[Video] Taylor Bennett: "Heartbreaker"

Chicago's own Taylor Bennett has been gaining steam since dropping his mixtape, The Taylor Bennett Show this summer, and tonight dropped the video for his single, "Heartbreaker" off his upcoming 2014 project, Mainstream Music. The video, shot by 16-year-old Thelonious Stokes and premiered by IllRoots, is interesting, with Taylor musing over the intricacies of relationship issues, playing between a melodic hook and mixed bag of rhyme schemes throughout the track. The video is a small preview of what fans can expect from the 17-year-old's upcoming, sold out show at Reggie's Rock House in Chicago on December 20. Check out the video below, and keep it locked to RH for more on Taylor Bennett.

[youtube id="ZD50oBu2pOY" mode="normal" align="center"]


NoNameGypsy: "Samaritan" (Feat. Mick Jenkins)

NoNameGypsy has been one of my favorite, low-key artists in the city for some time now. From catching her spitting spoken word poetry on a snowy Tuesday to performing rap songs in the midst of cluttered lineup, NoName has always been able to fully and succinctly embody who she is, both as an artist and a person. She has followed her inspired guest verse on Chance The Rapper's track "Lost" off of Acid Rap with a sputtering flow of new music that has kept listeners largely at bay. Today, though, we got "Samaritan", featuring Mick Jenkins. The title is fitting, given the time of the year and onus on "Good Samaritans". Rhyming over 90s-influenced production from Keanen Terrell paces NoName's narrative about not living up to expectations and dealing with the mundane nature of day-to-day life while yearning for something more. Sounding similar to RapSody without as much inflection in her voice, I'm incessantly drawn to NoName's wordplay and its at its best on "Samaritan" when she flows, "You a female rapper, don't rap about that shit, you're supposed to be a bad bitch, or at least a little confident". Check out "Samaritan" below and stay up on RH for more from NoNameGypsy soon.

[iframe id="w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/123616957" mode="normal" align="center"]


Vic Mensa Live at Reggie's in Chicago, IL 12/7/14 by Nolis

[RH Photos] Vic Mensa: "Live on the Innanet" in Chicago (12/7/14)

Photography by Nolis

This past Saturday, Vic Mensa took over Reggie;s Rock House for his first solo headlining show since breaking up with Kids These Days earlier this year and dropping his solo project, Innanetape, in late September. The buzz Mensa has garnered since releasing the project was palpable, with tickets selling out a week in advance for the tightly-packed affair. Fellow Chicago acts Jean Deaux and The Hood Internet opened things up, appropriately getting the crowd going with a mix of genres that mirrored the kind of frenetically changing and eclectic backdrops Mensa utilizes throughout Innanetape.

Performing with a full band, Mensa seemed right in his element on Reggie's stage. Seeing him onstage with a piano to his right and a drummer to his right, it was hard not to think back to the days of KTD, still fresh in many fans minds as listeners shouted "Vic These Days" over the crowd. Aided by inspired back up vocals from Chicago soulstresses Lili K and Eryn Allen Kane, Mensa overcame some early technical difficulties,  commanding the stage professionally, working all sides and hitting almost every note of his fiery delivery, a nod to the endless rehearsal hours and past performances the artist has under his belt.

On "Time Is Money" Mensa flexed, bringing out Maybach Music Group signee Rockie Fresh to do his verse, accented well by an extended bridge played by producer Cam Osteen on the keys and Omar Jahwar on drums. it was fitting call to an artist that helped pave the way for Vic and the rest of Chicago hip-hop, as well as a solid anchor for his other special guest, Save Money artist Joey Purp who spit a chillingly inspired verse from "Fear & Doubt" that invigorated the crowd instantly.

Taking things down for "That Nigga," Vic was most self-assuredly himself, fully throwing himself into every word and rhyme as he recited the words to the song that essentially documented the past few years for an artist that has overcome plenty to arrive at his first solo headlining show in Chicago. Exiting stage left after the track, Mensa came back for an encore of crowd favorite "Orange Soda" and KTD throwback "Don't Harsh My Mellow" that left the young crowd in a frenzy.

While Mensa's show certainly is still rough around the edges, it is head and shoulders above what is seen from most acts, hip-hop or otherwise, with an energy that seems to never end. Most issues were due to sound problems at the venue, and Mensa paid little attention, rhyming through it all while proving to his hometown why seemingly everyone in the country has had him on their lips lately. Along with fellow Save Money artist Chance The Rapper, Mensa is quickly cementing his place at the top of Chicago hip-hop, and Saturday was yet another example of that.


Justin Bieber "Confident" (Feat. Chance The Rapper)

And the Chance The Rapper news continues. The single with none other than Justin Bieber himself dropped tonight at midnight eastern time. Recorded at a secret location in Los Angeles while on tour earlier this year, it's a markedly pop lean for Chance who nonetheless brings his own unique sound to the Bieber track, spitting a quick verse on the airy song dealing with the ins and outs of being head over heels for a self-assured female. There is supposedly another track on the way, so stay tuned for that. You can stream the track here below and purchase it now on iTunes.


