Noname Teases New Album Release
Noname has been putting out hints about her next album all week, but in an Instagram post today she said "This the last picture I'm posting. Next one will be the album cover."
https://www.instagram.com/p/BlVsoqlBuQa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
In classic Noname fashion she is still keeping the release date a secret, but this makes it seem like it's coming soon. It's been two years since Noname put out her debut album Telefone which was a success among critics and fans alike. Telefone marked a serious step forward for Noname as an artist. For years before it came out she was an artist with a handful of tracks and a lot of dope features, coming up with other Y.C.A. kids like Chance, Mick Jenkins and Saba but when she released her album she established herself as one of the dopest MCs in Chicago. It's going to be interesting to see what direction she goes after Telefone, a pensive album that balanced mortality and joy just like her city. Noname is one of the realest rappers because she doesn't try to hide her thoughts and her experiences go straight into her lyrics. I can't wait to see where she goes next.
Ruby Hornet Weekly Playlist Volume 3
Our favorite songs from the last week or so that we didn’t get a chance to cover:
Mick Jenkins - Earl Sweatshirt Type Beat
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A genius wordsmith, the originality of Mick's bars continue to defy conventional wisdom.
Nafets - Blue Skies
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An infectious hook makes Blue Skies irresistible.
CrazyJaZz - Harmonious
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An absolute gem of an instrumental with a beautiful piano lead.
Seneca B - Spartacus
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A chilled head knocker.
Towkio - Forever Ft. Vic Mensa
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Stand out cut about pain and self-medication. Vic and Towkio tackle deep topics against a happy backdrop that only adds to the message.
Matt Muse - Getting To It
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Matt Muse delivers a powerful track with a strong unique delivery.
Chase Alex - Madonna Ft. Sydny August
An emotional instrumental and wavy chorus plus a beautiful feature from Sydny August.
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Kiraly Payne - Wide Awake
A strong percussion section and motivated lyricism with Kiraly Payne trying to do better in his life make for a potent track on Wide Awake.
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Caleborate - Real Person
The title track to Caleborate’s 2017 LP, it is criminally slept on and so is this Berkely-born emcee. He hits Evanston 3/28.
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Mick Jenkins Tries To Catch A Vibe on "Energies" with Saba (prod by THEMpeople)
I haven't heard a Bar Mitzvah referenced in a rap song in a minute... If you got more of those send them my way.
But jokes aside, old friends Mick Jenkins and Saba reconnect on this new THEMpeople produced track, "Energies". With what sounds like an actual clock keeping time, Mick Jenkins and Saba take on something that is not seen, but always present. So much of music is about feeling. The feeling the artist has when creating, and the feeling the listener gets from taking it in. We toss around terms like "catching a vibe" or "in the zone" but perhaps nothing is more important in our relationships than the invisible communications transmitted between us, things that can't quite be put to words.
Mick mumbles through the refrain, keeping his words subdued. It's an interesting choice and when paired with the subject matter and paints a picture of Mick sitting somewhere in the corner, or laying on a studio couch just observing and taking in the other people in the room. As he says in the song, he might not talk to you, but he won't ignore the energies. His verse is much more forceful - perhaps the moments after he has observed, picked up a vibe, and determined he's not fucking with it.
There's much to unpack in this one - as are in many tracks from both Saba and Mick Jenkins. Listen to it below. And then listen to it gain.
Mick Jenkins - Vampire In Brooklyn (Prod. GreenSLLIME)
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"I'm talking about 6 months in before I knew I was fucking with Dracula."
"Vampire In Brooklyn" the newest song from the fiery MC Mick Jenkins sounds like an eerie tale of caution. Bars like "just getting my feet wet with the business, who knew I would of been in bed with the snakes" show Mick has seen some dark things as he's gone deeper into the music business. Regardless of the fuck shit that goes on around the music, it is clear that Mick still has the same fire in his lyrics and flow, tearing apart the beat. Produced by GreenSLLIME the beat has a lofi charm to it with a filter on the fluttering keys that create the open space in which Mick's inflections can thrive. The alliteration and force and conideration that go into every single word is what makes Mick so special. So take heed and beware of the bloodsuckers in your life and stream "Vampire In Brooklyn" above.
