Her music mirrors that mentality and largely reflects her life.

With acts like Chief Keef and Lil’ Reese bringing the hip-hop spotlight to Chicago, the city has become known for a style of rapping known as “drill.” The subgenre, which is rife with sputtering snares, uptempo rhymes and the sounds of gunshots in the background, has been largely dominated by men.

Enter Sasha Go Hard. At first glance. the petite 20-year-old Hyde Park native may not look like she fits the part of a “drill rapper,” but her disarming smile offsets a gritty demeanor..

While many have benefitted from the spotlight focused on the city, Sasha Go Hard has managed to build her name elsewhere on the strength of a well-received performance at the 2012 MTV Sucker Free Chicago event, where she showcased her mixtape “Do You Know Who I Am?” That led to a set at the CMJ Music Marathon in New York City in October. She will perform Friday at the Hotel Victor Lounge.

“I’ve really been able to build a solid following out East, and it’s always so much fun to go to New York,” she said. “It’s crazy, though, because every time I leave Chicago, it’s just so good to come back and feel the love.”

As one of only a few female hip-hop artists to emerge from Chicago with a national following, Sasha Go Hard is also blazing a trail for young women like herself to pursue their artistic dreams.

“Every day I think about it, I feel really blessed because I’m not the only one who’s doing this but I’m getting the attention I deserve,” she said. “It’s just me being who I am, which I think shows others out there that it is possible to be successful in hip-hop as woman.”

Last year was big for Sasha Go Hard, with two critically acclaimed mixtapes, as well as co-signs from the likes of Azealia Banks, Trinidad James and Rockie Fresh, and a collaboration with Electronic guru Diplo.

She is now preparing to drop her latest project, “Round 3,” in February. The project features production from Absolut P, Block, Diplo and Chicago’s own Tony Roche, and is hosted by fellow local DJ Victoriouz.

If the past year is any indication, Sasha Go Hard doesn’t look to soften her approach any time soon.

“One thing in music I’ve learned so far is that you can be on and then off very quickly, so I just want to make sure the music I put out is consistent,” she said. “‘Round 3’ is going to be crazy, and I’m excited to have people rocking with me. I’m ready.”

Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @jakekrez.

That he’s best known as Chicago hip-hop artist ShowYouSuck is beside the point. A former student at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Sandifer, 27, is evolving into a new-age renaissance man by finding many ways to bring his voice to a larger audience.

Along with his music career, he also helps run a tattoo shop, Code of Conduct, and an art gallery, Artpentry, both in Pilsen. Along with all that, he is also the face behind his own fashion label, Slurpcult. It’s all part of a dynamic persona that Sandifer projects to the world.

“I want you to be a fan of me before the music, the relationship is stronger that way,” he said. “If this messed up tomorrow, I can go back to working at a skate shop or art gallery. It allows me to make my music freely, there’s no desperation, music isn’t my last resort.”

To celebrate the release of the final part of his trilogy “One Man Pizza Party” titled “Rest in Pizza,” he will perform Saturday with Chicago-based artists St. Millie and Warhound at the Bottom Lounge.

The lineup reflects the album, which features a blend of hip-hop and rock. To be sure, Warhound and St. Millie are widely different acts. The former is a suburban hardcore rock quintet while the latter is part of the Treated Crew hip-hop collective (along with ShowYouSuck), who delivers thoughtful, poetic lyrics.

As Sandifer explains it, the way the show is set up mirrors the way he began his career performing in and around

Chicago.

“I started out playing hardcore shows with bands in the suburbs,” he said. “That was the first scene that really embraced me musically, and I’ve only really been doing shows with rappers for the past couple of years. I wanted to put together a show that I would have wanted to see when I was a teenager, I never had a chance to see a show like this before.”

His music draws on many influences, from punk and indie rock to soul. All are easily seen in his high-energy live act.

“A lot of my stage presence I got from watching other bands play,” he said. “People who are into different music don’t always mix together, and that’s what I want to do with this lineup.”

He’s ready to put his three-part, yearlong project to bed and continue to follow a path of creative freedom and genre-bending that has vaulted him to the forefront of Chicago hip-hop.

“I’m just really working freely right now,” he said. “Just recording and getting in with a lot of different producers and people, but I’m really happy with the way this project was received and excited to keep it going.”

Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter: @jakekrez

It was a little over a year ago that Chance the Rapper got suspended from school.

The self-professed troublemaker received a 10-day suspension from Jones College Prep after several run-ins with officials.

Viewing the suspension as an opportunity, Chance headed directly to the studio to work on his debut mixtape, “10 Day,” an ode to his suspension.

Because he had dreamed of becoming a performer someday, he joined the high school slam poetry team and released occasional mixtapes with a group of friends under the name Instrumentality. But it wasn’t until he was sent home from school during his senior year that he got really serious about his craft. Continue reading By Chance — Meet the next generation of Chicago hip-hop →

Updated: November 16, 2012 7:54PM

Since vaulting to fame on the strength his 2009 hit single “I Love College,” Philadelphia artist Asher Roth finally feels as if he has found his place in the hip-hop world.

Explaining the environment as “similar to high school,” Roth, who performs Monday at Reggie’s Rock Club, feels comfortable inChicago. “It’s got East Coast tendencies with a relaxed West Coast vibe, while not losing that Midwest feel,” he said. “It’s kind of like this all-knowing, all-seeing eye that is Chicago.”

This year has been a watershed one for Chicago hip-hop music. With the rise of acts like Chief Keef, Rockie Fresh and King Louie, combined with a steady and restless underground scene, the Windy City has found itself popular with rap enthusiasts looking for the next big thing.

Before the spotlight found its way to Chicago, though, Roth championed several local acts who have gone on to monster success.

To be sure, Roth has had a bit of a backward rise through the ranks. Today, the norm often sees an artist release several free mix tapes online before finding fame on the big stage. Roth, though, hit it big off the bat but then slipped a bit.

After a disappointing major-label release (“Asleep in the Bread Aisle”), Roth sought “to build a foundation” in order to build credibility and a genuine sound.

“For the past few years, I’ve had to go back and fill in that foundation,” he said. “I believe in foundations; I always believe in wanting people to know what I stand for, that I’m not just a product.”

While looking for new sounds, Roth found himself drawn to the Midwest’s soulful, highly instrumental vibe. That search eventually paired him with the genre-bending Chicago-based band Kids These Days.

Roth then featured Kids These Days on his 2011 “Pabst and Jazz” mix tape. Several members lent a hand throughout, including trumpeter extraordinaire Nico Segal, who always injects a healthy dose of soul.

Roth has been sharing dates with the band on his “Fall Clashic” tour. “I was introduced to Kids These Days through a mutual friend; we remixed ‘Hard Times,’ and just rocked it from there,” Roth said. “The fact that we’re doing shows with them is great; people who don’t know them are in for a surprise.”

Also featured on the tape are his close friend Chuck Inglish of the Cool Kids, Rockie Fresh and production from local duo Blended Babies. The result is a project that’s Chicago to its core.

For now, the 27-year-old Roth takes solace in finding his place in the grand scheme of things: making music that might not top the charts but satisfies a uniquely creative spirit.

“People know who I am, they know what I stand for: progress of the sound, being a facilitator for people that we like,” Roth said. “I’m in a comfort zone now, I feel like I’ve carved out my niche in all this.”

With so many local contacts, Roth looks forward to returning to one of his favorite cities.

“There’s a lot going on in Chicago right now; the city has the ability to stay relevant in sound and push it forward,” he said. “I’m just excited to be back at Reggie’s to be a small part of it.”

Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer.