Chief Keef has been arrested again, this time on trespassing charges. In what has become somewhat of a routine for the 17-year-old artist who has seemingly spent as much time in legal custody as not this year, Keef was apprehended as he left a court appearance in Skokie for a speeding violation last month in Northbrook. After learning that he was barred from driving a vehicle for 18 months due to his 110 mph joy ride down the Edens, Keef and his team were surprised to be confronted by an unmarked police car with officers allegedly brandishing automatic weapons to arrest the unarmed Keef. The trespassing charge allegedly stems from a gathering near a school about a month and a half ago when Keef visited his old neighborhood. Continue reading [Interview] Idris “Peeda Pan” Speaks Out on Chief Keef’s Arrest→
Chicago’s rise as a mecca for electronic dance music continues this weekend with the Spring Awakening Music Festival, a global gathering of dozens of DJs and producers, which runs Friday through Sunday at Soldier Field.
Last month, the internationally touring Electric Daisy Festival made its local debut at the Chicago Speedway in Joliet, and now Spring Awakening returns for its second go-around as it transforms the home of the Bears into a neon-and-glowstick mega-party over four stages. The festival, which expands to three days this year, is a star-studded event, with big EDM names such as Calvin Harris, Bassnectar and Moby as headliners. Continue reading Spring Awakening puts Chicago in forefront of world EDM scene→
In another collaboration with IXI Chicago (SideBySide Collective), we bring you a look into the mind of Chicago-based producer, Thelonious Martin. Peep the video and profile below – video by Bryan Lamb – words by Jake Krzeczowski.
Names can get tricky for Chicago producer Thelonious Martin. Often confused with Theophilous London and Thelonious Monk, the 19-year-old Columbia student has gone about establishing his own name in music over the past few years. Continue reading THELONIOUS MARTIN: INTERVIEW→
Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive hosts a sound showcase Thursday at the South by Southwest Festival. The Sun-Times asks the blogger about a few of his favorite things.
Favorite Chicago live performance?
Tie: Kanye West’s Foundation show at the House of Blues that was two weeks before the release of Graduation. He premiered songs from the album that he’d kept from leaking including “Big Brother” and “Good Life.” It was my first time ever hearing these records, and they sounded amazing in such an intimate environment. I highly doubt he’ll ever do a show at the House of Blues Chicago ever again, as he was stadium status soon after Graduation dropped. Continue reading A Q&A with Fake Shore Drive’s Andrew Barber→
Natalie Wright is representative of her generation. Frustrated with the sometimes monotonous system that can be school, the 19-year-old asked “why not now” and launched her fashion label, Made in June, in January.
“Since I was 14, my summers have been dedicated to moving me forward in a fashion education,” Wright said.
Since her sophomore year in high school, she spent her summers taking college courses at both Columbia College and the School of the Art Institute. “There was nothing in my high school courses that would teach me anything about fashion.”
Fast forward five years, and Wright’s sportswear collection includes dresses, rompers and separates for women looking for interchangeable pieces. Made in June will be available for purchase later this year, but a lookbook is available online at http://www.made-in-june.com.
Wright is loosely affiliated with the Save Money collective that includes members of the band Kids These Days, along with many young artists, students and beyond. Being surrounded by young creatives helps inspire her work.
“The ideas are ongoing all the time and it’s a lot of feeding off of each other,” said Wright. “It’s the most exciting thing ever, to see people my age doing their thing and think that I can do that too.”
For a while, the cameras were always on Allen Daniels. A star high-school football player at Homewood-Flossmoor, he earned a scholarship to Georgia Tech before transferring to Hampton to
play out the last three years. While at Hampton, he first picked up a camera.
“Photography has always been a passion for me, and it’s really made me a better person and a better man,” he said. “Because you’re capturing a moment in time, a life-changing event, and when you hold it in your hand, you can point to something you’ve done and have a smile on your face.”
Nowadays, Daniel, 23, who never seems to be without a smile, often finds himself on the other side of the device, onstage shooting with local rap group Treated Crew and rapper Rockie Fresh, as well as working with Kendrick Lamar.
