After 5 Years, Shameless Finally Hits Netflix
After over 5 years of being on the air, Showtime's series Shameless finally makes its way to Netflix.
In it, a family of six siblings who live on the South Side of Chicago, straddling the poverty line. The Gallaghers "head" of the family includes an alcoholic father (Frank) and a mentally ill, run away mother (Monica); this leaves the sibling, consisting of Fiona, Phillip (Lip), Ian, Debbie, Carl, and Liam, that are alone to fend for themselves. Everyday brings new challenges for this Back of the Yards based family. Each of the four older siblings has their own strengths that they bring to the table in order to put food on the table, maintain a livable household, and keep their family together. But with those strengths, comes weaknesses in each sibling.
No spoilers though, you’ll have to watch to find out these character arcs and relationships with one another. The question now arises: why this widely popular 2011 series is just hitting Netflix?
According to IMDB, Shameless has received average ratings of between an 8 and a 9 out of 10. And from season 1 to season 4, the ratings have only exponentially increased.
According to tvseriesfinale.com, Shameless’s viewership drastically rose from 1.36 million to 1.65 million between its second and third season. By its fourth season, Shameless was at an all-time hight with a season average of 1.71 million viewers. This decreased in the series’ fifth and sixth season, with season average ratings between 1.56 and 1.58 million viewers.
However, this doesn’t dismiss the fact that this popular comedy/drama gains so much attention because it feels real. Shameless is filled with real and raw scenes that evokes a strong sense of emotion in both the characters and the audience. Whether you are laughing or crying, these characters come together to form a genuine depiction of striving and struggling. The Gallaghers show how this familial bond is stronger together than apart. Whether they are battling these endeavors personally or collectively, Shameless demonstrates to the audience what “family is everything” really means.
Shameless should have been available on Netflix long before 2016 for long-time fans to binge watch; but we are grateful that fans new and old can enjoy such a phenomenal, almost tangible television show.
[Video] Giftz: "Game of Chess" (Feat. Boldy James)
Chicago's own Giftz got people talking in the middle of last year with his mixtape project, Position of Power, which established him as an artist to know in the increasingly competitive Chicago scene as he emerged as a storyteller capable of reporting back on and framing the things he saw around him everyday growing up in the city's rough areas. Just before the weekend, Giftz took fans there with Detroit MC Boldy James for the visual to his song "Game of Chess" off Position of Power. It's a seminal street banger that features the pair traversing the dark and hallowed-out streets of Detroit, which only serves to add to the overall demeanor of the track. Check out the latest from Giftz, streaming below.
[Documentary] Chicago Hip Hop Profiled in "The Field"
[iframe id="http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/embed/65971"]
WorldStarHipHop, the website best known for knock out videos and general ratchet-ness, decided to bring their cameras to Chicago for a special video special titled The Field, detailing the in and outs of not only the Chicago hip-hop scene, but the social and socioeconomic ramifications that surround it as well. Shot by Sher Toor and Jonathan Hall, the doc is an interesting take on the issues facing the Second City, from those who have become rhyming reporters to explain what is happening around them.
The documentary delves deep into the "drill" movement, focusing on the record 2012 murder rate as the major catalyst for the rise of the haunting beats riddled with gunshots and stories of surviving with little and trying to find a way out. Upon first hearing about the documentary and it's publisher, I was immediately skeptical. Although named better than Vice's "Chiraq" documentary done earlier in 2013, The Field digs beyond the surface issues by going to the sources for the answers.
I found it interesting to hear artists like Lil Bibby, Lil Durk and Lil Reese talk about the stress from the success they've realized lately, what it potentially leads to. Hip-hop today has become such a game of numbers, it's interesting to hear some of the artists at the top of the game here talking about how far they've come with almost a semblance of regret, not unlike a star athlete that doesn't especially like sports. Music may be a passion to many, but to these young artists from the rough neighborhoods, it's more than that; it's a way out. Toor and Hall do a tremendous job organically demonstrating this through first person accounts and careful storytelling.
What the documentary really does is hone in wholeheartedly on a specific location in the country and demonstrates how hip-hop music is largely seen not as a way to get famous, but a vehicle to escape their current environment. By highlighting the likes of Bibby, Reese, Durk, King Louie and Katie Got Bandz, the filmmakers did an excellent job in drawing the very thin line between the artists and those around them. Given more time with the subject, the video could have possibly been the hip-hop Hoop Dreams.
