Listen: KD Young Cocky - "Take A Hit"
The Str8Drop Entertainment team closed out the 4th quarter with a little something to heat up your winter. He's a Chicago artist that goes by the name KD Young Cocky. He has a new project titled Take A Hit ready for your ears on Soundcloud right now!
Take A Hit has features from Chicago's rising star and 2016 Freshman Lister, G Herbo on "Nervous". KD also has Atlanta's YFN Lucci on "Lifestyle". YFN had one of the more notable songs of 2016, "Key To The Streets" featuring Migos and later got a remix featuring 2 Chainz.
KD Young Cocky has also gotten the attention of tastemaker, Karen Civil. You can check him out on the Civil Scope on her website.
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Take A Hit is full of 808, bounce and KD's reflections of his road to riches. The project is full of lyrics with "Got to make something shake" emotions and affirmations. "Hustler In Me", "Make It" "Goals" and "Lifestyle" are great examples of that.
I really dig the combination of KD and XODB of Hyrdox. This tandem has some of the brightest spots on the project. "Goals" is my hands down favorite.
Chicago music keeps moving forward and KD Young Cocky is part of that movement. Get your ears around this and show him you're down with the movement.
Peep another review here.
Goodbye Tomorrow releases new song "Every Day"
Just got my ears on this joint from Goodbye Tomorrow. This one is called "Every Day". I genuinely messed with this joint off the first listen, so it's only right I share it with y'all.
According to RollingStone.com and Spin Magazine “Goodbye Tomorrow” is known for their “enigmatic” and mysterious identity, but is also described as the “new sound that will shape tomorrow”. A group comprised of a rappers and producers, “Every Day” confirms their signature, consistent track record of releasing great music, with a dope, inviting hook, that allows you to create your own meaning of the single.
“Every Day” talks about the opportunity of a new beginning, the hustle and the struggle. Lead vocalist Preme ties in the hook to relate to the identity of anyone working toward their dreams and getting another chance “Every Day.” More than a motivation song, the lyrics speak about rebirth, the truth, and living your own destiny. The production carries the hook’s tempo, making the vocals sound like an added instrument into the melody.
If you mess with that, make sure you support @goodbyetomorrow on social media and make sure you check for them on their website to stay in tune with their movement.
Vic Mensa performs private show for Summer of Collaboration
Summer of Collaboration presented by AT&T partnered with Vic Mensa for a private show at Chicago's AT&T Michigan Ave store with street photographer Vivian Maier’s.
Maier was street photography’s best kept secret. Maier worked as a nanny in the Chicago suburb North Shore in the late 1990’s. That's where while working she took what would become some of the best street photography.
Maier’s work almost never saw the light of day if it wasn’t for Chicago artist John Maloof. Maloof purchased Maier’s extensive work at an auction. He found an extensive amount of film, negatives, and prints of hundred rolls of film, home movies, and audio tape interviews that all belonged to Maier.
Maloof hosted a presentation going over Maier’s mysterious life and talking about her work and the impact surrounding it. Described as a Mary Poppin’s type, this introverted photographer opened her subjects up in the most beautiful way.
Chicago rapper Vic Mensa when up on stage admired Maloof’s courage and passion for being bold and fearless. Mensa was set to perform only three songs but added an additional for go measure. He performed: 16 Shots, Shades of Blue, There’s Alot Going On, and U Mad.
We recently caught Vic Mensa at The Vic Theater while on his "There’s Alot Going On" Tour. While at the Summer of Collaboration event we witnessed a side of Mensa that most music fans don’t. Pegged as a south side rapper and Kanye West pupil, Mensa is keeping busy with work outside the studio.
Vic Mensa has been politically active when it’s come to personal issues. Vic Mensa participated in the Laquan McDonald demonstrations. He also volunteered at Flint, Michigan during their water crisis. Vic urges young voters to register to vote by offering his latest EP “There’s ALot Going On” for free when they registered to vote.
Vic Mensa made sure his personal efforts were made clear as the Roc Nation rapper treated fans to a stadium caliber performance. With so few attending the private event, from seeing the incredible photographs from Maloof and seeing one of best in the city with Vic Mensa, the Summer of Collaboration was one of the purest ways to end the summer off right.
View our photo gallery of Vic Mensa’s Summer of Collaboration event below!