Vic Mensa & Chance The Rapper: "Suitcase"

Photo by Bryan Lamb

It's been one hell of a year for Save Money artists Vic Mensa & Chance The Rapper. Both dropped projects that vaulted each to the forefront of the hip-hop world with individually unique approaches to the art form that have captivated listeners across the country. Last night, the pair dropped a loosie single titled "Suitcase", appropriate given the amount of time each has spent one the road and traveling throughout 2013. The funky beat from Cam Osteen paces the backdrop for Chance's deliberate word play and Vic's silky smooth bars that are reminiscent of the off-kilter futuristic projection theme from his September 30 release Innanetape. On "Suitcase", he rhymes: "What if I was a newlywed, with a newborn of two weeks, and my flight to the UK crashed in the Yukon, and I woke up on a distant beach, with a peach in my mouth, sand in my hair and no shoes on-where am I?" Chance picks things up, singing the chorus of "Hit The Road Jack" in his nasally, whispering voice. As the most recent track since the longtime friends got together on "Tweakin'" off Innanaetape, it provides a solid platform from which each shows what they do best. Chance has gotten well-acquainted with his suitcase over the past two months while out on his headlining "Social Experiment" tour, and Vic will pack his bags soon for a tour with Disclosure, "Suitcase" may be a very fitting theme song. Check it out below.

[iframe id="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/123601011&show_artwork=false" mode="normal" align="center"]


Justin Bieber to Collaborate with Chance The Rapper

I would venture to guess that almost no one has had as big of a year this year as Chicago's own Chancellor Bennett. It has been fun watching the young star climb the rungs of the game since dropping Acid Rap at the end of April. Each new collaboration, tour, interview and show seems to add to the mystique around Chano and, earlier this week that got ramped up quite a bit when Bieber announced via Twitter that the two would be releasing a pair of songs together as part of the last installment of Bieber's recent "Music Mondays" song series. Also announced were collabs with the likes of Diplo, Lil Wayne, R. Kelly and Big Sean.

Between being named the No. 2 album of the year by SPIN behind only Kanye's Yeezus, playing a string of sold out shows across the country and hopping on a couple tracks with The Biebs, it's official: Chance has blown the fuck up. For the tracks, one of which is rumored to be titled "Dedication", Chance reportedly was summoned to a secret location by the effervescent Bieber while on tour in Los Angeles, dipping away from the rest of his tourmates to meet with the star and lay down the two tracks. The way Bieber has been going on the up-tempo R&B tip lines up well with the new tracks coming from Chance lately, namely "Paradise", which was premiered last week at his pair of homecoming shows in Chicago. The singles are set to be released this coming Monday (12/10) so be on the lookout.


[Video] Vic Mensa: "Egyptian Cotton" (Prod. Clams Casino)

Vic Mensa is quickly positioning himself as the future of hip-hop. The 19-year-ol Chicago MC has been all over the country on seemingly every major publication, TV show and website promoting his latest release, Innanetape, which dropped on September 30 to rave reviews . Playing on his technologic-inspired "Innanet" aesthetic, Mensa teamed up with Clams Casino and HP to record a track and accompanying video as part of HP's 2 Day Beat Project where they teamed up the pair to create the song with ideas for lyrics pulled from Youtube comments. The production value behind the video is out of this world, as Vic seems to physically interact with the verses he's spitting. Vic's pointed, sharp-edged lyricism coaxes over the finer things in life, like Egyptian Cotton, in this latest offering.

Check out the video below and enter to win a pair of tickets to Vic's SOLD OUT show at Reggie's in Chicago on 12/7 courtesy of RH! Tweet, Instagram or Facebook a picture of you with the "Innanet" in some way and hashtag #RHMENSA so we can find you! Read more about the contest and show here.

[youtube id="gwcAj1BCew0" mode="normal" align="center"]


[Video] Brian Fresco: "Piece of Mind"

As you may have heard, Chicago's Save Money collective has been turning heads for a minute. 2013 may as well be their year after a slew of solid releases were peppered throughout Spring, Summer and Fall, with more to come through the end of the year. One of the standout mixtapes to drop was Brian Fresco's Mafioso, a stunningly adept, well put together project that featured some of the best verses by Fresco and his team including Joey Purp, Vic Mensa, Caleb James, Tokyo Shawn, Chance The Rapper and more. Today, the young MC drops his video for "Piece of Mind" off Mafioso. Personally, Fresco is one of the guys I'm most excited to see develop from this bountiful crop of artists in Chicago-check him out for yourself in the video below.

[youtube id="HiepnNd0G1I" mode="normal" align="center"]