Elton Drops New Single With Jean Deaux
Chicago based rapper/singer Elton just released his latest single "Frequency". The track features Zero Fatigue member and fellow Chicagoan Jean Deaux as well as Bedows and The Burns Twins on the instrumental. "Frequency" comes ahead of Elton's debut album Elevated which is scheduled to be released next month, but will not be a part of that project. Elton, Bedows and The Burns Twins will also be releasing an EP as a group in the near future.
[iframe id="https://open.spotify.com/embed/track/6Fd6BVP2VaoqK9LsuDCPJl" parameters="spotify:track:6Fd6BVP2VaoqK9LsuDCPJl"]
Chicago Acts to Look Out For in 2014
Photo by Bobby Reys
Chicago has been on lately. The Second City has always been known as a musical city and the current rate at which it has produced talent as of late is only adding to that legacy. As festival lineups roll out as we transition into Spring, it has become common to find a Chicago act, if not several, on the list. For this reason, we decided to put together a list of up and coming artists from Chicago that we expect to fully blossom throughout 2014. We added numbers, but there's no real order as far as rankings, just a collection of musical acts from the city that deserve a spotlight. Last year, Chance The Rapper, Chief Keef and a host of hip-hop artists dominated music headlines as a pipeline was established in the Midwest. There is plenty in the city that isn't rap music too though, and we made sure to highlight everyone. Take some time to flip through the next batch of stars to rise out of Chicago.
[First Look] Kitty Cash
Photography By Julian Schratter
Over the past year and a half or so there has been a hip-hop resurgence in New York City that has had many, including Hot97's Peter Rosenberg, calling it a "Renaissance of Hip-hop". Then sentiment isn't just because of the music, which has spilled from the city's streets for generation, but rather the re-incarnation of hip-hop culture in society on a real level. Perhaps no one else in the scene embodies that realness as much as Brooklyn native, Kitty Cash, who firmly established herself with an eclectic, thought-out 19-track mixtape, Love The Free, which dropped just before the new year. The project featured a smattering of original tracks from an assortment of artists from across the country, including the like of Vic Mensa, Kilo Kish, Phony PPL, Jesse Boykins, The GTW, Jean Deaux, Justin Rose and more. It's a fun project that calls to mind different aspects of growing up through the 90s and early 2000s, as the newly-minted 25-year-old can attest to. The official DJ for Kilo Kish, who provides the introduction to Love The Free, Kitty Cash has been able to observe things from behind the scenes a bit, and used those experiences to put together the debut release. I had the chance to catch up with Kitty Cash just after the new year as she was preparing for her birthday and thinking about what's next, read it all here.
[RH Photos] Vic Mensa: "Live on the Innanet" in Chicago (12/7/14)
Photography by Nolis
This past Saturday, Vic Mensa took over Reggie;s Rock House for his first solo headlining show since breaking up with Kids These Days earlier this year and dropping his solo project, Innanetape, in late September. The buzz Mensa has garnered since releasing the project was palpable, with tickets selling out a week in advance for the tightly-packed affair. Fellow Chicago acts Jean Deaux and The Hood Internet opened things up, appropriately getting the crowd going with a mix of genres that mirrored the kind of frenetically changing and eclectic backdrops Mensa utilizes throughout Innanetape.
Performing with a full band, Mensa seemed right in his element on Reggie's stage. Seeing him onstage with a piano to his right and a drummer to his right, it was hard not to think back to the days of KTD, still fresh in many fans minds as listeners shouted "Vic These Days" over the crowd. Aided by inspired back up vocals from Chicago soulstresses Lili K and Eryn Allen Kane, Mensa overcame some early technical difficulties, commanding the stage professionally, working all sides and hitting almost every note of his fiery delivery, a nod to the endless rehearsal hours and past performances the artist has under his belt.
On "Time Is Money" Mensa flexed, bringing out Maybach Music Group signee Rockie Fresh to do his verse, accented well by an extended bridge played by producer Cam Osteen on the keys and Omar Jahwar on drums. it was fitting call to an artist that helped pave the way for Vic and the rest of Chicago hip-hop, as well as a solid anchor for his other special guest, Save Money artist Joey Purp who spit a chillingly inspired verse from "Fear & Doubt" that invigorated the crowd instantly.
Taking things down for "That Nigga," Vic was most self-assuredly himself, fully throwing himself into every word and rhyme as he recited the words to the song that essentially documented the past few years for an artist that has overcome plenty to arrive at his first solo headlining show in Chicago. Exiting stage left after the track, Mensa came back for an encore of crowd favorite "Orange Soda" and KTD throwback "Don't Harsh My Mellow" that left the young crowd in a frenzy.
While Mensa's show certainly is still rough around the edges, it is head and shoulders above what is seen from most acts, hip-hop or otherwise, with an energy that seems to never end. Most issues were due to sound problems at the venue, and Mensa paid little attention, rhyming through it all while proving to his hometown why seemingly everyone in the country has had him on their lips lately. Along with fellow Save Money artist Chance The Rapper, Mensa is quickly cementing his place at the top of Chicago hip-hop, and Saturday was yet another example of that.
Jean Deaux: "Grape Soda"
Jean Deaux felt rather inspired yesterday. The Chicago emcee crafted a new song, recorded it, shot the cover and released it in the span of 24 hours. "Grape Soda" is a remake of Vic Mensa's popular "Orange Soda" track, but with a unique spin from Jean's vision and production by Tim Suby. Check it out below and make sure you cop a ticket for her show with Mensa on December 7th.
[iframe id="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/119569012" mode="normal" align="center"]
Jean Deaux: "Alone" (prod. Nico Segal)
Jean Deaux dropped a new jam yesterday and its blues-vibes mixed with the songstress' mesmerizing voice make this eight-minute opus into the perfect gem to properly start Fall and the colder months of the year. "Alone" clearly shows that the synergy between Nico Segal, THEMPeople (whom together co-produced the song) and Jean is undeniable and it gives us a preview of what's to come from her Raw Series. Listen below.Read more
Jean Deaux: "Alone" (prod. Nico Segal)
Jean Deaux dropped a new jam yesterday and its blues-vibes mixed with the songstress' mesmerizing voice make this eight-minute opus into the perfect gem to properly start Fall and the colder months of the year. "Alone" clearly shows that the synergy between Nico Segal, THEMPeople (whom together co-produced the song) and Jean is undeniable and it gives us a preview of what's to come from her Raw Series. Listen below.Read more
Jean Deaux: "Birthday Suit"
Here's something new from Jean Deaux as she celebrates her brithday with the psychedelic and funky "Birthday Suit", produced by THEMpeople. Jean is definitely a double-threat, she can out-rap most rappers and her melodically hypnotizing vocals can serenade any listener. She does mostly the latter in the brand new cut (which is streamable below) and she does it like only Jean Deaux can. Nonetheless, if you want to hear her deliver more 16s stay on the lookout for her forthcoming debut Soular System, which should contain a vast amount of tracks proving the emcee's dexterity and limitless genre expansion.