Chief Keef, also known as “Sosa,” is a famous American singer, rapper, songwriter, and record producer.
He rose to prominence in the early 2010s with the release of “I Don’t Like.” The song became a hit in the country as it reached the Billboard Rap Top 20 and was eventually remixed by Kanye West.
Chief Keef has made a huge impact on rap music. A lot of hip-hop heads and rappers give props to Chief Keef for pioneering sub-genres of rap music such as drill and mumble rap.
He got the name “Sosa” from the Scarface movie. Although Keef struggled with several financial and legal problems as a musician, he still has a net worth of $3 million. This post looks into the details of the life, career, biography, and other details of the rapper.
| Full Name | Keith Farrell Cozart |
| Stage Name | Chief Keef |
| Place of Birth | Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Date of Birth | August 15, 1995 |
| Age | 28 Years (2023) |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 1.83m (6′ 0″) |
| Weight | 76 kg (167 lbs) |
| Education | Dulles Elementary School, Banner School |
| Profession | Rapper, Songwriter, Singer, and Record Producer |
| Mother | Lolita Carter |
| Grandmother | Margaret Louise Carter |
| Children | Krüe Karter Cozart, Kimora Sosha Cozart, Sno Cozart, Kayden Kash Cozart |
| Net Worth | $3 Million |
Early Life and Biography
Keith Farrell Cozart was born on August 15, 1995, to a 16-year-old mother in Chicago, Illinois. Lolita Carter, his young mother raised and groomed him on the South Side of Chicago and they lived in a low-income apartment identified as “O-Block.”
Chief Keef began reciting rap songs from popular artists and writing his own raps at age 5. His maternal grandmother, Margaret Louise Carter allowed him to use her karaoke machine to record his raps in cassette tapes.
Cozart went to Dulles Elementary School and later, he enrolled at Banner School but didn’t complete his high school education. Chief Keef dropped out of high school at the age of 15 and soon became a member of a local gang known as Black Disciples.
He made the life decision to pursue a career in rap music as a teenager. Chief Keef took a professional career in music as he put out several tracks and mixtapes.
Career
Chief Keef took the rap game by storm as a teenager. The entire Chicago Southern community was captivated by his mixtapes. He formed a record label Glory Boyz Entertainment, which is now known as Glo Gang.
As a 15-year-old rapper, Chief Keef’s music started gaining momentum when he released mixtapes such as “The Glory Road” and “Bang.” He was involved in many legal issues, which had him placed under house arrest for 30 days.
Then, he opened a YouTube account, where he uploaded his tracks. One of the tracks he uploaded ‘I Don’t Like‘ became his breakthrough single and eventually became a major hit.
The song helped develop a sub-genre of rap, which is known today as “Drill.” Also, the song was a huge boost in his career as it helped him collaborate with bigger stars.
His chart-topping song “I Don’t Like” caught the attention of Kanye West, who couldn’t hesitate but to jump on it. Keef’s fame increased when Kanye West made a remix of his song “I Don’t Like” featuring Big Sean, Jadakiss, and Pusha T.
The success of the single and his rising fame had several record labels scrambling for his signature. Keef was offered several record deals but he chose to sign a contract with Interscope Records, where he released his debut studio album titled “Finally Rich.”
The deal allowed him to work with several A-list and high-profile artists including the ones under Interscope Records. In 2012, his song “Love Sosa” became a major hit. His mixtape titled “Bang, Pt.2” was on his 18th birthday but the project failed and didn’t live up to the hype.
The next year, he released “Hold My Liquor” featuring Kanye West and dropped some mixtapes, one of which is titled “Almighty So,” which had the hit track “Nice“.
In June 2013, Chief Keef put pen to paper to sign a mouthwatering record deal with Interscope Records. It was a deal worth over $6 million (before taxes, legal fees, manager fees, and other miscellaneous expenses), which will see him release three studio albums with the label.
Upon getting signed to the label, Chief Keef was given a $440,000 advance along with $300,000 to cover production fees and recording expenses for his first album ‘Finally Rich.’
Chief Keef also received a $180,000 advance for his record label company, Glory Boyz Entertainment, and an additional $200,000 to cover its overhead expenses.
