Erica Mei Gamble has been a key part of Chicago’s DIY experimental- and dance-music communities for more than a decade. She has several musical projects—including Sarica, A+E, and her S&M-themed goth horror duo with Sarah Leitten, Dungeon Mother—and she’s also the scene’s most diligent video preservationist. Gamble has posted sets by hundreds of artists dating […]
Tag: Joseph Chilliams
Posted inMusic
Chicago art-pop wonder Sen Morimoto captures the magic of his community
Chicago art-pop wizard Sen Morimoto made national news in July, when the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events removed him from its Millennium Park at Home virtual summertime music series. Morimoto had prerecorded a series of mystical, gentle musical movements, but he began his set by delivering a brief statement lightly criticizing Mayor Lori […]
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Pivot Gang celebrate the life of a fallen member at the third annual John Walt Day
The members of west-side collective Pivot Gang have been calling themselves a boy band since long before Brockhampton was a twinkle in Kevin Abstract’s eye. Because Joseph Chilliams, Frsh Waters, MFn Melo, and Saba all rap, this self-description has caused some confusion, but as Pivot Gang see it, there’s not much to differentiate them from, […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago rap crew Pivot Gang honor a fallen comrade
Pivot Gang cofounder John Walt is memorialized in Saba’s Care for Me—and by an arts nonprofit that bears his name, which holds its flagship concert fund-raiser this weekend.
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Don’t let anyone tell you what Chicago rap is till they see Kweku Collins and Joseph Chilliams
When the morning show on Fox 32 invited Chicago rapper and Pivot Gang member Joseph Chilliams to perform on October 3, his appearance was hooked to an informal celebration of the 2004 comedy Mean Girls; lead actress Lindsey Lohan mentions October 3 in a throwaway scene, and the date has since become affectionally known as […]
Posted inBlogs
Ms. Lauryn Hill reminded Pitchfork how vital she was and is to hip-hop
Hill’s Sunday-night headlining set celebrated the 20th anniversary of The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, one of the greatest albums in the history of the genre.
Posted inBlogs
Saba confronted grief and found joy in his Pitchfork set
In his first local show of the year, Chicago rapper Saba balanced his desire to honor a murdered friend with the necessity to entertain a huge festival crowd.
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Brown Girls writer Fatimah Asghar on Janelle Monae’s utopia for queer women of color
Current musical obsessions of Brown Girls writer Fatimah Asghar, Macie Stewart of Ohmme, and the Reader’s Peter Margasak
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Joseph Chilliams talks about the losses he overcame to release one of the year’s best Chicago hip-hop albums
Pivot Gang cofounder Joseph Chilliams released his debut, Henry Church, in August, after months of career highs and personal lows—including the death of friend and collaborator Dinner With John.
Posted inMusic
On Henry Church, rapper Joseph Chilliams refracts the west side through the lens of pop culture
In a recent interview with Chicago culture and news site These Days, rapper and Pivot Gang cofounder Joseph Chilliams discussed an epiphany he’d had about making music while watching a Louis C.K. special: “I realized that as long as it’s entertaining, it can be about absolutely anything.” Fortunately, he also understands the value of grounding […]
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RIP Chicago rapper-singer Dinner With John, cofounder of Pivot Gang
Dinner With John, born Walter Long Jr. and formerly known as John Walt, was stabbed to death yesterday at age 24.
Posted inBlogs
Mick Jenkins’s DJ, Green Sllime, takes a break from the turntables to host a talk show
The newish YouTube series Sllime’s Broke Ass Low Budget Show caters to Chicago hip-hop fanatics.
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L.A. VanGogh helps his rapper pals help him on the new EP Friends First
Chicago rapper L.A. VanGogh pulls in collaborators from different cliques, and it works to everyone’s benefit.
Posted inMusic
Saba brings the west side to life in rap
On the new Bucket List Project, Saba reminds Chicago that the west side is more than just a source of crime statistics—it’s also a home.
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Five honors students from Chicago rap’s freshman class
Five honors students from Chicago rap’s freshman class: Alex Wiley, Saba, Spenzo, Taylor Bennett, and ZMoney