Remembering Chris Chicago
The pioneer of Christian hip hop radio will be missed.
We, here at FiveTwenty and across the CHH community, were saddened to hear of the passing of our brother in Christ, Chris Chicago.
Chris was truly a living legend. He was a pioneer in the world of Christian rap radio and opened many doors for media such as FiveTwenty to follow after him.
From his work with Jam the Hype, NGEN radio, and Rapzilla to his founding of Soflow Radio, Chris had a heart to see the CHH space grow and reach an ever greater audience with the Gospel.
“Jesus has saved my life over and over. Like my favorite verse, Romans 8:28 says, He has worked all things for my good throughout my entire life, even in very dark times. He has used music to speak to me all my life, and I am so humbled to have the opportunity to share His love with you all through music!” - Chris Chicago
Chris had been battling Stage IV cancer for some time, even traveling to Mexico earlier this year looking for treatment options.
Even facing adversity, Chris never ceased praising God through the storm, posting about his journey and faith on social media. As to who he was as a man, there are no better words than his own...
“My hidden talents are singing the National Anthem opera style, spouting off useless professional wrestling facts going back decades, entertaining my kids with endless made-up games, navigating Disney theme parks like it’s my job, and I am also pretty great at cooking, especially Indian food (at least that’s what my wife says)!”
Support the family of Chris Chicago…
In 2022, Chris announced the launch of Soflow Radio. It was a vision that would push the current limits of the CHH genre.
Soflow was, and is a Christian rap station; no worship, pop, or Contemporary Christian music in the mix. Chris created a station for all the heads.
The flagship show, The Chris Chicago and Lil Ang Show, kicked off each weekday with the duo’s energetic banter, humor, and love of the CHH genre. As Angela MacMurray, aka Lil Ang, stated,
“Getting to be reunited (the two worked together at NGEN Radio previously) with one of my best friends and favorite collaborators as part of his brand new station has been a dream many years in the making. A station like Soflow Radio is so needed - it’s honest, faith-filled hip hop curated by one of Christian hip hop’s foremost personalities.”
Soflow Radio continues to push the boundaries for CHH and FiveTwenty gives our full support as they move forward in the wake of the passing of their founder.
Chris was one of the first people we interviewed when we began our podcast.
Having him on the show has always been one of my favorite moments over the past six years that we’ve been talking with people. He was on our third episode when we were truly nobodies (not much has changed there), yet he still agreed to hop on a call and chop it up with us.
He came in with an energy that was truly infectious and incredibly inspiring at the same time. I’m not going to lie, being on the phone that first time was a bit intimidating as well, being a new show and talking with someone who had helped lay the foundation we were attempting to build on. But by the end of our conversation, he instilled a confidence that we needed as we went forward.
Simply having an opportunity to reminisce about the late 90s to early 2000s CHH with Chris is a moment that I’ll always cherish.
*Chris Chicago interview begins at 31:43.
Condolences from around CHH
“A pioneer, a living legend in the CHH space was Chris Chicago. He loved Jesus and Christian hip-hop. He always made the artist feel comfortable in interviews. His smile would brighten up a room. He was a man who loved the Lord, his wife, his children, and CHH. He will be truly missed.” - DJ Jeremaya of Trackstarz
“Chris was truly essential to our space of CHH! A man of many talents and hats. Had numerous conversations on socials with him and always a light! He fought and ran his race. RIP Chris 🕊️ Prayers for his wife and family.” - JusJames, Elevate Life Radio
“Chris is an inspiration and we are going to do our best to honor his legacy, with what we do as a part of Christian culture media, moving forward. I’m thankful we got the opportunity to meet him and our prayers are with his family.” - Eric N. Boston, FiveTwenty Colletive
