Freddie Gibbs has been on a famous rapper roller coaster since he put out his first mixtape in 2010—a journey marked with decadent twists, dizzying heights, and equally terrifying descents. Public beefs with big-name artists, moments as a media darling, well-received acting roles (including the lead in last year’s Down With the King), and acquittal […]
Tag: Nas
Posted inOn Culture
‘Undying Love’: the Opera
Composer and tenor Steve Wallace says the first time he heard the Nas song “Undying Love,” the final track on the rapper’s 1999 album I Am . . ., “I immediately saw it as a verismo one-act with chamber orchestra, but I stored it away for a later time.” It wasn’t until 2014, when Wallace […]
Posted inMusic
DJ King Hippo on the holy grail of Chicago spiritual jazz
Current musical obsessions of DJ King Hippo (aka Alejandro Ayala), Resavoir bandleader Will Miller, and Reader writer Leor Galil
Posted inBlogs
The Obama Foundation throws a summit
What the Obama Foundation’s summit revealed about its mission.
Posted inMusic
The uprising against Riot Fest continues
Activists refuse to be quiet about Riot Fest, but boosters say their claims are off base.
Posted inBlogs
Morrissey, Deftones, Ween, and Death Cab for Cutie join the Original Misfits at this year’s Riot Fest
The first Riot Fest lineup announcement ups the ante with more big names after last week’s big Misfits reveal.
Posted inMusic
Alexander Fruchter of Closed Sessions on a musical Band-Aid in a fucked-up world
Current musical obsessions of hip-hop songwriter Kweku Collins, Alex Fruchter of Closed Sessions, and the Reader’s Kevin Warwick
Posted inBlogs
Local hip-hop superhero A-Villa, bank manager by day and skilled beat maker by night
The 33-year-old producer is about to drop his debut full-length, Carry on Tradition, and he talks to the Reader about collaborating with dozens of MCs, life plans, and raising his daughter.
Posted inBlogs
North Coast 2013: Partying like summer will never come again
The North Coast Music Festival may look like it’s basically about drugs, but it’s really about enthusiasm.
Posted inMusic
Beats, jams, and rhymes at the 2013 North Coast Music Festival
North Coast Music Festival has found its niche—one where Danny Brown, AlunaGeorge, and the Disco Biscuits fit side by side.
Posted inArts & Culture
From Averill to Zeus: A local lit roundup
From Averill to Zeus: A local lit roundup
Posted inBlogs
How Ghostface Killah helped break my puzzling relationship with reissues
Get On Down’s reissue of Ghostface Killah’s Ironman comes with a puzzle that should get plenty of play.
Posted inBlogs
The scenario at Saturday’s Holiday Rap Karaoke Party
Hip-hop heads will be “Causin’ rambunction, throughout the sphere” at Saturday’s rap karaoke party
Posted inBlogs
Best shows to see: Atriarch, David Daniell & Douglas McCombs, Bleeding Rainbow
If you’re not at home hiding from the cold snap, over the next few days you might try Atriarch, David Daniell & Douglas McCombs, or Bleeding Rainbow