ProbCause & The O'My's: "One of a Kind"
Chicago natives ProbCause & The O'My's teamed up to drop some heat in the midst of one of the city's record-breaking cold spell with their collaborative effort, "One of a Kind." ProbCause, who will continue to build on a successful 2013 by re-joining dance duo Cherub on tour in March, shows his full range with this latest track, tearing off a measured, rapid-fire verse over the soulful, horn-laden backing of The O'My's. Maceo Haymes, owner of one of the more delightfully soulful voices around, takes the reigns halfway in, crooning his way through the rest of the track. Collaborations like this are a big part of the reason this scene is on the up and up. Listen and download the track below.
Catch ProbCause live in Chicago on February 28 at Schuba's. Tix.
[Trailer] Labor Day
[youtube id="C-4S8fBIOSI"]
Romance seems to fill up cinema in almost every genre that exists. Anywhere from an action movie to a comedy can display people falling for one another. However, it seems to be in the category of drama where the lust for another person takes on challenges that seem almost impossible to overcome.
Labor Day, based on the novel by Joyce Maynard, is a tale just like that. Starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin, the basis of the film takes off when a mother and son give a seemingly unnerving man a ride. Letting him stay in their care for awhile, the mother and son soon find out the truth about this mysterious man as the police go about the town searching for this ex-convict. In a bind as to what to do, the pair contemplates what their few options are for the future with this man.
The new film from Jason Reitman will be in theaters on January 31.
[Video] Hardwell: "Dare You" (Feat. Matthew Koma)
Dutch DJ sensation Hardwell was named Mixmag's No. 1 DJ in the world in 2013. That's quite an act to follow up, but the 25 year old EDM wunderkind is hard at work already this year, today dropping his video for the song "Dare You" featuring Matthew Koma. The video is an upbeat and soul-elevating mix of vocals and production, with Koma opening the songs singing, "We're a million lonely people, ". It is a freeing experience filled with mundane stares and a lot of empty space. The character's dream are realized, finally, at a Hardwell show. Of course. Check it all out for yourself and keep an eye on Hardwell as he makes a run at back-to-back major festival seasons.
[youtube id="clRjbYa4UWQ"]
Austin Celebrates "Free Week"
There's no better price than free.99 and the eclectic residents of Austin, Texas seem to know this better than anyone, as they town embarks on "Free Week" a seven day run of free shows around ATX that help celebrate the start to a new year. Fitting, for a city that seems to never turn the music off. On the site's website, the event is promoters say, " Since 2003, Austin has held the tradition of partying to no end during the first week of January."
The decade-old tradition is a perfect example as well of the current state of music in America, as giving it out for free seems to have begun the norm for the large swath of artists trying to come up in the industry. The week-long mini-fest features a smattering of independent acts, both local and not, that come together to start the year off right, for free. For a full list of shows, venues and activities, click here.
Nintendo forced to pay percentage of future 3DS sales to another company
Nintendo fits into weirdly into the video game spectrum. On the one hand, their first-party titles (Zelda, Super Mario Bros., etc.) perform critically well to solid sales; on the other, the dwindling third-party support hasn't helped bring the company's latest console, Wii U, to the forefront of next generation gaming as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4. However, while the Wii U continues to underperform and underwhelm, the company's hardware side has been consistently salvaged thanks to amazing sales of the Nintendo 3DS.
As of October 2013, close to 35 million units have been shipped worldwide with no real signs of slowing down. Unfortunately, a percentage of future 3DS sales will go towards another company thanks to a patent claim. Kotaku states that Tomita's patented camera technology that creates 3D images from the system's cameras. Nintendo will be forced to pay 1.82% of every unit sold to Tomita going forward. It's a small percentage, but considering the current MSRP for the 3DS is at $190 and the growth of future 3DS sales, that price will add up.
[via Kotaku]
[Video] Sasha Go Hard: "Own Lane"
For Chicago hip-hop artist Sasha Go Hard's video for her single "Own Lane", off of her recent release Nutty World, the rising star decided to take it back home, bringing things back for the APJ Films-directed visual. Success has found Sasha quickly as she has risen from a virtual no name two years ago, into one of the leading ladies in hip-hop today, and she ruminates over feeling some type of way about the whole ride, while taking a trip through familiar streets while pressing, "I'm in my own league, with my own lane" from behind the steering wheel. Earlier this week she also announced a European tour, on the heels of a string of successful London dates in late 2013. Sasha has most certainly carved out her own lane in the greater hip-hop scene, and this latest track may be one of the most lyrically-inviting pieces to date from the rapidly maturing MC. Check out the video for "Own Lane" below and scroll a bit for the full European tour dates.
[youtube id="2rP_sGUb0dw"]
New film stills for Captain America: The Winter Soldier
Talk about winter, right guys?! I think I'm going to be making a ton of terrible winter puns/jokes for the rest of the week. Luckily, these hot new stills from the upcoming Captain America: The Winter Soldier have been released. Featuring the tag team duo of Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), The Winter Soldier takes place months after The Avengers where the two superheroes find themselves embroiled in a government conspiracy, capped with an assassination plot from newcomer, the titular Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).
Check out the film stills below! Hopefully they'll keep you warm until the film's released into theaters on April 4th.
#100Trill: "Forever" (Feat. ShowYouSuck)
Fellow Chicagoans and Legion of Dudes members Grade Aplus and producer Mike Jaxx stay consistent with new material seemingly every week and today bring us the latest from their #100Trill collaboration, this time featuring another LOD artist, ShowYouSuck to spit a few bars over the Jaxx-production. "Forever" is the follow-up single to last month's "Sharkeisha" off the #100Trill's upcoming mixtape, Muzik to Check Yo Bitch To EP, due out in February. "Forever" navigates familiar territory for both Grade and Show, who traverse the recognizable pseudo-trap beat with clever wordplay and a catchy hook, "Forever I'm Ever Mackin'". With everyone in the Midwest trapped inside as Antarctica moves north for a couple days, expect plenty more heat to come out of the ever-working #100Trill duo. Listen to "Forever" streaming here below.

















