[Video] ShowYouSuck: "Flip Phone"
Clinton Sandifer, affectionately known in many circles around Chicago as ShowYouSuck, knows how to turn a party up, and has proven that much at just about every show he has played in and out of his hometown. Mixing punk and hip-hop aesthetics, Show very well have the most live hip-hop set in the city. On Valentine's Day though? Show's a little more mellowed out, as he demonstrates for us on his latest video for the track "Flip Phone" off his 2013 project One Man Pizza Party 4: Slices After Death. Directed by Chris Beauchesne and animated by Benjamn Marasco, the video is wildly entertaining as the animations coincide with the lyrical content and the simple shot of Clinton by himself in a love seat, in what is becoming his trademark white dotted shirt, as the cartoon world wreaks havoc on him. ShowYouSuck has proven himself a capable artist in myriad situations and he's one artist we should see get his due in 2014. Check out the awesome video for "Flip Phone" below.
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[Video] ShowYouSuck: "80s Boobs"
Chicago's own ShowYouSuck meant business in 2013, and followed that up by releasing a gang of projects, the last of which, Dude Bro may be his most polished to date. The Closed Sessions' release dropped its latest video in support of the project, this one for the highly-anticipated "80s Boobs". The J. Arthur-produced track appropriately calls to mind the decade with the high synth use and the black and white visual is a simple affair, with translation subtitles rolling across the bottom while bras seem to be stocked in front of Show. The neon camera flares add a subtle 80s aesthetic to the video, shot by Addison Wright and J. Frank. In the end, the only nipples in the video are Show's, and he burns a bra. See it all for yourself, streaming below.
ShowYouSuck: "Watching Walking Dead Episodes 3, 4, 5"
There are few artists in hip-hop or otherwise who have a more full-stocked pop-culture lexicon than Chicago's own ShowYouSuck. The owner of one of the most exciting rap shows there is today, Show has rapped about everything from Big Gulps, clam chowder and decades old mammary glands and today returned to one of his favorite topics in the TV show "The Walking Dead" with three new installments of the ongoing series produced by Tha Hydrox. The latest episodes are distinguished by beat changes, each change indicates the beginning of the next episode. ShowYouSuck follows up a strong end to 2013 by reminding us of the everyman spirit that make ShowYouSuck's music so endearing and fun at the same time. Check out the latest, "Watching Walking Dead" episodes 3, 4 & 5 streaming below.
[RH Review] ShowYouSuck: "Dude Bro"
ShowYouSuck has been one of the more interesting artists in the Chicago landscape for a minute now. Since establishing himself as a witty lyricist and connoisseur of all things "rad" on his One Man Pizza Party trilogy, released throughout 2011-13, Show has carved out a niche unto himself with a character and personality to match. Dude Bro, released today, is the culmination of a long road of experimentation and progression that pulls from all sides of what makes up the complex and fun-loving LOD/Treated Crew affiliate.
Linking up with Chicago outfit Closed Sessions for his latest project, Show recorded a majority of the album under the watchful eyes of Mike Kolar at Soundscape Studios, which has become habit as of late. The continued work and personal relationship between Closed Sessions CEO Alex "RTC" Fruchter, Kolar and ShowYouSuck shows on Dude Bro, as an overall aesthetic reigns supreme in a tightly-knit, entertainingly different approach.
The lead single off the project, "80s Boobs" is wholly ShowYouSuck through and through. From the artist that brought you "Viva La Chon Chon" and "Mom Jeans" is the perfect reverie back to the days of "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" as Show reminisces over the intricacies of the era's breasts, rapping: "Double D's on my sofa/Double A's in my remote/Weird Science on VHS but my goddamn VCR broke." J. Arthur of Chicago duo theWHOevers handles the duties on the beat, employing a synth-heavy backing that calls to mind the eighties perfectly to add a fitting platform from which to let Show explain the subject matter further.
Perhaps the most appropriate song ShowYouSuck has ever made is also the final track on the album, "Awesome" featuring punk rock duo Unstoppable Death Machines. Anyone who's been to a ShowYouSuck show will testify to the fact that his performances more clearly resemble a punk rock show, complete with moshpits and stage dives, so the two acts complement each other deftly. As a kid who grew up going to Metal shows in and around Chicago, Show is completely in his element, using his performance call and response "Show is so awesome-Show You Suck" as the chorus over the wild, intense backing from Mike and Billy Tucci that make up Unstoppable Death Machine.
Top to bottom, Dude Bro is fully and totally the artist that is Clinton Sandifer, ShowYouSuck. Show is a narcissistic rapper; his songs are just about things he enjoys. For a less interesting person, this could pose an issue, but for the fun-loving lyrical Jedi that he is, Show has found just the right amount of all the aspects that make up who he is and found a way to transfer that perfectly to an album. For an artist that wears his emotions on his sleeve as anyone tracking his Twitter account last night as Dude Bro dropped can attest to, this release means something, and may just be the kind of polished, well put together project with a solid backing that could once and for all vault Clinton over the proverbial wall to the big time. ShowYouSuck is on iTunes, buy Dude Bro here for only $4.99. You can also stream Dude Bro in its entirety below.
Score: 
8.5 out of 10
Philosopha: "I'm Drugs" (feat. ShowYouSuck)
Chicago hip-hop artists Philosopha and ShowYouSuck got together for this single, "I'm Drugs" off Philosopha's Just Dope EP. ShowYouSuck handles a verse and some of the hook on this one-off. Catch ShowYouSuck tonight at The Hideout in Chicago for his Dude Bro album release celebration, "The Dude Bro Show" featuring sets from MattBoyWhite and Auggie The 9th. Click here for a chance to win tickets courtesy of RH and check out the track below.
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ShowYouSuck: "80's Boobs" (prod. by J Arthur)
The pizza party might have ended, but the journey has just begun for Chicago rapper ShowYouSuck. Indeed, the darker themes hidden amongst the the One Man Pizza Party mixtapes have been done away with, replaced with the sunny optimism found in "80's Boobs," the first single from ShowYouSuck's upcoming EP, Dude Bro. As I alluded to with last week's "Hang 10" music video, Dude Bro follows a specific visual and musical theme, and "80's Boobs" best represents the tonal direction for Dude Bro as a whole.
Produced by theWHOevers' J Arthur, "80's Boobs" just exudes an '80s vibe with its prevalent synths and keys and Show's '80s film references. Keen listeners will pick up on a loose narrative over the song that further drives the '80s theme home. ShowYouSuck isn't a joke rapper; he's a rapper that has jokes, and much like his back catalog of songs, there's more to his lyrics than the hook. Although, to be fair, "You got boobs from an '80s movie" is way too catchy to ignore.
You can purchase "80's Boobs" from iTunes here. Keep your eyes and ears open for Dude Bro when it's also released on iTunes on November 26th. Want to know a secret? It's really, really good.
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