Area code 773 went into effect in the city of Chicago, Illinois, on 12 October 1996. The area code covers the city, excluding the downtown core. Originally, the entire city and suburbs were in area code 312. Then, in 1989, area code 708 was created for the suburbs, leaving a rump 312. Eventually, the city itself was split between 312 in the downtown/Loop areas and 773 in the rest of the city.

On August 10, 2009, the Illinois Commerce Commission announced that area code 872 will overlay area codes 312 and 773, and entered into service on November 7, 2009.

Patrick Vaughn Stump (born Patrick Martin Stumph on April 27, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, composer, record producer, and music critic. He was the composer, lead singer, and multi-instrumentalist of Fall Out Boy, an American rock band from Wilmette, Illinois, and is now a solo artist. Stump has been credited for being a soulful vocalist suitable for R&B, as well as one of the best voices in pop punk, according to Billboard. With Fall Out Boy he placed singles in the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and their 2007 album Infinity on High reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200, with two more albums peaking in the top 10. The band toured extensively since their early days and have performed over 1300 shows since their inception in 2001. He has collaborated with an extensive lists of artists and has produced albums for other artists including Cobra Starship and Gym Class Heroes.

Since Fall Out Boy's late 2009 hiatus he embarked on a solo project and released his debut solo album, Soul Punk, on October 18, 2011; on which he wrote all the songs, played all the instruments, as well as handling production and self-funding it. It served as an outlet for the music that he could not make with Fall Out Boy; he intends for the band to make more music in the future, but without set parameters. A remix of "This City" was released as the first single to iTunes and a music video has been created. Soul Punk garnered a generally positive critical reception, with critics praising Stump's musical direction, musicianship and creativity.