[SXSW Journal] Day 3
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski
After a whirlwind Wednesday that had me crisscrossing the town chasing interviews left and right, Thursday took on a bit of a different tone. The festival continued on in the wake of the terrible accident that took the lives of two on Red River Street the night before as a car plowed through crowds to avoid a DUI check. With that in the back of their minds, festival-goers stormed the streets of Austin en masse. Seriously, en masse. The sheer number of people who made it out for either SXSW official and unofficial showcases, the iTunes Festival, the MTV Woodie Awards or one of the dozen parties taking place was pretty astounding. Deciding to experience a little more of what was happening everywhere, I hopped the ATX version of a Divvy bike and headed into town where I made my first stop at the Fader Fort for some much needed early cocktails and people watching. After awhile, I left to see what the Woodie Awards was all about since Austin Vesely was a strong favorite to capture his first major film award for ‘Best New Video’ for his work on Chance The Rapper’s “Everybody’s Something”. Before any of that could go down, or I can continue further with the story, I have to mention that the Woodie Awards really have no business being in Austin during SXSW. There is plenty to do and see without quite literally another festival being dropped right inside of it. But, Vic Mensa took the stage to screams as he opened with “Orange Soda” and moved into his up-tempo hit “Feel That”. I left there to head down to the Complex House where Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul took the stage to a packed house that seemed to know more of the words to their songs than they did. In the middle of the Schoolboy Q show, a fan got punched in the face, only to get called out by Q for not fighting back. “Don’t act like a bitch and let him fuck up your day! Do You!” Shouted the TDE rapper before launching into “Man of the Year” which popped the top off the party in a hurry. Scurrying out of there, I met up with a few local Chicago acts and stopped in the Columbia College AEMMP Hip-Hop Showcase which put on for the full breadth of the burgeoning scene in the city. Later that night, standing near where the accident happened a night before, a wall of people, shouting and walking with intense purpose began marching down Red River in a huge crowd. The crowd turned out to be none other than the A$AP Mob, with General Rocky leading the charge. It was weird, but I guess an interesting show of force. Thursday was slow, but Friday is going to be turnt, stay tuned for more and keep up with my experience at SXSW.
[SXSW Journal] Day 2
Photo by Asia Ashley
I started the day by drinking a large cup of water and putting on three pairs of socks. The second night of my SXSW had gotten cut short due to Austin Fire Marshalls with weak capacity rules and my feet weren’t getting any better after subjecting them to what was essentially a barefoot marathon in Converse. With my feet neatly packaged into my Bucketfeet sneakers, I set off for my busiest day yet since getting to ATX. Catching a ride downtown by the grace of friends, I was able to make it to the Big Picture Media showcase at the Thirsty Nickel where I met up with The Tontons for the first time since we met at last November’s Fun Fun Fun Fest, also in Austin, and caught up on all the band has been through in the few months since the festival that seemed to be their big stepping out party. I had expected to talk about their new album, Make Out King and Other Stories Of Love and the big rise in popularity they’ve seen since. Instead we talked about burst appendixes and the intricacies of Spenzo’s hit song “Wife Er” which is plastered on seemingly every pole in town, staring down a familiar face on the opposite side of the street as Lil Herb’s Welcome To Fazoland gets a big push down south. After the Tontons, I had the chance to talk to another BPM client, the Philadelphia-by-way-of-Los Angeles indie rock foursome Cheers Elephant. Interviews from both acts are coming soon, but check out the short Instagram previews for some fun facts about both.
