Lil Zay Osama launches YN TAPE, a 15-track project featuring emerging Chicago drill artists Pretty Liyah, Fastmoney Ant and Star Bandz.
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Lil Zay Osama released his new project YN TAPE on December 19, bringing together Chicago’s emerging drill artists to create a 15-track album that showcases the city’s next generation.
The Chicago rapper explained his vision for the project to AllHipHop.
“The YN tapes are actually me going back to my younger self, bringing back the drill style: hard beats, dark sounds and street rap,” he told AllHipHop. “But it’s also about bringing awareness to Chicago’s young artists and new generation of artists to people who don’t know them. I just want to see Chicago overcome everything and come together, and hopefully this tape will do that!”
The album features collaborations with rising Chicago stars including Pretty Liyah, Fastmoney Ant and Star Bandz. Lil Zay Osama also brought in artists from other cities, such as OT7 Quanny and YTB Fatt, to round out the project.
When discussing his collaborator selection process, the rapper was very direct about his choices.
“I chose these specific people because of artists like Pretty Liyah, Fastmoney Ant, Star Bandz — they’re all from Chicago. They’re newer people in music that I love,” he explains.
He mentioned plans for additional features in the deluxe edition and said he wanted to focus on younger artists with whom he has a genuine connection.
The release comes amid the rising profile of Lil Zay Osama, who recently made headlines for expressing support for a Chicago mother and son who were attacked by a group of students.
The rapper offered to fly them to Los Angeles for dinner and Christmas shopping.
The YN TAPE tracklist includes standout collaborations like “YN’S” with YTB Fatt, “Turnt” with Star Bandz, and “Hood B****es” with Fastmoney Ant.
The project ends with the original version and a remix of “Dog S**t Records” featuring OT7 Quanny.
