We’re not out of the woods after more than a year of this, but we can still be grateful for the little things.
Tag: Tree
Posted inMusic
Chicago rapper-producer Tree extends his winning streak with Soul Trap
In the past decade, Chicago hip-hop has elevated many talented acts to the national stage, among them rapper-producer Tremaine Johnson, better known as Tree—and his wildly idiosyncratic sounds set him apart from most of those newly minted stars. The Cabrini-Green native specializes in calamitous productions whose tough-as-nails percussion frames honeyed vocal samples warped till they […]
Posted inMusic
The best overlooked Chicago records of 2020
We’ve all had a lot to pay attention to this year, but there’s always room for more great music.
Posted inMusic
Chicago rapper Sterling Hayes travels down his own unusual path on Flirting With Death
Four years ago, Save Money rapper Sterling Hayes dropped his debut mixtape, Antidepressant, which foreshadowed the wave of Soundcloud rappers who’ve peppered their rhymes with intimate disclosures of their struggles with mental health issues. But that’s not to say that Hayes has much in common with those MCs, or with any scene around town either. […]
Posted inMusic
The best Chicago albums of the 2010s: the critics’ ballots
Here’s where to see who voted for what and how the points got divvied up.
Posted inMusic
The best Chicago albums of the 2010s
The Reader polled dozens of critics to arrive at an absolutely indisputable ranked list of several hundred records that will definitely not start any arguments.
Posted inMusic
Veteran hip-hop producer Blockhead knows how to reenergize instrumental music
New York producer Tony “Blockhead” Simon has invigorated America’s underground hip-hop scene for two decades—he started out as a close collaborator of famously slippery lyricist Aesop Rock, and more recently he’s provided beats for hard-edged rapper Billy Woods. Over the years, Simon has also learned how to transform the gritty, big-footed underground hip-hop sound into […]
Posted inMusic
City of Djinn wed psychedelic drone rock to Arabic tradition
City of Djinn wed psychedelic drone rock to Arabic tradition, Good Kids Mad City throw a beach party to commemorate the 1919 race riots, and more.
Posted inMusic
Drone-song duo Mending near the halfway point of a 40-song narrative cycle
Drone-song duo Mending near the halfway point of a 40-song narrative cycle, top-notch Chicago rapper Tree decisively ends his release drought, and more.
Posted inMusic
Sen Morimoto makes crowded songs all by himself
Sen Morimoto’s mix of hip-hop, pop, prog, and jazz has won over international entertainment platform 88 Rising, but for now he’s sticking with his friends at Chicago indie Sooper Records.
Posted inBlogs
Save Money rapper Brian Fresco realizes his ambition with Casanova
Save Money Summer continues with the release of Brian Fresco’s Casanova, whose best moments don’t come from the collective’s best-known members.
Posted inBlogs
The best overlooked Chicago hip-hop releases of 2015
Local rappers who deserved more attention this year include Angel Davanport, Ric Wilson, and Shorty K.
Posted inBlogs
Twilite Tone forms a Chicago-rap dream team in an effort to end gun violence
The veteran local rap producer recruits a bevy of Chicago MCs to record “Put the Guns Down.”
Posted inBlogs
Supa Bwe, Tree, Marvo, and Twista form the local rap-team version of the Avengers
Sunny Woodz assembles some bright Chicago rappers on one track.
Posted inBlogs
Hear MC Tree’s grand, luminous collaboration with Blue Sky Black Death
The brand-new mixtape from Chicago rapper-producer Tree is full of great songs, including this fantastic cut produced by Seattle’s Blue Sky Black Death.