A successful black independent artist, Saba has rooted his career in an authenticity and musicality that’s made him one of this generation’s most important and unique voices. The Chicago polymath is preparing for the release of the follow-up to his critically-acclaimed 2018 album, CARE FOR ME, for which he earned honors as one of the Chicago Tribune’s Chicagoans of the Year and has performed 100+ shows worldwide.
CARE FOR ME is a significant and devastating release that finds Saba grappling with the aftermath of his cousin John Walt’s 2017 murder. “The specificity with which Saba renders his personal inventory of survivor's guilt, toxic relationships, and internal struggles, while swimming against a rising tide of systemic injustice, elevates CARE FOR ME from mere tragedy to living tribute,” said NPR, naming the release their #1 Hip-Hop Album of the Year.
Saba began making music at age 8 and was writing and producing songs by early adolescence. Building a recording studio in his Grandmother’s basement on the Westside of Chicago, he and a group of neighborhood friends formed Pivot Gang and began taking trains across the city to join creative youth organizations and perform at open mics. These experiences sharpened his writing and performance skills, and he has continued to build home studios where he is self-taught on a variety of musical instruments.
In 2019, J. Cole tapped Saba for his Revenge of the Dreamers III project, where they featured together on the powerful closer “Sacrifices” - the track recently attaining RIAA certified Gold status. He also teamed up with frequent collaborators Noname and Smino to form the Midwest music collective Ghetto Sage. With new music on his slate for 2021-22, Saba is prepared to continue pushing musical boundaries on his climb to rap’s upper echelon.
