Englewood Rapper Lil M.U. Ready To Take Lollapalooza Stage As Her Star Keeps Rising

ENGLEWOOD — For Englewood rapper-dancer Lil M.U., 2026 has been a nonstop ride.

Riding high off her hit juke anthem “Top Of Cars” — which came out in April 2025 and has since racked up 31 million plays on Spotify — Lil M.U. kicked off this year with her first headlining show at Reggies Chicago and headlined the youth hip-hop festival From The ‘Go Fest.

Now, Lil M.U. will play her biggest stage yet when she performs at Lollapalooza Friday.

Lil M.U., 25, said she wasn’t necessarily expecting to blow up after putting “Top of Cars” on her debut EP “Handful.”

“I wasn’t expecting anything out of it, honestly. I was just trying to continue to make music … and I liked the beat,” she told Block Club. “I did expect it to be a good song, but I didn’t expect it to be the forefront of my career. I think that’s why it has as much success as it does, because I wasn’t forcing it. It all came natural.”

Since her song went viral, Lil M.U., also known as Maya Unique, was signed to the management roster of Taylor Bennet, her longtime friend who is the brother and manager of Chance The Rapper. Bennett helped connect her to platforms like New York’s On The Radar, Jordan Brand’s The One event during WNBA All-Star Weekend in Chicago and Lollapalooza.

Lil M.U. will perform as part of the Chicago Made showcase Friday at Lollapalooza at the Tito’s stage. The showcase, done in partnership with the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, gives up-and-coming local acts a chance to play a short set in front of thousands of potential new fans.

“For them to be so many years down the line in this and they’re still tapping in artists like Lil M.U., they’re still finding the authentic, real people that are in Chicago that they want to put on a platform, I was just grateful, but I was also excited I could be the person to connect them,” Bennett said of the Lollapalooza showcase. 

Bennett knew Lil M.U. for many years as one of his former background dancers. He’s watched her rise up close, and he attributes her success to her intense work ethic. While major labels can provide support and financial backing, there is no substitute for hard work and talent, Bennett said. He’s willing to bet Lil M.U.’s star is going to continue to rise.

“There is nobody that works as hard as she does on or off [stage],” Bennett said. “From the moment that I’ve met her, every day she gets better. Every performance is better.”

Lil M.U. attributes some of her success to the fostering environment her parents gave her in childhood.

“We as parents always supported her, made sure she was in a village that poured back into her that allowed her to express herself,” said her mom, LaKeisha Gray-Sewell. “And because of that, her talents aren’t just one-dimensional.”

Another early supporter of Lil M.U. is DeAnna M. Sherman, co-founder of True Star Media, which produces From The ‘Go Fest. Lil M.U. was given a festival-closing solo set at this year’s fest in Washington Park.

Sherman said she wanted this moment for Lil M.U. because she believed in her gifts from the start.

“I knew I wanted her to close the show because that’s what the ‘Go Fest is about. It’s about breaking emerging artists. It’s about giving them bigger stages,” Sherman said. “She started just dancing at ‘Go Fest. Then she performed. Now she’s at Lolla.”

Like peers Mello Buckzz, FendiDaRapper, ASAVV, and Glizzy Glow, Lil M.U. has been part of a wave of women pushing Chicago-born juke music and footwork culture into the mainstream. M.U. aims to push the style even further. It’s what inspired her new music like “Rodeo,” a fun, country take on footwork, and “Biggest Brat.”

The movement uses music and dancing to push positive narratives about Black culture in Chicago to tell a different story beyond the violent stigmas that came from drill music.

“I wouldn’t even say that [the women] are pushing footworking forward. I’d say that we’re pushing the city forward in a positive way,” she said. “We’re pushing a positive image for Chicago.”

Lil M.U. doesn’t consider herself a role model, especially as she’s still evolving as a young artist. But she still wants to push fans, and, to a greater extent, Chicago, in a brighter direction with her music, as her goal is to inspire people to follow their dreams.

“I don’t want to classify myself as a role model. … I’m still growing as a person,” she said. “But I will say my goal, as an artist, is to push people to go after everything they want in life.”

Currently, Lil M.U. is working on a full-length album, “Biggest Brats,” named after her latest single. It’s coming in August and will be independently released. She is planning to hold events leading up to its release. But for now, she’s riding her newfound wave in gratitude.

“I only started making music at the end of October 2024, so to see a two-year span of all this different stuff happening is crazy and amazing,” she said. “I’m grateful for all the things people see in me and how they keep pushing me to be bigger and to just continue with it.”

You can see Lil M.U. perform at 12:30 p.m. Friday at the Tito’s stage at Lollapalooza as part of the DCASE Chicago Made showcase. You can also see and hear more of her music on her YouTube channel.