The show, a staple in Chicago underground history, was then hosted by DJ Natural and Kid Knish.
Seasoned within Chicago’s unrelenting battle circuit, Qwel found his niche among his soon to be crew at University of Chicago’s WHPK Wednesday night rap show. Verse 1 Yo, check out this tape (is it rock?) No it isn't, but I really think you'd dig it if you'd give this shit a listen It's my heart and soul (you play your own instruments?) Well not actually, but we got the sample from.One of the greatest underground rappers of all time and hailed by many as one of the most skilled and innovative lyricist since hip-hop’s conception, Qwel is not your average ambiguous applause monger. Qwel's solo debut, If It Ain't Been in the Pawn Shop, Then It Can't Play the Blues, also arrived in 2001. That experience initiated a close relationship with the label which Qwel continued to build as Galapagos4 became a fixture within Chicago's underground hip-hop community, even after it moved its operations to California. Qwel's first major recording was the Typical Cats' self-titled debut, released in 2001 by independent record company Galapagos4. His style was nurtured from being an avid participant of the Midwest's (Chicago in particular) rhyme-battling scene over the course of the late '90s and early 2000s, which is how he met rap colleagues Qwazaar, Denizen Kane, and DJ Natural to form Typical Cats. With a voice uninflected in tone, the cerebral MC aggressively delivers each word, structuring his verses into multi-syllable rhyme schemes. Co-founder of Chicago-based underground rap crew the Typical Cats, Qwel constantly blurred the line between written prose and rap lyrics upon each successive album during the 2000s.