Five years ago, Chicago rapper Lucki—who was going by Lucki Eck$ at the time—released a project called Alternative Trap. He was just 17 years old, and his sedated deliveries, effortless melodies, and spacey, sometimes drumless production choices made him an instant standout from the aggressive trap sound that was dominating popular hip-hop at the time. His consistency and singularity put him on everyone's artists-to-watch lists, and soon he was collaborating with FKA twigs, Chance The Rapper, King Krule, and Danny Brown. It seemed like only a matter of time before Lucki Eck$ was a household name. That never quite happened. Lucki—who dropped the Eck$ from his name in 2016—has experienced some major setbacks over the past years that involved drugs, management changes, and struggles with mental health. At one point in late 2016 he stopped making music altogether, but despite falling off the map a few times, he kept coming back. And each time, his fan base kept growing. Concurrently, the popular sounds of hip-hop—morphing variations of trap, rockstar mentality, omnipresent melody—have shifted in favor of Lucki's strengths. The music he was making five years ago wouldn't sound at all out of place in today's market. At 21 years old, Lucki has become something of an underground enigma, an influence to many and a veteran compared to most artists his age. He's stayed independent for his entire career, remains dedicated to never selling out or compromising, and keeps evolving with each project. Mentally, Lucki says he's in a good place today. He's comfortable with his career, ready to release new music with a strategy in mind, and he's noticed that more people are listening now than ever before. Five years after his debut project, Lucki might finally be ready for his breakthrough moment... again.