[Video] Add-2 Interview with FUSE
Chicago's Add-2 and recent JAMLA-signee Add-2 slid through the FUSE offices earlier this week to sit down and talk about the whirlwind of an end to 2013 he had. Add chats about signing with 9th Wonder and what it was like working with the legend himself while crafting his latest mixtape, Between Heaven & Hell, with fellow JAMLA artist Khrysis. While touching on the different aspects of his latest project, Add gets into the inspiration for the title and songs on it like "The Ugly Side Of Beautiful", "Club Church" & "Death Of Chicago". Since 9th put him on the team, this has been one of the most exciting collaboration-signings I have seen in a long time, not to mention one that makes almost too much sense for all parties involved. Add worked hard last year to get where he is now, check out the interview below as he prepares to do it all over again in 2014.
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Mick Jenkins: "Leonidas"
Mick Jenkins has been following up a solid end to 2013 with a frenetic start to the new year. Over the weekend Jenkins dropped his latest track, "Leonidas", before he took the stage Saturday to a raucous crowd at Reggie's Rock Club in the south loop of Chicago as the headliner of a show that included NoNameGypsy, Saba and Dally Auston. The track, produced by OnGaud, is due to be on his next project, The Water[s], expected sometime next month and features the kind of clever songwriting and wordplay that has made Mick Jenkins one of the most talked about among the next-up in Chicago. Check out the track, streaming here below.
[Mixtape] Tink: "Winter’s Diary 2: Forever Yours"
Alex Wiley Releases Four New Tracks
One of the more impressive debut projects from last year was Alex Wiley's banger-heavy Club Wiley, distributed by Chicago independent label, Closed Sessions. Released at the beginning of the summer, a steady stream of videos and support shows both in and out of his hometown have brought Wiley to the forefront of the next wave of artists to leap from the bubbling scene in the Midwest. With little new music hitting the Internet since the release of the project, Closed Sessions celebrated a new year by pulling a Beyonce, unexpectedly dropping four songs via ClosedSessions.com. The short project sees Wiley demonstrate all sides of his rhyming capabilities, spitting verses over Master P's "Make Em Say Uggh", as well as an eclectic gathering of beats courtesy of The Odd Couple that show Wiley is an artist to be reckoned with in the Second City. The recently released songs, which you can stream and download below, are also a bit of promotional fodder for Wiley's show on January 18 at Reggie's Rock House in Chicago's South Loop neighborhood, tickets available here.
ProbCause & The O'My's: "One of a Kind"
Chicago natives ProbCause & The O'My's teamed up to drop some heat in the midst of one of the city's record-breaking cold spell with their collaborative effort, "One of a Kind." ProbCause, who will continue to build on a successful 2013 by re-joining dance duo Cherub on tour in March, shows his full range with this latest track, tearing off a measured, rapid-fire verse over the soulful, horn-laden backing of The O'My's. Maceo Haymes, owner of one of the more delightfully soulful voices around, takes the reigns halfway in, crooning his way through the rest of the track. Collaborations like this are a big part of the reason this scene is on the up and up. Listen and download the track below.
Catch ProbCause live in Chicago on February 28 at Schuba's. Tix.
#100Trill: "Forever" (Feat. ShowYouSuck)
Fellow Chicagoans and Legion of Dudes members Grade Aplus and producer Mike Jaxx stay consistent with new material seemingly every week and today bring us the latest from their #100Trill collaboration, this time featuring another LOD artist, ShowYouSuck to spit a few bars over the Jaxx-production. "Forever" is the follow-up single to last month's "Sharkeisha" off the #100Trill's upcoming mixtape, Muzik to Check Yo Bitch To EP, due out in February. "Forever" navigates familiar territory for both Grade and Show, who traverse the recognizable pseudo-trap beat with clever wordplay and a catchy hook, "Forever I'm Ever Mackin'". With everyone in the Midwest trapped inside as Antarctica moves north for a couple days, expect plenty more heat to come out of the ever-working #100Trill duo. Listen to "Forever" streaming here below.
Chance The Rapper Covers The Source Magazine
It's 2014 now, but not much has changed for young Chance The Rapper, as the accolades continue to roll in. The Chicago native was recently named The Source Magazine's fourth "Rookie of the Year" in the publication's latest edition. Posing as his own Ventriloquist dummy, Chance joins the likes of past winners, Kendrick Lamar, Big Sean and Wiz Khalifa. Currently, Chance is preparing to settle into some new digs out west in Los Angeles before diving head first into an already-packed 2014 that may just see him switch from the "Rookie of the Year" cover to the "Man of the Year". Only time will tell on that one, but for now check out the excerpt from the story and pick up a print edition on January 7.
[Video] Bmac: "Till I OD"
Bmac is a rapper from Chicago's Uptown neighborhood on the city's North side. Currently working on his upcoming debut project, Hate On This hosted by DJ Sean Mac, Bmac dropped the first single, complete with video accompaniment in promotion for his project, which drops on New Year's Eve. For it's part, "Till I OD" has a fairly straightforward aesthetic: doing as many drugs as possible without overdosing, or maybe just until it happens. Either way, Bmac takes us into his day to day with a video detailing him and friends smoking, drinking and ruminating over what it all might mean if they take too much down.
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