Azeez Alaka and Brandon Holmes run a music and video production company with a pipeline to the majors and a headquarters shaping up in Little Village.
Tag: Migos
Posted inBlogs
Cardi B and Nicki Minaj are feuding—and these women in Chicago rap don’t see the point
Psalm One, Akenya, Sisi Dior, Chimeka, and Mother Nature talk about sisterhood, mutual support, and the pernicious notion that hip-hop has room for only one female star at a time.
Posted inMusic
There’s a good reason everyone loves Drake’s hyperpersonal rap-sing bangers
The jury’s still out on whether Kiki loves Drake or not, but it’s pretty clear that the rest of the world does, and with good reason. On his fifth official full-length release, this summer’s Scorpion, the Toronto child star turned rapper proves that he’s one of the most consistent artists out there right now; though […]
Posted inMusic
Tink remembers the trial by fire that launched her career
The crowds at Adrianna’s wouldn’t rock for just anybody, but as a Calumet City teenager Tink won them over with a mix of drill rap and R&B.
Posted inMusic
Punctuation geniuses Migos put exclamation points on hip-hop
The chief innovation Atlanta trio Migos have brought to rap music is using words as punctuation. (Period). Quavo, his cousin Offset, and his nephew Takeoff don’t merely rap or sing or rap-sing, they pepper their bars with stray words or onomatopoetic sounds that aren’t just stylistic quirks or sound effects (boom), but integral components of […]
Posted inMusic
How Blink-182 gave hip-hop a refreshing Enema
Blink-182 helped connect the mainstream pop-punk of the late 90s to the Soundcloud rap of today.
Posted inBlogs
With ‘Off the Clock,’ Chicago rapper Jayaire Woods demonstrates why he deserves a bigger audience
“Off the Clock” is the first single from Jayaire Woods’s imminent third mixtape, Big Wood.
Posted inMusic
Atlanta rap trio Migos have weathered a career path as loopy as their performances
Atlanta rap trio Migos have experienced a lifetime of music industry ups and downs in less than half a decade. Rappers Quavo, Offset, and Takeoff first made it through the buzz of their breakthrough 2013 sensation, “Versace,” surviving a Drake remix that felt less like a cosign than a jump on something hot. They held […]
Posted inBlogs
Lollapalooza 2017 lineup: Chance the Rapper takes a victory lap with a bunch of predictable acts
The local rap hero is one of the few bright spots on an otherwise anemic Lollapalooza lineup that also includes Lorde, Migos, the XX, Run the Jewels, and, um, Liam Gallagher.
Posted inBlogs
Cowboy poetry, the decline of the critic, Lil Wayne’s boring prison memoir, and more: the week in music writing
The Reader collects some of the best and brightest bits from the past week’s music writing.
Posted inBlogs
Rising local rapper Jayaire Woods introduces himself better than anyone else could on ‘PSA’
On Tuesday, Bellwood rapper Jayaire Woods dropped his first mixtape since signing to Atlanta indie label Quality Control, and he quickly establishes himself on his own terms.
Posted inBlogs
Donnie Trumpet and Chance the Rapper’s new album hit the Web last night without any warning
Surf, the new album from Donnie Trumpet and the Social Experiment (aka Chance the Rapper’s backing band), is for sale on iTunes.
Posted inBest of Chicago
Best R&B Star on the Verge
This 18-year-old vocalist could turn out to be Chicago’s answer to Nicki Minaj.