Treated Crew Take Over The Weekend: Holt Debuts New Sound, Mic Terror Continues Teklife Partnership
By Justin Freeman in Arts & Entertainment on May 8, 2015 8:30PM
Ever since the release of their album a few years ago, the members of Treated Crew have scattered around to work on various side projects while remaining a tight-knit family. If Treated Crew is the modern Chicago version of Wu-Tang (you know, without the borderline childish perpetual infighting and the tragic OD of a founding member), right now is probably their post-Wu Tang Forever period where the members of Treated Crew venture in the wild to explore creatively and become stronger before inevitably returning to unite once again.
Gzus Piece and Blanco Caine are working together as White Gzus and have released several mixtapes that have been very well received. Mano recently wrapped up a stint DJing for Kanye West and is engaged to his longtime musical partner Drea. Mic Terror is working on an EP with Teklife while Hollywood Holt signed a deal with Kanye’s label to embark in a new artistic direction and is now going simply by the name Holt. This weekend Holt and Mic Terror both have shows to showcase their new material.
Before DJ Rashad passed away last year, he was in talks with Mic Terror to collaborate on new music. As we all know, Rashad is unfortunately no longer with us, but his project with Treated Crew lived on. Fast forward to now and we’re starting to see fragments of what will become the Live From Your Momma's House, the collaborative EP that's coming soon. The newly released single “Free.99” finds Terror deftly rhyming over a smoothly jagged beat by DJ Phil.
Holt, FKA Hollywood Holt, describes his new sound “like if Joy Division, The Strokes, and Dr. Dre made an album.” Since signing to Kanye’s GOOD Music label a few months ago, he has largely ditched his signature party raps for a sound more dark and sinister. His cover of Kavinsky’s “Nightcall,” has been making the rounds online over the last several weeks and I find myself remembering that time a few years ago when he stage dived into the crowd at a Saul Williams show at Double Door as Williams played “List of Demands.” I remembered that time I found myself sitting near him at a Devo show a few years ago at The Congress and seeing Holt turn all the way up as they ripped through “Mongoloid.” That Holt would switch up his style so drastically isn’t too surprising, since he's long been into that style of music. Holt’s recent output is clearly the work of an artist equally impacted by bands such as Devo and Kanye’s incendiary Yeezus. I’m excited to see what happens next.
Mic Terror and DJ Phil play at 9 p.m. tonight at Thalia Hall (1807 S. Allport St) as part of the You Are Here multimedia art festival that's visiting from NYC. Tickets are $10. Holt plays tomorrow at 7 p.m. at The Mid (306 N. Halsted St.), which "makes it an early show, so none of that 2 a.m. Mid business!" Tickets are $10.