“I never thought I’d be rocking arenas!” says Chicago’s own DJ Geno.
Starting out primarily as a club DJ, Geno has managed to take his career to heights unparalleled by others. Not many can say they were among the first to put out all Chicago artist’s mixtapes in the 90’s (Residential Anger and Papeon’s Revenge). Not many can say they’ve come up in the ranks with and are well-respected by industry heavyweights like No ID and John Monopoly. And surely there are less than a handful of DJ’s that can say they’ve been able to tour with the likes of Shawnna, GLC, Ludacris and Kanye West.
Since touring the world with Kanye on the Glow In The Dark tour, DJ Geno has gone on to manage a staple of artists and A&R projects on major labels such as Def Jam and EMI. Maintaining his status as a go-to-guy and trendsetter in not only Chicago, but throughout the world, Geno continues to put it down for and rep Chicago to the fullest.
Here are DJ Geno’s five selections.
1. Kam – “Killa Kam”
This is one of the hottest songs on the streets right now. And I really love the way the ladies dance to it. They lose their minds!
2. Paypa Feat. Tree – “Skyline”
I first caught this on FakeShoreDrive (Shout out to Andrew and FSD by the way!) and really dug his bigging-up Chicago’s skyline. It really is one of the best in the world.
3. Justin Bieber Feat. Chance The Rapper – “Confident”
I’m going to keep it 100 here. I really only like Chance’s verse on this. I’m not a Bieber fan at all, but the look for Chance is undeniable. I don’t have to dig Bieber’s music to know this is a good look for Chance and helping to spread the word about him to a huge audience.
4. The Boy Illinois – “Jean Baptiste”
He’s really just a dope artist. He really gives you a look at some of the variety that’s coming out of Chicago.
5. Tree – “Like Whoa”
I came across Tree’s project on Complex’s blog. I downloaded it immediately. I really feel like he might be the next artist from Chicago to blow.
