Why ‘charting is in the future’ for Chicago alt-emo musician Godly the Ruler

Godly the Ruler is a Nigerian-born, Chicago-raised musician with an “emo-alternative sound,” one that’s “reminiscent of the early-to-mid-2000s,” according to Vocalo’s Nudia Hernandez, who interviewed the artist ahead of their set at Lollapalooza last weekend.

“Charting is in the future for them,” Hernandez said on The Rundown podcast.

In this episode, Godly the Ruler, a.k.a. Godwin Oke, talks about playing the festival for the first time and growing up in Chicago. They also offer some advice for other local artists who might be thinking they need to leave the city.

“I don't want people to think that you have to leave Chicago to like, become the artist you want to be or whatever,” they said. “You can do that here. People should realize that more. You can do that in Chicago.”