However, there was a clause in the contract that allowed Interscope Records to terminate the deal if Chief Keef’s album “Finally Rich” failed to sell at least 250,000 units at the end of December 2013.
Sadly, the album sold around 150,000 copies, and in mid-October 2014, he was dropped by the label. Despite not being under the label, Interscope Records released “Sosa” in 2014, which raised eyebrows and was heavily criticized by many.
After leaving Interscope Records, Chief Keef became an independent artist, releasing his singles and projects on his company Glo Gang. In 2014, he released projects such as Nobody, Back from the Dead 2, and Big Gucci Sosa.
Chief Keef has released more mixtapes, EPs, and studio albums after his exit from Interscope, and he self-produced most of the songs in his projects. He announced a partnership deal with RBC Records and BMG Rights Management to form a record label, 43B.
Chief Keef’s discography consists of 5 studio albums, 4 EPs, 38 mixtapes, and several singles. Some of his albums and studio projects include:
- The Glory Road [with DJ Kenn] (released in 2011)
- Bang (2011).
- Back from the Dead (2012).
- For Greater Glory Vol. 1 (2012).
- For Greater Glory Vol. 2 (2012).
- For Greater Glory Vol. 2.5 (2012).
- Finally Rich (2012).
- Bang, Pt. 2 (2013).
- For Greater Glory Vol. 3 (2013).
- Almighty So (2013).
- Back from the Dead 2 (2014).
- Nobody [with 12 Million] (released in 2014).
- Big Gucci Sosa [with Gucci Mane] (released in 2014).
- Bang 3 (2015).
- Bang 3, Pt. 2 (2015).
- Sorry 4 the Weight (2015).
- Almighty DP [with DP Beats] (released in 2015).
- The Leek Vol. 1 (released in 2015).
- The Leek Vol. 2 (released in 2015).
- Almighty DP 2 [with DP Beats] (released in 2015).
- Finally Rollin 2 (2015).
- The Leek Vol. 3 (2015).
- Nobody [with 12 Million] (released in 2015).
- Chieffing Again (2016).
- Camp GloTiggy [with Zaytoven] (released in 2016).
- Dedication (2017).
- Two Zero One Seven (2017).
- Thot Breaker (2017).
- The W (2017).
- Cook Sosa [with Cook LaFlare] (released in 2017).
- The Leek 4 (2018)
- Ottopsy (2018).
- Trap Symphony EP (2018).
- The Leek Vol. 5 (2018).
- The Glo Files Pt. 1 (2018).
- The Glo Files Pt. 2 (2018).
- Mansion Musick (2018).
- The Cozart (2018).
- Back from the Dead 3 (2018).
- The Leek Vol. 6 (2018).
- The Leek Vol. 7 (2019).
- GloToven [with Zaytoven] (released in 2019).
- The Leek Vol. 8 (2019).
- The Glo Files Pt. 3 (2019).
- The Glo Files Pt. 4 (2020).
- Extra GLO (2020).
- 4NEM (2021).
Chef Keef has worked with many top American music artists, including the likes of Wale, Migos, Lil Pump, Pusha T, 50 Cent, Kanye West, Big Sean, Wiz Khalifa, Mike Will Made It, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Jadakiss, Lil Gnar, Young Chop, Lil Reese, Gucci Made, Riff Raff, Gradur, Matt Ox, Robb Banks, Tyga, Gucci Mane, Young Dolph, B.o.B, Yung Fresh, Ski Mask the Slump God, Fredo Santana, SD, Swae Lee, Travis Scott, Soulja Boy, Future, Mac Miller, Playboi Carti, Rae Sremmurd, Trippie Redd and many others.
Chief Keef’s career hasn’t been free from notoriety. He was involved in a shooting incident that claimed the life of a 13-month-old child and one of his associates Marvin Carr.
After the incident, he took a stance against gang violence by holding a free benefit music concert in honor of the deceased Marvin Carr.
Due to the agitations and warrants for his arrest, Keef performed at the concert via hologram. However, the police were cautious and had to shut down the generator powering the hologram out of fear the event would provoke further violence from the people.
