Sebastian Kamae Links Chicago And The Netherlands With "Precious"
A few days ago Sebastian Kamae released a new track called "Precious" featuring Ajani Jones, Shao Doja and King Khamen. It's a celebration of love with melodic rap over a dusty lo-fi beat from the Dutch producer. This isn't his first time working with artists in Chicago, he produced "Bloom" off of Ajani Jones' album Cocoons and on "Precious" he brings the same light soul vibes that made "Bloom" so striking. Last year Sebastian Kamae was an intern at SoundScape Studios here in Chicago and on this track he brings together two Chicago artists with Dutch rapper King Khamen. Check it out here.
Sterling Hayes Delivers a Haunting New LP in SideFX
People want authenticity. I often ask my students, 'what don't you like about music?' One of the biggest responses is the lack of honesty they perceive from artists of all genres who pretend everything is always going well. It's a common theme, and a common criticism. In recent years though - and many younger people credit Kid Cudi in this regard - subjects such as depression, drug abuse, and just feeling shitty have taken a more prominent role in Hip Hop music. If you are searching for something raw, emotional, and honest (almost to a fault), then I highly suggest SideFX, the new album from SaveMoney's Sterling Hayes.
From the start, SideFX removes all barriers and at times is downright scary and hard to listen to. Hayes' delivery is gruff and even chill-invoking as he howls "Chicago is killing me" on the album's third track, "Suicide". A few themes run throughout SideFX, maybe none more prominent than Hayes' ownership of his own problems and his resolve to conquer them. He is worried about being a bad son, being a bad friend, doing too many drugs, not being able to stop doing too many drugs, being hurt by his girlfriend, the violence in Chicago, allowing blogs to dictate his self-worth and generally wasting away. His parents also play a prominent role on this record as he tackles their marriage, their divorce, and the realization that many young adults come to abruptly that one day they will die, and you can find yourself alone. In that regard, SideFX plays out somewhat like a manifesto for Hayes who commits to counting on himself, and at the end of the day making himself proud as a conduit to doing right by others.
This is a haunting and honest LP from a Chicago artist often overlooked alongside his "friends with Grammys". And while his friends such as Smoko Ono, Malcolm London, Via Rosa, and Chance The Rapper all make cameos, it is Hayes who maintains centerstage on this LP. With SideFX, Sterling Hayes clearly establishes how he is different from his peers and at the same time, like so many of his listeners going through similar situations. There is a light at the end of the tunnel for Hayes, and hopefully this album makes it a shine a little brighter.
https://soundcloud.com/sterlinghayes-1/sets/sidefx
[RH Interview] Lil House Phone
When the name Lil House Phone is brought up in discussion what comes first to your mind? Another 'lil' rapper that's part of the new wave of music? That dude from the No Jumper Podcast? Or that hysterical guy dissing Pacsun and tossing burgers on Twitter?
Regardless, the LA native is making his own lane in the rap community. From serious tracks about depression and drug abuse, to lighthearted videos like "Juice", House Phone has a lot of new material to look out for in 2018. When speaking with the humble entertainer this weekend, he enlightened me on his perspective of the industry, what makes him want to make music, and about the three projects he will be releasing in the near future.
Check out the full interview below:
rubyhornet: Where does the name Lil House Phone come from?
Lil House Phone: It was a joke my friends had. My friends would tease me since I never had a working cell phone. I would always sell them or lose them and they had no way of contacting me, so they had to call my house phone. So it was like a joke from my friends and I kind of ran with it.
rubyhornet: Has that always been your stage name?
Lil House Phone: Yeah, when I decided to start rapping that was what I thought of. My friends were already calling me that. I thought it was so ridiculous it would stand out and be funny. Complex did a whole article with the 10 most ridiculous rap names, and I was all over that shit. I guess it was kind of a good thing.
rubyhornet: What’s your favorite late night food?
Lil House Phone: Some good LA street tacos from a small Mexican lady on the corner. Always a good go to.
rubyhornet: Your newest project has a lot of turn up tracks. Do you plan on making more songs like "Lil Sad Phone" in the future?
Lil House Phone: I am an emotional roller coaster of a person so it’s really how I’m feeling. A lot of the times I make music for me going out. I keep the turn up tracks in mind for performing. I’m all over the place though, so I definitely have to touch on where I am at the moment. I got some new shit, a new album that’s all over the place.
This kid got "Lights Off" tattooed on his knee (a song off my first album about depression). That makes me want to keep making music. That’s really what you do it for, to get that kind of reaction from people. I was honored.
rubyhornet: You have an A$AP Yams inspired Xanax tattoo on your knee. Do you believe the Xanax culture is more prevalent now than in the past, or are people just more aware now?
