Chika gained the attention of millions after posting a freestyle to the beat of <a href="/profile/KanyeWest" class="text-word" target="_blank" >Kanye West</a>&#8217;s &#8220;Jesus Walks&#8221; on Twitter in April 2018, in which she also condemned West’s political views. Since then, the Alabama native has been recognized by some of the biggest artists in the industry, receiving co-signs from <a href="/profile/Diddy" class="text-word" target="_blank" >Diddy</a>, <a href="/profile/erykah-badu" class="text-word" target="_blank" >Erykah Badu</a>, <a href="/profile/JayZ" class="text-word" target="_blank" >Jay Z</a>, and more. The Alabama native has also continued to use her music to deliver poignant messages surrounding social injustice and mental health from the perspective of a queer black woman. She dropped out of the University of Alabama in 2016 after attending for just one year in order to pursue her music career full-time. In 2019, the rapper moved to Los Angeles, where she began to record new music. Not long after, she would drop her first single, “No Squares.”
Following the release of her second single, “High Rises,” Chika signed to Waner Records in 2019. In the same year, she dropped her third single, “Can&#8217;t Explain It,” featuring former lead vocalist of the Gap Band, Charlie Wilson. In March 2020, she released her debut album, Industry Games. The album earned her a nomination for Best New Artist at the Grammys. She was also featured in the 2020 <a href="/profile/xxlfreshman" class="text-word" target="_blank" >XXL Freshman</a> Class, where she delivered another memorable freestyle. 
In 2021, Chika followed up her Grammy-nominated album with a six-track EP titled ONCE UPON A TIME.
<h6>Photo credit: Jerritt Clark/Getty Images</h6>

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