At age 15, Dikembe Caston, better known as Kembe X, decided to drop out of high school and pursue hip-hop.

After an argument with his father, the former De La Salle student shifted his focus to rhymes, with an understanding that time and concentration breeds success.

“I knew that if I focused on [rap], the way stuff works, if you work at it, you’ll get good at it,” said Kembe X, 18, a native of South Holland. “I figured if I worked at it then and took the four or five years necessary to develop , and I’ll be like 19 or 20 when it comes to fruition.” .

It was a chance for sure.

That chance began to pay off in 2011 when his debut mixtape, “Self Rule,” landed on the Forbes.com list of top free music for the year, placing above the likes of Frank Ocean and The Weeknd.

Since then, Kembe X has released a project with sometime partner Alex Wiley, “Can I Borrow a Dollar?” He was quiet in 2012, save for lending his voice to some local records.

While that success was well-deserved, it did put added pressure on the teen artist. “The pressure actually was like immediately after I dropped ‘Self Rule,’ and it was more so [about] people’s expectations,” he said. “The pressure was making me apprehensive with my writing. It just wore off because I wanted to make music.”

The product of his renewed efforts is the follow-up mixtape, “Soundtrack II Armageddon.” The project, released Monday, is a departure from the dark, interpersonal theme of his debut, and is the first in a multi-part series that will be released throughout 2013.

“This project, for me, is even more personal as far as the way that I think,” he said. “The way that I think has changed, I’m not in the same dark place. It’s the same subject but the view is just different.”

“Soundtrack II Armageddon” demonstrates the sort of growth one would hope to see from an artist his age, with lyrics that show a knack for subtle detail.

To help celebrate the release, Kembe X will join his good friend Alex Wiley for an all-ages “Club Wiley Appreciation Show” starting at 4 p.m. Feb. 9 at Reggie’. The show will be the second visit to Reggie’s in three weeks for Wiley, who impressed as the opening act for Action Bronson on Jan. 27.

If nothing else, the leap of faith seems to be working out.

“Last year, we wanted things to be big, but we knew it was kind of a set-up year,” he said. “This year is going to be really big, though, with everything we have coming out. I’m excited.”

Jake Krzeczowski is a local free-lance writer. Follow him on Twitter @jakekrez

January 29, 2013 8:20PM

Words By Jake Krzeczowski

 Photo: Allen Daniel

Video: Bryan Lamb

That trend doesn’t seem like it will ease up anytime soon, either.

For instance, local artist Rockie Fresh, who signed to Rick Ross’ Maybach Music Group last July, will join talented up-and-comer Chance the Rapper for an all-ages show Saturday at the Bottom Lounge to celebrate Rockie Fresh’s “Electric Highway” release, his first on a major label.

“The main difference with this project was that I had the resources to craft it the way I wanted to,” Rockie Fresh said. “It’s always real important for me to do stuff here in Chicago because this is where my true fans and true friends and family are, so I’m always glad to be back.”

Returning after shows in New York and Colorado, Rockie Fresh tapped 19-year-old wunderkind Chance the Rapper to join him onstage at the Bottom Lounge.

These two artists are increasingly becoming the face of the local hip-hop movement. Both recently played sold-out shows at Metro.

“I think me being considered at the forefront of all of this kind of makes sense,” Rockie Fresh said. “We all need different outlooks on different parts of the city, which makes Chicago so great because you have myself, Chance and Chief Keef all talking about the same city from different lights.”

The two artists’ styles differ from what has become the “norm” for Chicago hip-hop; they incorporate creative instrumentation and samples with thoughtful and sometimes poetic lyrics.

“Me and Rockie have known each other for a [while],” said Chance, whose “10 Day” debut mixtape was picked as one of the top 10 free music releases of 2012 by the site forbes.com. “Just to be in a class of artists that are young, mostly black, successful kids is dope to be a part of — there’s really a big fan base right now.”

All proceeds from the show will be donated to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation to help fund research on Type 1 diabetes.

“When we heard about the benefit side of the show, we were really excited because we haven’t played any benefits yet this year,” Chance said. “I have a cousin that suffers from juvenile diabetes and a lot of older relatives that have Type 2 or Type 1. It’s just always dope to give back in any situation.”

The Bottom Lounge show is shaping up to be a glimpse of what’s to come from the Windy City.

“Right now, me and Chance are both buzzing both in and out of the city and getting a lot of attention,” Rockie Fresh said. “I think it’s important for the unity of the city for us to do something together like this.”

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

Updated: January 23, 2013 2:06PM

In an age when a kid in a YouTube video can become a star overnight, Trampled by Turtles’ steady climb to popularity is a refreshing reminder of the days when artists were judged on the quality of their music.

In today’s music world, “making it” has become relative as the Internet and conglomeration of digital music have made it harder than ever to gauge the path for success.

If ticket sales still count, the folk/bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles, who play a sold out show Thursday at the Vic, may have found a measuring stick.

The band’s steady rise has been as much a surprise to the members as anyone else.

“So far. the tour has gone way past our expectation,” said Ryan Young, who plays the fiddle and lends back-up vocals. “Just about every show we’ve played has been sold out and some are selling out in advance, which is incredible. So far, so good.”

So good, indeed. The Duluth, Minn., band got its unusual name from a collaborative brainstorming session in which band members chose a moniker “they didn’t totally hate.”

That was in 2003. Since then, slow and steady has won the race for Trampled by Turtles by remaining consistent and knowing what fits the band’s sound.

The band really burst onto the national landscape with its 2010 release, “Palomino.”

“We just did the same thing, or didn’t do anything particularly different when ‘Palomino’ came out,” Young said. “That one did better than our previous work and we didn’t change much with our latest release, ‘Stars and Satellites,’ but that did even better than ‘Palomino.’ ”

With 2012 in the rearview, the band has no plans to stop any time soon, with festival dates peppering its schedule, with the Telluride Bluegrass Festival in Colorado on June 20-23 circled in particular.

If nothing else, Trampled by Turtles won’t be caught off-guard in front of the sold out crowd at the Vic.

“There’s a lot of good acoustic music acts out there that don’t get as much recognition as we do and I can’t really say why,” Young said. “I think it’s something in our songs that really resonates with people; we’re definitely excited to bring that to our fans in Chicago.”

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