This feels weird to say, but Your Stepdad could be your next favorite rapper. The Chicago artist has used TikTok flawlessly, amassing over 100,000 followers on the platform and regularly rakes in six-digit view counts while teasing snippets. 2021 song “2muchfaith” caught my attention, but his latest single “Bad Habits,” featuring “Playboy” rapper Jx.Zero, really solidifies Your Stepdad as a person of interest in the rap game.
“Bad Habits” opens celestially, with a violin and fluttering keys in the intro. Yet before we know it, Your Stepdad is all over this beat like Patrick Beverly on defense. When the bass drops, he’s fully locked in, switching up flows like blades on a Swiss Army knife. At around 0:42, his quick bursts of bars and laid-back delivery call to mind fellow Chicago rapper Hatesonny.
“Bad Habits” is the latest drop in a packed April for the Chicago rapper. The first week of the month saw Stepdad release an energetic collaborative EP with Ace_santana02 that called to mind the scam rap flows of artists like Teejayx6. On 4/20, Stepdad released his first full-length of the year called Grace Period¡ and just two days later, he’s back with this track.
Your Stepdad is pushing hip-hop forward in exciting ways and labels should be taking note that he knows how to develop a following. In all likelihood, he’ll have even more heat on the way before “Bad Habits” gets old.