[RH Interview] Mic Terror Talks "Fresh Prince of Darkness"
Photo by Andrew Zeiter
Last week a steady stream of Treated crowns, leather and sneakers streamed into the Hard Rock Café in Chicago. The crowd that makes up a large part of the hip-hop scene here was assembled in the Loop to give one of their own a proper celebration for the release of Mic Terror’s Fresh Prince of Darkness. The album’s release, debuted under the Chicago independent hip-hop label Closed Sessions, was a community affair of artists, management and a wide swath of the crowd that took hip-hop music in the scene to another level. If you’ve been to a rap show in the Second City or spent some time at local boutique Jugrnaut, you’re familiar with the Treated Crew. Led by Kanye West’s DJ Million Dollar Mano, the squad has established itself as a bastion of what rap is in the city and there are few who have had a larger impact on the crew, it’s origins and what the music had developed into than Mic Terror, who capped weeks of promotion for the project with a rousing performance that had the packed crowd rocking with him from start to finish as he pulled from a multitude of experiences for the set, proving why he has had the kind of staying power that wasn’t evident in the city even a decade earlier. The 28-year-old Dolton native has been a mainstay for about a decade now, progressing in his own lane while also pushing those around him to continue to grow, resulting in the push that has been a huge spike in hip-hop emanating from the center of the country as of late. For FPOD, Mic Terror shows a matured, true side of himself, pulling from years of experience and learning to create a project that accurately and succinctly sums up Mic T as an artist and a person. To hear him say it, his previous projects were largely rooted in attempting to perfect this or that, whereas on his latest release he felt more comfortable spreading his wings and exploring territory he hadn’t to this point. The result is a fully-fleshed out album that exudes exactly what the Treated Crew name has come to represent over the years. I recently had a chance to stop by Soundscape Studios in Chicago to sit down with Mic Terror and discuss the ins and outs of what the ride has been like this far, what lays ahead and the role he finds himself in within his scene as it expands exponentially.
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[Video] Mic Terror: "15 Minutes"
March 4, Chicago independent hip-hop label Closed Sessions will be releasing the latest project for Treated Crew's Mic Terror, titled The Fresh Prince of Darkness. The video, a cinematic piece directed and shot by Andrew Zeiter and Bryan Lamb, follows Mic and Hollywood Holt as they figure out how to ties up the loose ends of a night gone wrong. "15 Minutes" is off the project and the second single to drop since "Anti-Swag" his track with fellow Chicagoan Taylor Bennett. Those two, as well as St. Millie and Treated Crew will be in the house March 7 at The Hard Rock to celebrate the release. Tickets are still available, but why not win yourself a free pair on us? We still have our ticket giveaway for the March 7 date, details here.
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[Contest] Win a Pair of Tickets for Mic Terror's Fresh Prince of Darkness Release Party
On March 7th, Ruby Hornet is co-sponsoring Mic Terror's Fresh Prince of Darkness release party at the Hard Rock Cafe alongside our friends at Jugrnaut, Closed Sessions, Iridium, and OTG Management. Also on the bill are The Cool Kids, Saint Millie, Taylor Bennett, and Treated Crew, with DJ sets from MattBoyWhite, Manny Muscles, VIP J, RTC, and Million $ Mano. Advance tickets are currently on sale for $20 both online and at Jugrnaut, while tickets at the door will be $25 ($20 if you purchase a copy of Fresh Prince of Darkness). The show begins at 10pm and will be 18+.
With all of that said, I know this is gonna be one of next week's best shows to attend for all you rap fanatics, and a perfect send-off before the start of SXSW. We have a pair of tickets for one lucky Twitter follower to attend this extra stacked show. All you have to do is follow us on Twitter (@RubyHornet) and tweet us with #RHFPoD. Winners will be announced next week. You can tweet us as many times as you like, so go crazy!
Good luck.
[Songs of the Day] 2/17/14 (Feat. Beyonce, Kanye West, PARTYNEXTDOOR & More)
There was a huge influx of new music over the weekend, and we're here to round it all up, organize it, and make it a little easier to sift through it all. Unless your head has been firmly buried in sand somewhere, you may have heard Beyonce dropped an unexpected album, the lead single of which ("Drunk In Love") has been burning up the radio waves and Internet. Everyone and their mother seemed to get on a remix of the Jay Z/Beyonce track as Diplo, Kanye West, T.I. & The Weeknd all highlighted a heavy dose of Bey. Weathering the "Drunk In Love" storm was Canadian product and OVO signne PARTYNEXTDOOR, who dropped off a new song in "Persian Rugs" and Trinidad Jame$, who celebrated Valentine's Day the way only he can, with a new record in "EtheREAL". Jeremih & Shlomo's latest track, "No More" got a remix from Boots and some EDM from Jr. Hi, who got Childish Gambino on "Trillion Girls" and Ellie Goulding who unveiled a new Skrillex track on her latest mix for BBC Radio 1. Kanye West made the list twice, with producer Hudson Mohawke leaking the original cut of "Bound 2" featuring Tyler, The Creator in Leeds over the weekend, Big Boi continued his series of "Mash-Up Mondays" with a new track in "Damaged World Mash-Up" which comes complete with animated visuals and Trash Talk & Flatbush Zombies got together for "97.92". From Honduras we got a fresh song in, "Ace" and The Trouble With Templeton showed up with "Soldiers". In other news, Treated Crew member Mic Terror teased his latest album, Fresh Prince of Darkness, with "Anti-Swag" featuring Taylor Bennett and The GTW of JODY fame dropped a dope little dance number in "Calling Cards". Check it all out, streaming below.
