Chicago rapper and prison abolitionist Ric Wilson suffered a big loss this past Saturday when someone broke into his car in Lincoln Park and made off with his recording rig. Wilson had been traveling around town with a Mac Mini and an Avid Mbox 2 to put the finishing touches on his follow-up to the November EP The Sun Was Out, which half the Gossip Wolf team called one of the best overlooked Chicago hip-hop releases of 2015. Judging from the synth-soul sound of Wilson’s latest single, April’s “Whatcha Wanna Know,” he’s been cooking up some great tunes—though the project he was working on was stored on the stolen computer. On Sunday he launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover the cost of replacing his gear, which he’s put at $900; for more information, visit gofundme.com/helpricbounceback.
Gossip Wolf loves two-piece rock bands—goodness knows this column has covered its share over the years, including the Funs, White Mystery, and Slushy. Now another duo of duos is joining the list! A few weeks back, Chicago bands Pussy Foot and Drool dropped a nifty split cassette—titled DroolPussy, naturally—that juxtaposes Drool’s stomping noise rock with Pussy Foot’s doomy, crawling sludge. It’s a perfect 17-minute lo-fi muck bath! Cop a copy via either group’s Bandcamp or at the DIY show Pussy Foot play on Thursday, May 26—e-mail them at ppuussyyffoooott@gmail.com for details.
Washington Park art-book shop Bing hosts a film series on Thursdays presented by Rebuild Foundation’s Black Cinema House, with a different featured artist each month. May has been dedicated to Gossip Wolf’s fave footwork collective, the Era, and the event on Thursday, May 26, is a doozy. The night includes screenings, a dance workshop and performance, and a panel conversation with Teklife cofounder DJ Spinn, Era leader Litebulb, DJ Clent, Traxman, and Ant Brown, one of the first footwork dancers. It’s free and starts at 6 PM. v
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