[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.
[RH Premiere] Auggie the 9th: "#GAWS"
Auggie the 9th has been working on #GAWS for quite some time. Before last year's People's Court Complete was a glimmer in young Augustus' eye, the seeds were already planted for the LOD rapper to flip swag around. After an extended wait in which Auggie took his time to ensure the project was exactly the way he wanted, the day has come to enter the world of #GAWS. Take everything you might know about Auggie the 9th and throw it out the window - #GAWS is but a flash into his crowded mind full of anime, twerking asses, and homies on homies.
Every second, every rhyme, every beat was pored and obsessed over by a high top fade-sized fine toothed comb. Will you get lost amidst the Naruto, Tekken, Doug, Abe's Oddysee, and countless other references? Probably, but that's not to say you won't be entertained and dive right into #GAWS. For the rest of you that will catch on to all of these references, a hidden truth behind #GAWS is revealed: Underneath the hair, behind the jean jackets and the tattoos, is a geek exactly like you. In saying that, #GAWS is Auggie the 9th's most personal release to date.
As I previously said, #GAWS is unlike any hip hop album you've heard this year. The beats aren't of typical hip hop fare, mixing in experimental loops, keys, and drums. The album's influences are more in line with alternative hip hop and post-hardcore than traditional hip hop. Animuse's Savier's production serves as #GAWS' backbone with assistance from Na$im Williams, E.N.O.N., Clark Parker, Zip, and LOD cohort Nick Astro. The songs have an aggressive edge to them, whether due to a song's beats or Auggie's post-hardcore-esque yelps and snarls that's carried across the album's entirety. Auggie's not an aggressive rapper, per se, but the choice to scream certain lines just fits the proper tonal attitude he wants to convey. This may turn some people off, especially considering his previous twerk-heavy releases. However, that's not to say that there aren't a few booty bumpers on #GAWS, the best of which is hidden on the album's outro. Joining Auggie on the mic are LOD brothers Elee Eck$, Blakkass Westley, ShowYouSuck, and Cadillac Duke, Loona Dae, Franky4Fingaz, and our own angelic-voiced Brynn Bixby.
#GAWS as a whole isn't just a musical reflection of Auggie the 9th's current interests, but also a deeper introduction to his other artistic talents, demonstrated by the #GAWS cover collaborations with MattBoyWhite (JAWS-inspired cover), Stefan Klapko (Madvillainy-inspired cover), and The Kao (Akira-inspired cover). Auggie wants listeners to feel a closer connection to the things that interest him, and the "Choose Your Cover" element is a part of this.
I hope you enjoy #GAWS as much as we have. It's been in the works for a long, long time, and the wait has been completely worth it. Enough of the words and exposition - Ruby Hornet would like to formally present to you Auggie The 9th's #GAWS:
[RH Photos] ShowYouSuck: "Dude Bro" Album Release @ The Hideout in Chicago (11/26/13)
Photos by Virgil Solis
Last Thursday, ShowYouSuck celebrated the release of his official debut EP, Dude Bro, at The Hideout in Chicago. Featuring a new show format and new songs, the next stage for the rapper's career has finally been set. I hope you guys are a fan of polka dots, because I get the feeling you'll be seeing a lot of them in the future. For now, check out our photos from ShowYouSuck's "The Dude Bro Show" below.
Animuse: "Don't Go" (feat. Auggie the 9th and Blakkass Westley)
Caution: If you listen to this new Animuse cut, you might find yourself replaying the song over and over, so set your schedule accordingly. As Animuse slowly makes their way back into the scene (hinted at last month with Savier's Dead Weight Beat Tape 3 drop), they're dropping quality tracks here and there leading up to the September 17th release of TheLucyList, a mixtape/collection of loosies. Assumedly, "Don't Go" will also be a part of the collection.
Both Savier and Elishua teamed up with my best friend Auggie the 9th and second best friend Blakkass Westley for the ironically named song, considering how the song does, in fact, go, and goes hard at that. Whether it's Elishua and Savier's patented verse trade-offs, Auggie's street punk-inspired, high-energy screech, or Westley's unorthodox rhyme scheme, the four ensure that each listener won't be able to listen to the song just once.
Check out the song below, look forward to TheLucyList next month, as well as Animuse's next full-length, TRANSPIRE, later this year. (Side note: Props to Auggie for the Romeo and Juliet verse.)