Lil House Phone: It’s a mixture of both, its more relevant and more in your face because everyone is talking about it. They are talking about the good parts, and not the bad parts necessarily. I feel like a lot of rappers just put in these words, like drinking lean, because it sounds good in the song. I don’t think a lot of these people are actually doing this like that. They aren’t thinking about the impact they are having on these kids either. They are making the kids more likely to try this shit. If I'm listening to a Juicy J song every day, and he's talking about dipping my blunt in lean, I'm going to get some lean and dip my blunt in it, not releasing shit doesn’t even work like that. Like that has actually happened to me. I dipped a whole swisher in an entire pint of lean and we tried to spark it and didn’t even light. It was all sticky and wet. At that point I was like maybe I shouldn’t listen to rappers.
rubyhornet: Do you feel responsible for what you say in your songs, or do you feel like you’re clearly just having fun and people shouldn’t take you serious?
Lil House Phone: I would hope people understand I'm just having fun with it and they wouldn’t take the same path as me, but impressionable minds are going to be impressionable. I talk about my drug consumption openly. I have kids that DM me saying, you make me want to try coke or whatever. I always DM back saying this isn’t the path you want to go down. This shit isn't cool. Even in my personal life if I'm kicking it with someone who hasn’t tried a drug before I'm not going to encourage them to do it. That’s not a path you want to take someone down.
As I'm getting older, I realize I have kids in high school and even younger looking up to me. I don’t think I'm a role model, but when these kids are looking up to you, you have to take some type of responsibility.
rubyhornet: How important do you believe your relationship with Adam & No Jumper was in getting attention to your music?
Lil House Phone: It all kind of happened at the same time so I never really got a chance to take a step back and adsorb what was going on. No Jumper wasn’t at the level, that it is now, when I started being a guest. It was really just me hanging out with Adam, his friends, and doing a podcast now and then. I started making music around the same time. Then No Jumper started getting to the level like where it is now. Both were progressing simultaneously.
It went from people only knowing me from that dude on the No Jumper Blog, to people saying I rock with your music. I thought people only knew me from the podcast, but more recently a lot of people have been reaching out who know my music and have no idea I was affiliated with No Jumper.
rubyhornet: What is your favorite place to shop (besides Pacsun)?
Lil House Phone: I'm more of an in-house brand type of dude. I would rather find some random cool brands no one knows about and hit them up in Instagram. I'm really into random workmen wear like Carhartt. I'm wearing some tree camo wranglers right now.
rubyhornet: Any new music to let the fans know about?
Lil House Phone: My album Voice Mails 2 is on the way. I'm also doing two other side projects. I want to do this whole west coast style project called 310, since I'm from LA but I'm known for making trap sounding music. Nedarb and I are going to put out a 5-6 song EP pretty soon also.
Jay Rock Wins With New Video
Jay Rock has released the visual for his track "Win" and it just confirms that T.D.E. isn't going away any time soon. With adlibs from Kendrick Lamar throughout the song and cameo appearances from Isaiah Rashad, SZA, Ab-Soul and other Top Dawg heavy hitters Jay Rock proves that he is part of the upper tier of rappers.
The video is directed by Dave Meyers and Dave Free (of The Little Homies) who also directed the Humble video. "Win" is the first single off of Jay Rock's upcoming album Redemption, which will come out June 15th. Watch the video below.
Mac Miller Surprises Fans with Three Singles
With no warning, Mac Miller surprises fans with three new singles, "Small Worlds," "Buttons," and "Programs," that dropped at midnight last night. This is the first release from the Pittsburgh rapper since The Divine Feminine in 2016. Mac has also wiped his Instagram clean with only these three singles showing. Fans have hit social media hoping this is foreshadowing a new album.
RH First Look: Choo Jackson
As a young kid growing up in Pittsburgh during the Black And Yellow era, the success from artists such as Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller took my interest in rap music to a local community for the first time in my life. When exploring underground artists associated with these larger acts, Choo Jaskson was a name that popped up frequently. The Florida native, who relocated to Pittsburgh, has since been signed to Mac Miller's label REMember Music.
After dropping several projects with REMember Music, and the collective project, FOREVERKOOL : BEFORE THE DIRT VOL. 1, Choo has surpassed millions of plays on Soundcloud. Below Choo's latest tracks, I added our interview.
rubyhornet: Where does the name Choo Jackson come from?
Choo Jackson: Choo is my childhood nickname, a family name from my grandma.
rubyhornet: Favorite late night snack/food?
Choo Jackson: Favorite late night snack is probably just cereal . I’m trying to do better with the eating late shit.
rubyhornet: I see you have “Forever Kool” tatted on your hand. What can you tell us about ForeverKool Records?
Choo Jackson: Foreverkool records is an indie label I created with my best friends. Artist/producers and creatives. Muneykidstaxx, Phil 800k, Cadet, Bubba, Bradley, Brennan, and Christo as well. We’re trying to build the next indie label for the kid that couldn’t get a chance because they're in a small town or just a weird situation you know.
rubyhornet: Do you plan on staying in Pittsburgh for the near future? As a Pittsburgh native myself, I know the music scene in the city has different opportunities/challenges than what one would experience living in LA or NYC.
