[Review] Summer Set 2016 brings unforgettable moments
The annual camping festival Summer Set returned for it’s fifth year to Somerset, Wisconsin. Summer Set was a weekend filled of memorable moments.
The camping festival brought out the best in some artist as tents filled the woods and camp grounds with festival goers burning through the three-day festival.
A six hours drive from Chicago, Summer Set brought the same electric and playful atmosphere that were accustomed. With many highlights from the summer coming from local Chicago festivals like Mamby on the Beach, the festival provided one of a kind experiences that made the six-hour drive worth it.
Day 1
The first day was stacked full of incredible performances throughout the day. Festival goers were able to check out early performances from the solid melodic sounds of Mielo. That also included the craziest that is the thrill ride of Porn and Chicken.
Flux Pavillion and Steve Aoki both respectfully, performed their best in recent years. Pavillion, usually a bit shy on the mic, was as vocal as the raving Summer Set crowd. Aoki a stable in electronic music, outdid himself in intensified energy packed set.
Notable performances came from Toronto rapper Tory Lanez. Lanez performed majority on his set in the crowd as dozens of fans rushed under him to hold him up. A true spectacle, Lanez gained many fans the first day due to his wild onstage and in the crowd pleasing antics.
The first night was closed off with Chicago’s favorite Chance The Rapper alongside with The Social Experiment. Seeing the top bill for the first night with other Chicago favorites in The Social Experiment was a real treat. They performed from Chance’s 10 Days, Acid Rap, and Coloring Book. The closing night was transformed into a Chicago listening party. Festival goers also heard records from the band's latest soul filled album“Surf”.
Seeing Chicago’s heavyweight perform a number of times didn’t account in his Summer Set performance. It was like seeing him for the first time as the showcased a number of crowd favorites from “Coloring Book”. Records including No Problem, Blessings, and Summer Friends helped Chance and The Social Experiment cement the first day into a night you couldn’t forget.
[Review] Lollapalooza celebrates 25 anniversary in a big way
The Chicago staple of music festival excellence brought forth yet another unforgettable weekend of music and stellar performances. Lollapalooza celebrating it’s 25th anniversary in the biggest way possible. Extending the festival to four days created a marathon of incredible musical moments.
Lollapalooza had many highlights that came from inside and outside the music festival. Chicago transformed from the city with broad shoulders into, during for the four-day festival, music mecca.
The first two days had rain showers that spanned over a few hours. The temporary muggy start didn’t effect the mega celebration of the 25th anniversary. In fact, the only set backs to the festival were the uncontrollable rain and that the festival is already over.
Over the years Lolla grew not only in size but it also grew in multiple genres. It first started as an alternative rock festival in 1991 as a farewell tour for Jane’s Addiction. Now with over 170 acts and an extended four-day festival, Lollapalooza provided many history making moments.
It was announced by Lollapalooza that next year’s music festival will also be a 4 day festival.
Thursday, July 28 (Day 1)
Lollapalooza fixed up this problem from past years. The clear winner to the first night was hip-hop. Hip-hop actually had a deeper impact throughout the festival but it made a bold statement the first night with performances from Chicago’s own Towkio, G-Eazy, and J. Cole. Danny Brown also gained many fans with his energetic performance. Towkio brought out Chicago’s Joey Purp and Vic Mensa in a complete Chicago music takeover. Towkio from sneaking into Lollapalooza before his musical break to now setting the stage definitely was a crowd pleasure.
Another Chicago artist made headlines closing off the Perry’s stage this time from the electronic music duo Flosstradamus. They didn’t disappoint bringing their signature non-stop thrill ride of electric beats. They also brought out surprise guest Chance The Rapper, Michelle Williams, and Dwyane Wade.
From “Wet Dreamz” to “Work Out”, J. Cole stole the show with non-stop performance of hit after hit. With no back track, fans matched Cole jumping and rapping along with the Dreamville rapper. It’s important to note that Cole was the only rapper to close off the Samsung stage throughout the weekend. The others were Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and LCD Soundsystem. The biggest stage at Lollapalooza was the perfect fit for J. Cole’s unforgettable set.
Chance The Rapper releases new album 'Coloring Book'
Chance The Rapper just dropped his best work yet with his highly anticipated third album, Coloring Book.
Formally known as Chance 3, Chance's Coloring Book features heavyweights like Kayne West, Lil Wayne, 2 Chainz, Future, T-Pain, and Justin Bieber. Chicago talent is also present with features from Saba and Towkio.
The fourteen track album is Chance's biggest and most anticipated work. Chance's Acid Rap, his album that catapulted him into the limelight of new age hip-hop, was just released three years ago. In those three year Chance has continued to break records as an independent artist.