“Photography has really opened a lot of doors for me and taught me a lot about myself that I didn’t know,” Daniels said.
For all the doors that have opened in the year since he graduated from college, Daniels isn’t satisfied just yet.
“I want to be considered one of the best photographers of all time,” he said. “I want to be legendary, and I won’t settle for less, so every day I push myself.”
Jake Krzeczowksi is a locally based free-lance writer. Follow him on Twittter:@jakekrez.
Talk to Malcolm London for a moment and his words will resonate.
The 19-year-old poet seems wiser than his years, perhaps part of the reason he has garnered such success.
He wrote his first poem in the aftermath of Derrion Albert’s murder in 2009.
“After [I performed] that poem at a high school, some of the women cried. The mothers told me how powerful my words were,” said London. “For me, it made me realize the impact I can have with my words.”
London wants to make an impact in deeds as well, and does so by working with Chicago youth through Young Chicago Authors, which offers workshops on poetry and writing and does work in CPS schools.
Through work in the community with his involvement in Young Chicago Authors and beyond, London is definitely a young person to keep an eye on.
“Writing about the things that I saw made me want to do something about the things that I saw,” said London. “The ability to get in front of people and talk and get them to think critically, even if it’s only a few minutes, is what I want from my poetry.”
There may not be enough hours in the day for Jamila Woods. The do-everything 23-year-old is a sort of modern-day Renaissance woman. With all that she does, it’s a wonder she can find time to do anything at all. “I really find that I can’t really do just one thing,” said Woods. “I get a lot of energy from that balance of other things, and I think my craft benefits from doing all of it.”
Woods sings as part of the Chicago duo Milo and Otis, who opened for Chance The Rapper at The Metro last October, and play the Hard Rock Cafe on March 1. Her poetry has won her two Louder Than A Bomb College slam poetry titles (2009 and 2011). “Being onstage for poetry has helped me so much because if I have a nervous feeling now, it’s more of a familiar feeling,” said Woods. She has also produced two plays and has a book of poetry, “The Truth About Dolls” (New School Poetics Press). Woods also spends her down time helping at Young Chicago Authors.
“Working with students, they don’t care what I do in my free time. It’s humbling because I have to come in and convince them that poetry is worth their time, which, at the same time pushes me to do the kind of poetry that I’m writing.”
Arian Asllani knows a quality product when he sees one.
The rap artist, better known as Action Bronson, learned to keep a keen eye on quality control while working as a flame-gourmet chef in New York City.
The Flushing, Queens, MC arrives in Chicago on Sunday at Reggie’s for a 21-and-up show at Reggie’s — a make-up
date for a show late last month that was postponed.
“I had to cancel my previous show at Reggie’s because I had so many shows prior that I totally lost my voice,” Bronson said. “I wanted to make sure I gave Chicago the best performance because I actually love coming to Chicago.”
That love has manifested itself in much of Bronson’s work, which features collaboration with the city’s own Chance the Rapper, ProbCause, Macie Stewart and Rockie Fresh, to name a few.
Having grown up in Queens, “Bronsolini” feels a connection to the Windy City, drawing parallels to his own neck of the woods.
“Chicago has a real pride and blue-collar feel,” said Bronson, 29. “That’s the kind of guy I am, and I was brought up that way.”
Pulling from what he knows, Action Bronson’s music is a cacophony of subjects, from food to women, that he discusses with the ease of a man enjoying a lazy conversation.
That relatable nature has vaulted him into rarefied air in the three years he’s been solely focusing on hip-hop.
At the beginning of 2012, Bronson released the critically acclaimed “Blue Chips” with producer Party Supplies and followed that with his year-end mixtape “Rare Chandeliers,” produced by the Alchemist.
This year should see at least one new project from the Warner Bros./VICE signee.
“It’s all about timing right now and making sure each thing gets its proper light,” said Bronson. “The album right now is the most important and it needs the most amount of light, but the fans will dictate what I do next.”
