Watch Taylor Bennett's New Visual
Ahead of the release of his up coming EP Be Yourself (July 12th) Taylor Bennett has released the visual for "Rock 'N' Roll" produced by Naked Gallery. The colors in this video are the first thing that catch your eye, everything is soft and warm, and each different scene . There are a ton of quick cuts in beginning of the video, but as it goes on the scenes get longer, and the plot reveals itself. The non-sequential reveals in the video make it feel like it was directed by Quentin Tarantino. The song is an up beat summer joint produced by CEO BEATZ and features vocals from Zxxk. If the album is anything like the singles, Be Yourself is going to be an anthemic, vibey testament to Taylor's creativity.
This video shows a summertime Chicago story, ivy on bricks, bubblegum on your shoes and of course a finesse.
https://youtu.be/OjdQjWFbFGE
Be Yourself comes out in two days on all streaming platforms.
[RH Photos] Taylor Bennett, Vic Mensa, and NaS at House of Blues Chicago (8/3/2014)
Photos and write-up by Bryan Lamb.
I've been to the House of Blues a hand full of times, but this being the end-all-be-all of Lollapalooza 2014, the energy was different. Performing at the House of Blues once again makes for another landmark moment for the up and coming Taylor Bennet, who was followed by the "Down on My Luck" artist Vic Mensa, who kept the show moving, with NaS performing as the closing act. Both Vic and NaS performed at Lollapalooza just a day or so before the House of Blues show. It was interesting to see their sets in a more intimate setting, and they still had enough energy at the end of Lolla weekend to keep the crowd moving. Take a look at the photos I shot from the show below.
[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
[Songs of the Day] 3/5/14 (Feat. JODY, Big Sean, Leather Corduroys & More)
Wednesday brought about more music, and it's all here for you to enjoy. Big Sean got quite a canvas from which to spit as Kanye West and DJ Mustard teamed up on the production side for "Sanctified", a soul-entrenched sample piece that has everyone's distinct skills on display. The talented duo of SaveMoney rappers Kami De Chukwu and Joey Purp dropped a new track, "Dat Strong" as their alias Leather Corduroys (what is hotter than a pair of leather corduroys?) which premiered on Fader. PARTYNEXTDOOR got a remix of his song "R A I N" by Rochelle JOrdan, Big K.R.I.T. continued to stream out new music, this time linking up with A$AP Ferg for "Lac Lac" which dropped on Rap Radar earlier and BADBADNOTGOOD offered up a new one in "Can't Leave The Night". JODY dropped a gem in their latest single, "M.I.A" and Freddie Carrera teamed up with Taylor Bennett for a new one in "20 More".
Track of the Day: Jody: "M.I.A"
Big Sean: "Sanctified"
Leather Corduroys: "Dat Strong"
PARTYNEXTDOOR: "R A I N" (Rochelle Jordan Remix)
Big K.R.I.T.: "Lac Lac" (Feat. A$AP Ferg)
BADBADNOTGOOD - Can't Leave The Night
JODY: "M.I.A"
Freddie Carrera: "20 More" (Feat. Taylor Bennett)
[Contest] Win a Pair of Tickets for Mic Terror's Fresh Prince of Darkness Release Party
On March 7th, Ruby Hornet is co-sponsoring Mic Terror's Fresh Prince of Darkness release party at the Hard Rock Cafe alongside our friends at Jugrnaut, Closed Sessions, Iridium, and OTG Management. Also on the bill are The Cool Kids, Saint Millie, Taylor Bennett, and Treated Crew, with DJ sets from MattBoyWhite, Manny Muscles, VIP J, RTC, and Million $ Mano. Advance tickets are currently on sale for $20 both online and at Jugrnaut, while tickets at the door will be $25 ($20 if you purchase a copy of Fresh Prince of Darkness). The show begins at 10pm and will be 18+.
With all of that said, I know this is gonna be one of next week's best shows to attend for all you rap fanatics, and a perfect send-off before the start of SXSW. We have a pair of tickets for one lucky Twitter follower to attend this extra stacked show. All you have to do is follow us on Twitter (@RubyHornet) and tweet us with #RHFPoD. Winners will be announced next week. You can tweet us as many times as you like, so go crazy!
Good luck.
[Songs of the Day] 2/24/14 (Feat. Young Thug, Tyga, Big Boi & More)
Monday brought about a bunch of new songs from all corners of the music world. We gathered all the best releases from the weekend and today. Meek Demeo's track "Paper Birds" featuring Kendrick Lamar got a remix from Galimatias that takes the song up a notch higher than it already was, Young Money teased their upcoming collaboration album with "Senile" by Tyga, Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne. A Billion Young appropriately tapped Brian Fresco for his latest single, "Fresco" while Young Thug continued on a tear of singles, the most recent of which is "Ouch". Romeo Santos got with Nicki Minaj as well, tapping her for his hit "Animales" while Taylor Bennett got together with Loyale Soule to pay homage to a good friend in the soulful "Brother Man". A$AP Ant became the latest of the A$AP Mob to emerge on the public sphere, this time with his single, "Zaytoven" while Koda kept things moving in his latest, "Invitation to Love". Alex Wiley and Closed Sessions continued a powerful start to 2014 with another fresh new song in "Own Man" which pairs him with talented Chicagoan Mick Jenkins and Big Boi continued his "Mash-up Mondays" series with a collab with none other than Phantogram, which resulted in the ridiculously funky, "Objectum Shalamar". Also, Joell Ortiz reminds folks he still has "Bars". All this and more, below!
