It’s a Trippy World where Ian Goku comes from. Dodging the statistics predetermined for his demographic, the Chicago rapper is doing everything in his power to beat the odds. Rocking mid-back locs and Timberland boots, the Westside Chicago native describes himself as “a young black brother trying to make it out” on his SoundCloud.
The MouthSoap’s first encounter with the music artist occurred with his impressive music video for his single “Testimony,” where he samples Rose Royce’s classic 1977 hit “Wishing On A Star.” He raps street gospel as he spells out the game that so often traps the young, miseducated and disenfranchised Black man.
Masked by the familiar subliminals that are often riddled throughout a rap song hailing from the treacherous Chiraq lies a cautionary message about pursuing a dream while navigating tricky street culture, that bombards the youth with drug use and gang violence and have taken out so many talented rappers, such as L’A Capone, Lil Jojo, Lil Mister, and Capo, to name a few.
He raps, “If you want to make it out this sh–, you got to use your lead \ if you really trying beat the streets, gotta use your head.”
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It’s a fine line to walk as a young male trapped in the hood — seeing a way out, but also knowing that at any given time the streets could claim your life. Although his lyrics are something like a modern-day urban sonnet, some people still wouldn’t understand even if a rapper like Ian Goku candidly spelled it out. They would probably just judge him as another stereotypical rapper with the promise of a dreadful end.
But, as many rappers before him, Ian Goku can possibly turn that narrative on its head and open a door of opportunities that will not only uplift his family and bros, but also set him up for a promising career in entertainment. The “WOP” rapper must know it too, because he’s been grinding like there’s no tomorrow.
In 2020, he dropped the single “Yea Yea” and six music videos on YouTube for singles “Street Scriptures,” “How 2 Act,” “Ion Cap,” “Real Talk,” “WOP,” and “Testimony,” doubling his output from 2019. His work ethic gained him 653,100-plus streams, 195,300-plus listeners, and over 19,400 hours of play in over 87 countries, according to his #2020ArtistWrapped stats. Only two weeks into 2021, he already dropped a collab with Big Neff called “Anyway,” a street cut perfect for a ride in the ‘nity or while working on the free throw in the gym.
The sky is the limit for Goku, but the streets are narrow. As he states at the end of “Testimony,” “When you really trying to get somewhere you gotta say f–k everything. You gotta get writer’s block, you gotta get tunnel vision. You know, faith’s everything. Believe in yourself. F–k what they say. F–ck that, f–k them.”
