[Video] Vic Mensa in the Morning Riot Afterparty
Vic Mensa was back in town yesterday for a quick stop in while on the road with J. Cole and Wale on the "What Dreams May Come" tour. Before hosting a pop up shop at 657 W. Lake in Chicago's Loop, Mensa stopped by WGCI's Morning Riot After show to to kick it with Tony Sco and Leon Rogers and chop it up over the release of INNANETAPE, touring with J. Cole and how careful he is when crafting a song. It is certainly Mensa's time right now and he seems to be enjoying his turn in the limelight, check out the interview below.
http://youtu.be/gIpa1w5o7EY
Smoko Ono: "Pass The Flame" (Feat. Jarred AG, Saba & Sterling Haze)
Chicago's own Smoko Ono offered up this single, "Pass The Flame" off his upcoming Smoko and Friends project due out later this year. Smoko has been putting in his time around the city and "Pass The Flame" is a dope glimpse into what he's been cooking up. For now, check out the single, featuring some fellow Chicago cats that do their thing, per usual.
"Boy don't drink your life away/Make them bloggers type away."
[RH Feature] Vic Mensa Takes Over The Innanetape
Photo By: Bryan Lamb
It's ten o'clock at night in late March and I’m fighting sleep. Sitting almost horizontal on a massive, black leather couch as my photographer, Bryan Lamb, and I watch Chance the Rapper racing back and forth from the booth behind us to the computer in front of us, occasionally taking frantic puffs from his cigarette.
His counterpart, Vic Mensa, lounges on a couch nearby, staring intently at a Macbook perched carefully on his lap, analyzing the first cut of the video for “DiditB4”, the lead single off his September 30 release, Innanetape directed by fellow Savemoney member Austin Vesely. The pre-rendered cuts are too quick for the computer and the screen stops on a scene of Mensa, in a white coat and goggles, holding a cow brain. “That shit was too raw, Austin drove to some farm to get it,” said Mensa.
By now, you've most likely heard of Chancellor Bennett, the 20-year-old artist who turned a ten-day suspension from high school into a pair of nationally-recognized mixtapes. You also likely have heard of Vic Mensa, the 20-year-old former front-man of the now-defunct Kids These Days who announced via an XXL interview in April that the band was done.
Together, the pair make up the leadership team of "Savemoney"-an eclectic collective of young artists, musicians, students and more based in Chicago that have helped elevate the city to the top of hip hop's collective consciousness. That rise was aided heavily by Chance’s April release, Acid Rap. Mensa’s Innanetape is poised to blow the roof off the Chicago scene.
[Album] Vic Mensa: "Innanetape"
Download INNANETAPE here --> Vic Mensa: "INNANETAPE"
Talk about a long wait. Today, Chicago's own Vic Mensa released the long overdue follow up to his 2009 solo debut mixtape, Straight Up EP, with the most highly-anticipated release since Chance The Rapper's Acid Rap in April. To step back into the solo spotlight, the Save Money member and former Kids These Days frontman gives us Innanetape, a truly different, at times experimental hip hop release from one of the most fully-formed artists in Chicago. Four years ago, Straight Up Ep served as the spark that lit the wick, leading to the eventual explosion of talent we've seen coming from the Second City over the past few years. At a raucous listening party sponsored by IllRoots and Adidas this past weekend at Lacuna Artist Lofts on the city's southwest side, Mensa performed much of the tape to eager fans, seeming to relish in the moment of limbo before the tape became publicly available. Executive produced by Peter CottonTale and Cam Osteen, it is a multi-genre project with features from Chance The Rapper, BJ The Chicago Kid, Rockie Fresh, Joey Purp and Tundercat that should appeal to a wide range of listeners. If tracks like "Diditb4", "Orange Soda" and "Lovely Day" are any inkling to what is in store, those fans shouldn't be disappointed. Mensa is widely credited with helping open the door for Chicago artists, and it's one he now walks through himself-with the potential to be one of the biggest stars to emerge from his hometown. With a city that has a history including Twista, Common and Kanye, that's saying something. Give Innanetape a listen below and keep it posted to RH all week for my continuing coverage on the release.
http://youtu.be/BewDnzmyZ5E
[Video] The Making of Innanetape
The anticipation is building as each day of the week that goes by brings us closer to the release of Vic Mensa's Innanetape, due out September 30. The tape is the re-introduction to Mensa as a solo artist since dropping Straight Up EP when he was 16. Heart of The City hung out while Vic did his thing in the studio and today released a video documenting the construction of the Innanetape. Check out the footage below.
http://youtu.be/3Hd6nXIahhc
Kami de Chukwu: "Droptop Vision"
Chicago native Kami De Chukwu released his latest single, "Droptop Vision" alongside fellow Save Money MC Joey Purp yesterday as we waded through a site change. Forgive our tardiness and be sure to give Kami's latest a look here below.
Chance the Rapper Announces North American Tour
Chance, as you may have realized by now, is fully blowing up. Fresh off his first European tour with Macklemore and a summer that saw him share the stage across the US with Mac Miller and company, Chance announced his first national headlining tour. Along with announcing the "Social Experiment Tour" Chance also unveiled DJ Rashad and DJ Spinn as tourmates, with more possibly to come. Check out the dates below.
09-24 Warsaw, Poland - Torwar ^
09-25 Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle ^
09-26 Stuttgart, Germany - Scleyerhalle ^
09-28 Dortmund, Germany - Westfalenhalle ^
09-29 Frankfurt, Germany - Jahrhunderthalle ^
09-30 Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle ^
10-01 Copenhagen, Denmark - Tap1 ^
10-03 Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene ^
10-04 Stockholm, Sweden - Annexet ^
10-08 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Heinekin Music Hall ^
10-09 Milan, Italy - Alcatraz ^
10-25 Champaign, IL - University of Illinois *
10-26 Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar *
10-27 Washington, DC -The Fillmore *
10-29-30 New York, NY - SOB's *
11-03 Montreal, Quebec - Club Soda *
11-04 Toronto, Ontario - The Danforth Music Hall *
11-07 Buffalo, NY - TBA
11-08 Oxford, OH - Brick Street Bar *
11-10 Lawrence, KS - Liberty Hall *
11-12 Boulder, CO - Fox Theatre and Cafe *
11-14 Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre *
11-17 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey *
11-19 Tempe, AZ - Club Red *
11-20 Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater *
11-22 Dallas, TX - Tree's *
11-23 Houston, TX - Warehouse Live *
11-25 Atlanta, GA - The Loft @ Center Stage *
11-26 Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom *
11-29 Chicago, IL - Riviera Theatre *
12-03 Oberlin, OH - TBA
12-04 Indianapolis, IN - TBA
12-05 Columbia, MO - TBA
12-07 Miami, FL - TBA
* with DJ Rashad & Spinn
^ with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Joey Purp: "Monologue"
Save Money artist Joey Purp is back with his latest, "Monologue", released yesterday and produced by current Chicagoan Thelonious Martin. The track is a bit of a preview of his upcoming Leather Corduroys collaboration project with fellow Save Money member Kami De Chukwu. Check out the song here below.