Over the next years, Chef Keef released mixtapes and tracks. He announced he was retiring in 2015 but had a change of heart as he worked with several music artists. In 2019, he produced “Chrome Heart Tags” for Lil Uzi Vert. He released four music projects in the same year.
Later, he went on a break and returned with a studio album “4NEM” in 2021.
READ MORE:
Controversies and Legal Issues
Chief Keef is a notorious rapper who has been involved in several controversies since his adolescent period. At 16, he was charged with heroin manufacturing and distribution. Since he was a minor and not a full adult at the time, he was given a lighter punishment and was placed under house arrest.
In the same year the incident happened, he pointed a handgun at several police officers outside his home. The police officers chased him while shooting at him. He could have been hit but narrowly escaped death.
Eventually, the police officers caught him and dispossessed him of the handgun. Then, he was charged with unlawful use of a weapon and assaulting a police officer with a firearm. Again, he was sentenced to house arrest.
The next year, Chief Keef was linked to the death of a fellow rapper Joseph Coleman, who uses the stage name “Lil’ JoJo.” He was accused of paying an assassin to murder the Eaglewood resident.
Consequently, an investigation was done to verify if he had a hand in the murder of Lil’ JoJo and it was discovered that Chief Keef had violated his parole by visiting a shooting range and using a firearm. In 2013, a verdict was passed and he was sentenced to 2 months in juvenile detention.
Still, in 2013, a promotional company sued him for $75,000 after failing to appear for a show scheduled to be held in London, United Kingdom. He ignored the lawsuit as though nothing happened. Afterwards, he was ordered to pay $230,000 to the promotional company in damages by a law court.
For the rest of the year and his career, he had several legal issues around his neck. He has been arrested for violating parole, overspeeding, and smoking marijuana in public, and sometimes, driving under the influence of the drug.
In 2017, he was arrested again for allegedly assaulting and robbing a music producer Ramsay Tha Great. He was unable to steer his career in the right direction as he missed more concerts and shows he was paid to attend.
Keef also struggled with several child support claims in court. It is reported he has over nine children from different women and in some cases, a DNA test was conducted to ascertain the paternity of the child.
Chief Keef failed to appear in court on an occasion in one of the child support cases and subsequently, a warrant for made for his arrest. Another controversy the rapper was involved in is allegedly naming one of his songs “FilmOn Dot Come” to promote an incoming studio album and his record label.
Sadly, some of Chief Keef’s family members and close associates have been murdered due to the controversies around his career. His stepbrother and cousin are casualties of gang violence.
Real Estate
Chief Keef’s controversial and violent lifestyle has seen him evicted from many properties he rented. He rented a 5,600-square-foot property in Highland Park, Los Angeles, and is obliged to pay a rental fee of $11,000 every month.
However, he fell behind and couldn’t keep up with the rent. It reportedly owned more than $30,000 in unpaid rent and eventually, he was evicted.
Also, his neighbors expressed concerns over his use of firearms in the backyard and the large number of visitors he had on his property. He had new faces visiting his house frequently and neighbors became concerned seeing strange faces each day.
Now, he is a proud owner of a property on Star Island, which costs millions of dollars. The mansion features eye-catching facilities such as a jacuzzi, a swimming pool, several bedrooms, a fully furnished kitchen, a fully equipped home gym, and others.
Keef also purchased houses for his grandmother and mother in the past.
Chief Keef’s Net Worth
Chief Keef’s income is generated from several sources including song collaborations, films, streaming royalties, concerts, show performances, beat sales, and more.
The rapper has a huge influence online and has millions of followers across his social media pages. Chief Keef’s net worth is estimated to be around $2 to $3 million.
Chief Keef is a lavish spender who uses his money to fund his extravagant lifestyle. He flies in a private jet, which can be costly to use, and owns many expensive Jordan sneakers and footwear in his shoe collection.
Also, Keef is a lover of cars, especially sports cars. Some of the expensive cars Chief Keef owns include a Bentley Roadster, Q7 Audi, Lamborghini, Ferrari 458 Spider, the hybrid electric BMW i8, and many others.