Auggie the 9th: "NegaSnot" X "Shonen Punx"
Photo by Stefan Klapko
Auggie the 9th's GAWS has been a long time coming, but its release is slowly coming into view. With the first drop from GAWS , "I Was Never Here" with our own Brynn Bixby, dropping just a couple of weeks ago, Auggie has blessed us with not one, but two new songs from the album. "NegaSnot" has a dark sound to it with a Doug reference playing throughout the song to help shape the song's overall homage to Saturday morning cartoons. "Shonen Punx," meanwhile, features Franky4Fingerz and targets anime fans.
Also released with the songs is the second cover for GAWS taken by Stefan Klapko showcasing Auggie the 9th's homage to Madvillain's 2004 album, Madvillainy. You can listen to "Shonen Punx" and "NegaSnot" below. I suspect all of you will be hearing more about Auggie and GAWS really soon...
Auggie The 9th: "I Was Never Here" (feat. Brynn Bixby)
Auggie The 9th's name has been resonating within the Chicago Hip Hop scene thanks to his hypeman role for ShowYouSuck's live sets and two mixtapes he dropped entitled Peoples Court Complete & Now That’s What I Call Krej. Now, with his forthcoming project GAWS being his most serious and focused piece of work to date, Auggie is aiming to expand his solid fan-base. While Peoples Court and NTWICK were almost exclusively freestyles over popular instrumentals, GAWS will have original production (mostly handled by Savier of Animuse) and more thought-out concepts. "I Was Never Here" is the first single from the project and in it you can find a The XX sample, guest-vocals by RH Indie music writer Brynn Bixby and the emcee spitting on his current situation, dreams and aspirations. If you're not excited for GAWS yet, you should be. I promise it won't disappoint.
[RH Video Premiere] Netherfriends: "Summer Sex" (feat. Auggie the 9th)
This week has been a hot one all across the country. It's hard not to step outside without becoming a moist mess. All of that sweat and dirt isn't a good look. But hey, why fight the weather when you can throw some sexual shenanigans into the mix? The aptly titled "Summer Sex" by recent music sensation and Pitchfork alumni Netherfriends and rap game superstar Auggie the 9th was featured on the former's hip hop album, New CHI-t.
The two teamed up with video vet (and LOD brother) FragD films to deliver a music video that definitely won't help with the heat. Glimpses of tantalizing, soft-focused lady silhouettes are contrasted by side profiles of Auggie and Netherfriends as they vocalize their support for some summer sex. This is one of FragD films' best videos to date.
The video drops just in time for Pitchfork goers to prepare for the weekend and sweaty couples to get even sweatier. Don't fight the heat; just give into the most carnal of desires and let Auggie the 9th's and Netherfriends' smooth melodies and deep baritones be your soundtrack for the moment...s.
http://youtu.be/MAEDtw0dA14
[Mixtape] Netherfriends: "New CHI-t"
Netherfriends has been a very busy man lately. Besides preparing the full release for his 50 Songs 50 States project next week on America's birthday, the fully improvised Kind of Buzzed series, as well as his kind of, sort of low key album, P3ACE, Netherfriends has been compiling all of his collaborations with a large number of Chicagoan rappers. Today, we bring you the full release, New CHI-t.
Featuring ShowYouSuck, Jams Dean, Auggie the 9th, theWHOevers, ELEE X, Blakkass Westley, Rich Jones, Fess Grandiose, Mig Mora, and Divino Nino, New CHI-t finds the rappers dropping rhymes alongside Netherfriends' eclectic instrumentals and vocal features. Some personal favorites include "Numero Uno" with Chandler London and Mig Mora, "Full of It" with ShowYouSuck, "Jurassic Park 5" featuring theWHOevers, and "Frankfort, KY" featuring Blakkass Westley. The mixtape is a prime example of just how versatile Netherfriends can be with his music. The summer of Netherfriends has only begun, as the aforementioned 50 Songs 50 States, P3ACE, and subsequent Kind of Buzzed installments will be coming out over the season, too. Who knows? There might be some more tricks up Netherfriends' sleeves.
As a reminder, you can celebrate the release of New CHI-t tonight at the Burlington Bar! Kimball House Productions has put together quite the show with Impolite Society, Fess Grandiose (happy birthday!), Chandler London, Shazam Bangles, and The Minneapolis Henrys will also be on tap to support Netherfriends. Details on the record release party can be found here. I hope you all enjoy New CHI-t as much as I do.