Sampling is a staple technique for music producers, and creates stepping-stones for the next artists in line. It also allows for genre-morphing mixes that look baffling on paper but can give a song an iconic appeal or breathe new life into it. And it can open doors for audiences, leading them to new sounds and […]
Tag: Andrew Barber
Posted inMusic
Naledge brings his rapper’s brain back to academia
Jabari “Naledge” Evans of Kidz in the Hall talks about his doctoral dissertation, incorporating hip-hop into education, the drill scene hacking the industry, and more.
Posted inMusic
PJ Gordon, hip-hop promoter, curator, and writer
“I have a pinned tweet on my page that says, ‘“I fucked someone to that playlist you made” is the highest compliment you can give me.’”
Posted inMusic
How did the ‘industry plant’ take root?
The ‘industry plant’ is hip-hop’s favorite conspiracy theory, used to discredit breakout successes—and it’s spreading to other genres, where it’s no more plausible.
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Chicago rapper Queen Key is gonna need a bigger crown
With this summer’s Eat My Pussy, Chicago rapper Queen Key proves herself a star in the making, ready to carve out a larger role for women in the city’s hip-hop scene.
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Chicago rapper Supa Bwe laps the pack
Supa Bwe brought pop-punk melodies to hip-hop years before the current crop of Soundcloud rappers, and he’s still evolving on the new Finally Dead.
Posted inBlogs
Fake Shore Drive founder Andrew Barber on ten years of blogging and the evolution of the Chicago hip-hop scene
Fake Shore Drive has grown alongside Chicago rap, becoming an institution in its own right—and it celebrates its tenth anniversary by reuniting Big Tymers for a show at the Portage.
Posted inBlogs
Chicago producer Mulatto Beats does the best work on his new album with his old friend Qari
Mulatto Beats and Qari began collaborating six years and two hip-hop groups ago, and they show how well they get each other on “Good to Lose.”
Posted inBlogs
Vic Mensa narrows his focus on crossover pop with The Manuscript
After foregrounding his radical politics with last year’s “16 Shots,” Vic Mensa emphasizes the pop aspects of his rap songs on a new EP.
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The year Chicago hip-hop beat the haters
For ages, Chicago rappers tore each other down, as though the city could produce only one star at a time—but in 2016 the whole scene seemed to grasp the value of community.
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A fond farewell to Empty Bottle floor manager Bob Johnson
A fond farewell to Empty Bottle floor manager Bob Johnson, a Manny Muscles benefit for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and more
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Kweku Collins celebrates a great freshman year at Closed Sessions
Thoughtful young Evanston rapper and producer Kweku Collins celebrates a great freshman year at Closed Sessions with the release of his first album.
Posted inBlogs
Remembering DJ Timbuck2, a guiding force in Chicago hip-hop
A nightclub party starter, WGCI radio personality, and scene linchpin, DJ Timbuck2 died Saturday at age 34.
Posted inMusic
Let the Lollapalooza lineup predictions begin!
Gossip Wolf makes its first Lollapalooza predictions of 2015, a shakeup for Lord Mantis births another nasty metal band, and more.
Posted inMusic
Chicago MC Caleb James does right by his dad
Caleb James grew up in his father’s studio, and now he’s ready to join his friends Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa in the spotlight.