When Jon Connor hits Chicago on Sunday for a concert at Reggie’s, he’ll be in the Windy City for just the second time. While he comes this time as a featured performer, a candidate for the XXL Freshmen Class, and an artist on the verge, it may almost impossible for Connor to top what happened during his first visit. “That night in Chicago was the night, probably one of the biggest nights for me to date,” Jon Connor says of May 15th, 2010.
That night we threw an after party with The Shrine featuring Nas and Damian Marley, who played a Distant Relatives show earlier that evening. Connor went to the party with former college basketball star, Mateen Cleaves. Cleaves met Jon in their native Flint, and the two have had a musical partnership and special bond ever since. It turns out that Nas and Mateen Cleaves are old friends, allowing Jon Connor that chance to meet one his lyrical heroes. “That was the first time me and Nas got to sit down and talk. Really, go in and have a conversations with each other,” he says. “It was just me, Nas, and Mateen Cleaves.
Pieces of that conversation can be found in Connor’s video for “Epic” as well as his recent release “No Apologies”. Hearing Connor retell the story, it’s easy to see what impact that conversation made on him. It is also easy to see why. “I studied the greats,” he explains. “There were nights when I was younger that I would go to sleep listening to Illmatic, listening to I Am and It Was Written. To me, Nas was always the epitome of what an emcee should be. The way he puts words together, his thought process, how creative he is with music, that’s something I strive to to be.”
Connor is looking forward to his visit on Sunday. This time he gets to show his skills, and demonstrate how far he has come in his studies. It’s nothing he takes for granted. “Having the Chi’s respect and admiration is going to mean a lot to me,” he says. “They produce such great artists and know what good music is, what a talented rapper is. I respect the Chi’s opinion of what I do. I respect how the Chi views me, because I respect their contribution to music so much. I got so much respect for Chicago’s contribution to Hip Hop, it’s ridiculous.”
Jon Connor will appear at Reggie’s on Sunday January 15th alongside Hopsin. Tickets and info can be found here.