After watching both perform, I hiked my way down sixth street to The Fader Fort presented by Converse, slipping in and managing to snag a free drink in time to catch one of my most anticipated bands, Elmhurst, Il-based punk band The Orwells who showed why their building a buzz as one of the leaders of a new school of the genre, as lead singer Mario Cuomo, always an enigma, was at his best in front of the Converse chucks mosaic of the Fader Fort. Writhing on his back onstage, standing in the crowd, singing with his fans, the frontman made sure to leave his mark one of the most popular unofficial showcases at SXSW. The longtime family friends played good, played hard; and then walked offstage. One of TDE’s latest signees, Isaiah Rashad took the stage afterwards, another act with a lot to prove. The Chattanooga native did just that, working through his catalogue and tracks of his latest project, Cilvia, even bringing out label-mate SZA who performs there later this week. After Rashad, my photographer Asia Ashley and I ran to our next interview. Continuing on the punk trend that had been established at the Fader Fort, we arrived at The Hangar Lounge just in time for St. Joseph, Missouri-based punk trio Radkey who put on one of the most authentically punk rock sets I’ve ever seen. The three brothers, Solomon (16), Isaiah (18) and Dee (20) absolutely killed their set and set themselves as a perfect complement to an act like The Orwells in the rise of punk rock again. The preview of that interview is also below. After that, I cruised sixth street, watched people pack the sidewalk outside of the G.O.O.D. Music event on 4th and Brazos and managed to not get caught up in the ugly car accident that left two dead and several injured after a motorist ran his car into a crowd watching the Mohawk/Tyler, The Creator show. Wednesday was also the first day of the vaunted IllMore after party, long known as the premier after party for SXSW. Moved to a larger complex this year, the event, put on by IllRoots and Scoremore felt more concert-like than last year, having traded the old plantation-style home and surrounding grounds for a modified indoor skating rink. Big Sean took the stage and ran through his hits, joined onstage by Travi$ Scott after several DJs rocked the crowd, fueled by a steady supply of Red Bull and Tito’s vodka. Overall, not a terrible day at all despite the tragedy that took place last night. Check back in tomorrow for more updates!
The Tontons:
Cheers Elephant:
Radkey:
[SXSW Journal] Day 1
Photo by Andrew Zeiter
After sixteen and a half hours in my past-her-prime Chevy Trailblazer, my knees were sore and my back was knotted but I had gotten to Austin, and it was time to dive back into the deep sea that is South by Southwest. After hiking downtown through the cab-less wasteland that is downtown ATX and picking up the proper credentials, I took off for the W Hotel where local Chicago music label Maek was taking part in the Fashion Brain Bar, a cocktail party and show on the fourth floor of the W that served to introduce invitees to new acts. So, there are always lessons, and this year I got one early.
Having found a pair of brand new Converse Chucks in my closet from Christmas, I decided to run around my first day of SXSW tearing up my feet to the point of almost utter disrepair. Gingerly walking my way down the vaunted sixth avenue I came across artists from around Chicago’s scene including Calez, Legit, Eryn Allen Kane and Stefan Ponce as everyone milled about, looking for the thing to do on a fairly dead Monday night offset by the rain. I had the chance to catch Charlotte, NC dance duo Styles N’ Complete who got the rooftop indoor-outdoor space jumping with hip-hop infused production pieces that were equal parts sample and original work. After that I rushed down to the other side of the freeway to link up with Supa Bwe, Karl, Blakkass Westley and Netherfriends who put on a set at the Volstead that set the bar high on night one as he killed his night cap with his looping sounds, interesting overall aesthetic and powerful stage presence got the alcohol-infused crowd that got pushed out at close.
Waking up the next morning, startled again by the lack of white icy hills outside my window in March, I continued a slow transition into the full breadth of what SXSW can offer as Chicago came out in full force, led by the enumerable Mayor Rahm Emmanuel himself for a pre-party at the aptly-named The Chicago House, which was filled with artists, media members and local movers and shakers from around the Windy City. Red 7 on 6th St. and Red River was the setting for Chicago Made Blog’s showcase, hosted by Hologram Kizzie, which started off with a rousing, endearing set from ProbCause, who when paired with his live drummer Cofresh is a true sight to see and got the steadily-building crowd worked up before the very talented singer-songwriter Bonzie took the stage, changing the aesthetic as the sun began to wane. Rockers Autumn Defense and Archie Powell and the Exports did their thing, showing Chicago has much more than just the hip-hop that has burst from it’s streets over the past couple of years. ShowYouSuck did what ShowYouSuck does, joined again onstage by compatriot Auggie The 9th he put on one of his best sets to date, crowd surfing, moving erratically from one side of the stage to the other and waxing knowledge on everything from ‘Big Gulps’ to ‘80’s Boobs’. As fans patiently waited, the show slowly ground to it’s headliner after a heavily Kanye-influenced DJ set from The Hood Internet, who flexed his production muscle a bit by bringing up a host of earlier performers onstage to do a series of tracks including ‘Sub-Zero’ off of ProbCause’s The Recipe Vol. 2 which may go down as one of the cooler moments of this years SXSW, as Auggie The 9th showed how hungry he is to take his game to the next level, eagerly tearing through bar after bar with vigor. Chicago seems to have a new act pop every year, and Auggie made a case for himself surrounded by some of the city’s finest. The big moment finally came around 1 am for Chance The Rapper and Peter CottonTale to take the stage, which revamped the crowd who had stood in line and inside the venue for nearly six hours. Chano started things off with the familiar “Good Ass Intro”, dropping into “Brain Cells” which got a juke mix before rolling through his Acid Rap catalogue. But, suddenly, as seems to happen in Austin during SXSW, the fire Marshalls called, the police showed up and a comfortably outstanding show was cancelled. And that was it. Two days down so far, plenty more to go.
