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- Music, Chicagoans of Note Apr 14, 2020
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PJ Gordon, hip-hop promoter, curator, and writer
“I have a pinned tweet on my page that says, ‘“I fucked someone to that playlist you made” is the highest compliment you can give me.’”
- Music, Music Feature Nov 27, 2019
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Gifts to teach hip-hop heads their history
Each of these reissues helps unfold a different chapter in the rich narrative of the Chicago scene.
- Music, Music Feature Jul 9, 2019
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Kaina gives her soulful R&B the intimacy of real and chosen family
The Chicago singer-songwriter’s debut album takes its strength from her favorite people: her friends and collaborators, her childhood mentors, her immigrant parents.
- Music, Music Feature Mar 15, 2019
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How did the 'industry plant' take root?
Hip-hop’s favorite conspiracy theory is now used to discredit breakout successes in other genres—and it’s no more plausible there.
- Music, Music Feature Mar 7, 2019
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Brittney Carter discovers Chicago hip-hop—and vice versa
She thought she was just writing poems. Her classmates at Young Chicago Authors heard a great rapper in the making—and the rest of the city’s scene is starting to agree.
- Music, Music Feature Nov 21, 2018
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Chicago rap crew Pivot Gang honor a fallen comrade
Saba’s Care for Me memorializes his cousin John Walt, whose generous spirit also survives in the arts nonprofit that bears his name—which holds its flagship concert fund-raiser this weekend.
- Music, Music Feature Aug 8, 2018
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Chicago rapper Queen Key is gonna need a bigger crown
With this summer’s Eat My Pussy, she proves herself a star in the making, ready to carve out a larger role for women in the city’s hip-hop scene.
- Blogs, Bleader Mar 19, 2018
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Tracking the astronomical rise of Chicagoland rapper Juice Wrld
Juice Wrld has only played a couple shows and has at best two Soundcloud hits—but he just signed a deal with Interscope reportedly worth $3 million.
- Blogs, Bleader Nov 2, 2017
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Fake Shore Drive founder Andrew Barber on ten years of blogging and the evolution of the Chicago hip-hop scene
Fake Shore Drive has grown alongside Chicago rap, becoming an institution in its own right—and it celebrates its tenth anniversary by reuniting Big Tymers for a show at the Portage.
- Music, Concert Preview Oct 27, 2017
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Crucial Chicago hip-hop site Fake Shore Drive celebrates its tenth anniversary by reuniting New Orleans rap heroes Big Tymers
- Music, Music Feature Aug 23, 2017
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Chicago blog Lyrical Lemonade shares its juice with rising rappers
By showing love to potential stars as well as certified sensations, Cole Bennett and Elliot Montanez have built a community alongside their brand.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 31, 2017
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Chicago producer Mulatto Beats does the best work on his new album with his old friend Qari
Mulatto Beats and Qari began collaborating six years and two hip-hop groups ago, and they show how well they get each other on "Good to Lose."
- Blogs, Bleader Jun 8, 2017
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Vic Mensa narrows his focus on crossover pop with The Manuscript
After foregrounding his radical politics with last year's "16 Shots," Vic Mensa emphasizes the pop aspects of his rap songs on a new EP.
- Music, Music Feature Dec 22, 2016
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The year Chicago hip-hop beat the haters
For ages, local rappers tore each other down, as though the city could produce only one star at a time—but in 2016 the whole scene seemed to grasp the value of community.
- Music, Music Feature Apr 13, 2016
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Kweku Collins celebrates a great freshman year at Closed Sessions
Raised on poetry and West African drumming, this thoughtful young Evanston rapper and producer just released his first album, Nat Love.
- Blogs, Bleader Dec 22, 2015
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Remembering DJ Timbuck2, a guiding force in Chicago hip-hop
A nightclub party starter, WGCI radio personality, and scene linchpin, DJ Timbuck2 died Saturday at age 34.
- Music, Gossip Wolf Jun 10, 2015
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Singer-songwriter Jennifer Hall celebrates her first studio material in four years
Plus: Alex Barnett and Faith Coloccia collaborate again, Electric Hawk play a release party for their long-awaited second album, and more.
- Blogs, Bleader Dec 17, 2014
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Nick Jr.'s Cancel Christmas is here for everyone who hates Christmas music
The local rapper's spirited, rebellious Christmas kinda-takedowns might be what you need if you want to escape the barrage of gross yuletide music.
- Blogs, Bleader Oct 21, 2014
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Interscope drops Chief Keef
Nearly two years since Keef's major-label debut Interscope drops the local drill rapper.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 30, 2014
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It's never too late to get to know local rapper Goody
With so much new local hip-hop to comb through Fake Shore Drive's mid-year list is a great guide to what's out there—including a youngster named Goody.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 24, 2014
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Start planning your Saturday night rap activities now
There's always a lot of hip-hop events happening around town, and here are three great rap shows you should try and see on Saturday.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 19, 2014
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Three itineraries for Saturday's edition of the Pitchfork Music Festival
Fake Shore Drive deputy editor Ty Howard, Reader writer J.R. Nelson, and editorial assistant Brianna Wellen plot their day.
- Best of Chicago, Music & Nightlife Jun 25, 2014
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Best local music blog
Chicago Singles Club
- Music, Music Feature Mar 4, 2014
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Chicago MC Caleb James does right by his dad
He grew up in his father's studio and started rapping at age seven. Now he’s ready to join his friends Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa in the spotlight.
- Blogs, Bleader Jan 17, 2014
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Steve Harvey tries to bop
The talk-show host gives Chicago's hot dance style a try with a little help from bop kings Dlow and Lil Kemo.
