[Album] Psalm One: "Hug Life"
With all the talk of the violence in Chicago and 'Chiraq' this and that being hawked by out-of-towners on the daily, mucking up the Second City's image for personal gain, it can be easy to forget that there is still plenty of positivity in the city's streets. Chicago's first lady of hip-hop, Psalm One is out to challenge that dubious status quo with her latest project, Hug Life. A play on Tupac's seminal phrase all the way down to the "Hug Life" torso tat on the album artwork, the title is a juxtaposition of nuanced meaning that perfectly accents the message Psalm puts forth on her latest, perhaps most complete project to date.
Released via iTunes under Psalm's alter-ego Hologram Kizzie, the project is an examination of love, lust and the things that come from both. In a story for the Chicago Sun Times, Psalm characterized her different monikers and the roles they occupy as such: "Kizzie is a little — a lot — less inhibited than Psalm One,” the rapper detailed, pointing out that while her biblically derived handle is well suited to her all-ages content and humanitarian endeavors, being Hologram Kizzie “gives me a lot more freedom.” The project includes a who's who of Midwest up and comers and bedrocks alike, including the likes of ProbCause, Tanya Morgan, The Hood Internet, Young Josh of Flosstradamus and Lazerbeak and PO$ from DoomTree, among others. Hanging out at a West Town loft last weekend listening to the project, we listened through several times without noticing it had started from the top again, a true testament to a full-fleshed out project that hits the proper chords from start to finish. Check out Hug Life streaming below and pick up the full project over at iTunes!
Cherub Announces North American Tour with ProbCause
Photo by Bobby Reys
Breakthrough dance music duo Cherub made waves last year with a sound that paired '80s aesthetics, modern-day dance music motifs, and some inspired falsetto to create one of the most exciting sounds to come out of last year as they rode the success to several festival dates, including North Coast where I was able to catch up with them. It was during that summer that the pair linked up with eclectic Chicago hip-hop artist ProbCause who joined them on the majority of their headlining tour that ran through the end of last summer and fall. Today, Cherub announced a monster North American tour that kicks off in Nashville on March 1 and runs through May 3 where they wrap things up in Baton Rouge, LA. Jordan Kelley and Jason Huber handpicked ProbCause and Carousel to join them on the massive North American journey as well, so expect these shows to really be poppin'. Full dates available here below.
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ProbCause & The O'My's: "One of a Kind"
Chicago natives ProbCause & The O'My's teamed up to drop some heat in the midst of one of the city's record-breaking cold spell with their collaborative effort, "One of a Kind." ProbCause, who will continue to build on a successful 2013 by re-joining dance duo Cherub on tour in March, shows his full range with this latest track, tearing off a measured, rapid-fire verse over the soulful, horn-laden backing of The O'My's. Maceo Haymes, owner of one of the more delightfully soulful voices around, takes the reigns halfway in, crooning his way through the rest of the track. Collaborations like this are a big part of the reason this scene is on the up and up. Listen and download the track below.
Catch ProbCause live in Chicago on February 28 at Schuba's. Tix.
Top Chicago Rappers of 2013
Chicago hip-hop has enjoyed a certain popularity increase over the past couple of years. Where 2012 saw the rise of Chief Keef and "Drill", 2013 brought about a new flavor as listeners from across the country, initially hooked by the drill sound, began to explore the vibrantly eclectic different sides of the city and variety of sounds that make up what is the flourishing Chicago scene today. With seemingly everyone's eyes on the Midwest and so many talented artist rising from the area, we decided to compile a list of the top hip-hop artists from Chicago that had the biggest years in 2013. We based our decisions off of releases, co-signs, shows/tours and general influence throughout to put together who we thought had the best top to bottom 12 month cycles since this time last year. You may not agree with all of our decisions, so let us know in the comments. Without further ado, I give you the Chicago's hip-hop artists that elevated their game the most in 2013.
