About two years ago while working on a feature for XXL on SaveMoney, a creative collective that has birthed Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Joey Purp and others, I remember talking to Joey Purp about the different places many of his friends found themselves professionally at the time. Speaking on those who had yet to release music in the form of a solo project, he touched on an interesting thought. He explained that while from the outside certain names may not have surfaced yet, they did so with an advantage, they hadn’t “put out anything they could be embarrassed or less than proud of.” Given the sense of branding that the Internet provides the contemporary world, KAMI has been allowed a somewhat similar fresh understanding from the world. While there are inklings of his previous self, such as his Twitter handle, KAMI has enjoyed a sort of newfound freedom in his art through the rebranding effort spurred on by his foray into a true solo act. Before he was just KAMI though, he was better known in hip-hop circles locally by his full adopted name, Kami De Chukwu. During the early days, KAMI became himself immersed in the scene of bubbling artistry that found somewhat of an epicenter at his alma mater, Whitney Young, where much of the early wave was cultivated.

That cauldron of creativity, combined with the limitless influence the Internet and burgeoning blogosphere provided offered an endless amount of possibilities for the young artist. Early visuals and photos of the SaveMoney collective find its members endlessly experimenting in self-expression that ranged from spoken word poetry to forward-thinking asiatic fashion wares. In many ways, KAMI found himself surrounded on all sides by a restless spirit of creativity that often realized itself in a myriad of singles, videos, events and parties that together formed the framework of the wild, cross-city collaboration that would come to dictate the particular segment he found himself in the midst of, and eventually the city at-large. While it’s certainly true that collective creation and group-think help in the progression of art and expression, it can also hamper it at times if one’s own internal constitution has not yet been firmly established. In many ways, that understanding has dictated which of SaveMoney members popped out to the public at large. For KAMI though, the sorting process was one that took some time. Finding himself amongst an obviously talented group of friends, he wanted to try anything; a sentiment that was reflected in his name choice at the time, Kami De Chukwu.

“It was a simple thing. It was taking something that wasn’t wholly accessible and making it accessible through art,” said KAMI. “Like my name is Kene, it’s a four-letter name and its to the point. When I was doing Kami De Chuwku stuff I wanted to rap like MF Doom one minute, like Keef, or anybody, that part was me wanting to do everything, it even jumps around from Japanese to French words to African words, it was just too much after a certain point.”

The name itself is both a nod to his familial ties, a pronouncement of his thoughts and interests at a particular time and a stylistic choice that set him apart from the rest of the group. It’s a mouthful that’s not soon forgettable. During the early days of the current wave, which has counted the likes of Chance, Mick Jenkins, NoName, Saba and more, many bloggers only vaguely familiar with the guys would describe them as “Vic, Chance and that Kami De Chukwu guy,” often butchering the pronunciation in the process. A deeply thoughtful, understanding individual with a grin that can disarm the most defensive of Chicagoans, his initial namesake was a furtherance of the range of influences the then-teenager found directly in his periphery.

As his school days ended and the world began to open up a bit more, he started finding varied interests in the arts and understanding of practices like the chakra. Subsequently, his time under the moniker often reads like an evolutionary tale, his time in the cocoon. While the early days served to center and build the foundation from which he would maneuver, the years following would see the the manifestation of it.

“If you remember correctly 2012 era I put out a mixtape called Light, a long time ago. And I had a similar mindset because people don’t really change but I didn’t have the experience, said KAMI. “So what was happening was I’m watching Vic real closely, Vic’s giving me advice. I watched Chance real closely and I learned from that but it’s weird because I was probably the first one out of Joey, Towkio and everybody to start making music to be like ‘oh I really want to do this.’ Like we had to convince Joey like ‘Joey you’re so good at rapping stop tweaking.”