Last week we gave you a First Look at Brainiac Society’s wiz kid, Vic Mensa. Today we have Vic’s debut project, Straight Up, which is an EP and serves as a proper introduction to this young emcee who we feel has a ton of talent as well as potential. The EP is free as yours...
The importance of artist collaborations these days seems to carry more weight than the actual art itself. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing. In music this occurs quite often, Rick Ross featuring Curren$y and or Wiz Khalifa for instance, both names ring bells in different circles, while fans go bonkers on the mere fact...
Every so often, an artist comes along that has the rare ability to create fresh, eccentric music while still staying accessible to the masses. In 2010, Janelle Monae is that breakthrough artist. There are so many wonderful things about The ArchAndroid, it’s hard to pick out which to celebrate first.
The Black Keys released their 8th LP, Brothers, (not counting BlackRoc) on Tuesday May 18th. Brothers follows the aforementioned BlackRoc, which saw The Keys team up with Dame Dash for a rock/Hip Hop fusion album featuring the likes of Q-Tip, Mos Def, Rza, Rakewon, and others. It also follows solo releases from front man Dan...
photos via lost in concert Last night Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings took the stage at Chicago’s Vic Theatre. The band is one that I’ve heard a lot about, and makes me sound cooler than I am because when someone brings them up, I know parts of their bio and discography from the press...
Mic Terror’s long-awaited Can I Borrow A Feeling? arrives just in time for some weekend loving. The new set is geared specifically for the ladies, and shows Mic do something just a little bit different. I must say that I had a great time being involved in this project, and it’s the next step in...
My introduction to Marion Write came back in June of ’09 when his song “Dream Merchant” hit my inbox. I checked it out and posted it to RH. The song got a great response on the blog and in our office, and I continued to build with Marion. We sponsored his last mixtape, The Epilogue...
BBU’s debut mixtape, Fear of A Clear Channel Planet is now available for worldwide consumption. A sleek 13 tracks, the mixtape contains juke-standards such as “Chi Don’t Dance”, and “BBU Who” as well as more Hip Hop leaning “Jukin’ On Landmines” and “This Is Chi”. Hosted by Million $ Mano, and mixed by DJ RTC,...
It’s always fun going to The Congress Theatre. Isn’t it, Chicago? I mean, who wouldn’t want to circle the block multiple times looking for parking, be frisked by on edge security guards, and enjoy the sights, smells, and sounds of a once illustrious and now decaying building? I mean, The Congress and the events that...
Hi haters! I’m back off Hiatus… Originally this was intended to be the first series of Mixtape Reviews on my own personal blog CONTRABAND (where you can also download all 6 mixtapes). Here we dive into a wide array of hip-hop from a seemingly fallen star (Cam), to a cocaine cowboy (Yo Gotti), to a...
