[Video] Nick Astro: "Put Me On" (Feat. Legit)
Last summer, amidst a steady flow of exceptional projects from the Chicago hip-hop scene that gave us Acid Rap, Innanetape, Yeezus, Alternative Trap and The Recipe Vol. 2, among many others, newcomer Nick Astro snuck in an aesthetically interesting working in his debut project, Super16 which dropped in July. The project demonstrated Astro's careful, almost conversational rhyming tone and lyrical content that easily transitions between the powerful and mundane. After a wait, the Columbia Film student and LOD member dropped his visual treatment for "Put Me On" featuring fellow Chicagoan Legit.
The video certainly plays on Astro's background in film, with a theatrical opening sequence that gives way to a graphically-accented still shot, capturing the pair in a freight elevator. Shot by CAKEatersTV, it's a an appropriate prelude to Astro's "Scarlett Johansson" video. Check out the video below and keep an eye out for his latest project, ListenToNewMusic, due out this Summer.
[youtube id="WCVQtYRr7wQ"]
Sey: "The Rebirth of Cool, Too" (Feat. Grade Aplus & Nick Astro)
Sey's latest has him teaming up with LOD members Nick Astro and Grade APlus for a continuation on a previous track off the artist's previous release, Is This Real? The track is produced by Bear Blu and is a preview of what Sey has been cooking up while working on his upcoming mixtape, Chicago/Worldwide. Listen below:
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.
Dee Lilly: "Aqua"
Chicago producer Dee Lilly dropped this track, a sampling of what is to come on his upcoming beat tape, "Black Diamond." Lilly has made a name for himself around the Chicago scene by pairing his production with acts such as Daryn Alexus, Nick Astro, Legit and Murph Watkins. Check the track below and keep an eye out for Black Diamond coming soon.
Dee Lilly: "Aqua"
Chicago producer Dee Lilly dropped this track, a sampling of what is to come on his upcoming beat tape, "Black Diamond." Lilly has made a name for himself around the Chicago scene by pairing his production with acts such as Daryn Alexus, Nick Astro, Legit and Murph Watkins. Check the track below and keep an eye out for Black Diamond coming soon.
[Mixtape] Nick Astro: Super16
Super16 has been a long time coming. Nick Astro made his public debut with RockHop Flavored Tea last year that gave a hint at the Chicago rapper's musical aesthetics, opting for the atypical "hip hop sound." However, the real push towards his musical growth was first seen in "Food for Tomorrow." Since then (hell, before then even), Nick Astro has been pushing hard to make Super16 the perfect project that he feels it ought to be. I've been lucky enough to be a part of the ride in my own capacity, helping him document his first trip to SXSW, a few live shows, interviews, music videos, and more.
Through the journey, I've seen first-hand just how hard Astro works and how dedicated he is to his craft. The passion translates into how complete Super16 sounds, right down to the subtleties in vocal and production features worded as "co-starring" and "scored," staying true to the Super 16 film motif. On that same note, vocal features include Raffinae, Loona Dae, TheMind, Auggie the 9th, Legit, Chandler London, RealShannonD, Britney D., and production features include Peter CottonTale X Savier, Holy Other, IBCLASSIC, Sani, NapsTheLionMan, Miles August, Saba, Mr. Int, Dee Lilly, Miles August, and Nick Astro himself.
It feels good to know that Super16 is finally here for everybody to listen to. Listen to the album straight through and let my LOD brother tell you his story. Take in all the shine, Quez; you've earned it.
[Video] Nick Astro: "ANIMALs"
Super16 is coming out soon... really, really soon. However, is that enough for the young Chicago rapper, Nicholas Astronomical (my nickname, not his)? Of course not. Not one to just sit and relax, even as his next huge project is entering the final stages before release, Nick Astro recently recorded a song over Outkast's "Elevator." Titled, "ANIMALs," the song is a freestyle in response to how people react to different circumstances. Are we animals? Nick takes a socially-conscious look at the question.
The video, shot by myself and directed/edited by Nick Astro, is a lightly-edited and warm-filtered focus on Nick Astro go in on topics like drugs and alcohol, hypocrisies in ideologies, unprovoked violence, and more. "ANIMALs" is a loosie that probably won't be on Super16, yet it's exactly the spur of the moment track that shows that Nick Astro is preparing some extra stuff outside of Super16, too.
http://youtu.be/_6PWeiGvb6g