[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.
[youtube id="OOTfkib4X9s&list=UURmOj191Nsp1eL78s2tJcAA"]
[Songs of the Day] 3/7/14 (Feat. Kendrick Lamar, Tame Impala & Lil Boosie)
....And it's Friday. We're back with the latest songs to hit the Internet and keep you tied over til Monday. Leading things off is yet another hit from Big K.R.I.T. who takes a page out of Vic Mensa's book in "Egyptian Cotton" while an amazing collaboration took place between Kendrick Lamar and Tame Impala who got together for "Backwards" as part of what appears to be the soundtrack of the year for 'Divergent'. RL Grime and What So Not got together on a dance number for "Tell Me" and Casey Veggies gave listeners a new one in "Anything Goes" and Lil Boosie, fresh out of prison let everyone know things aren't that different on "Same Game". Check em all out below, see you at SXSW!
Track of the Day: Kendrick Lamar & Tame Impala: "Backwards"
Big K.R.I.T.: "Egyptian Cotton"
Kendrick Lamar & Tame Impala: "Backwards"
RL Grime & What So Not: "Tell Me"
Casey Veggies: "Anything Goes"
Lil Boosie: "Same Game"
[Mixtape] Game of Thrones: "Catch The Throne"
Well, apparently hip-hop is big in King's Landing too. If there was one show that had its fair share of buzz going into the Spring debut season, HBO's 'Game of Thrones' certainly isn't one of them. The return of the highly popular show has been eagerly awaited by fans, teased by the cable channel and popped up in its fair share of pop culture references. Well, now King Joffrey, Daenaryus and Littlefinger will have a more contemporary soundtrack over which to go about their land grabbing and battles. Featuring the likes of Big Boi, Wale, Kilo Kish and Dadee Yankee, among others, the mixtape could very well represent the point at which the release vessel jumps the ship. Sure, we've seen everyone from Michelle Obama to Migos drop projects for free on the Internet, maybe HBO has taken it too far, although you can't fault the artists for getting that publishing money. Check out the full project below, 'Game of Thrones' hits TVs April 3.
[Songs of the Day] 3/6/14 (Feat. Mac DeMarco, Big K.R.I.T., St. Vincent & More)
Thursday brought about some new heat to warm our nasty March and leading things off we have a pair of tracks dedicated to another world. Along with the announcement of a "Game of Thrones" mixtape titled Catch The Throne, due out tomorrow came two tracks, Wale's "King Slayer" and Big Boi's "Mother of Dragons", stay posted for the rest of the tracklisting. Big K.R.I.T. continued his solid flow of new content by teaming up with Childish Major for another cinema-inspired track in "Wolf of Wall St.". Chuck Inglish teased his upcoming album with a very dope track with fellow Chicagoan Chance The Rapper for "Glam" which will wear out your repeat button in a hurry. A couple dance numbers got in the mix with Nick Nikon's "100 Deep" and a remix of M.I.A.'s "Y.A.L.A." anthem by Falcons. Mac DeMarco continued to prove why he's a rising star with his latest, "Brother" and St. Vincent once again showed she can do no wrong on "Del Rio". Columbia College's AEMMP Records released another track from their upcoming album, La Collection, produced entirely by C-Sick. The track, "All Love" features Taylor Bennett, NoNameGypsy & Nick Astro. Check everything out, streaming below.
Track of the Day: Chuck Inglish: "Glam" (Feat. Chance The Rapper)
Wale: "King Slayer"
Big Boi: "Mother of Dragons"
Big K.R.I.T: "The Wolf on Wall St." (Prod. Childish Major)
Chuck Inglish: "Glam" (Feat. Chance The Rapper)
Nick Nikon: "100 Deep"
M.I.A.: "Y.A.L.A." (Falcons Remix)
Mac DeMarco: "Brother"
C-Sick: "All Love" (Feat. Taylor Bennett, NoNameGypsy & Nick Astro)
St. Vincent: "Del Rio"
[youtube id="1gTg19np6zU"]
[Songs of the Day] 3/5/14 (Feat. JODY, Big Sean, Leather Corduroys & More)
Wednesday brought about more music, and it's all here for you to enjoy. Big Sean got quite a canvas from which to spit as Kanye West and DJ Mustard teamed up on the production side for "Sanctified", a soul-entrenched sample piece that has everyone's distinct skills on display. The talented duo of SaveMoney rappers Kami De Chukwu and Joey Purp dropped a new track, "Dat Strong" as their alias Leather Corduroys (what is hotter than a pair of leather corduroys?) which premiered on Fader. PARTYNEXTDOOR got a remix of his song "R A I N" by Rochelle JOrdan, Big K.R.I.T. continued to stream out new music, this time linking up with A$AP Ferg for "Lac Lac" which dropped on Rap Radar earlier and BADBADNOTGOOD offered up a new one in "Can't Leave The Night". JODY dropped a gem in their latest single, "M.I.A" and Freddie Carrera teamed up with Taylor Bennett for a new one in "20 More".
