"Acid Rap" Nominated for BET Best Mixtape
Photo by Virgil Solis
"Better than I was the last time/Did a ton of drugs and did better than all my alma mater"
Words have quickly become reality for Chancellor Bennett, better known to the rest of the world as Chance The Rapper, whose latest release, Acid Rap, was nominated this week for a BET Hip Hop Award for Mixtape of the Year.
The year-long rise of the 20-year-old Chatham native has been startling to say the least. This time last year, 10 Day was a blip on the national radar and Chano was preparing to play his first Metro headlining show. Since then Chance has played at SXSW with Kendrick Lamar, toured the country with Mac Miller, had his album bootlegged so much it hit the charts and soon will head to Europe with Macklemore, where he also opens for Eminem.
"Gravity had me up in a submission hold, like I'm dancing with the devil with two left feet and I'm pigeon toed."
That he is heading on tour with the Seattle-based purveyor for all things independent is at once both ironic and appropriate. Macklemore was a star in the Pacific Northwest for years before hitting the mainstream with a national following, selling out venues in Washington and playing half-filled rooms in Iowa the next day. By comparison, Chance rocketed to national consciousness, perhaps buoyed by his favorable location in the center of the country. While Macklemore may have played a longer waiting game, the two artists are experiencing the limelight at the same time, and from an increasingly more common, independent angle.
If there is one reason to point to for Acid Rap's inclusion on BET's Best Mixtape of the Year nominations, it would have to be the fact that the free release was so thoroughly bootlegged by shady third-party retailers both at home and abroad that it actually hit the charts, coming in at No. 68, as was reported by Billboard last week.
"Chano, Chatham's own, foolies glad I'm home, even my haters kinda glad I'm on"
Carefully crafted, and a wholly Chicago collaboration, Acid Rap has a feel about it around the city that possibly hasn't been seen since College Dropout. Bring up the project to anyone even marginally involved with Chicago hip-hop and smiles and favorite verses likely soon follow the statement "Damn, Chance is famous,". The fever was instantaneously evident to anyone who was within three blocks of Jugrnaut April 30 for the listening party that had lines stretching down Dearborn and around the corner.
Produced, engineered and mastered almost completely in Chicago at the likes of Soundscape Studios, Force One Seven, Classick and Fox and The Mule, the success of Acid Rap has been able to intrinsically elevate the ambitious young local music scene which has helped give way to a slew of young artists, Save Money and not. Chance would have been hard-pressed to find room for anyone else on the project, putting on for Chicago artists such as Lili K, Vic Mensa, Saba, NoNameGypsy, Twista, Kiara Lanier and host of moving parts such as Nico Segal and Greg Landfair, formerly of Kids These Days. Most notable are the talented producers (Peter CottonTale, Cam Osteen, Nate Fox, Stefan Ponce) that he has aligned himself with both on the album and future projects.
"Where the F#$K is Matt Lauer at? Somebody get Katie Couric in here."
Acid Rap transcends boundaries. Talking to Chance in the wake of 10 Day last November he mentioned making music that is both easily relatable and lyrically progressive. While songs like "Cocoa Butter Kisses", "Pusha Man" and "Nana" keep a playful tone, Chance is also able to take things down for moments. "Paranoia" reports on the state of Chicago better than most local media outlets, "Acid Rap" is a psychedelic introspection into life as an eccentric young adult, "Everybody's Something" touches on the intricacies of God, the world and personal interactions.
It has certainly been a year of moments for Chance The Rapper. Watching him open for Rockie Fresh at the Bottom Lounge in February to playing the Red Bull Sound Select stage in Austin in March, to the BMI stage at Lollapalooza with Twista, Vic Mensa and likely every festival-goes under 21 in attendance has been a whirlwind those who witnessed thus far won't soon forget. The nomination was deserved and will soon become a normal occurrence, but wins have been earned.
http://youtu.be/TTCveCPclSk
[Album] Stix: "Stix Jam Pack"
Photo by Jake Krez
Greg Landfair, aka Stix, former Kids These Days drummer and current backing for Chance The Rapper, released his drum pack for producers today via Hiphopdrumsamples.com. The pack features over a hundred sounds garnered from a number of sessions with artists including Jeff Tweedy, Beastie Boys producer Mario C at the Sonic Ranch in El Paso, Texas. The sounds are almost directly out of his work with Kids These Days and include a variety of sounds including elevator snares, snares in the shower, live claps, gongs and full drum loops, among others. Check out the promo video below by Bryan Lamb (@Fragdfilms) & myself and download the full pack via Hiphopdrumsamples.com.
http://youtu.be/xxbf_TqDKYY
Vic Spencer: "Monster Truck" (ft. ProbCause)
A new offering, "Monster Truck" by Vic Spencer and ProbCause. Riding the production by Doc Da MindBenda and Wes P, the two Chicago do their respective work on the track. Prob comes through with another solid feature in the midst of a strong overall month. Check out the track below for stream and download.
[Album] Rapsody: "She Got Game"
Rapsody is easily one of the top female artists in the hip-hop game. Her flow and delivery have been honed through two-a-days with in-house producer and mentor 9th Wonder over the past few years. Her growth is easily evident in her work. Since her debut with Return of The B-Girl in 2011, Rapsody has steadily shown the ability to improve with each project. She Got Game is the follow up to her 2012 release, The Idea of Beautiful and has features from Khrysis, DJ Premier and Chance The Rapper-who's verse on "Lonely Thoughts" may be his best yet ("I'm a paraplegic parrot with a pair of crutches in a no-fly zone on the phone talking about how Bush tryin' to disparage us".) Check out the track-listing and album stream below.