Working on it almost in secret Chance has been featured in some of the best songs of the year. Fresh off his appearance debuting 'Blessings' on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Chance has been hard at work making the release of Coloring Book a big one.
https://twitter.com/chancetherapper/status/730960861028700160?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
With little to no information on his latest mixtape Chance has left the world waiting for his next album. Chance has had quite a number of local blessings. Chance dropped one of the best Chicago music videos ever shot. The music video for his song “Angels” ft. Saba is one of the best videos to take place in Chicago, definitely taking advantage of the cityscape and signature ‘L’ train system.
Chance has been a staple of Chicago excellence as he continues to break records as an independent artist.
Coors Light Soundtrack reFRESH Chicago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eyj7zo5GDwM
Photo/Video: Jeremy Franklin
Wednesday night (11/14) Chicago’s Park West opened its doors for the final stop on Coors Light’s 100% free Soundtrack reFresh tour hosted by Hustle Simmons. The Coors Light team partnered with hip-hop DJ and producer, DJ Mustard for its Soundtrack reFRESH tour, which launched in Charlotte with special guest Fabolous.
Anticipation filled the air in Lincoln Park as the crowd stood in line waiting for doors to open. At the start of the show fans had the opportunity to sip on Coors Light and vibe to the beats of Chicago’s own DJ Sean Mac and DJ Toure, who served hot hip-hop tracks during his set. His set included mixes of various songs such as Fetty Wap’s current classic “My Way” and Drag On’s “Down Bottom”. During Mac’s set the concert quickly turned into a hip-hop wonderland as artificial snow fell from the ceiling, covering the hyped crowd as OT Genesis’s turn up anthem “Coco” thumped through the speakers. Park West’s power went off while he was playing Kendrick Lamar's Alright but was soon turned back on and led the party to another high.
As the crowd prepared for the main act, people bustled to the front of the stage. Fabolous eventually jumped onto the stage paying homage to the Chi wearing a Bulls jersey with Sox hat. Fab kept the crowd jumping performing new music from his latest album, The Young OG Project. The crowd sang along as he performed his hits “You Be Killin ‘Em,” “Foreigners” and “Cuffing Season.” The surprise was when Jeremih came through and met Fabolous on stage. They performed their hit song Planes. Fabolous looked tired after 2 songs or so. It felt like he didn't bring his A game. However at the end, he preached to the Chicago fans "he loves Chicago".
L.A.'s Punk and Rap Past Captured by Photographer Janette Beckman
Photos by Janette Beckman
Janette Beckman is a New York based photographer born in London, England, and is a product of the '70s punk movement. Although much of her portrait work is often associated with New York, Beckman put together a gallery that opened April 17th of select photos, dating 31 years ago of L.A.'s Punk and Rap past. The collection of various iconic photographs includes Johnny Rotten, Joe Strummer, Debbie Harry, Slick Rick, Keith Haring, and Run DMC to name a few. The exhibition is called Rebel Cultures: Punks, Rap & Gangs, and is currently being featured in HVW8 Art + Design Gallery in Los Angeles through May 18th.
Aside from the Punk and Rap scene in LA, Beckman also features photos from the summer of 1982, when she was introduced to members of the East LA gang, El Hoyo Maravilla. The poverty and culture in the area inspired her to capture many of it's members in the heart of their known territory, a perfect additional to her gallery on "Rebel Cultures". Surviving gang members that were involved were even invited to the gallery opening. Other gallery goers included Curt Smith of Tears for Fears and Delicious Vinyl's Rick Ross.
Check out some of the following photos from the gallery on exhibition now, and be sure to check out more of Beckman's work here.
[Via LA Weekly]
NAS: "Illmatic XX" Stream and Documentary Trailer
This year marks the 20th anniversary of Nassir Jones' classic Hip-Hop album Illmatic. Today, Nas drops Illmatic XX, the 20th anniversary edition of the '94 debut of one of the most prolific rappers of our generation. Nas not only dropped a classic album, but changed hip hop as a whole with his gritty poetic street rhymes with a real message. Illmatic appears on best hip hop albums lists and many note the rapper as being one of the most influential rappers. This past weekend, Nas performed the classic album front to back at Coachella (video below), bringing out Hova to assist on a few tracks. That performance couldn't have been better, as you can see that no matter what, the Queensboro MC, 20 years later after dropping his debut, is still one of the most relevant hip hop artists today.
