Round Up • New Releases From BJ the Chicago Kid, Chris Cap, Njomza, and More

Photo by Rene Marban

Each week the These Days staff comes across great music from Chicago artists that we could not provide individual features for. In an effort to keep our readers up to date with more of our recent favorites, the Round Up segment provides quick summaries and additional noteworthy content. Check out our latest picks below and feel free to submit a comment if you feel we missed something. 


Bobby Hagens (Ft. BJ The Chicago Kid) • "Lost Wild"

Maryland native Bobby Hagens teams up with home town favorite BJ The Chicago Kid for "Lost Wild". The 23 year old emcee belts out honest bars with BJ The Chicago Kid is on hook duty, and he's confirmed yet again that he's one of the most consistent voices in Chicago right now. From solo work to his collaborations, BJ has been on fire lately and the Motown backed In My Mind is still waiting in the wings with a February 19th delivery date. Give "Lost Wild" a spin and look out for more from our new neighbor Bobby Hagens in the future as well.


Chris Cap (Ft. Jeremih) • "U Got It"

Following a string of strong singles and the good but slept on Fallen Summer that Chris Cap released over the summer, the Chicago native returns and he does it in grand fashion with this Jeremih assisted anthem. While this is the first we've heard from Chris in a while, that is not the case for Jeremih. Flexing with some high profile features and the release of the long awaited Late Nights the album, the crooner couldn't be hotter. Setting the bar high, Chris has made a memorable entrance back into the game. What's coming next?!


Njomza • "Move to Your Beat"

Njomza continues with her streak of high bass and high energy singles with "Move To Your Beat". Produced by 1st of Fki, this song is a follow-up to the Halloween special "Creatures of the Night", which features production from Mac Miller (as Larry Fisherman) and a verse from Mac Miller (as Delusional Thomas). "Move To Your Beat" is a bit more electronica than hip-hop, but it works well here, as Njomza's vocals properly contrast a stellar instrumental from 1st of Fki. 


New Kingz (Ft. Krave) • "Intentionz"

Although they've been a duo since 2014, New Kingz (made up of friends Luke and Eli) didn't release their debut EP, The Natives, until last fall. Two months ago, the Chicago duo released the song "Yessir" with producer Glassic. This week, the group is back with Glassic for more. "Intentionz" highlights the producer's strong instrumentation while duo New Kingz and guest Krave run wild on the track. With the emoji iMessage artwork, the song highlights mixed messages, intentions, and, yes, pimpin'. 


Jayaire Woods • "D Fish Freestyle"

Three months ago Jayaire dropped trees42morrow, now the Chicago native is the newest member of QC, the Atlanta label behind the Migos, OG Maco, Rich The Kid and others. We've yet to see a product of that relationship, but it's on the way soon. In fact, "D Fish Freestyle" is the first single from Severe, Jayaire's sophomore project that drops tomorrow! Check back here later for the Severe in its entirety Friday, but get started with the "D Fish Freestyle".


Ohana Bam • "Too In The Way"

For week four in Ohana Bam's #TreeUpTuesdays, the Chicago native links with producer Charles Lauste for "Too In The Way". Bam and Charles (formerly known as DJ Chi) are no stranger with one another, in fact they have quite the history working together and it goes all the way back to the beginning. The chemistry of a seasoned relationship is obvious, as Bam gracefully skates over production that starts with over a minute of exclusively percussion. Take a listen if that's your thing, but if not get out of Bam's way, he's showing no sign of letting up.