Track of the Day: The Weeknd: "Drunk In Love Remix"
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love Remix” (Feat. Jay Z & T.I.)
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love” (The Weeknd Remix)
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love” (Diplo Remix)
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love” (Kanye West Remix)
PARTYNEXTDOOR: “Persian Rugs”
Jeremih & Shlomo: “No More” (Boots Remix)
Trinidad James: “EtheREAL Love”
Jr Hi: “Trillion Girls” (Feat. Childish Gambino)
Ellie Goulding: “Goodnight Valentine Mix”
Honduras: “Ace”
The Trouble With Templeton: “Soldiers”
Trash Talk & Flatbush Zombies: “97.92”
Mic Terror: “Anti-Swag” (Feat. Taylor Bennett)
The GTW: “Calling Cards”
Kanye West: “Bound 1” (Prod. Hudson Mohawke)
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Big Boi: “Damaged World Mash-Up”
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[Video] Doc Da Mindbenda: "Mic Vic" (feat. Vic Spencer & Mic Terror)
Vic Spencer & Mic Terror are known as individuals that never hold anything back and always speak what's on their mind, no matter what's the social's stance or who they might offend. Put them together on track and you get a two-headed monster that will devour anything that shows a hint of weakness, add a menacing Doc Da Mindbenda instrumental and it's a wrap for all wack rappers. When you hear both emcees spitting out "Call me Mic Vic, I don't like shit", you should know better than to question if that statement is factual.
The video goes as hard as the track with Treated Crew and SaveMoney coming together in what looks to be an abandoned lot and going reckless while Vic & Mic stand in the front and deliver their verses with a cool misdemeanor only those two can. Directed by Jake Gaza and Jimmy Regular for Point • and • Shoot.
The Grinhouse --a.k.a. the house Doc buit--will drop a new EP soon entitled Welcome To The Grindhouse, which will showcase the talent that studio holds, stay tuned for more updates in the near future!
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Gzus Piece x Scoleone x Mic Terror x Kennan Coke x Gig Brown: "Thottianna" (Prod. Doc Da Mindbenda & Na$im Williams)
That Thothianna line by P. Rico has been the talk of every single High School in Chicago these past few weeks. Now, Treated Crew's Gzus Piece, Mic Terror & Na$im Williams and affiliates Scoleone, Kennan Coke, Gig Brown & Doc Da Mindbenda give all the Thothiannas out there a shoutout of sorts.
[Closed Sessions] Vonnegutt: "Fresh Like Me" feat Mic Terror
Vonnegutt were just some "down South Georgia boys" when they arrived in Chicago for Lollapalooza in late summer of 2010. The band drove from Georgia to Chicago, making the trip without any sleep, and reached SoundScape Studios on a warm Thursday night to participate in a Closed Session. Being fans of Chicago's buzzing Hip Hop scene, Vonnegutt requested to work with Mic Terror of the Treated Crew, who accepted the invitation and came through for a collaborative session that resulted in "Fresh Like Me".
The new song and documentary is the latest release from Closed Sessions Vol. 2, the new album and documentary series from Chicago's Closed Sessions label, presented by rubyhornet.com, MTV2 Sucker Free, and SoundScape Studios. The full project features previously released tracks from LEP, Raekwon, Action Bronson, and Ninjasonik as well as Mr. MFN eXquire, Sir Michael Rocks, Vic Mensa, Blu, Outasight, Freddie Gibbs, Donnis, and more.
[Closed Sessions] Vonnegutt: "Fresh Like Me" feat Mic Terror (Preview)
On Sunday, MTV2 Sucker Free aired a preview of our next release from Closed Sessions Vol. 2, featuring Georgia's Vonnegutt and Chicago's Mic Terror. The song, "Fresh Like Me", was recorded during Lollapalooza 2010, as Vonnegutt hit SoundScape immediately after arriving in the windy city. Little sleep didn't stop them from cooking up this dope joint featuring Mic Terror of the Treated Crew. Watch the preview below, and look for the full song and doc to be released on Wednesday.