[Premiere] Son! - Dog
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"Dog", the new track by Son! formerly known as Lord of the Fly is a unique and refreshing visual talking about loss and growing apart over time. Written through the lens/metaphor of a loyal dog Son! croons in an endearing manner that showcases his vibrant style. The song also features vocals from singer Emily Massey. The video is directed by Niko Hagen.
Son! is currently working on his debut EP that is titled "Emotional Robots" which is scheduled to be released in mid-February. The project "explores the idea of self-expression and relationships in our hyper-mediated modern world, both through the stories on the record as well as the production process" according to the man himself. Read our Q&A with Son! below and peep "Dog" above.
Why the song about dogs?
I was actually writing a song about an old friend that I’ve grown apart from but still care about. About halfway through writing the song, I got stuck. I took a step back realized that a lot of the language I was using lent itself to this dog metaphor, where the song is written from the perspective of a loyal dog that will always come when called. Once I latched on to that idea the song pretty much wrote itself.
Was that your dog? What’s their name?
That was actually Niko Hagen, the videographer’s dog, named Ziggy. He’s a really old dog, which made it challenging to work with him, but also fun because we had to take a lot of care with what we had him doing. I think it also made the video special for Niko to shoot as well because it documented a part of his world. Shoutout Niko for the one time he does great work.
How did the video idea come together?
Once I had the idea of using the dog metaphor in the song, I just starting getting all these images of a dog frolicking around in the sun. I wanted the video to feel like a memory or a home video more than a music video per se. Niko came through and we just shot it at his mom’s crib, very low-key to not spoil the emotion.
How does your name change from Lord of the Fly to Son! better embody who you are as an artist?
I hit a really low patch for a couple of years where I was just ducked off by myself working on getting better at music, teaching myself piano, and how to produce and mix and stuff. When I came back to the world around me I felt like I needed a new name to reflect the direction my sound was going. I had already been done with Lord of the Fly for a while and I would just draw different words looking for a name. One day I just wrote down Son! and I felt that I could really picture that on an album cover or in a magazine. I like Son! because it reminds me to be humble and honor my ancestors; it’s also a factorial which is like, nerdy and funny to me, it means the sum of it’s parts.
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Cae Jones - Hunnit [Video]
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Directed by Itenji Films and produced by KZA K' Lee, Cae Jones has unleashed his powerful new song & visual with "Hunnit". Cae displays a sing-song flow that he uses to carefully and confidently dissect the beat; a surgeon with the words. The calm of his delivery juxtaposed to the backdrop of the punk rock synth line and pumping drums creates an ever interesting dynamic between music and performer.
Shooting the video in his native habitat of Rochester, New York, Cae returns to his roots while expanding his horizons through music. His versatility and poise on the mic certainly make him stand out in a sea of carbon copy MCs.
Watch "Hunnit" above.
Future's Purple Reign Tour had the Aragon Ballroom Lit
Photos & Video by: Jeremy Franklin
The multiplatinum Atlanta hip-hop game-changer Future personally announced his Purple Reign North American tour via his social media back in December. Chicago was the second stop on his tour and sold out the Aragon Ballroom. Last night was a concert you didn't want to miss. Future Hendrix fans were in for a treat as Ty Dolla $ign and DJ Esco started the night on a high note. Check out Future's Purple Reign Tour through our camera lens with photos and video.
Rest Easy DJ Timbuck 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7eBNAHr0EQ&sns=tw
Rest easy to our dear friend DJ Timbuck 2 (Tim Jones). He was loved by so many in the hiphop community around the world and especially Chicago. Timbuck gave local artists a platform to be heard over the radio waves every Saturday from 9-10pm. Thank you for believing in your city and you will be greatly missed. Rest Easy and you will truly be missed.
Coors Light Soundtrack reFRESH Chicago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyj7zo5GDwM
Photo/Video: Jeremy Franklin
Wednesday night (11/14) Chicago’s Park West opened its doors for the final stop on Coors Light’s 100% free Soundtrack reFresh tour hosted by Hustle Simmons. The Coors Light team partnered with hip-hop DJ and producer, DJ Mustard for its Soundtrack reFRESH tour, which launched in Charlotte with special guest Fabolous.
Anticipation filled the air in Lincoln Park as the crowd stood in line waiting for doors to open. At the start of the show fans had the opportunity to sip on Coors Light and vibe to the beats of Chicago’s own DJ Sean Mac and DJ Toure, who served hot hip-hop tracks during his set. His set included mixes of various songs such as Fetty Wap’s current classic “My Way” and Drag On’s “Down Bottom”. During Mac’s set the concert quickly turned into a hip-hop wonderland as artificial snow fell from the ceiling, covering the hyped crowd as OT Genesis’s turn up anthem “Coco” thumped through the speakers. Park West’s power went off while he was playing Kendrick Lamar's Alright but was soon turned back on and led the party to another high.
As the crowd prepared for the main act, people bustled to the front of the stage. Fabolous eventually jumped onto the stage paying homage to the Chi wearing a Bulls jersey with Sox hat. Fab kept the crowd jumping performing new music from his latest album, The Young OG Project. The crowd sang along as he performed his hits “You Be Killin ‘Em,” “Foreigners” and “Cuffing Season.” The surprise was when Jeremih came through and met Fabolous on stage. They performed their hit song Planes. Fabolous looked tired after 2 songs or so. It felt like he didn't bring his A game. However at the end, he preached to the Chicago fans "he loves Chicago".
[Video Interview] LOUDPVCK
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This post was originally posted on our affiliate site, Chicago Music.
LOUDPVCK is made up of two DJs/producers, Kenny Beats and Ryan Marks, who met in college while studying at Berklee College of Music and started producing music together. They have exploded all over the music with collaborations and remixes from Nervo, Skrillex, A-Trak, Dillon Francis... the list goes on. We spent the day doing some of their favorite things ahead of their recent Chicago show at The Mid. There's no doubt these guys are true music lovers, as well as "marijuana connoisseurs," as Kenny likes to put it. Be sure to check out their new EP, Botany, as well as their upcoming tour dates.
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[SXSW Interview] Jim Murphy (Lava)
[This interview was originally published during our SXSW 2015 coverage. It’s being re-posted to coincide with Inside Out's theatrical release.]
Video by Elijah Alvarado
Pixar is renowned for their ability to tell captivating stories that can not only appeal to a large audience, but do so by tapping into very real emotions. Lava, the new short by first-time director Jim Murphy, tells the story of a volcano who yearns for someone to love as millions of years pass. In this short clip from our interview with Murphy during SXSW, he discusses the inspiration behind Lava and even performs a part of the Lava song, as well. Prepare to have the song stuck in your head for days!
Lava will premiere in front of Inside Out when it comes to theaters June 19th.
[SXSW Interview] Paul Feig and Melissa McCarthy (Spy)
Video by Elijah Alvarado.
To coincide with the film's theatrical release, we are re-releasing our Spy interviews from this year's SXSW.
Paul Feig has risen up as one of Hollywood's best directors for comedies thanks to films like Bridesmaids and his penchant for creating strong female characters in a socially-aware landscape that asks for such positive depictions. It's this specific point that I wanted to hear more of from both Feig and Spy lead actress Melissa McCarthy (who also played a supporting role in Bridesmaids). I got the chance to do exactly that during a roundtable interview with Feig and a short red carpet interview with McCarthy ahead of Spy's SXSW premiere on March 15th.