Anyone old enough to remember the urban music scene in the 1990s will recall that very little attention was given to the artists hailing from the middle of the country. Creative marketing and nonstop publicity fueled the rap battle between the coasts, leaving many remarkable midwest names from receiving the type of critical acclaim that many believe was owed to them.

Thankfully, the 2000s ushered in a new era for hip-hop, and ever since, Chicago has been recognized for delivering hitmaker-after-hitmaker, each with their own style entirely unique to themselves. From Kanye West and Lupe Fiasco, to Chief Keef and Chance The Rapper, I can think of no other city in the country boasting such a diverse group of artists in the same genre, and today we add another potential headliner to that list.

Taylor Bennett is a seventeen-year-old windy city native with a gift for wordplay that falls somewhere between the likes of Childish Gambino, Chance The Rapper, and Lupe Fiasco. To be fair, Chance (The Rapper) is his brother. His instrumentals are complex musical offerings that range in influence from rock to rap, but at the core of it all lies a youthful understanding of pop music and how to connect with people. I only stumbled across his talent a few short weeks ago when a new song titled “Heartbreaker” found its way into my inbox, but having now seen his recently released video I knew the time was right to share him with all of you.

With lines about hope and loss, “Heartbreaker” continues Bennett’s streak for creatively penned tracks while also serving as the perfect introductory track for the uninitiated. His talent is on full display throughout the song, as is a side of his emotions people can relate and connect with, and the combination of those two elements blended with the track’s repetitive hook creates a hypnotic track you won’t soon forget. You can view the official video below.

Trends in urban music change so quickly these days it can be hard to find an aspiring talent that has the potential to survive the industry’s often turbulent waters, but I am convinced Taylor Bennett is onto something big with his latest material. “Heartbreaker” is available for free right now through Soundcloud and will soon appear on Bennett’s new mixtape, Mainstream Music, which is due out at the beginning of the new year. If you absolute must have more music from him now however, click here to download his most recent mixtape from his official website.

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James Shotwell

James Shotwell is the founder of Under The Gun Review. He loves writing about music and movies almost as much as he loves his two fat cats. He's also the co-founder of Antique Records and the Marketing Coordinator for Haulix. You should probably follow him on Twitter.

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