Jalen Hughes, professionally known as Thirteendegrees (stylized as Thirteendegrees°), is an American rapper and record producer. Starting his career in 2023, he first gained significant attention after the release of his album Clique City Vol. 2.
Early life and education Jalen Hughes was born in Chicago and raised by his mother, grandmother, and aunt. He played basketball in the guard position at Hillcrest High School. He attended Moraine Valley Community College for two years before transferring to Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio where he played basketball in the NAIA division. He became depressed during the COVID-19 pandemic and quit basketball in 2021. He then moved back to Chicago and became interested in fashion and music.
Career Hughes began releasing music in 2022 and released his first two mixtapes, Urban Junkie and Metropolitan, in 2023. He released Uptown Dropout and Clique City Vol. 1 in 2024.
After releasing a slew of singles and tapes throughout the years, in January 2025, Hughes started gaining traction on social media with his breakout single "Da Problem Solva" off his fifth mixtape, Clique City, Vol 2, which would catch the attention of Rod Wave, who co-signed the rapper. Other underground acts such as midwxst, Summrs, and k3 would also co-sign the rapper, with the latter two hopping on the unreleased remixes of "Da Problem Solva." On Pitchfork's "100 best songs of the year" list, "Da Problem Solva" was at #77, while for The Fader's "50 best projects of 2025" list, Clique City, Vol 2 would be placed at #46.
To prevent fans from waiting on the release of his debut studio album, Hughes would release a mixtape titled Cyber Sundayz on July 20, 2025, consisting of leftover tracks dating back to 2023. On October 3, 2025, Hughes would release his seventh mixtape and debut commercial project Black Fridayz to critical acclaim. On August 21, 2026, he would release his debut studio album, Ghetto Hipster, which has 16 tracks and a feature from Trippie Redd.
Musical style Hughes' music is often compared to that of the "swag era" and early 2010s hip-hop, blending R&B and trap, and including auto-tuned vocals, nostalgic visuals, and jerk-related sounds. He stated his influences were what he "grew up in—the trap era, the Tumblr era, early Instagram." He has cited Rich Kidz, Kanye West, Twista, and Santigold as influences on his music. He is considered to be at the forefront of the "New Chicago" movement, named as the successor to Chicago drill.
Personal life Hughes is interested in fashion, and creates clothing for himself.
Discography Studio albums TitleAlbum detailsUrban Junkie Released: August 11, 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingMetropolitan Released: December 14, 2023 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingUptown Dropout Released: April 15, 2024 Label: Self-released Format: Digital download, streamingClique City Vol. 1 Released: July 27, 2024 Label: Self-released (initial release); Island (re-release) Format: Digital download, streamingClique City Vol. 2 Released: January 13, 2025 Label: Self-released (initial release); Island (re-release) Format: Digital download, streamingBlack Fridayz Released: October 3, 2025 Label: Island Format: Digital download, streamingGhetto Hipster Released: August 21, 2026 Label: Island Format: Digital download, streaming
Singles Title Year Album "#Mirror" 2023 rowspan="7" "Go Gangsta" "First Link" "#Jacket" "South Loop" "Egokiller" "Ms Gold Chainz" "Chi-lanta" Metropolitan "#Autopilot" rowspan="3" "How Da Game Go" "#Cliquecity" 2024 "I Get #Guap" Uptown Dropout "Adrianna Anthem" rowspan="6" "Champ" "Monsta" "Giuseppe Heelz" "Ms Avoidant" "Tear Dropz" "Da Problem Solva" 2025 Clique City Vol. 2 "Exotic Strippaz" Black Fridayz "Palace" "Exotic Strippaz" "Champain" "Lyricz" 2026 Ghetto Hipster "Dwntwn Luv" "Hipster Encore"
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