[Video] Marrow: "Two" (Behind The Scenes)

It's not where you start, but where you finish. The age-old fallacy is one everyone can live by, but likely  rings a bit more true for the members of Marrow. Six months ago band members Liam Cunningham, Macie Stewart and Lane Beckstrom made up the core of Chicago genre-fusion band Kids These Days. Having reached a good deal of success (playing on Conan & at Lollapalooza 2011), the band split up in May after two albums and a host of shows across the country. Vic Mensa left to pursue a solo rap career, Nico Segal and J.P. Floyd went on tour with Frank Ocean and Chance The Rapper, and Liam, Macie and Lane retreated to Lane's basement to work on their reformed band, Marrow. Having spent the summer writing a library's-worth of songs and recording a demo, the former KTD members, along with newbie Matt Carroll on drums, have developed a new sound that merges the careful songwriting of Cunningham and Stewart with the inspired musicianship of Beckstrom, all accented by a different tone on drums with Carroll. While working on their upcoming (and appropriately titled) EP, Two, due out the same day as their show at Schuba's on December 19, the group had cameras rolling to catch all the action. Tap into the young musician's creative process as they put the project together with the video below, and keep an eye out for an Austin Vesely-directed joint due out in late November.

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[RH Exclusive] Day 1 of Chance The Rapper's Social Experiment Tour

Chance The Rapper opened his debut headlining Social Experiment tour two and a half hours south of his hometown of Chicago on Friday October 25. Photographer/videographer Bryan Lamb and myself made the trip and were on hand for all the festivities as Chance and crew kicked things off at the University of Illinois. A majority of Save Money made the trip south,  joining Chano onstage was none other than Vic Mensa who himself is currently between tours with J. Cole and Disclosure.

The set was the culmination of weeks worth of rehearsals and practice for Chance, Music Director Peter CottonTale and the rest of the backing band and sound crew including Greg Landfair, Nico Segal and Jake Lipp who rented out both the Metro and Reggie's to get a go-around of the stage set-up, lights and combination of both a solo part of the set, as well as one with the band. What the U of I crowd got was one hell of a show that went off as smooth as one could expect given the circumstances and which upped the bar for the remainder of the shows on the tour. Both CottonTale and Lipp, working behind the scenes, were pleased with the show and the fact that there were no major hiccups. Bryan (FragDFilms) did his thing and captured the first stop of the tour in the photos and video below, check it out and stay hooked to RH for continuing Social Experiment coverage.

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Chance the Rapper's Social Experiment Tour photos by Jake Krzeczowski

[RH Photos] Behind The Scenes: Chance The Rapper's "The Social Experiment" Tour Rehearsal

Photos by Jake Krzeczowski

What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time I was interviewing Chance The Rapper for an article in the Sun Times as he prepared to play his first headlining show at The Metro. Yesterday, I had an opportunity to attend a rehearsal at the same storied venue on Chicago’s north side as Chance and company prepared for his first headlining national tour. It has been a year of “nexts” for Chancellor Bennett thus far and few moments embodied that more for me than taking in the rehearsal Sunday night. With backing from Peter CottonTale, Nico Segal, Nate Fox and Greg Landfair, along with Jake Lipp and a host of others, Chance isn’t looking to put on a show listeners are necessarily expecting. The core team of CottonTale, Segal, Fox and Landfair has been hard at work for weeks massaging out new arrangements and crafting a show that allows each song to reach its full potential on a live stage, something telling for an artist Chance’s age. Watching his rise has been crazy, but after seeing a small preview of what’s in store it’s safe to say this is all merely the beginning. Check out my photos from last night below and keep it locked to RH for continuing coverage of The Social Experiment Tour.


[Album] Roman Flowrs: "#OneHellOfaPromo"

It seems like we've been getting weekly updates from Chicago product Roman Flowrs as he prepared his latest release, #OneHellOfaPromo. Well, the day has finally come and the album is here and living up to the lofty expectations that singles like "No More", "Holographic Card" and "Rock With Me" set for it when they dropped throughout the summer. The talented lyricist paired himself with some of the top production in the Windy City, employing the help of the ever talented Cam Osteen of J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, fresh off Innanetape, as well as Donnie Trumpet (Nico Segal), Sango, Dart and more. The project was recorded at Classick Studios on Chicago's west side, which is quickly becoming a hotbed of activity for up and coming hip-hop artists in the Midwest. Take some time out of your day to enjoy #OneHellOfaPromo, available for free download below.


[Video] Nico Segal: "New Bisness"

Donnie Trumpet/Nico Genius/Nico Segal himself took some time while on tour overseas with Frank Ocean to shoot a video for "New Bisness," off his solo project, Donnie Trumpet. The video, shot and edited by Andy Singh, was actually shot on the last day of the California Live Tour in Melbourne, Australia. The former Kids These Days member gets his workout on in the hotel gym and spends some time strolling the halls in a fresh robe. If you haven't gotten the project yet, it's definitely recommended because, as Nico lays out in the video below he's "gonna be somebody."

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Jean Deaux: "Alone" (prod. Nico Segal)

Jean Deaux dropped a new jam yesterday and its blues-vibes mixed with the songstress' mesmerizing voice make this eight-minute opus into the perfect gem to properly start Fall and the colder months of the year. "Alone" clearly shows that the synergy between Nico Segal, THEMPeople (whom together co-produced the song) and Jean is undeniable and it gives us a preview of what's to come from her Raw Series. Listen below.Read more


Chicago Attic Jam

Photo by RaRa Photography

Sometimes it's good to just get away and listen to some good music. Last Thursday, some of Chicago's most talented young musicians got together for a jam session on the north side of the city to do just that. Former Kids These Days members Nico Segal (aka Donnie Trumpet), Lane Beckstrom and Greg Landfair (Stix) took part while Peter CottonTale handled work on the keys and Chris Mathien kept pace on lead guitar. Check out the video below, shot by Nico Hagopian and be sure to keep an eye out for future work coming out of the Attic!

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[Mixtape] Nico Segal: "Donnie Trumpet"

Nico Segal's, Illasoul, is a 'tape that I still bump to this day and that has a lot to do with the many subjects talked about in that project and Nico's ability to sway the listener with beautiful melodies. The trumpeter is now back with "Donnie Trumpet", a 'tape that distances itself a little from spoken word and focuses on the vibes and synergy between Nico and collaborators Chance The Rapper, Vic Mensa, Kiara Lanier & Emilio Chestevez while expanding on new concepts and themes.