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.
[Songs of the Day] 2/5/14 (Feat. St. Vincent, Zedd, Kelela & More)
Maybe it was the heavy snow across the Midwest, but there was a big surge of quality jams hitting the 'net today, and we have them all wrapped up together as part of today's "Songs of the Day". We got the preview of a couple albums, as Chicago band Empires teased their upcoming LP, Orphan, with "How Good Does It Feel", evoking a sort of post-alternative/punk feel while Detroit's Black Milk dropped "Cold Day", itself a preview of his upcoming project, Glitches In The Break EP. The ever-talented Kelela proved she will continue to be someone to pay attention to in 2014 with her single drop of the song "The High" while remnants of both Ratatat and White Flight got together in Peru for the ever-entrancing track "Two Colors" by the duo, performing under the moniker Abuela. IAMSU! continued to keep listeners at bay for his upcoming project with his latest single, "Yesterday" and St. Vincent followed up her creepy, still video for "Digital Witness" with her latest single, "Prince Johnny". Grammy-nominated DJ Zedd got a remix of his track "Clarity" from ASPDR+ while DJ OHSO xo put together a mix of Schoolboy Q to act as a sort of unofficial prelude to his upcoming Oxymoron release.
We also saw a healthy dose of music come out of the center of the map in Chicago today, with one of my favorite young rhymesayers in Muddagoose, who showed her handle of the spoken word "Little Darling" with John Walt while Closed Sessions dropped a collaboration from Alex Wiley and Mick Jenkins in their track, "Forever".
Track of the Day: Abuela: "True Colors"
Empires: “How Good Does It Feel?”
Black Milk: “Cold Day”
Kelela: “The High”
Abuela: “True Colors”
IAMSU!: “Yesterday”
Muddagoose: “Little Darling” (Feat. John Walt)
Alex Wiley & Mick Jenkins: “Forever”
Zedd: “Clarity” (ASPDR+ Remix)
DJ OHSO xo: “Schoolboy Q ‘Oxymoron’ Prelude”
St. Vincent: “Prince Johnny”
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Mick Jenkins: "Leonidas"
Mick Jenkins has been following up a solid end to 2013 with a frenetic start to the new year. Over the weekend Jenkins dropped his latest track, "Leonidas", before he took the stage Saturday to a raucous crowd at Reggie's Rock Club in the south loop of Chicago as the headliner of a show that included NoNameGypsy, Saba and Dally Auston. The track, produced by OnGaud, is due to be on his next project, The Water[s], expected sometime next month and features the kind of clever songwriting and wordplay that has made Mick Jenkins one of the most talked about among the next-up in Chicago. Check out the track, streaming here below.
NoNameGypsy: "Samaritan" (Feat. Mick Jenkins)
NoNameGypsy has been one of my favorite, low-key artists in the city for some time now. From catching her spitting spoken word poetry on a snowy Tuesday to performing rap songs in the midst of cluttered lineup, NoName has always been able to fully and succinctly embody who she is, both as an artist and a person. She has followed her inspired guest verse on Chance The Rapper's track "Lost" off of Acid Rap with a sputtering flow of new music that has kept listeners largely at bay. Today, though, we got "Samaritan", featuring Mick Jenkins. The title is fitting, given the time of the year and onus on "Good Samaritans". Rhyming over 90s-influenced production from Keanen Terrell paces NoName's narrative about not living up to expectations and dealing with the mundane nature of day-to-day life while yearning for something more. Sounding similar to RapSody without as much inflection in her voice, I'm incessantly drawn to NoName's wordplay and its at its best on "Samaritan" when she flows, "You a female rapper, don't rap about that shit, you're supposed to be a bad bitch, or at least a little confident". Check out "Samaritan" below and stay up on RH for more from NoNameGypsy soon.
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