SAMPLEDDefcee is a rapper, a writer and a teacher — and he runs one of Chicago's longest-standing rap workshops
Ten-plus projects since 2007, stages shared with Amiri Baraka and Chance the Rapper, and a monthly workshop broadcast that keeps the pipeline open.
Defcee is from River Forest, Illinois, and has been releasing music since 2007 — more than ten projects, with shows across the United States and internationally in London, Mexico City, Panama City and Port of Spain.
The range of the room
The stages he has shared tell you how wide his lane is: Saul Williams and Amiri Baraka on one end, Chance the Rapper and Wale on the other. Poetry-world credibility and rap-world reach are not usually the same résumé. He has picked up coverage in the Chicago Reader and FakeShoreDrive along the way.
Emcee Wreckshop
Defcee co-founded and co-facilitates Emcee Wreckshop, one of Chicago's longest-running rap workshops, and co-hosts Wreckshop Live! monthly with fellow facilitator Add-2 on Vans' Channel 66 streaming platform.
This is the part people skip. A scene does not stay healthy on releases alone; it stays healthy because someone runs the room where teenagers learn to write a verse and get told the truth about it. Defcee has been doing that work for years alongside the music.
Where he fits at Backwoodz
The label's roster leans heavily toward writers — see the label guide — and Defcee is one of the few who also teaches the craft formally. That combination shows up in his rapping: dense, edited, no wasted syllables.
His artist page is here (opens in a new tab).