Chance The Rapper Shines Again on Late Night With Stephen Colbert
Too many lines to quote, but one of my favorites is "the automatic quarterback that doesn't rap." How many of you played those playground football games with auto-QB? That brought back some memories...
But to the main point, Chance has kind of made it a habit of taking new material to live television. Last night he did it again, going back to old friend and collaborator Stephen Colbert and "The Late Show".
Chance performed a new and as yet untitled song last night, and was joined by Daniel Caesar on vocals and guitar (along with Nico, Stix, and Peter Cottontale from SOX, as well as background vocalists). The new song is very deserving of a breakdown, and I feel will continue to reveal its meaning with continued listens.
On surface, and after a couple listens, I believe the overarching theme to be the sacrifices Chance has had to make in order to achieve success as an artist. At one point, the dream of success and stardom was far off, and the sacrifices may have seemed small or absolutely necessary and wanted. In the second verse, he references skipping his prom, something he did to perform at former street wear store, AKIN.
While missing high school dances is significant, it pales in comparison to leaving your daughter for tour, being asked for autographs at church, and losing time with friends and families. The demands are intense. And it is clear that there is burnout and times of exhaustion. One of the earliest lines in the record sees Chance admit that he needs a nap.
But what I also hear in the song is a continued determination, not just on the quest to stardom but in fighting for justices and the importance of the community work that Chance has taken up. We can't just use our couches as safety nets. Throughout the hook, Chance puts his feelings of burnout in perspective of other issues - First World Problems as he sings in the refrain. The continued battle against police brutality, school funding, gay rights definitely put over eager autograph seekers in perspective.
The performance was dope, and I am looking forward to digging further into the new song.
Before the performance, Chance also talked to Colbert about Social Works and the Second Chance Fund, which he announced at the beginning of September. The fund will be giving money to specific public schools and help with initiatives in art, music, science, and math. He also talked about his faith, organizing and action over politics, and disclosed that he wrote the new record on Saturday. Originally he was going to perform "Grown Ass Kid", but had to switch it up last minute. I think the change worked out well, and I'm looking forward to more new music from Chance. He said he's in the studio cooking up YAMMERS!
Spectacular Diagnostic + Grandmilly - "DISCORAMA"
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"Keep it official like a referee and blow the whistle, if I ain't with you, simmer down while I spew my riddle."
I first met Spectacular Diagnostics through Rude One, and only knew him as a graphic designer. He actually did the artwork for the bulk of Rude's ONEderful LP, which came out almost a year ago (revisit that here).
After submitting all the art, SD, sent me links to his own music - mostly obscure leaning, crunchy, instrumentals, and some that featured face-scrunching rappers like Conway and Chester Watson. His 2016 release, Avant Raw is a harken cry back to the late 90's heyday of releases from producers and DJ's like Handsome Boy Modeling School, UNKLE, Kid Koala etc. I highly suggest it if you're looking for a fix like that. Fuck it, I'll embed it below for easy listening.
But first, I want to say something about his new shit, "DISCORAMA" featuring Grandmilly. I don't know how I stumbled upon this yesterday, but it's been in my head since. I didn't know it at the time, but it was exactly what I was looking for. It carries Spectacular's signature dusty production while Grandmilly simply goes off with the wordplay. If that's what you like, you will very much like this.
The song is part of Spectacular's new project, The Spec Tape, an already sold out cassette. If you were lucky enough to cop the cassette, you also got "DISCORAMA" and 2 other joints as free downloads. You can still find all the tracks here, and kick yourself for not finding this sooner.
And here is Avant Raw.
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An Update on rubyhornet.com from RTC
I've been wrestling with how to best share this news, or even if I was going to share this news. I thought about big announcements, small announcements, no announcements. I was waiting for the right moment, and kind of realized that there isn't a right moment. We're in the midst of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, a time for reflection and new starts. I figure no better time than now...
I have purchased rubyhornet.com. A music site that I helped to build from 2008-2013, when I left to start Closed Sessions.
I decided to do this mainly because I wanted to ensure that rubyhornet.com was preserved and saved as an important piece of Chicago Hip Hop. The platform it gave to emerging artists was incredible, and what it did for my life is not even describable.
As more links stopped working, more content disappeared, and especially when rubyhornet.com redirected to Chicago Music, I had a tremendous fear that my work, and the work of everyone else associated would be erased. Permanently.
Pretty much the majority of my 20's, spent grinding, eating Ramen, interviewing my heroes, learning how to produce shows, and being part of this vibrant Chicago Hip Hop renaissance would just... poof... disappear. Like it never even happened.
While many people thought that I owned rubyhornet, I never did and really had no control over what happened to the site. So if nothing else, I wanted to ensure that rubyhornet would live on and be a testament to Chicago Hip Hop history.
Beyond that, I have no fucking idea... If you got some, please share.
