Local hip-hop group He Who Walks Three Ways played a big role in developing the Chicago scene in the early 90s. In 1992, cofounder Duro Wicks launched a short-lived but crucial hip-hop weekly at Lower Links, which put a spotlight on HWWTW—they were big enough to open for the likes of the Pharcyde, Arrested Development, and A Tribe Called Quest. (Lori Branch, the DJ for the four-person outfit, had already secured her own legendary status when she became the first female house DJ.) Unfortunately, the group’s music has been difficult to hear for decades, but last week HWWTW rapper Juba Kalamka posted Technology Delivered 91/94 to Bandcamp. The name-your-price download compiles two demos: 1992’s Check Your Lips at the Door and 1994’s Me, IBM and the Baby Jesus.
When Gossip Wolf covered eclectic local cassette label Lillerne Tapes in 2012, the roughly 30 tapes it’d put out by then were mostly by midwestern weirdos. In the years since, Lillerne has hooked up with weirdos from all over, releasing more than 70 additional tapes—among them recent ambient projects from Australian composer Jim Sellars (aka Yunzero), Portland’s Fly Kin Mountain, and Moscow artist Yaffle. Last week the label dropped a stacked compilation, Lillerne #122, whose 38 contributors include those folks plus Chicago jammers RXM Reality, M. Sage, and Kindtree. Bandcamp purchases of the comp benefit Black- and trans-led Hyde Park-based LGBTQ+ center Brave Space Alliance as well as Urban Growers Collective, who farm 11 acres in Chicago and “support communities in developing community-based food systems.”
Last week, Chicago MC Myquale dropped the EP Passport Package, where he swerves suavely between rapping and singing atop a blend of Afro-pop, modern funk, and minimalist R&B. Myquale has the talent to transport you to serene climes, and we could all use a little vacation right now.  v
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