UPDATE: Friday 6/23/23, 11:30 AM: the Icewear Vezzo concert at the Promontory has been postponed to a future date yet to be determined. Refunds available at point of purchase. The Detroit Pistons promoted their 2021-’22 season with a campaign called “We Hustle Different,” which aimed to build civic pride in part with halftime performances by […]
Tag: rap
Posted inMusic
Chicago alternative hip-hop group Bonelang shoot for the moon with Nervous Oracle
Chicago alternative hip-hop group Bonelang seem to want to make hip-hop that sounds like anything but hip-hop. The core duo, MC Samy.Language and producer-vocalist Matt Bones, both split the difference between rapping and singing—they often enunciate their pristine, staccato verses like they’re delivering a solo in choir or talk-singing in a Broadway musical. They also […]
Posted inAgenda
Tree lighting, seasonal shopping, no coast hip-hop, and more
’Tis the season for unbridled consumerism masking as some of us insisting that “gift giving is my love language!” While we can’t stop the avalanche of gifting that is already in motion (although Reverend Billy would disagree), we can encourage you to check out some local pop-up holiday markets and consider purchasing directly from Chicago […]
Posted inMusic
Chicago rapper Philmore Greene levels up with Detroit producer Apollo Brown on Cost of Living
West-side rapper Philmore Greene has been crafting a catalog of mature, unfussy boom-bap since he dropped his 2018 debut, Chicago: A Third World City. His new fourth full-length, Cost of Living (released by esteemed hip-hop indie Mello Music Group), builds on his established elements—relaxed, sample-based instrumentals and thoughtful ruminations about the systemic unfairness that has […]
Posted inAgenda
TheMIND at Schubas, Title Ten at Theater Wit, and more
Some concert options for tonight, if you’re looking to listen to something other than your digestion: Even though the midterm results earlier this month offered a few bright spots for pro-choice advocates, there’s no denying that the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision earlier this year fits a pattern of attacks on […]
Posted inCity of Win
East side flavor
Stony Island Park native Recoechi’s assertive bars carry a positive message.
Posted inMusic
Smino steps up his game on the explorative new Luv 4 Rent
Smino is simultaneously experimental and intentional—it’s a trip. His music feels better with each listen. The midwest breeds multitalented artists, including rappers who love to sing, but Smino (born in Saint Louis with roots in Chicago) is more than a rapper who sings or a singer who raps. With his endearing falsetto, undeniable charm, and […]
Posted inCity of Win
Healing, music, and love
Freddie Old Soul credits music with helping her heal and find God.
Posted inMusic
Stranded Civilians have made one of the best Chicago hip-hop releases of 2022
Chicago rappers Tony Santana and Aubry know that all the talent in the world can’t make a hip-hop duo work if the MCs don’t click. As Stranded Civilians, Aubry and Tony rap off each other like they just hang out and vibe 24-7—and their second mixtape, February’s self-released Obsidian, will make you wish you could […]
Posted inAgenda
Dogs and cats, hip-hop, and fancons
Got room for a little more love in your life? Check out Famous Fido Rescue’s adoption open house today. Famous Fido (3124 W. Irving Park), a no-kill shelter, finds homes for animals surrendered in crisis situations or deemed “unadoptable” by kill shelters. From noon-6 PM, they’re inviting you to meet some of their wonderful furry […]
Posted inMusic
Sharp Chicago rapper F.A.B.L.E. tries on different stylistic hats with Green Room
Emerging Chicago rapper Christopher Horace charmed me a couple years ago with the first EP he released as F.A.B.L.E., (IX) The Hermit. His downy voice makes his playful raps sound more intimate than he can spell out with words, lending them the air of a confession shared between friends–and his gentle performances fit into his […]
Posted inCity of Win
Mother Nature ascend a queenly throne
The hip-hop duo’s latest EP, Nature’s World, dropped June 10.
Posted inCity of Win
Dropping beats and seeds
Englewood rapper Heavy Crownz blends art and community organizing.
Posted inMusic
Chicago rapper CantBuyDeem makes loosies with more energy than most radio hits
If an MC has put in enough work that they can wrap a verse around a beat so tightly you can’t separate the two, then the odds are good they’ve accumulated a trunk full of unreleased material in the process. Englewood’s CantBuyDeem is just such a rapper, and he’s strung together a handful of those […]
Posted inMusic
Sidaka had his foot in the door of Chicago hip-hop, and he kicks it open with Coming Back Home
Chicago rapper-producer Sidaka began dabbling in music seven years ago, when he was a 15-year-old tinkering with a piano in an effort to impress a crush. Since then he’s gone from experimenting with bedroom recording on his own to learning every aspect of music making: he studied audio engineering at Flashpoint Chicago, and in 2019 […]