[Video] ProbCause: "High Altitude" (Feat. Martin $ky)
ProbCause saw a huge leap in 2013 on the heels of his well-received The Recipe Vol. 2, released July 12, was a sampler platter of many different sides of the flourishing Chicago hip-hop scene, containing everyone from ShowYouSuck and Auggie The 9th, to Add-2 and Scheme, even a couple looks from Chance The Rapper on "LSD" and "3 Course Meal". It was a seminal project for the talented artist and today we get the latest visual from the release, a video for the track "High Altitude" featuring another fellow Chicagoan in Martin $ky. The track takes me back to driving around the city with the windows down and the video stays crispy fresh thanks to the talented team over at Elevator, who handled directorial duties. Prob set out to capture a moment of time in Chicago hip-hop with his latest project, take a moment to enjoy two of the better up and comers from the city.
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ProbCause, Caleb James & More Perform Live at Lincoln Hall (11/14/13)
If you're in Chicago, there's really only one way to be spending your Thursday night-taking in some of the top hip hop acts the city has to offer. Tonight, On The Grind Management presents a top to bottom tight lineup with ProbCause, Save Money's Caleb James, Taylor Bennett, The Palmer Squares, Kidd The Chicagoan and DGainz. Check out the promo video for the show below, grab tickets here and read below for a quick synopsis on who will be in the house tonight at Lincoln Hall.
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ProbCause has had a hell of a year since dropping his critically-acclaimed project The Recipe Vol. 2 earlier this year. Since then he has headed out on several tours with dance duo Cherub, headlined shows in and out of Chicago and performed at North Coast Music Festival. Life has been good for Prob as of late and the live show he has crafted with his drummer through endless shows was pulling fans from Mac Miller's set at NCMF and is not to be missed.
Caleb James has been making major moves since he dropped his latest project, The Jones earlier this year. The Save Money member is a throwback to late 90s playful, upbeat hip-hop a la Ma$e and early Bad Boy, but with his own flair for lyricism and crafty beats. With Caleb, it's always a party.
Taylor Bennet, widely known around town as "Chance's little brother" has been making a statement as of late that he is more than the sibling of one of the hottest artists on the planet right now-recently dropping The Taylor Bennett Show and scheduling his first headlining show at Reggie's in December. The show tonight should be a tune-up but Taylor always has plenty of energy to keep things going strong throughout his set.
The Palmer Squares have been steadily gaining ground in the Chicago hip-hop market through carefully chosen features and a project, Finna, released last month. The crew is endlessly multi-dimensional and should be making some big moves as they continue to move up the ladder of acts in the city.
Kidd The Chicagoan is, as you may have guessed, also from Chicago. The young artist has popped up here and there, earlier this year with his mixtape, #KiddChiMania, earlier this year and has followed that up with several inspired singles and features. Definitely someone worth keeping an eye on as he grows with his music.
[Mixtape] Doc Da MindBenda: "Welcome To The Grindhouse"
You might not have heard of the Grindhouse yet, but you've most likely have heard music from the Grindhouse. The house that Doc Da Minbenda built has seen a vast majority of Chicago's best emcees come through and record at the studio, building up a highly-respected reputation and relationships that go way beyond the music. Inspired by RZA, Doc spent almost two years crafting a true local opus by gathering both legendary and up-and-coming acts, supplying them with hot instrumentals and putting it all together for a true showcase of all the talent brewing in the city. Akbar, Pugs Atomz, Psalm One, Griff, GLC, Treated Crew, SaveMoney, ProbCause, Legion Of Dudes, Martin $ky, Pavy, Onis and many more are featured in Welcome To The Grindhouse, available for free download below.
Monster Mike: "HEY" (feat. ProbCause)
Lately, Monster Mike has preferred dark-sounding instrumentals to rap over. Nonetheless, in this brand new collaborative cut with ProbCause, the beat is joyful with an up-beat tempo that cements Mike's ability to expand his musical portfolio into wider and more diverse sounds. Both emcees come correct and spit straight fire for almost two minutes straight, while complementing each other's style by bringing their own unique approach. Definitely worth a spot on your weekend playlist.
https://soundcloud.com/monster-mike-4/hey-ft-prob-cause