Chicago-based rapper Woes has had a busy 2021. Since, dropping his groovy single Passport, Woes returns with his latest release “Cheeks.” The new track features Aaron Black and was produced by GoodBoy. Cheeks is out now on Renegade Records. Listen here.

Check out our DHH Next Up feature with Woes!

Zachary Sogh, aka “Woes” is an unsigned hip-hop artist out of the near west side Chicago neighborhood, Humboldt Park. Music as a whole was something introduced to him early on in life. When asked about his upbringing, Zachary responded, “When I was a little one, my mother used to play anything from James Brown, to Destiny’s Child while
my father would spin his classical music and switch it up with Patsy Cline or Aretha Franklin on vinyl.

After moving around as a kid, Woes spent his growing teenage years on the East Coast. Woes spent much time reflecting on the message he wanted to carry behind his music. For him, it all came down to storytelling. Growing up and listening to Eminem, Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z made that an achievable goal. When he was 18, Zachary got accepted into music school and relocated to Chicago from Boston, MA. After finishing his first semester with a .6 GPA, Zachary quickly flunked out of college; he had a different agenda. He had no time for the book work or the midterms, all Woes cared to do was write music and learn from the artists around him.

Woes currently resides in Chicago co-running an underground DIY space allowing local and touring artists a platform to showcase their talent. (Hungry City Collective)