I know that I want to give this platform to new artists and new writers. I have no illusions of turning RH into some media juggernaut or battling complex, fighting for exclusives or any of that shit. I'm not that young cat I once was, I don't have that same ego, and fuck, the internet's changed. It's not going to happen. And it's really not about me. I run Closed Sessions, I teach at Columbia, and I don't want to be called a liar when I tell my children that I used to do cool shit back in the day.
My hope is that this energizes new kids who want to write. Before the guys behind rubyhornet found me, I was doing all kinds of shit, trying to figure out exactly how I was going to make a way in the field that I loved. Maybe now I can do that for someone else.
I want to give new artists another spot they can share their music and their message, connect with other likeminded people and grow their art.
I was tired of artists that grew up with RH coming up to me and telling me how much they missed the site. I felt like I had let them down when I left. And never felt right.
I was tired of not celebrating the work we did.
I felt like I was missing a large piece of myself, and now that piece is back.
I hope that we can shine a light on our beautiful music scene and community. I hope we help young artists, writers, and other creatives find their path.
And I hope this reminds people of things they forgot.
Beyond that.... It's all a bonus.
So with this note.
If you're an artist - send me your music.
If you're a writer and want to contribute - hit me.
If you're a publicist, put me on your email list.
You can hit me at rubyhornet@gmail.com or Alex@closedsessions.com
Sincerely,
My Final Post
About 5 years ago, I was sitting inside the Depaul student center, eating Subway and scribbling a site-map on a napkin. It was during a lunch break at another job I had, which in itself was just one of many as I tried to make a way in the music world. A couple weeks after that I was in Austin, Texas for SXSW repping rubyhornet, and a couple weeks after that I quit all my other jobs and rubyhornet.com was born. It's fairly surreal to write this, but as we come up on the 5-year anniversary of the site, I am now sitting at my computer, trying to scribble out this final post. Effective today, I am stepping down as Editor-In-Chief of rubyhornet and saying goodbye to the site, the brand, and the movement that has been such a huge part of my life over the last half-decade.
Like most big decisions, there are a lot of factors and influences involved. As much as I love rubyhornet and what I've been able to do as part of the site, it's time for me to move on and start a new phase of my career, one that is centered building Closed Sessions into a premier independent Hip Hop label for Chicago's Hip Hop community, and for indie artists across the country that want to make great music with great stories. We are at a very unique and special time in Chicago Hip Hop history, one that may not come again. I feel like Closed Sessions has a chance to be our own version of Rawkus, Stones Throw, Fat Beats, Decon, Fool's Gold, Duck Down etc, and I can't wait to make that a reality.
I just want to thank everyone who has supported me and rubyhornet over the last few years (and some of you reading this have been holding me down even long before that). RubyHornet is nothing without the people, and that has always been my approach to running the site. From Freestyle In The Park, to Digital Freshness, to Closed Sessions, we have always worked hard to create new ways to present talented artists and their music. I feel like RubyHornet is an undeniable part of Chicago's Hip Hop community, and I'm grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I have enjoyed as part of such a dope site and a great (although small) team that put the music and the culture ahead of everything else.
That exact spirit and desire is what I'm taking with me to Closed Sessions and ClosedSessions.com where you can find our newest documentaries, music releases, and work with Closed Sessions artists and contributors such as Alex Wiley, Vic Mensa, Curren$y, Tree, Thelonious Martin, Action Bronson, Raekwon, and countless others who we've really embraced what we are doing.
While it may not be totally the same, RubyHornet will still go on and provide a much needed outlet for many talented artists. Sean CK will be handling things during this transition, and Pedro will be posting as well. You can hit Sean at SeanCK@rubyhornet.com. I've taught him and well, and rh is in good hands for now.
Again, thank you to everyone that has given their support throughout the years. There are way too many of you to name. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me with questions, feedback, whatever. You can reach me at Alex@ClosedSessions.com or via twitter @dj_rtc.
Please follow @closedsessions on Twitter and Instagram. Check ClosedSessions.com for new Closed Sessions music and documentaries, upcoming Digital Freshness dates, interviews, and more.
[Listen Live] Closed Sessions Radio with DJ RTC & JR Bang
Listen live to Closed Sessions Radio right now on WindyCityUnderground.com. Today DJ RTC and JR Bang address Vic Spencer's recent complaints with rubyhornet, and an important announcement from RTC. Listen and watch below.
[Listen Live] Closed Sessions Radio with DJ RTC and JR Bang
Listen live to Closed Sessions Radio with DJ RTC and JR Bang. Today we play new music from Chance The Rapper, Local Nobodies, Add-2, and more. Plus a preview of Digital Freshness with Roc Marciano.
[Interview] AEMMP Hip Hop Artist of The Week: Terra 5
[Mixtape] Arjaye Jeter: Liveuminati
Here's the new mixtape from Chicago's Arjaye Jeter, Liveuminati. The mixtape was a fully in-house affair, as Arjaye recorded and produced this project himself. He called in a couple guest verses from RH approved St. Millie, Murph Watkins, and more. Listen and download below.