To friends and family, they’re Del Hale, a 23-year-old Chicago native finishing their English degree at East-West University. But in the electronic-music community, they’re Miss Twink USA, a dandy bimbo bringing viciously fun party poetry to the DJ booth. Since starting out in the DIY rave scene six years ago, Hale has been playing music […]
Tag: Futurehood
Chicago rapper KC Ortiz brings buckle-your-seat-belts fun to The Campground
Rapper KC Ortiz grew up in Mobile, Alabama, and fell in love with Chicago after her drag mother showed her a video of local female-impersonation pageant Miss Continental. As she told Windy City Times last year, “I hadn’t transitioned at that time and didn’t know that world existed. When I saw that video, I wanted […]
Darling Shear is ready to fly
The artist’s piece Querida is a personal performance presenting sexuality, sensuality, and healing from trauma.
Rapbrarian Roy Kinsey finds his voice in queer hip-hop
With his next album, Roy Kinsey wants to make the music he wishes he’d heard as a young queer man of color.
The category is neon on the gig poster of the week
This week’s featured gig poster was designed by Smart Bar’s Clare Byrne, with Front Left Speaker hosts Kim Passable and JayJay photographed by the series’ organizers.
DJ and producer Ariel Zetina on a beautifully transgressive Portuguese beat genius
Current musical obsessions of producer and DJ Ariel Zetina, photographer Julia Dratel, and Reader associate editor Jamie Ludwig
Talking about God, the air force, and Britney Spears with Chicago rapper KC Ortiz
This weekend Alabama transplant KC Ortiz performs at a showcase hosted by local label Futurehood, which supports gay and trans musicians of color.
Chicago label Futurehood showcases where queer artists can take hip-hop
In 2011, Erik Wallace (aka rapper Mister Wallace) and Anthony Pabey (aka producer Aceb00mbap) met at the Boystown cocktail lounge Wang’s; four years later they launched Futurehood, a label that supports gay and transgender musicians of color. “My driving force was to create a space there that was what Boystown was not providing, giving, or […]