Of course, as a connoisseur of fine dining, the rapper/chef is eager to hit many of Chicago’s famed restaurants and lists the Blackbird Diner as a favorite spot. Bronson also weighed in on the great pizza debate — thin crust or deep dish?
“They’re both great things,” said Bronson. “New York-style pizza is built for the way we live, thin and easy to eat, whereas Chicago-style pizza is that hearty, stick-to-your-ribs kind of Midwestern food. They can’t really be compared.”
Regardless of what he’s eating, Bronson has his voice and seems poised to produce a top-notch experience for those in attendance at Reggie’s.
“My foot is gently in the pool and I want to be diving perfectly with no splashes into the water from 30 feet up,” he said. “Right now my toes are just twinkling in the water. I haven’t even scratched the surface yet.”
Jake Krzeczowski is a locally based free-lance writer.
It’s hard to miss James King when he enters a room. When I first met him he was wearing green fatigue pants tightly tucked into black combat boots and topped off by a patchwork bomber jacket. King, better known as The GTW (Greater Than Wealth), explains that his dress reflects his art, taking from many different scenes and cultures around Chicago and abroad to create a sound and attitude that is wholly his own. The sound he dubs “Chigerian” is a nod to the Nigerian heritage his immigrant parents bestowed on him since he was an infant.
The rapper/singer/producer embodies the collage of influences in everything he does, calling it a “random” mix of everything from art to music and life. His music is a sort of new-age 90′s R&B with tribal twinges and a mix of down-tempo house with carefully crafted electronic undertones. His most recent project, 4814 with producer Beng Feng showed a flexibility to adapt and assimilate his tone and sound to a different production, something the 22-year old artist prides himself on. The GTW is a big Manchester United fan and has a keen eye on the european electronic scene and 4814 garnered him a write-up in the UK newspaperThe Guardian before he had much of any press here at home. With a video for his song “Cravings” on the way and upcoming projects with Beng Feng and others in the works, expect to see plenty more headlines on The GTW in 2013. I was able to catch up with the multi-talented artist just before his show January 25 at The Temple Head Gallery in Humboldt Park.
The GTW’s parents grew up in Nigeria
RubyHornet: Tell me about the various influences you employ in your music and what is Chigerian?
GTW: It’s good to build up other people. First you have to start off making the music that you like, but it’s cool to build other people up. Being into other cultures, not just the music but what actually makes the pain, what makes them sing the way they do, what makes them make the types of beats they make and that’s why I’m into so many different cultures. I really like Brazillian jazz music, I’m into house music, I’m into trap and soul and to understand all of these different influences you have to understand the cultures. Just reading a lot or watching documentaries, and I know I have a little bit of every culture with me but more specifically with Chigerian, just being born in Chicago and having parents that are actually from Nigeria and having gone there it actually shaped my mindset. So the whole Chigerian thing is not only Chicago, it’s pretty much anyone who lives in the city with a world influence.
RubyHornet: How many times have you been to Nigeria?
GTW: I’ve been to Nigeria once. It was cool, kind of a culture shock because as soon as I got there I’m hot and sweating and the airport wasn’t really up to par so as soon as I walk in when I’m 10 years old I see a rat running around and I was used to everything being super clean. I was really prissy, really spoiled as a kid so when people were running for our bags to help us I was like ‘whoa, what’s going on?’ Just the culture too, the culture there is really go out and get it as opposed to having something handed to you. It’s really like go out and get it and very forceful and that’s kind of what I really learned. I lived there for six months and I came out a man, being 10 years old. It was a good experience and I’d really like to go back.
RubyHornet: What affect did that have on your life or your music?
GTW: It really did change my life at that time because I learned to appreciate everything a little bit more. Years later, ten years later, I can’t say it affected me as much so because I was only there for six months, but I still remember what I learned. Maybe if I stayed there a little longer now it would have a bigger impact and I would make better decision (laughs).
RubyHornet: Do you feel as though your experiences or interests in other cultures sets you apart?