Track of the Day: Jody: "M.I.A"
Big Sean: "Sanctified"
Leather Corduroys: "Dat Strong"
PARTYNEXTDOOR: "R A I N" (Rochelle Jordan Remix)
Big K.R.I.T.: "Lac Lac" (Feat. A$AP Ferg)
BADBADNOTGOOD - Can't Leave The Night
JODY: "M.I.A"
Freddie Carrera: "20 More" (Feat. Taylor Bennett)
Music Video Round Up
Alright, so we have a collection of videos to come out over the past couple of days, all collected in one, bandwith-busting post. One of our "Acts to Look Out For", Saba, dropped his long-awaited video for "Secondhand Smoke", which offered glimpses of wintertime Chi alongside Vesely-esque digital effect to create a powerful aesthetic in the lead up to his project, ComfortZone. Iggy Azalea gave fans a Clueless-inspired visual for her track "Fancy" with Charlie XCX. There's lots of fake fur, bubble gums and platform sneakers. Jamal Science hit "Splitsville" with Jasmine Luvano in his latest video while Aloe Blacc gave his track "The Man" a dope visual rendering; he really does look like the man. Which may make it awkward to put it next to current "Man of the Year", Schoolboy Q who traded his bucket for a Pharrell number in this piece for ALife. Auggie The 9th continued a strong campaign behind his December release GAWS with a new video for the somewhat title track "GWS". Run The Jewels debuted a video for their track..."Run The Jewels" and Hundred Waters did their thing in the new one for "Cavity". You can watch them streaming all below, or for you real thrill seekers, play them all at once and gobble up that media a la A Clockwork Orange. Enjoy!
Iggy Azalea: "Fancy" (Feat. Charli XCX)
[youtube id="O-zpOMYRi0w"]
Jamal Science: "Splitsville" (Feat. Jasmine Luevano)
[youtube id="YWNIfJiKwwQ"]
Saba: "Secondhand Smoke"
[youtube id="1pSJkO25wtI"]
Auggie The 9th: "GWS"
[vimeo id="86446922"]
Aloe Blacc: "The Man"
[youtube id="HGy9i8vvCxk"]
ALife Presents: Schoolboy Q
[youtube id="7jsTEjPHeYI"]
Run The Jewels: "Run The Jewels"
[youtube id="AfuCLp8VEng"]
Hundred Waters: "Cavity"
[youtube id="3Ph13QzfQHU"]
[Songs of the Day] 3/4/14 (Feat. De La Soul, L'Orange, Lupe Fiasco & More)
Tuesday gave us plenty of ammo for today's Songs of the Day and we got them all wrapped up and ready to go for you. Big K.R.I.T. goes back to back with new releases, this time dropping a new freestyle via XXL titled "Conscious" while De La Soul, fresh off the heels of breaking open their music vaults for free a few weeks ago, released their latest ode to Dilla with their new track "Dilla Plugged In" which features production from the legendary Detroit producer. L'Orange impressed with a new track featuring veteran MC Blu in "Need You". Dance duo Chromeo continued to tease their upcoming album White Women with a new track in "Jealous ( I Ain't With It)". Also preparing listeners for a new project was the duo of The Alchemist & Budgie who dropped "In Heaven's Home" with Roc Marciano & ProdigyLupe Fiasco linked with Ab-Soul for "Thorns and Horns" while Phoenix got a remix of their track "SOS In Bel-Air" from Ariel Pink and Sharon Van Etten debuted "Taking Chances". Check it all out below!
Track of the Day: Lupe Fiasco & Ab-Soul: "Thorns & Horns"
Big K.R.I.T.: "Conscious Freestyle"
De La Soul: "Dilla Plugged In"
L'Orange: "Need You" (Feat. Blu)
Chromeo: "Jealous (I Ain't With It)"
The Alchemist & Budgie: "In Heaven's Home" (Feat. Prodigy & Roc Marciano)
Lupe Fiasco & Ab-Soul: "Thorns & Horns"
Phoenix: "SOS in Bel-Air" (Ariel Pink's Krystal Bamboo Remix)
Sharon Van Etten: "Taking Chances"
[Songs of the Day] 3/3/14 (Feat. Coldplay, Big K.R.I.T., Ab-Soul & More)
The weekend gave us a plethora of new tracks to sift through, and we got them all organized and ready to stream here as we get into another week of Songs of the Day. Starting things off is Smoke DZA who linked up with TDE's Ab-Soul for the dark track, "Hearses" and newcomer Sunni Colon continued an impressive run of singles in the lead up to his new project, this time dropping a demo of "Voyage/Light Years". Big K.R.I.T. offered his sentimental, thoughtful southern drawl on "New Agenda" with Rick Ross, who's Mastermind album leaked today, a day ahead of the scheduled March 4 date. Coldplay's "Midnight" got a remix from Marcus Schossow, Kevin Gates made a comeback of sorts with "Get Up On My Level", Lil Herb & Lil Bibby linked back up for a new song in "At Night" while fellow Chicagoan Chief Keef dropped a new one,"No Cashiers" as we wait on Bang 4, the unordered prelude to Bang 3. A$AP Ferg did his thing on Bobby Johnson's banger "OG Bobby Johnson", Mic Terror teased his show at the Hard Rock Chicago on March 7 with a new song "N.W.G." while Coldplay satisfied a large part of the population by releasing their latest single in "Magic". Check out all of these and more below.
Track of the Day: Coldplay: "Magic"
Smoke DZA: "Hearses" (Feat. Ab-Soul)
Sunni Colon: "Voyage/Light Years"
Big K.R.I.T.: "New Agenda" (Feat. Rick Ross)
Coldplay: "Midnight" (Marcus Schossow Remix)
Kevin Gates: "Get Up On My Level"
Lil Herb & Lil Bibby: "At Night"
Josh Sallee: "Notice"
Chief Keef: "No Cashiers"
A$AP Ferg: "Shit Y Not"
Mic Terror: "N.W.G."
Coldplay: "Magic"
[youtube id="1PvBc2TOpE4"]