1.A Song About Nothing (Prod. by Eric G)
2.Coconut Oil ft. Raekwon & Mela Machinko (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
3.Thank You Very Much (Prod. by Khrysis)
4.Lonely Thoughts ft. Chance The Rapper (Prod. by Denaun Porter)
5.Caught Up ft. Raheem Devaughn (Prod. by Khrysis)
6.Generation ft. Mac Miller & Jared Evan (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
7.Special Way (Prod. by Khrysis)
8.Dark Knights ft. Wale (Prod. by E.Jones)
9.My Song ft. Mela Machinko (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
10.Complacent ft. Problem (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
11.Lover After All ft. Gwen Bunn (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
12.Kingship (Prod. by DJ Premier)
13.Feel Like (Love Love) ft. Common (Prod. by Ka$h)
14.Never Fail (Prod. by Eric G)
15.Never Know ft. Nispey Hussle, Ab-Soul, and Terrace Martin (Prod. by 9th Wonder)
16.Jedi Code ft. Phonte & Jay Electronica (Prod. By 9th Wonder)
Deltron 3030 to Tour With 16 Piece Orchestra
Deltron is very much back. After announcing a new album last week, the three person group took to the internet again to reveal their plans for the 16 city tour they embark on September 8: a full, live orchestra. The 16-piece orchestra will be dubbed the "3030 Orchestra" and will travel with the trio for most of the tour. The latest album from Deltron is due October 1. Tour dates below:
09-08 San Bernardino, CA - San Manuel Amphitheater (Rock the Bells) #
09-15 Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre (Rock the Bells) #
10-08 Boston, MA - Paradise
10-09 Brooklyn, NY - Brooklyn Bowl #
10-10 Washington, DC - Howard Theatre
10-11 Charlottesville, VA - Jefferson Theater
10-13 Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of the Living Arts #
10-14 New York, NY - Highline Ballroom #
10-16 Toronto, Ontario - Phoenix Concert Theatre
10-18 Indianapolis, IN - The Vogue
10-19 Chicago, IL - House of Blues #
10-20 Minneapolis, MN - First Avenue
10-23 Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
10-25 Asheville, NC - Mountain Oasis Festival #
11-10 Austin, TX - Fun Fun Fun Fest #
11-15 Denver, CO - Boom Fest #
# - with 3030 Orchestra
Death Grips: "Birds"
Death Grips skipped out on their Lollapalooza set and after show, which apparently gave them some free time to get in the studio. Last night, the duo released their new single, "Birds" via Facebook. Check out the track below or go ahead and download it here.
http://youtu.be/ZoPCJisvlNE
People Under The Stairs at The Mid (Qwel & Maker, The Palmer Squares)
Kendrick Lamar set the hip-hop game on fire last week with an injection of lyricism with his verse on Big Sean's "Control". While the greater rap world reacted like a TMZ reporter on ecstasy , it isn't anything new. Thes One and Double K of People Under The Stairs lobbed a wordplay bomb from Los Angeles long before Kendrick had a vibe to kill.
Rapping over soulful, distinctly west coast beats the pair, better known as People Under The Stairs began an organic and sustainable career that brings them to Chicago Friday for a show at The Mid with local acts Qwel & Maker and The Palmer Squares.
To be sure, People Under The Stairs used steady lyricism to ride through perhaps the most tumultuous time in hip-hop's brief history, known to many as the "ringtone rap" days, and stay relevant today with crafty penmanship. As far as that Kendrick verse is concerned, Thes One has an interesting take:
"The net effect of Kendrick's career has been unbelievably positive for young kids and kids who are looking to get into rap," said Thes One. "We had nobody trying to rap and be lyrical and even be about MC'ing for a long time out here on the West Coast. Kendrick Lamar, as far as this young generation goes, reinvented the wheel out here."
While Kendrick's impact on the overall hip-hop world is easily noticeable and increasingly more potent, much of the new school wouldn't have a template from which to work off if it weren't for acts like People Under The Stairs.
The lyrical onus and boom-bap-ish beats we are seeing today from acts like Mac Miller, Wale and Kendrick are in a direct 20 year loop to the Golden Age of hip-hop that Thes One and Double K carry the torch for. There would certainly be hip-hop if PUTS never made a song together, but it wouldn't be as quality as it is today.
For their sakes, Qwel & Maker and The Palmer Squares can certainly point to their predecessors for inspiration; their music closely mirrors aspects of the West Coast crafters.
"I was bumpin' P.U.T.S. well before The Palmer Squares days, so the fact that we get to share the stage with them at The Mid this weekend is huge," said Acumental of The Palmer Squares. "Qwel has always been a big lyrical influence for us too and Maker’s “Shooting The Breeze†CD used to never leave my car stereo."
""I'm excited that we have a lineup where we feel like the other acts we're playing with are akin to us," saif Thes One.
Kendrick may have set the hip-hop game ablaze with his incendiary verse last week, but really only brought attention back to the essence of rap, wordplay and witty lyricism. Friday night at The Mid there will be an opportunity to take in a healthy dose.
[Video] STRFKR: "While I'm Alive"
Portland-based indie-electronic band STRFKR released their latest visual for their single "While I'm Alive" via Noisey today, also announcing a Fall tour. Their electro-jam dance songs are interesting enough to play in your headphones and up-tempo enough to play at a party - check out the video below and a complete list of tour dates below.
http://youtu.be/VoX9WIM6OoY