Thirteendegrees says new album GHETTO HIPSTER is for “literally everyone”

When Thirteendegrees was announced for the lineup of MIKE’s fifth annual Young World festival, I was both thrilled and intrigued.

Thrilled, because the Chicago rapper-slash-hipster is one of the brightest young stars in hip-hop today. Last year’s January mixtape Clique City Vol. 2 was one of our 50 Best Albums of 2026, and after seeing some of his live performances that spring and summer, it was clear to me Thirteen was no mere flash in the pan. But I was also intrigued, because Young World’s atmosphere and audience are radically different from the Rolling Loud and Summer Smash crowds Thirteendegrees typically plays for. Even acknowledging that “Da Problem Solver” isn’t so far from the musical stylings of Max B, I was curious how his occasionally nostalgic sound would play for hip-hop heads and older demographics alike.

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I shouldn’t have been concerned: though he was opening the entire festival, midway through his set Thirteendegrees had festivalgoers engaged, waving their hands in the air on command. Not even a flubbed performance, where he forgot the lyrics to a song he’d never performed live before, could dampen the momentum. By the time we got to closing number “HIPSTER ENCORE,” the crowd was enthusiastically bouncing right alongside Thirteendegrees.

The FADER caught up with Thirteendegrees shortly after his set at Young World for a quick chat about evolving his sound with producer Gyant and how Nas and Westside Gunn inspired his upcoming album GHETTO HIPSTER.

Why did you come up with the nickname Ghetto Hipster for yourself?
Thirteendegrees: I’m just reflecting my life and who I was around. I always had an interest amongst, I guess the quote-unquote hood folks in Chicago. But also had the same interest as a quote-unquote weirdo, [or] whatever the normal motherfuckers be saying. So it just made sense to really hone in on the name Ghetto Hipster.

You and producer Gyant have been locked in for a second. Talk to me about the evolution of your sound from BLACK FRIDAYZ in the fall to the new project coming out this year.
BLACK FRIDAYZ was really a goodbye to the Clique City type sound; me being known for the underground club sound, making bangers. GHETTO HIPSTER really me going back to back in the day, back in 2023 when I first started making music. Making it more fun, making it more youthful, making it more for everyone versus a certain demographic.
So that’s really what GHETTO HIPSTER represents: it’s for literally everybody. So that’s what me and Gyant work on every day. We send each other music – whether it’s from the 90’s, 2000’s, obviously the 2010’s, even to now. We just listen to music, take it in, throwing it in our music, and just keep the ball rolling.

We’re here at MIKE’s Young World Festival. Can you talk to us about your performance and the crowd?
It was actually good for what it was. I'm so used to the moshpitty type crowds, you feel me? The teenagers, the early twenties. I just knew it was gonna be a way different crowd than my typical crowd, So I really had to be more intimate, be very charismatic with my personality. I had to really rap on the mic, cause you know [at] festivals, you just be saying one word, two words, look around, “open it up.”
They [the crowd at Young World] really grade you on skill work and knowing how to rap, breath control. I knew that shit was key. So even when I messed up or I had a song where I forgot the lyrics, I told them – “shit, I forgot the lyrics.” So it’s a good opportunity to show my versatility with my performances.

I was super excited to see you on the lineup because MIKE’s always super tapped in on shit.
MIKE always tapped in. He hit me back in June of last year. We always stayed in contact and he hit me up early this year like you trying to play this shit? I'm like, shit, come on, you feel me? Got that shit done. Shout out MIKE, man.

What was your favorite song to perform today?
I think “HIPSTER ENCORE.” I kind of see the crowd get more alive; they probably like, “damn this n***a can actually rap,” you feel me? And I was actually rapping it live, so they had to respect it.

I really like your single “DWNTWN LUV” from earlier this year. I saw that they had fucked up the lyrics on Spotify for a second [The lyric, “I’m in the club / and I’m tryna fuck the bounce up,” was mistakenly transcribed as, “I’m in the club / and I’m tryna fuck the bouncer”].
[laughs] I ain’t gonna lie, I’m not the type of n***a where that made me [mad] – that shit was funny. I get why people think I said that, like sometimes I be slurring, but I didn’t say that shit tho. I remember I posted a fucking story trying to make up some shit; I had to go online and find a fine ass girl bouncer [laughs].

You just dropped “EMOTIONLEZZ” with Trippie Redd. How did you guys connect?
Man, I ain’t gon lie, he was playing my shit last year and I couldn’t get in contact! He was playing “You Da Best” like every day, I seen it on story I’m like, “hit me bro!” He not hitting me back, so I’m like fuck it. Then he just randomly hit me like, “you hard,” we tapped in. I just went to his crib in Miami a couple days ago, we chopped it up. He’s a good guy, man. For him to be at the stature he at, to really be tapped in with new, upcoming artists, that’s respect to him. So shoutout Trip man, that’s my boy for real. No music shit, that’s my boy.

I was curious if there were going to be any other features on the upcoming project.
I been pushing this New Chicago shit, so y’all might as well get the shit. Blonde Suppermacy, and it’s another one of my guys Still Sick, I wanna introduce ‘em to the world. Clique City Mobb, that’s my group. All the other features, I’m gonna shut up on that. Shoutout to them though.

Working on GHETTO HIPSTER, what’s been on your Tumblr moodboard for this era?
Really a lot of Westside Gunn, Capital Steez, Nas recently. Obviously A$AP Rocky, [but also] a lot of boom bap. Literally just listening to lyrics, really re-listening to wordplay and trying to implement it into my lyrics, my style. Underground and boom bap, that’s basically what I’m trying to do. Even me being at this festival, just bridging the gap between those worlds. I feel like it’s important; it’s fresh to my audience, and to all the other audiences that get new to me.

When you talk about taking wordplay from Westside Gunn or Nas, what are you working on with your lyricism for the new project?
It’s really just the flows. People so used to me being on some Young Thug shit – at first I really hated it, ‘cuz obviously he was an inspo, but it was different artists I listened to [as well]. I’m really just trying to get out of that whole – my shit still kind of nostalgic in a way, but I don’t want that to be in the forefront of everything. I want to take from this person, that person, that person, versus just one where it’s like, “alright, we get it now.”
That’s really why I’m so focused on me rapping. I wanted to show my flow and show that I’m mature as an artist. I’m not talking about the same topics and subject matter. So that’s what I’m really focused on and really trying to show to my fans and to the new fans that listen.