Lil Zay Osama makes visceral and heartfelt music that examines the violence of his home community and the lasting pain that it causes. Today, the Chicago native shares Trench Baby 3, a new mixtape designed to speak to and for those struggling to escape rough circumstances. Spanning 17 tracks, Trench Baby 3 alternates between brutal and cathartic missives and ballads that explore the emotional toll of neighborhood living. Lil Zay Osama’s versatile vocals perfectly fit each milieu, all while radiating the passion that endeared him to his mentor Lil Durk.
Trench Baby 3 is home to the recent hit “F*ck My Cousin, Pt. II,” a no-holds-barred collaboration between Lil Zay Osama and Lil Durk that is tearing up the streets in Chicago with over 7 million video views on YouTube and over 6 million streams globally, along with previously released singles like “Real Pain,” a moving ballad about the struggle, and “Glah Glah” (3 million views on YouTube), a hustler’s anthem named after Zay Osama’s signature ad-lib. Featuring additional appearances from fellow Chicago natives G Herbo and PGF Nuk, plus high-profile out-of-towners Fredo Bang and Icewear Vezzo, Trench Baby 3 is available everywhere via Warner Records.
Along with the tape, Lil Zay Osama shares the video for “Chase ‘Em Down,” a TB3 highlight. The song finds Lil Zay Osama bouncing over sinister piano arpeggios alongside fellow Chicago rapper G Herbo, as they explain in detail why it’s unwise to cross them. In the video, Zay and Herbo perform in a brightly-lit garage, surrounded by homies and luxury cars, intercut with scenes of the actions Zay took to survive in the streets.
Lil Zay Osama’s visual ambitions extend beyond music videos–the South Sider conceptualized and starred in Trench Baby: The Series. Inspired by the mixtape, the four-part series tells a tale of betrayal, survival, and revenge on the South Side of Chicago. The full Trench Baby series is currently streaming on Zay’s YouTube channel.
Packed with trauma and triumph, Trench Baby 3 reaffirms Lil Zay Osama’s status as one of Chicago’s best. With over 300 million streams under his belt, the young rapper is only just starting his rise.
© 2022, Seth "Digital Crates" Barmash. All rights reserved.
