Jamila Woods, Tasha & Kevin Coval Team Up With Vinyl For A Cause
Jamila Woods has teamed up with Louder Than A Bomb cofounder Kevin Coval and singer/songwriter Tasha to release a 7" record to benefit Young Chicago Authors via Vinyl For A Cause. When she's not making music Jamila Woods is the associate artistic director for YCA. Young Chicago Authors is arguably the organization that has influenced Chicago's music scene the most. For the past 28 years YCA has mentored and cultivated an impressive number of kids, including Chance The Rapper, Saba, No Name, Mick Jenkins, Jamila Woods and on and on. Nearly every one of todays most successful artists that have been instrumental in the cultural renaissance that has taken place in Chicago has a tie to YCA in some capacity.
Side A of the record is a new track from Jamila Woods called "Muddy" in reference to a Kevin Coval poem entitled "Muddy Waters Goes Electric". The beat is dominated by a sizzling guitar, with Jamila's cool voice creating a sense of harmony. The contrast is heightened by Jamila's lyrics repeating "We can shake the fire off". The B side features Kevin Coval and upcoming R&B singer Tasha in a duet between poem and song.
80% of the proceeds from the record will go directly to YCA. You can buy it here. Check out Jamila's track below.
https://youtu.be/xEzMPwAPVJ4
The Cornerstore #2: Fatima Asghar
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In the second episode of "The Cornerstore" Kevin and Tara interview poet/writer Fatima Asghar. She discusses her personal journey that led to where she is now including growing up in Cambridge, MA. She discusses how gentrification has driven a wedge in her old community, her web series "Brown Girls" and upcoming book "If They Come For Us".
Listen above and stay tuned for more insightful "The Cornerstore" episodes from the gang.
[RH First Look] NoNameGypsy
Despite what she might want, if you've been following the Chicago music scene as of late, you've certainly heard of NoNameGypsy. The 22-year-old hip-hop artist made a name for herself in April with her featured verse on Chance The Rapper's track "Lost" off his monumental Acid Rap release. The guest spot gained the longtime spoken word aficionado considerable attention both on the local and national scenes, garnering a steady stream of shows through the end of the year and earning co-signs from the likes of RapSody and a listing as one of the Chicago RedEye's "15 Artists to Watch in 2014". While she isn't sure whether hip-hop is her ultimate landing spot, the soft-spoken and thoughtful NoName is in an interesting situation currently, as she ruminates on everything 2013 brought and looks forward to what's ahead. Already beginning the new year with spots on several shows around Chicago, she has us all sitting on pins and needles waiting for her debut project, Telefone.
If nothing else, NoNameGypsy is a breath of fresh air. As real and authentic as they come, often taking the stage with her purse still slung across he shoulders, as she did at Reggie's Rock Club this summer for Chance's Lollapalooza After Show. I caught up with her as she was working on music recently and talked about suddenly being known by others, having fans and what's next for NoNameGypsy.