The project is both inspirational and upsetting, casting a light on not just the murders that plague the landscape, but also the catalysts that lead to the current situation. It's a surprising production for WSHH, an interesting take on the rise of drill through the violence and crime of the south and west sides of the city. Riding through the streets, talking to the people that live there, it perfectly captures a very certain period in the history of Chicago by highlighting the good and the bad, and the unexpected.
[Video] Gianni Blu: "Bounce" (Feat. Sasha Go Hard)
Gianni Blu has been lacing some pretty impressive cross-over tracks, utilizing hip-hop artists to blend his signature style of unique production. On his latest release, Blu teams up with frequent collaborator Sasha Go Hard for a song that is a step up for both artists. For her part, Sasha's flow seems to improve on every single and she is grittier than ever on "Bounce" with a changing rhyme scheme that has yet to be seen in much of her work. On the production side, Gianni pick up where Diplo left off on his "Damn" track from Sasha's album Round 3, released earlier this year. Mixing in traditional hip-hop aesthetics with a thumping, bouncing electronic flair, Gianni Blu crafts a track that is as ready to bop to as anything that has hit the airwaves lately. D Gainz handles the video, shot at an indoor skatepark complete with BMX riders and a slew of back up dancers. Check out the latest from Gianni Blu & Sasha Go Hard below.
[youtube id="8bgOAkO56pE" mode="normal" align="center"]
[Video] Calez: "The American Dream Concept Ep. 2"
Calez has been one of my favorite artists to make a big jump through this year. Following 2012s critically-acclaimed Kid With Raps, The 2008ighties member and Chicago native dropped Too Broke Tape, one of the most fully crafted releases to come out of the Second City this year. After parlaying that into a frenetic SXSW that saw Calez hustle shows, clearly on his hustle. His performance at RapGenius had bloggers slamming their keyboards to explain this smooth, lyrical kid from the middle of the map.
Since then, he linked up with DJ Oreo for the G-Unit Bundle Pack, a five song EP released in May. With all that behind him, one wouldn't blame Calez for taking a little break heading into the new year. Instead, Calez has stayed heavy on the grind, opening for Macklemore on his "Heist" tour and producing his own web series, of which we have episode two today. Watch as Calez and Oreo crisscross the country, catch some fish and rock some shows in the video below and keep an eye out for Ceito, coming soon.
[youtube id="q5mxH1dgXzI" mode="normal" align="center"]
Lil Bibby: "Water"
Lil Bibby has made a name for himself with aggressive street anthems detailing rough times on the rougher streets of Chicago. On "Water", premiered on Complex yesterday, Lil Bibby laces his gritty voice over a soulful sample and high pitched synths that sounds more like a Kanye West track circa 2004. For his part, Bibby shows why he is one of the most talented upcoming and diversely talented hip-hop artists to emerge from the increasingly cluttered and eclectic Chicago scene. Check out "Water" here below:
[Video] Calez: The American Dream Concept Ep. 1
Chicago hip-hop artist Calez premiered the first episode of his online video series, "The American Dream Concept" yesterday via his own website Ceitorepublic.com. The show is a sort of mini documentary following around the 2008ighties MC as he prepares and works on his upcoming release Ceito, due out in Spring 2014. Calez has been one of the top lyrical artists on the come up out of the Windy City for a minute now and this fresh, different way of getting his name out is definitely worth taking a look at. Give episode one a look below and donate here if you like it enough.
[youtube id="OHs5tDikZdw" mode="normal" align="center"]
[Video] Sasha Go Hard: "Problem" (Feat. Tink)
Chicago's Sasha Go Hard is back with her latest video, this one for her track "Problem" which features fellow Windy City female artist, Tink. Tony Roche lends the production for the pair to discuss the intricacies of keeping it 100 and generally not being easy to deal with.A Zae Production provides the visual of the two southside MCs doing their thing at what looks like the Lacuna Lofts on the near south side of the city. Check out the video and the song itself below.
[youtube id="SrkIvkOduiM" mode="normal" align="center"]