Today’s Chicago Tribune has a nice feature on Closed Sessions, the indie record label I started with Michael Kolar of SoundScape Studios. Many of you guys have seen our documentaries and releases with artists like Curren$y, Raekwon, Action Bronson, Gzus Piece, and more. We are taking Closed Sessions to the next level, with the hopes of becoming a Rawkus, Stones Throw, Decon type of label for Chicago’s hip hop community. We want to work with artists that want to be a part of this label and provide them with an alternative to moving out of Chicago or signing to a major label prematurely.
Our first artist is Alex Wiley, prepping a spring release of his debut ClubWiley. We also have an EP with Julian Malone set to drop next month, plus an album with Thelonious Martin, and more to be announced. We are on the cusp of something special. Thank you to everyone who has helped us get this far. Only the beginning.
Check out the piece in the Tribune right here.
Excerpt:
Q: What is your vision for the label, locally?
A: Chicago has always had a little pocket of hip-hop, but now there is a huge amount of creativity in it. We want to be part of showcasing it so that when people look back, they can know the real stories behind the label or a song or an artist.
I care about that, from a cultural standpoint first and foremost — not just about getting my name on these songs. We are genuine about wanting to capture the story in this historic period. A lot of the artists we’ve worked with are approaching a breakout, and so we can go back now and see where they were with this.