[Video] Lucki Eck$: "Count On Me"
Chicago's own Lucki Eck$ made waves earlier this year with the release of his breakthrough debut project, Alternative Trap. The ambient trap-influenced airiness of the mixtape's overall aesthetic and beats matched Lucki's unique, off-beat, shadowy tone in his rhymes which acted as yet another interesting take on the genre from a Chicago artist. The tape has brought considerable attention to the somewhat mysterious artist, enough that his next project will be one of the most anticipated releases in awhile.
Today, we get the video for Lucki's track "Count On Me", produced by hytman and directed by JKrown, the visual details Lucki and co. wandering and bopping their way down the streets of Wicker Park. Surreal is a word often used to describe the young artist on the rise, a word that aptly describes the accompanying visual element to the track. Check out "Count On Me" below.
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[Video] Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip: "The Abstract & The Dragon" (Mixtape Trailer)
Since signing in 2011 to Cash Money, Busta Rhymes has been back on his game, jumping on tracks with some of the hottest artists out, old and new. One of the more exciting project announcements to come out in awhile, Busta Rhymes & Q-Tip recently released plans for an upcoming collaboration mixtape titled, The Abstract & The Dragon. expect plenty of heat to come when a pair of the top hip-hop artists/producers in the history of the genre get together for a project. Today, they released a video trailer for the project, available December 12. Check the trailer out below and check back to RH for the full download, coming soon.
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[Video] Twista: "Intro Freestyle"
Twista, long one of the pillars of the Chicago hip-hop scene since entering the game in the late '90s with Do Or Die, Kanye and the old guard of the Windy City. Seemingly re-invigorated by the new crop of artists blossoming in his hometown, Twista has headed back to the studio to work on his forthcoming EP, Back to Basics. It's a fitting title for the 100 word-per-second MC, formerly known as Tung Twista in his early days, who had been largely quiet before jumping on Chance The Rapper's "Cocoa Butter Kisses" track with Vic Mensa and doing a feature with another fellow Chicagoan when he added a verse to R. Kelly's "Throwin' My Money" before hopping on Lady Gaga's "Jewels and Drugs". He literally goes back to his early days, linking back up with Adrenaline Rush producer, Legendary Traxster for this latest release.
After celebrating his birthday this weekend taking in Chance's show at The Riviera on Chicago's north side last Wednesday, the self-described fastest rapper in the world released the Traxster-produced intro off Back to the Basics, a prelude to his major-label release, Dark Horse, his first such album since 2010s The Perfect Storm. Catch the "Intro Freestyle" to Back to the Basics below and keep a look out for Dark Horse, out
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[Video] Busta Rhymes: "Thank You" (Ft. Lil Wayne, Q-Tip & Kanye West)
Busta Rhymes has been making a comeback of sorts since signing with YMCMB last year, and today dropped the video for his star-studded, feature-heavy track, "Thank You" featuring Busta's former, A Tribe Called Quest collaborator, Q-Tip as well as Kanye West and his boss, Lil Wayne. The video, directed by Director X, shows Busta doing his thing with some ladies and has cameos from the likes of A$AP Ferg, Fashawn and Mack Wilds. You can find "Thank You" on Busta's expected 2014 release, E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event) 2. For those who can't wait that long, you may be in luck. There have been rumors of a Busta Rhymes/Q-Tip collaboration by the name of The Abstract & The Dragon, expected December 12.
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[Video] Eminem Interview with Zane Lowe
BBC 1's Zane Lowe is increasingly becoming the de facto interview for post-release public relations, if you're face belongs on the hip-hop Mount Rushmore. Eminem followed in Kanye's footsteps, appearing for an in depth, sit down interview with the British show host. Ever an interesting guest, Eminem opened up about the pressure of calling his latest album The Marshall Mather LP 2, what it was like to work with Rick Rubin and his own forays into production before doing a live performance of "Berzerk" in studio with a band. For his part, Em jokes that peeing on the floor might be the only way to top Kanye, I'd say the performance was pretty convincing. Check it all out for yourself below.
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[Video] Calez: The American Dream Concept Ep. 1
Chicago hip-hop artist Calez premiered the first episode of his online video series, "The American Dream Concept" yesterday via his own website Ceitorepublic.com. The show is a sort of mini documentary following around the 2008ighties MC as he prepares and works on his upcoming release Ceito, due out in Spring 2014. Calez has been one of the top lyrical artists on the come up out of the Windy City for a minute now and this fresh, different way of getting his name out is definitely worth taking a look at. Give episode one a look below and donate here if you like it enough.
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[Video] Alex Wiley: "Own Lane"
One of Chicago's most buzzing artists invites us into a psychedelic world through the visual for "Own Lane," the trippy-like cinematic clip from Alex Wiley. The Village member partnered up with the homies over at Visual Mecca and conceptualized a 3-part music video series that'll feature the one below, "The Woods," and "Suck It Revolution." "Own Lane" was first shown to a select audience as part of a #SpeakEasy event series that will also premiere the other two visuals on November 21st and December 5th. Make sure you stay on the look-out for more information on how to RSVP for these events in the coming weeks.
All songs are from the popular ClubWiley mixtape, which is arguably one of the best 'tapes to come out in 2013. Go download it if you haven't done so already!
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[Video] Eminem & Slaughterhouse on The Backroom
Eminem dropped his latest album this week, The Marshall Mathers EP 2, a follow-up to his seminal, larger than life, 2000 album that firmly cemented the Detroit MC in the upper echelon of hip-hop and popular culture. As part of the whirlwind media attention the project has been receiving, BET invited Shady and his crew, Slaughterhouse, to the 106th & Park Backroom to spit a few freestyles and talk to Em about Kendrick Lamar. When it comes to off the cuff hip-hop today, you can't do much better than this bunch. Check out what they cooked up for the folks over at BET and what Eminem thinks of K Dot in the videos below and pick up that Marshall Mathers EP 2 via iTunes.
The Evolution of Eminem Interview w/ Big Tigger