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- Best of Chicago, Music & Nightlife Mar 17, 2021
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DCG Brothers brought summer joy to a locked-down season with “Mmhmm”
The west-side rap duo have tons of fun sharing the mike on “Mmhmm,” and the video is even more contagious.
- Music, Music Review Nov 13, 2020
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Chicago drill star in the making King Von dropped his third album a week before his untimely death
- Music, Music Review Aug 19, 2020
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Chicago rapper Lil Romo makes melodic drill as plush as velour
- Music, Music Review Jul 31, 2020
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Chicago rappers SD and Brian Fresco combine their distinctive styles for the whimsically joyful Muddbruddas
- Music, Music Feature Jul 23, 2020
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Thirty-five moments that brought Chicago music to the world
The Year of Chicago Music has had less music in it than anybody anticipated, but we still have plenty to celebrate.
- Music, Music Review May 15, 2020
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Chicago drill icon Lil Durk leans into his melancholy on Just Cause Y’all Waited 2
- Music, Music Review Apr 10, 2020
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Rising drill star King Von refines his storytelling and stunting on Levon James
- Music, Music Review Apr 3, 2020
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Chicago rapper G Herbo gives his reflective raps new shapes on PTSD
- 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.
- Best of Chicago, Music & Nightlife Nov 6, 2019
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Staff Pick: Best hip-hop artist
Polo G
- Music, The Block Beat Jul 31, 2019
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The return of Katie Got Bandz
Four long years after her last mixtape, the Queen of Drill drops Rebirth—and revisits the site of the Bronzeville projects that taught her to persevere.
- Blogs, Bleader Aug 7, 2018
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Meet Kidd Kenn, Chicago’s hottest openly gay 15-year-old rapper
Kidd is unapologetic about who he is—so of course he has a cosign from Queen Key.
- Music, Gossip Wolf Jul 31, 2018
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First-wave drill producer LeekeLeek dies at 27
Plus: Veteran Chicago rapper Longshot celebrates his collaboration with Lazerbeak, and Drum Corps International hosts a world championship in Michigan City.
- Music, The Block Beat Apr 12, 2018
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Tink remembers the trial by fire that launched her career
The crowds at Adrianna’s wouldn’t rock for just anybody, but as a Calumet City teenager she won them over with a mix of drill rap and R&B.
- Blogs, Bleader Jan 22, 2018
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Groundbreaking Chicago drill rapper Fredo Santana died this weekend
Six years ago Fredo Santana helped make Chicago the epicenter of the rap world, and on Friday he passed away at age 27.
- 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.
- Arts & Culture, Theater Review Aug 30, 2017
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Collaboraction’s Peacebook performance festival tackles an ‘epidemic of inequity’
More than 200 artists bring 24 short “prayers for peace” to Englewood, Hermosa, and Austin this fall.
- 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.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 29, 2016
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Dividing Chicago hip-hop into ‘Chance and friends’ and ‘the drill scene’ insults its richness and variety
Stereogum's recent survey of Chicago hip-hop gets a lot of things wrong, but it also serves as a reminder of how much there is to discover here.
- Blogs, Bleader May 26, 2016
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The Palmer Squares defy the stereotyping of Chicago hip-hop with the new Planet of the Shapes
Local rappers Acumental and Terminal Knowledge, aka the Palmer Squares, don't fit any prefab notion of a Chicago MC, but their new album is selling like hotcakes.
- Blogs, Bleader Apr 1, 2015
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Lil Durk charges deeper into pop on 'Like Me'
And it's not just because Billboard R&B star Jeremih shows up on the track.
- Blogs, Bleader Feb 25, 2015
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Check out drill's great indie hope SD tomorrow at Lincoln Hall
The south-side rapper performs with Cam'ron and ShowYouSuck after dropping his Life of a Savage 4 mixtape.
- Blogs, Bleader Aug 12, 2014
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Twista talks about his new album, The Dark Horse
The Chicago hip-hop veteran chats about what inspired the title of his new album, working with rising local rappers, and getting involved in the community.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 16, 2014
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Lil Bibby and Fluffy get some help from rap friends
Lil Bibby raps about being solo on the streets, Fluffy raps about a damaged relationship—both excel thanks to a boost from a buddy.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 9, 2014
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King Louie addresses his life in Chicago with Tony
The southeast-side rapper occupies a desirable but peculiar position in Chicago's hip-hop community, though that doesn't appear to bear much influence on the music that's made him a face of the scene.