Nick Astro & Murph Watkins: "Pick A Side" (Prod. by IKON)

Chicago MCs Nick Astro and Murph Watkins got together for this single, the debut for the upcoming compilation album from producer IKON, titled Pick A Side. The tape is due out sometime in mid-November so listeners will have to settle for marinating on this easy listen from Astro and Watkins, two of the most recognizable voices in the Chicago scene.


Animuse: "Don't Go" (feat. Auggie the 9th and Blakkass Westley)

Caution: If you listen to this new Animuse cut, you might find yourself replaying the song over and over, so set your schedule accordingly. As Animuse slowly makes their way back into the scene (hinted at last month with Savier's Dead Weight Beat Tape 3 drop), they're dropping quality tracks here and there leading up to the September 17th release of TheLucyList, a mixtape/collection of loosies. Assumedly, "Don't Go" will also be a part of the collection.

Both Savier and Elishua teamed up with my best friend Auggie the 9th and second best friend Blakkass Westley for the ironically named song, considering how the song does, in fact, go, and goes hard at that. Whether it's Elishua and Savier's patented verse trade-offs, Auggie's street punk-inspired, high-energy screech, or Westley's unorthodox rhyme scheme, the four ensure that each listener won't be able to listen to the song just once.

Check out the song below, look forward to TheLucyList next month, as well as Animuse's next full-length, TRANSPIRE, later this year. (Side note: Props to Auggie for the Romeo and Juliet verse.)


Auggie The 9th: "I Was Never Here" (feat. Brynn Bixby)

Auggie The 9th's name has been resonating within the Chicago Hip Hop scene thanks to his hypeman role for ShowYouSuck's live sets and two mixtapes he dropped entitled Peoples Court Complete & Now That’s What I Call Krej. Now, with his forthcoming project GAWS being his most serious and focused piece of work to date, Auggie is aiming to expand his solid fan-base. While Peoples Court and NTWICK were almost exclusively freestyles over popular instrumentals, GAWS will have original production (mostly handled by Savier of Animuse) and more thought-out concepts. "I Was Never Here" is the first single from the project and in it you can find a The XX sample, guest-vocals by RH Indie music writer Brynn Bixby and the emcee spitting on his current situation, dreams and aspirations. If you're not excited for GAWS yet, you should be. I promise it won't disappoint.

Auggie The 9th "GAWS"


Netherfriends: "Kind of Buzzed vol. 2"

Following the previous drops of Chandler London's "Ode to Joy Freestyle" and Swords the Ronin's "Black Belt Freestyle," Netherfriends' second entry in his freestyle/improvised series, Kind of Buzzed, is upon us. Featuring the aforementioned rappers and LOD/#100Trill rapper Grade Aplus and Second City Citizen member Rich Jones, Kind of Buzzed vol. 2 features a mastered mix of the set that was recorded live at Cafe Mustache last month. As the series continues to grow, Netherfriends is offering a range of rappers a platform to showcase their talents over original instrumentation while also allowing outside audiences a glimpse at how the magic happens.

If you want to be a part of that magic, make sure you attend the live recording of Netherfriends' Kind of Buzzed vol. 4 at Jugrnaut on August 16th. If you can't attend, the least you can do is check out the listening/release party for Kind of Buzzed vol. 2 tonight at the aforementioned Cafe Mustache, complete with a live beat/freestyle set. Who knows? Maybe you can be featured on a future Kind of Buzzed installment.

 


Grade Aplus: "Baby Grades" (prod. by MikeJaxx)

Grade Aplus is back with a new song under the Green Tangerine Co. banner, "Baby Grades." With production by MikeJaxx, Grade goes in about his parents telling him to get a real job and pulling an Oprah on former Disney Channel stars (i.e. "Have them pushing out some baby Grades/Flip the game/Make them ladies pay child support/Shit, I'll be crazy straight."). Who's having more fun than the duo of Grade and Jaxx right now?

Check out "Baby Grades" below, and if you're a lady feeling Grade's music, make some baby Grades for him.


#100Trill: "Feel Like It"

#100Trill is back with a new song, "Feel Like It." Money, weed, and alcohol is the holy trinity for the Chicagoland duo. Hey, if you have the power to do whatever you want whenever you feel like it, your holy trinity probably wouldn't deviate too far from that. Personally, my holy trinity consists of comic books, movies, and music... maybe that's why I'm not a successful Chicago rapper...

Regardless, listen to MikeJaxx and Grade Aplus do their thing. Like I've mentioned before, the duo is having fun with the #100Trill drops. Let their inherent fun infect you.


[Mixtape] ShowYouSuck: "One Man Pizza Party 4: Slice After Death"

The pizza has run out. The Slurpee machine has been tapped. Finally, the pizza party is over. The One Man Pizza Party series introduced us to ShowYouSuck and his pop-culture filled universe full of Shoryukens, based girls, the importance of friendship, and yes... pizza. However, all things must come to an end, with One Man Pizza Party 4: Slice After Death serving to be the perfect coda to ShowYouSuck's introduction to the rap game.

OMPP4 is mostly a collection of remixes spanning Show's career thus far, from the OMPP classic "Clam Chowder Soup" (remixed spectacularly by theWHOevers' J Arthur), to MikeJaxx's remix of OMPP3's "Carne Asada." Also included is the fan-favorite "Girls, Nachos" from Show's Girls, Girls, Girls EP with Stefan Ponce, as well as new songs "Flip Phone," "SSF4 Championship Edition," "XXX Straight Edge," and the titular "Slice After Death."

It's a bittersweet end of an era, but ShowYouSuck will rise from the pizza crust crumbs as his first, post-One Man Pizza Party album should represent a new chapter in his illustrious career.

ompp4b


Chandler London X Cocky: "2 Different Sides" (prod. by Na$im Williams X Doc Da Mindbenda)

Chandler London and Cocky teamed up on this beat co-produced by Na$im Williams and Doc Da Mindbenda. The Na$im and Doc beat has a haunting sound to it that perfectly complements the single artwork depicting the hanging corpse opposite of the little girl on a tree swing. Chandler's on point with his typical open and honest approach while Cocky comments on some dark stuff.