Chicago Acts to Look Out For in 2014
Photo by Bobby Reys
Chicago has been on lately. The Second City has always been known as a musical city and the current rate at which it has produced talent as of late is only adding to that legacy. As festival lineups roll out as we transition into Spring, it has become common to find a Chicago act, if not several, on the list. For this reason, we decided to put together a list of up and coming artists from Chicago that we expect to fully blossom throughout 2014. We added numbers, but there's no real order as far as rankings, just a collection of musical acts from the city that deserve a spotlight. Last year, Chance The Rapper, Chief Keef and a host of hip-hop artists dominated music headlines as a pipeline was established in the Midwest. There is plenty in the city that isn't rap music too though, and we made sure to highlight everyone. Take some time to flip through the next batch of stars to rise out of Chicago.
Top Chicago Rappers of 2013
Chicago hip-hop has enjoyed a certain popularity increase over the past couple of years. Where 2012 saw the rise of Chief Keef and "Drill", 2013 brought about a new flavor as listeners from across the country, initially hooked by the drill sound, began to explore the vibrantly eclectic different sides of the city and variety of sounds that make up what is the flourishing Chicago scene today. With seemingly everyone's eyes on the Midwest and so many talented artist rising from the area, we decided to compile a list of the top hip-hop artists from Chicago that had the biggest years in 2013. We based our decisions off of releases, co-signs, shows/tours and general influence throughout to put together who we thought had the best top to bottom 12 month cycles since this time last year. You may not agree with all of our decisions, so let us know in the comments. Without further ado, I give you the Chicago's hip-hop artists that elevated their game the most in 2013.
[RH Feature] Marrow: The Second Time Around
Photo byNolis
Six months ago the dream was all but dead.
Kids These Days officially broke up on May 8, 2013. Two days later I was behind the wheel of my Chevy Trailblazer heading north to Wisconsin. The seven piece funk/soul/rock/hip-hop group that had captivated a generation of a city was no more, and they had retreated north to make sense of it all.
As I drove through the newly warm spring air with drummer Greg Landfair, his girlfriend and a friend, we listened to the eclectic sounds of Traphouse Rock and Hard Times. The group had spanned nearly four years together, essentially amounting to what would later be referred to as their “college days”. With college over, we pulled up to a hastily-erected sign on the side of a seldom-used street in what seemed like the middle of nowhere of Wisconsin to return to where it all began.
As we pulled up to the main house of the Postock farm, the ominous sounds of Macie Stewart’s voice could already be heard emanating from the large, old barn located just on the other side of the red brick structure.
For a group of young adults that achieved so much, the end of the band was almost jarringly abrupt. After a series of tense discussions and numerous arguments, Kids These Days rode out their tour through New York and called it quits. Horn players Nico Segal and J.P. Floyd left from there to join Frank Ocean on tour, Vic Mensa immediately embarked on a solo hip-hop career and the rest headed back to Chicago to figure everything out.
[RH First Glance] Kris Kasanova: "Tomorrow" (Feat. SZA)
Kris Kasanova has been building a steady buzz for himself in the New York market for a minute now. Since popping up on Peter Rosenberg's New York Renaissance mixtape released earlier this year and featuring a full scope of NYC acts such as, World's Fair, A$AP Rocky and Ferg, Action Bronson and Flatbush Zombies, among others. Kasanova has edged his way into the limelight in one of the most competitive markets in the world and today teamed up with TDE-signee SZA for "Tomorrow", which got a video treatment the other day. Currently, Kasanova is hard at work in the studio, preparing his next project with producers like Justin Rose. Across the country we're seeing hip-hop branch into many different angles, proof the "Renaissance" isn't just confined to one market or another. Definitely keep an eye out for Kris Kasanova, who should be releasing new content throughout early 2014.
