Mr. Purps is having a moment right now. Critics and fans alike are gushing about his recently released iiiDrops album, and his industry buzz and intrigue is at an all time high. He’s set to headline Metro on Friday night, and today he covered Chicago’s Red Eye. Covered in cake at that.
Read the full cover story right here, and be sure to tell your opps “Let them eat cake.”
Listening to “iiiDrops,” the great new mixtape from Joey Purp, it’s clear he can rap circles around just about anybody—even his Savemoney compatriots Vic Mensa, Towkio and Chance the Rapper. “I don’t want it to be lost that I rap better than a lot of people but I still also want to be known as an artist,” the 22-year-old Near West Side resident born Joseph Davis explainsduring his RedEye interview at the Billy Goat Tavern. With the project’s 11 fantastic tracks, it’s also totally obvious that this is also a wholly comprehensive artistic statement—his best work to date. “But, all that shit aside,” Purp laughs, “if you put us all in front of one microphone with a beat …”