I was 11 years old when Illmatic dropped, and I remember listening to it like it was yesterday. My older brother had it on cassette, and I used to sneak into his show box of tapes while he was gone and listen to them on my Sony Walkman (remember those kids?). Not until a few years later did I really understand what Nas was rhyming about and really understand the rhymes and message he was conveying. 20 years later, the albums is still as relevant as it was in '94. Not only did he shape his career, but Nas shaped and changed hip hop culture as a whole.
To continue the celebration of the 20th anniversary, Nas will be premiere the documentary Time is Illmatic at the opening night of the Tribeca Film Festival tomorrow. If you can make the opening night, I would suggest it or just wait until it hits Netflix like the rest of us. You can buy Illmatic XX now on iTunes.
"I gave you what the streets felt like, what it tasted like, sounded like, smelled like, all on that album, and I tried to capture it like no one else could," the rapper says in the trailer.
Stream Illmatic XX and the trailer for the documentary below.
[youtube id="dhPigi-5ZPA"]
Illmatic XX Tracklist:
Disc 1: Remastered original album
01. The Genesis
02. N.Y. State Of Mind
03. Life’s A Bitch
04. The World Is Yours
05. Halftime
06. Memory Lane (Sittin’ In Da Park)
07. One Love
08. One Time 4 Your Mind
09. Represent
10. It Ain’t Hard To Tell
Disc 2: Demos, Remixes & Live Radio
01. I’m A Villain (previously unreleased)
02. The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show on WKCR October 28, 1993 (previously unreleased freestyle)
03. Halftime (Butcher Remix)
04. It Ain’t Hard To Tell (Remix) (promo single)
05. One Love (LG Main Mix)
06. Life’s A Bitch (Arsenal Mix) (promo single)
07. One Love (One L Main Mix)
08. The World Is Yours (Tip Mix)
09. It Ain’t Hard To Tell (The Stink Mix) (UK single)
10. It Ain’t Hard To Tell (The Laidback Remix) (UK single)
[SXSW Journal] Day 4
Photo by Kristen Wrzesniewski
The weekend in Austin started off quickly with several interviews on the docket early. My feet, blistered, sore and just generally unhappy about the situation, slipped into a pair of Converse boots with the thought it would help with all the moving. Strapped up and ready to go I headed out to The Blind Pig on 6th Street to talk to The Lonely Biscuits, a four piece jam/hip-hop/indie group from Nashville. The Belmont University students were on the back end of a wild collection of shows throughout SXSW and played a fitting mid-afternoon set after we had a chance to sit down and talk. As soon as I was done there, I raced across town to the Omni Hotel where I was to interview New York City’s rising star, 17-year-old Bishop Nehru. Sans photog for the week, I was able to get the lovely pair of Rasha Mosa and Asia Ashley of The Lab3l to lend a hand for what ended up being one of the more interesting interviews I’ve done in awhile. We discussed the theory of the ‘twenty year loop’, his ties to Nas and what we can expect next, words on that coming soon.
After that it was off to 502 Brushy Street on the other side of the highway to catch Chicago local Taylor Bennett perform at the House of Aura showcase. Technical problems led to him doing a rousing acapella performance before launching into a full set list. A trip to the Rap Genius Ranch ended up just getting me more miles on my ragged feet as we made the trip just a bit too late to catch Nas actually talking about Illmatic. It was at about this point I realized the ridiculousness of this ‘festival’ and how impractical a town Austin really is. There is a ton going on in ATX for SXSW, so much in fact you can find music just about anywhere you go. However, once you walk up to that venue with your Bomberman-looking arm of wristbands, trying desperately to find the one for this particular venue, you’ll likely find there is an extra hierarchy above your ‘credential’ (i.e. it’s a corporate party with people who don’t really even like the music), or you’ll be directed to a mile-long line with a shrug and a ‘good luck’. So, I spent a good amount of time Friday walking to shows like SaveMoney’s set at Clive, only to hear Tumblr only likes folks in badges and decided to pack it in and meet up with some familiar faces at D.B. Riley’s on 6th where Marrow played an absolutely fantastic SXSW debut. Going back to Austin being impractical, keep in mind there is little to no public transportation, the highway system is like a toddler’s SimCity game and they have a train that literally runs like every three hours in a straight line down one street. Sorry guys, you have a way to go before you get true ‘city’ status. Anyway, after Marrow injected happiness into the souls of D.B. Riley’s patrons, I decided it was time to get out of the city and ended up at a mansion party about 20 minutes outside of town where we partied through the night. Looking forward to the last day, ready to get back to Chicago.
Marrow at D.B. Riley's
Taylor Bennett at House of Aura
The Lonely Biscuits at The Big Picture Media Showcase