“I’m so far removed from new music and the what’s going on in music right now cause I signed out a long time ago,” says BlockHead, the producer who many know from his works with Aesop Rock and his own eclectic instrumental LP’s. His latest, The Music Scene, is both a biting critique as well...
Dear Chicago, the Midwest and World, please meet Philadelphia. Oh, yeah, I know, you know about Philly. Sure, they won the World Series a couple years ago, have the Liberty Bell, and one of the greatest 80’s movies ever to shine light on the most popular flight of stairs ever (…Rocky, of course). But the...
Photos By: Virgil Solis I’ll never forget the first time I DJ’ed with Willy Joy at Lava Lounge. Willy opened that night, and my set began somewhere between 12 and 1AM. As I unpacked my computer, needles, headphones, and relocated my drinks to the DJ booth, I noticed that Willy had something different sitting next...
Nneka’s first U.S. LP, Concrete Jungle, will be released on February 2nd, and she will undertake a headlining tour to match. For the Nigerian born anthropology student, one of her main travel items is love. That’s Nneka’s self-described x-factor, and one of the reasons she feels her music has been able to spread across countries,...
Natalie Oliveri introduced herself musically via her EP, Eclectic Soul. The Chicago born songstress went deep into her shared Colombian and Italian heritage, and mixed with American musical influences to produce a soulful sound that caught our attention. We think she has enough to catch yours, and talked to Oliveri about her EP, her upbringing...
Photos: Jonathan Weiner Lets face it, we have all had our share of setbacks, and if you haven’t, keep living because they are soon to come. Often times these unfortunate experiences mold you into the person that you are today, whether good or bad. Gary Indiana’s Freddie Gibbs, has has had a fair share...
I found it somewhat ironic that as I made my way out east to NYC, the king of the West, Snoop Dogg, made his entrance to Chicago. Timing and location being only a minor setback, I frantically worked my Blackberry magic to coordinate a cross country interview with one of music’s most recognizable figures. Thanks...
Lupe Fiasco has been on a tear lately. Once staunchly on the wrong side of leaks and giveaways, the Chicago emcee who once printed a list of reasons why he’s upset with the current leak-heavy music scene has been releasing a tirade of freestyles via blogs and websites. The reason for Lupe’s surge in activity...
“I feel like people know I’m dope, people know I’m a lyricist, people know they are going to get top notch lyricism,” Skyzoo tells me on a breezy afternoon in early September. The air, much like his tone is calm and fluent. This isn’t a boastful claim for the Bedstuy rapper, but comes off more...
There’s a line in Tanya Morgan’s “Drop” freestyle in which Von Pea spits, “they say we’re golden era, cool, I ain’t into bronze.” The line works because it’s clever, and it’s also true. Tanya Morgan’s been pegged as a golden-era Hip Hop trio with more in common with “conscious artists” from the past than many...