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[RH Editorial] Bun B Speaks Out on Ted Cruz
Today, Complex posted a video talking to legendary Houston MC Bun B. Eventually, the conversation turned to politics and more pointedly, the current leader of the GOP in Texas: Ted Cruz. If you don't know Mr. Cruz by now, he's essentially the scum that we all think of when the word 'politician' is floated around in the laughable legislative atmosphere we live in today. In what can only be described as an attempt to demonstrate just how ridiculous our elected officials can act, Cruz conducted what amounted to a 21 hour temper tantrum, officially classified as a filibuster. For almost a full day, a man with seemingly nothing interesting or positive to say held down the podium, reciting Dr. Seuss, quoting Star Wars and ruminating over the intricacies of White Castle hamburgers. Yes, this man was elected and collects a government paycheck. You may have heard of what came next; a government shutdown that closed national parks, temporarily laid off thousands of government employees, almost made America default on our loans and generally just made "The Land of the Free" look like something out of Idiocracy. His reasoning was to stall the expansion of basic healthcare to millions of Americans who previously did not have such. Regardless of your stance on the Affordable Health Care Act (not "Obamacare" as Fox News has branded it), we can all agree Cruz's limp-dick move dropped things to a new low. Well, Bun B, long referred to as "The Unofficial Mayor of Houston" gave his take on the biggest joke to hold office in American history.
Speaking with the Complex staff, the Trill OG started things off by stating; "I think I can speak for most reasonable people when I say Ted Cruz is an asshole. Just speaking as a an individual and registered voter, it's just a gross over-use of power." As photos of Cruz embracing fellow genius Sarah Palin faded across the screen, Bun glossed over the issue, touching on the importance of filibusters while making a point that what Cruz did was petty and underhanded. "You have to just not let these situations get you disenfranchised in the voting process and politics in America," said Bun. "It doesn't always work for you-but it works. It gets us by, we could be living in a lot worse countries." While I don't see CNN stopping their coverage today to to tune into what a rapper from Houston has to say about Cruz (Bill O'Reilly might), it builds on a point that was brought up in an earlier editorial about TDE and Kendrick Lamar's beef with GQ.
An interesting side to hip-hop music, as it enters it's fourth decade, is the position of "OG" artists like Bun B in the larger lexicon of American culture. Last week, Nas had a Harvard Fellowship scholarship named after him, 9th Wonder has had residencies teaching at both Harvard and NC State and Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine donated $70 million to USC to establish a combined creative arts and media business undergraduate major. According to Dr. Christopher Holmes Smith an associate professor at USC in an story about the Nas Fellowship, “I think the main reason behind it is that you’ve got the coming-of-age of a whole generation of Black leaders in academia … that grew up under hip-hop, and they have influence, institutional clout, credibility and decision-making power."
For Bun B's part, it's not completely out of the question for the double-cup pioneer to make a foray into politics and try to lose the "Unofficial" from his moniker. In a story written by Chris Grey for the Houston Press last week, he suggested Bun B, who himself is a Rice University comparative-religion professor and Houston Symphony collaborator, as well as being a trusted friend/adviser to Houston's existing mayor, may have a real shot at holding public office. Grey quotes Dr. Brandon Rottinghaus, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Houston: "A traditional politician may talk about those issues, but maybe hasn't lived it, where in his case he has lived it and it gives him some credibility in a way doesn't give credibility to a traditional politician." Much like Jesse "The Body" Ventura, a former off the wall, misogynistic professional wrestler who won the Governor's seat in Minnesota from 1999-2003.
There was a Dave Chappelle stand up bit years ago where the comedian reminisces on how 9/11 went for him, describing turning on the tv to MTV where Carson Daly was doing a live call-in from Ja Rule to get his perspective. As expected, Chappelle played with the scene, because who cares what Ja Rule has to say about anything really? On a serious note though, that mentality of it being laughable for recording artists, or more specifically rappers making forays into public office and leadership roles in communities is increasingly encouraging. In 2010 Chicago rapper Rhymefest ran an unsuccessful Alderman campaign. While he didn't win, it was a nugget of an idea. The first to do it is rarely the one that breaks through, but with Jay-Z hanging out with the Obamas, Drake kicking it with the crazed Rob Ford and Bun B checking Cruz's missteps, we are beginning to enter a new phase of hip-hop, where it is not only the influence and the voice, but also behind those in leadership positions.