[Video] Kanye West Appears on 'Late Night with Seth Myers'
Kanye West, with his Yeezus tour finally over and some time on his hands, decided to stop by Seth Myers' new show and help him continue to break into the late night circuit by stopping by to chat about the extravagant tour, get some baby news out of the way and clear the stage for the real show, which came after the brief back and forth between the husband of Kim Kardashian and the former 'Saturday Night Live' cast member who took over for Jimmy Fallon in the late night spot after the Jay Leno domino finally fell, opening the lines of succession. Kanye performed what became a career-spanning set that touched on his hits from the entirety of his catalogue, begininning with "Jesus Walks", "Touch The Sky" and "Stronger" before making his way through the dark 808s & Heartbreaks days, even live auto-tuning "Heartless" and continuing on to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and beyond, wrapping things up with a rousing rendition of "Black Skinhead" to wrap things up. Check out the full video, streaming below.
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[Mixtape] Lil Herb: "Welcome to Fazoland"
The day has finally come for Chicago's own Lil Herb to step out on his own. After first hitting the scene early last year with fellow south side artist Lil Bibby on the strength of their joint project which produced nods from the likes of Drake, and a slew of record labels. After sharing the spotlight as a duo, Bibby stepped out at the end of November 2013 with his powerful solo offering in his singular debut project, Free Crack, which continued to push him as one of Chicago's must-see acts. Today, his counterpart gives us his latest, the highly anticipated Welcome To Fazoland, which aims to establish Lil Herb (G Herbo?) as the next in line to pop from the Second City. The project, hosted by Don Cannon and released today via DatPiff, is precisely what the rap world has been waiting for from Herb. Utilizing a distinctly calm tone to his voice, Herb glosses over the issues facing his community and city in a way that feels authentic without getting preachy, feels less like a report than a young man relaying what he sees around him. On "At The Light" he discusses the complex issue of simply sitting in his car at a stoplight, and the problems that seemingly innocuous, everyday action can bring by rhyming "Summertime I remember them nights/I know n**gas out for my life/Gotta look to my left and my right/I be damned I get left at the light" It's an impressive stepping out for a young artist eager to make a name for himself on the solo game the same way he got his buzz up with Bibby next to him last year. Welcome To Fazoland might be just the debut to get him to the next level. Check it out, available for stream and download below.
[Video] RH First Look: ZMoney
The temperature continued to drop, hitting seven degrees as my photographer, Bryan Lamb and myself pulled up to Emma's, a restaurant on the west side of Chicago. As we drove west from the heart of the loop of Chicago down Route 64, the landscape began to change. Amongst a neighborhood with more storefronts closed or shuttered than not, Emma's is a bright light, with it's freshly-painted windows and well-kept exterior, a hand-written sign braving the bitter cold to announce the day's special of catfish. Walking in we were warmly greeted, with unexpected laughter erupting when we announced who we were there to see. "They here to talk to Z Money!" his aunt shouted in somewhat disbelief from behind the counter. It's hard to blame her, too.
The first thing I remember about Z Money is how frustrating it was to find a photo of him this summer when trying to post his music. Employing a homegrown marketing scheme, the west side artist, who only started rapping something like a year and a half ago and his team decided to drop two mixtapes, Heroin Musik & Rich B4 Rap side by side on the same day. The release and the songs it contained made Complex Magazine's David Drake take notice, quickly branding Z Money as an artist to know by including him on their list of "25 Artists to Watch Out For". No on had heard of him before that, he hadn't done an interview, few had seen his face; Z Money was largely a mystery.
To solve some of that mystery, Lamb and myself now found ourselves in front of two steaming plates of shrimp n' grits, the special at Emma's. The restaurant is owned and operated by Z Money and from what we could tell, staffed as well by family members. Named after his Grandma, the cozy spot serves soul food with a smile and some home made Kool-aid. You don't hear about a lot of 20-year-old aspiring rap artists who own their own company, let alone a restaurant. But, contrary to much of his lyrical content, Z Money is out to better those around him as his name continues to grow. Thanks to the folks at Vice, much of the country now in one way or another refers to Chicago as "Chiraq", a 'clever' marketing scheme to sell individual's realities as a product. Talking to Z, one can feel his passion for showing a different route, his penchant for being a role model and his hunger to continue to climb. There is talk of upping the game and releasing a trio of mixtapes later this year. For now, though, this young Chicagoan is reveling in life and preparing himself to be the next big thing from a city that has steadily produced some of the top up and coming artists in hip-hop over the past couple of years. Check out the full conversation I had with Z Money, below.
[Video] Spenzo: "Wife Er"
Chicago native Spenzo has seen his name pop up on radio stations and websites across the country on the strength of his 2013 Young Chop-produced hit single "Wife Er," off his latest project, In Spenzo We Trust. Last night, the track got a visual treatment that helps explains Spenzo's policy on women these days. The track is already burning up the streets here in Chicago, with a proper video alongside it, "Wife Er" may just become the next big hit to come out of Chicago recently.
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