GTW: I feel everybody has their own culture, everyone. I’m not any more cultured than anyone else is. It’s cool just to live in Chicago and have parents from Nigeria. It helps me look at things differently and allows me a different outlook on life. There was that whole Nigerian culture that was going on not only in Nigeria but around the world. I’m not only wrapped up in Nigerian politics, I like to look around and see what’s going on in like the Middle East and other places. I like hearing good news, I like hearing bad news around the world. It helps me find inspiration elsewhere.I can be from a country in the middle of the diaspora and be inspired by a country on the southern tip of South America. Here I’m inspired by Texas, Houston and whatever little scenes they have going on down there. Musically I can get inspired by really anything, including local culture.
Whether it be clothes, music or everyday actions, The GTW embodies his music
RubyHornet: Tell me about your style, it is very eclectic both musically and day to day.
GTW: I’m just like, really random. I believe that with music I’m inspired aesthetically first so that when I look at a picture I’ll tend to write off of that image and I feel if you make a certain type of music you don’t need to ask me what kind of music I make. You can tell, it’s easy to say ‘I make this.’ Everyone’s left lane, everyone’s doing their own thing. If I look at you, can I really tell that you’re making the kind of art you believe in? It doesn’t have to be wild or crazy.
I’m not really into fashion at all, I’m just really random with it. I feel like aesthetically I like to connect with my audio, my music. When I go out I just grab random stuff like pants I like. My whole sound I’m working on now, like tribal bass, is really inspired by a lot of tropical bass music, shit like that, mixing it in with Hip Hop, sinking soul music. That’s kind of like my style, it’s really traditional and still I’m wrapped up in the internet. You’ll see a lot of visual influence with anything I do, not just style but aesthetic or design work, anything I do.
RubyHornet: As someone who does everything from producing to singing and rapping, how important is it to you to be well-versed in many different aspects?
GTW: It’s important, but it’s fun doing anything because I don’t have all the money in the world to pay people to do this and that and don’t really have anything to offer anyone, so all I have is time and I can learn to do what other people do and create my own vision and have my hand in everything, it’s fun. It’s hard but like, what’re you doing it for? Experimenting is fun with me. I’m not the best at everything. Like, I may not out sing some people but I may know how to say a couple catchy notes. Or maybe I can’t out-rap anyone but I can say some simple, everyday things that may connect to someone.
RubyHornet: How grateful are you to be a part of this rising music scene in Chicago?
GTW: It’s a beautiful thing to be a part of. I’m really grateful because I’ve gotten to work with cats in the soul scene, artists in the Hip Hop scene and artists from all different scenes and every scene is progressing in their own lane. I may not know it but there will be soul artists you’ve never heard of touring or an experimental artist touring or a Hip Hop artist on the street; all kinds of people you wouldn’t really know what they’re doing unless you’re connected to it. As far as music, it’s really beneficial and inspires me to make the best music I can make. I can make the kind of music I want to make here in Chicago and succeed with it internationally. It’s really given me hope that this is a great city to be from and you don’t really have to worry about rent.
RubyHornet: What is your motivation with music, what gets you out of bed and working everyday?
GTW: The fact that I just want to live better of course. I just really want have fun right now making music and I just want people to hear it because there will be down times I’ll have in my life, I wouldn’t say suicidal, but I’ll be down and listen to certain songs and I just want to be that artist that people are like “Oh, I love this artist because I was down and listened to his music.” I want to connect to people. I feel like now that’s how you solidify yourself. There’s a lot of artists so if you don’t connect people are looking for the next thing. I want to come with what I have to offer and have fun but at the same time I want to connect with people.
![[Interview] Idris “Peeda Pan” Speaks Out on Chief Keef’s Arrest](https://jakekrzeczowski.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/chiefkeef_arrests_banner1.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
![[Interview] RH First Look: The GTW](https://jakekrzeczowski.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/gtwinterview2.jpg?w=672&h=372&crop=1)
Jake Krzeczowski 