Ibn Inglor

Chicago rapper Ibn Inglor's "Not My King" is an intense, dark track — I see evil all around us, This world is burning all our prophets, he spits, Do not fuck with us.
Under cover of night, Inglor revisits spots in his hometown for the "Not My King" video, effectively exorcising his own demons. He wields the power of his old neighborhood basketball court with skill while ominous beats swell beneath. "We made 'Not My King' as a statement," Inglor told The FADER over email. "The video is me letting out my frustrations in the place I first learned to speak up for myself and for what I believe in." - Leah Mandel - The FADER

You might not have heard from Chicago rapper Ibn Inglor for a little while, but it's for good reason, and he's got a new album coming called Honegloria that gets at why. There's palpable darkness hanging around the album's new single "Pray for Health," a collaboration with Ohio rapper Mathaius Young and close friend and producer Arran premiered below. ("I got demons, I need Jesus.")

The story behind the song and Inglor's absence is heavy: "I've worked through a bad state of deep depression," he said recently via email. "Last year I had no motivation to release anything. Everything I created sounded good that day and horrible the next. I completely scrapped three whole projects before getting to the one I'm at now. I've never dealt with depression before, so when it hit me, it hit hard. I didn't really know what to do or how to handle it or get over it."

A chance run-in with fans he didn't realize he'd inspired would help him turn a corner. "I'm like, me? You want a picture with me? After that my confidence was somewhat restored and I started realizing that I have this talent for a reason." He's funneling his experiences in overcoming depression into the new music. "Honegloria is me at my most vulnerable, being an up-and-coming artist. It's a reflection of what I've gone though and what I'm still going through. I'm not really aiming to please any certain ear, I'm aiming to tell you guys my story and what I've been though this past year."

"Pray for Health" is the latest installment in the journey, a bleak flail for solace in trying, unsure times matched to an army of blustery but coolly hooky synths. "We wanted our first drop in 2016 to be something great, and progressive," Inglor says of the new single. "We feel like we've progressed so much musically from previous tapes and were hella excited for people to hear it. Stream "Pray for Health" below. - Craig Jenkins - Noisey

Last year, Ibn Inglor dropped one of Chicago’s best kept secrets, New Wave, a visceral and gnashing portrait of urban isolation in a city where kids lose their friends. It was a tape that came in, tore everything up, and left not with a bang, but with a whimper. Six months later, New Wave 2 is even better. There’s the ballsy ambition of Yeezus and the world-weary pathos of drill at its best, but Inglor’s carved out a niche wholly his own in the city; who else interpolates Foreigner and samples Akira and a song from a former Australian Idol contestant? The production is weird and noisy and gorgeous—handled by Mhone Glor (the duo of Inglor and friend Brandon Mahone)—but it’s still Inglor’s voice that lingers the longest, the growl of someone who wants to love the world but gets constantly reinforced that it’s easier to hate. New Wave 2 joins Welcome to Fazoland as the best thing to come out of Chicago this year. - The Fader

After giving listeners a couple of teasers over the last few months with "WAXXX" and "BLACK PRINT," Ibn Inglor releases his new mixtape New Wave.

At nine tracks in length, New Waves is a remarkably deep project from the Chicago MC whose buzz has been growing exponentially over the last year. Inglor's unique style mixed with blistering dark production grabs the listener by the throat, and doesn't let go until the last note hits on "WAXXX." Production for New Wave comes from Mhone Glor, E.N.O.N Jacobs, Tom Tripp, ELSchmitty, Arran Sym and Kris Henry. - Complex

Ibn stands as one of the most promising young rappers coming from the city, with potential that bleeds through on every track. With some dark, aggressive production backing his ferocious lyricism, Inglor shuts down the comparisons and asks that the work speak for itself. - Consequence of Sound

Truth be told, nobody is perfect and that is exactly what Chicago rapper Ibn Inglor's latest release, "The Good You See In Me," is all about. A discordant, metallic track sweetened by Brooklyn singer Mothica on the hook, it finds Inglor warbling through auto-tune about his existential woes: If you look me in my eyes I hope you see I could achieve the good you see in me. "It's me being open and honest with myself and the rest of the world, acknowledging my wrongs and trying to fix them before its too late," he told The FADER. "The Good You See In Me" will be featured on Inglor's upcoming album Honegloria, which will be out later this year. - Zara Golden - The FADER

Over the past year the Chicago emcee has been able to paint this dynamic, ominous picture with two highly-acclaimed pieces in the form of GawdsSpeed and New Wave and as we enter 2014, Ibn’s rise to relevance may not be that far away in the future as first thought. - SoulCulture

To say there's a rather booming rap scene in Chicago at the moment is to put things mildly. The likes of Lil Durk, Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper are ensuring all eyes remain on the Windy City, however, ask us which Chi-town rapper we think's really making waves at the moment and the answer would be Ibn Inglor. It's no secret that we rate this fella - Inglor's dark sound and the fact that he has a lot to say (and on his terms and in a inimitable fashion) - makes this rapper an exciting artist to behold. - The 405

Inglor's hostile, near-barking voice adds terrifying tension to the track and helps him unlock the intense sense of abandon in his lyrics. - Chicago Reader

Ibn Inglor came out of nowhere last year with his New Wave project, which landed on a plethora of major blogs simply because it was a project filled with pretty hypnotizing music. Now, he's gearing up to drop NW2 on April 13—but not without people doubting how he did everything on his own, which is exactly what his new promo single "Belief" is about. - Noisey

In an industry saturated in copycat artistry, violent artillery, nonsensical foolery and inevitable fate, Ibn Inglor births from the hub of the most esteemed violent city, and the center for this malicious hype, Chicago.

Featured in Complex, releasing his debut mixtape via djbooth.net, unearthing a sequel to his authentic original release, amongst numerous other established presences, Ibn is crowned with originality and a knack for unique ability, but lacks the deserving throne. - The Source

Chicago rapper Ibn Inglor is doing something very cool in his new track, Chambers. The beginning of the song is upbeat and dancey, then on a dime it changes to something dark and brooding. Chambers feels huge, with distorted vocals and a fragmented yet wholly complete sound. Inglor’s stunted flow weighs down the airier bits of synth stabs until the entire song devolves into a thundering rage. The track is complex and layered, and gets more interesting after every listen. - CMJ