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Today marks the arrival of Finally Rich, the Interscope debut from infamous local rapper Keith Cozart, aka Chief Keef. Cozart’s rapid ascension nearly fits the contours of the calendar; he was an unknown outside of the south side until January 2 when a video of a young fan jubilantly screaming upon hearing the news that Cozart had been released from jail hit WorldStarHipHop and went viral; on March 12 Cozart released his second mixtape, Back from the Dead, and was the focus of an in-depth Gawker profile that launched a major-label bidding war; in June he signed a cushy deal with Interscope that gave him his own imprint, a movie deal, and his own line of Beats By Dre headphones; and now Finally Rich comes out several days before the prophesied Mayan apocalypse, and chances are some of Cozart’s critics think the timing fits such an occasion.
