhood of Harlem to Flatbush in Brooklyn as he spits his verses with a fervent passion.

Earlier this month, Lupe and Chill dropped ‘Chill’s Spotlight 6: Underground’ spotlighting lesser-known artists with impressive pen games, as well as a remastered, previously-unreleased Lupe Fiasco song from the vault.

A vintage, propulsive soul-sampler, Lupe’s “Out There” points a critical eye towards the ways that the rap game interacts with the unsavory aspects of capitalism, ranging from the greed of big business to unsavory elements like the drug trade.

Beyond “Out There”, the 5-song ‘Chill’s Spotlight Vol. 6’ showcases some under-heralded talent, blessed with the Lupe & Chill seal of approval.

Pennsylvania rapper OT The Real attempts to spin straw into “Gold” on his soulful turn, while longtime Lupe mentee Billy Blue teaches the art of the hustle in “Forever Trappin”.

Together, the songs paint a soulful and lyrical portrait of the current moment, providing inspiration for those struggling in these difficult times.

‘Chill’s Spotlight 6’ follows in the wake of two single-artist spotlights: ‘Chill’s Spotlight 4’ featured music from Chicago house legend Vince Lawrence, including a house remix of Lupe’s “Wild Child”, and ‘Chill’s Spotlight 5’ featured contributions from Shayla G.

Last year, Lupe Fiasco re-emerged with ‘DRILL MUSIC IN ZION’, his first new studio album since 2017.

Beyond ‘DRILL MUSIC IN ZION’, 2022 was a massive year for the iconic Chicago rapper.

He celebrated the 15th anniversary of ‘Lupe Fiasco’s The Cool’, certified Platinum by the RIAA, and launched “LFT”, an NFT program that allows fans to get closer than ever to Lupe.

He blessed his fans with archival releases and loose singles, including the self-produced “100 Chicagos” and “Galveston“, an Apple Music exclusive created in observation of Juneteenth.

In the fall, Lupe started his position as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he teaches “Rap Theory and Practice”.

The rapper is currently teaching his second semester of the course, with plans to continue in the future.

Beyond music, Lupe continues to focus on the community organizations he founded, including We Are M.U.R.A.L, The Neighborhood Start-Up Fund, Society of Spoken Art, and his cross-cultural content venture, Studio SV.

‘DRILL MUSIC IN ZION‘ and ‘Chill’s Spotlight 6‘ are available everywhere via 1st & 15th/Thirty Tigers.

Stay tuned for more music and announcements from Lupe Fiasco, Charles “Chilly” Patton, and 1st & 15th as the label begins a new chapter.