Pivot Gang rapper Joseph Chilliams has had a relatively quiet couple of years aside from releasing the Sen Morimoto collaboration “Wishlist” toward the end of 2020. Part of the reason is a traumatic injury he recently endured that left him unable to return as quickly as he wished in 2021. The Chicago-bred rapper explains what happened on a new track, “I Ain’t Been Outside,” which describes the harrowing experience of both the initial event and his long road to recovery.
“Got sucker punched with a gun,” he tweeted, sharing the track to his followers. “I have a plate in my face forever now. Made a song about trying to recover.” On the downtempo track, he describes being put on narcotic painkillers, looking like Kanye (who suffered a broken jaw in a car crash in 2002), and losing weight as a result of “struggling to eat.” Even after being released from the hospital, he had to process light sensitivity and looking “out of place hopping around” on his way to the strip club with the rest of the Pivot Gang. “PTSD, pretty sure I need therapy,” he admits, “But tonight I’m just vibing at a party with my n****s and my shorty as I sing along merrily.”
Unfortunately, Joseph’s injury wasn’t the only tragedy the Pivot Gang suffered this year. In August, the group’s producer Squeak was shot to death in the North Austin neighborhood of Chicago at the age of 26. Hopefully, Joseph has a speedy recovery and the crew can get back on track after their triumphant 2019.