Track of the Day: Big Boi: "Objectum Shalamar" (Feat. Phantogram)
Meek DeMeo: “Paper Birds” (Feat. Kendrick Lamar) (Galimatias Remix)
Tyga: "Senile" (Feat. Nicki Minaj & Lil Wayne)
A Billion Young: "Fresco" (Feat. Brian Fresco)
Young Thug: “Ouch”
Romeo Santos: “Animales” (Feat. Nicki Minaj)
Taylor Bennett: “Brother Man” (Feat. Loyale Soul)
A$AP Ant: “Zaytoven”
Koda: “Invitation To Love”
SEVEN1: “Hiigher” (Prod. By Retro Ren)
DebonairStatus: “GoIN” (Feat. Kami de Chukwu)
Alex Wiley: “Own Man” (Feat. Mick Jenkins)
Big Boi: "Objectum Shalamar" (Feat. Phantogram)
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Joell Ortiz: “Bars”
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Chicago Acts to Look Out For in 2014
Photo by Bobby Reys
Chicago has been on lately. The Second City has always been known as a musical city and the current rate at which it has produced talent as of late is only adding to that legacy. As festival lineups roll out as we transition into Spring, it has become common to find a Chicago act, if not several, on the list. For this reason, we decided to put together a list of up and coming artists from Chicago that we expect to fully blossom throughout 2014. We added numbers, but there's no real order as far as rankings, just a collection of musical acts from the city that deserve a spotlight. Last year, Chance The Rapper, Chief Keef and a host of hip-hop artists dominated music headlines as a pipeline was established in the Midwest. There is plenty in the city that isn't rap music too though, and we made sure to highlight everyone. Take some time to flip through the next batch of stars to rise out of Chicago.
[Songs of the Day] 2/17/14 (Feat. Beyonce, Kanye West, PARTYNEXTDOOR & More)
There was a huge influx of new music over the weekend, and we're here to round it all up, organize it, and make it a little easier to sift through it all. Unless your head has been firmly buried in sand somewhere, you may have heard Beyonce dropped an unexpected album, the lead single of which ("Drunk In Love") has been burning up the radio waves and Internet. Everyone and their mother seemed to get on a remix of the Jay Z/Beyonce track as Diplo, Kanye West, T.I. & The Weeknd all highlighted a heavy dose of Bey. Weathering the "Drunk In Love" storm was Canadian product and OVO signne PARTYNEXTDOOR, who dropped off a new song in "Persian Rugs" and Trinidad Jame$, who celebrated Valentine's Day the way only he can, with a new record in "EtheREAL". Jeremih & Shlomo's latest track, "No More" got a remix from Boots and some EDM from Jr. Hi, who got Childish Gambino on "Trillion Girls" and Ellie Goulding who unveiled a new Skrillex track on her latest mix for BBC Radio 1. Kanye West made the list twice, with producer Hudson Mohawke leaking the original cut of "Bound 2" featuring Tyler, The Creator in Leeds over the weekend, Big Boi continued his series of "Mash-Up Mondays" with a new track in "Damaged World Mash-Up" which comes complete with animated visuals and Trash Talk & Flatbush Zombies got together for "97.92". From Honduras we got a fresh song in, "Ace" and The Trouble With Templeton showed up with "Soldiers". In other news, Treated Crew member Mic Terror teased his latest album, Fresh Prince of Darkness, with "Anti-Swag" featuring Taylor Bennett and The GTW of JODY fame dropped a dope little dance number in "Calling Cards". Check it all out, streaming below.
Track of the Day: The Weeknd: "Drunk In Love Remix"
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love Remix” (Feat. Jay Z & T.I.)
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love” (The Weeknd Remix)
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love” (Diplo Remix)
Beyonce: “Drunk In Love” (Kanye West Remix)
PARTYNEXTDOOR: “Persian Rugs”
Jeremih & Shlomo: “No More” (Boots Remix)
Trinidad James: “EtheREAL Love”
Jr Hi: “Trillion Girls” (Feat. Childish Gambino)
Ellie Goulding: “Goodnight Valentine Mix”
Honduras: “Ace”
The Trouble With Templeton: “Soldiers”
Trash Talk & Flatbush Zombies: “97.92”
Mic Terror: “Anti-Swag” (Feat. Taylor Bennett)
The GTW: “Calling Cards”
Kanye West: “Bound 1” (Prod. Hudson Mohawke)
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Big Boi: “Damaged World Mash-Up”
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