Choo Jackson: Na I’m actually moving out of Pitt right now. In a few weeks I’ll be out. Going back to help my mother recover from a surgery she’s having. Help for a few months then make a move to the Atlanta area. And I’m actually not a Pittsburgh native I’m from Florida on the real, but I feel like Pitt embraced me so much I see why it can be confused. And yea it’s challenging, the scene here is growing though, and I’m apart of that. I’m just gonna expand it, and take it with me on my next chapter of life. Just as I did in Florida and Chambersburg, I bring my experience with me.
rubyhornet: What’s the craziest thing that has happened to you during a live performance/tour?
Choo Jackson: I think it was Orlando Florida. I was on The GO:OD AM tour with Mac. I’m performing and it’s so lit. The crowd is treating me like fucking Jimi Hendrix or something. Asking me to hit the weed from the crowd, so of course I took the blunt. Then someone says jump in the crowd. Mind you I’ve always been kinda heavy, and a running back in high school, so I didn’t think it was possible, at least for me. I FUCKING JUMP IN THE CROWD and they carry me all the way out like wtf .. yes! Finish my set. Hop off stage, walk back stage, then me and someone got into an argument and was about to fight. Chairs got thrown, I almost got kicked off the tour, haha shit was crazy .. real rockstar shit.
rubyhornet: What producers do you hope to link up with in the future? Between Christo and yourself, it appears like much of the production work is achieved locally.
Choo Jackson: Just Pharrell and Ye. I’ll let Cudi produce an album for me. And South Side. That’s my dream team, other then Christo and Muneykidstaxx. I’m really trying to keep it in the fam. But that’s my producer list, facts. And yea me and Christo do everything from beats, A&R, and picking all the songs, he's really like my Chad Hugo. So we wanna keep the levels up, plus he killing shit with J.I.D.
rubyhornet: What should fans be on the lookout for during the rest of 2018?
Choo Jackson: What fans should expect from me is a lot of work. This is my Lil Wayne year. I’m gonna put out at big album, Called LYNN. And a slew of mixtapes, collab tapes, and EPs everywhere . So it’s on for everybody. It’s not safe for anyone.
Ric Wilson Brings Black Art To The Forefront On BANBA
Earlier this month Ric Wilson, known as both an artist and an activist around Chicago released his newest EP, BANBA (Black Art Not Bad Art) and with it truly established himself as a key member in the Chicago Renaissance movement. The 23 year old Southsider weaves an intricate tapestry with soul beats and lyrics celebrating his Blackness while simultaneously addressing the anxiety that comes with being marginalized in America. Ric Wilson is another prodigal lyricist that cut his teeth as a teenager in Young Chicago Authors, and like the other artists that came up in YCA (Noname, Kweku Collins, Mick Jenkins, Chance The Rapper) he uses his deft lyricism to create relatable and honest music. What sets Disco Ric apart from the rest is that he floats across genres to create bouncy tracks that reminisce of sunny days on the southside of Chicago.
The opening track of the album acts as a thesis for the rest of the project. It is interlaced with vocal samples of children and activists, and the chorus seems to be Ric’s mantra, “Black art not bad art… not mad art… not sad art”. The Hirsch produced beat sounds like it could only come from Chicago, with Monte Booker-esque glitches on top of a bouncy synth and a gospel moment that leads to an exuberant trumpet solo that sounds like it was part of a Chance record. At the end of the title track you hear a woman’s voice over street noise saying, “I am the revolution, and the revolution don’t stop.”
Sinner, the third track on the album which was also the lead single would fit perfectly on D’Angelo’s Voodoo in its production. Having grown up singing in the church choir Ric uses this track as a sort of confessional opening up to the listener about his life mixed in with his observations about the modern experience. But just like the rest of the EP there is an overwhelming optimism even when he’s talking about the problems that he has faced. For the single he brings his friend and fellow YCA alum Kweku Collins who continues the open honesty of the track with his verse, even ending with “still there’s shit that I’m guilty of… all you need to know is that I’m working on it.”
As a whole this album shows the triumph of love and hope over despair which is a relief considering the world that we’re living in. Wilson shows how much he’s grown on his 3rd EP. BANBA keeps all of the positivity from 2017’s Negrow Disco but with more perspective about the world laced in. Ric Wilson summarized it all perfectly, “don’t you take your love away”.
Stream the whole album below.
And check out Ric Wilson performing Sinner live on Fox with Kweku Collins here.
Westside Gunn Shares "Evidence Joint" (prod. by Evidence)
Shortly after the drop of Weather or Not, Evidence shared photos of his studio sessions with Westside Gunn and Conway The Machine. Today, we have the fruit of that labor in the form of "Evidence Joint" a new track from W$G produced by Ev and all gemed out. W$G's got a new G-Shock in the Necklace, and he's got a new album dropping June 22nd. Peep the new track below.
https://soundcloud.com/gxfr/westside-gunn-evidence-joint-prod-by-evidence