Are those wedding bells we hear? more ›

Boy, that header makes Chicago rapper Psalm One sound like creepy, doesn't it? But don't be alarmed. The Rhymesayers rapper and hashtag facilitator just wants you to hear the third installment in her Get In The Van mixtape series, released Tuesday. more ›

A Columbian hip hop trio headlines today's listings. more ›

'Round Labor Day last year, Hollywood Holt dropped a mixtape that contained several tracks that would've dominated Chicago speakers for the summer. This Memorial Day, Holt returned with new single "The Show." Prepare to get amped. more ›

Last year, in the dark days of December, it seemed like nobody (except Cali Swag) knew how to do the Dougie. Today, though, First Lady Michelle Obama is all over the internet showing the nation that she knows how to get down - doing the Dougie and the Running Man at Alice Dean Middle School. It's all part of her "Let's Move!" campaign, to encourage American children to exercise and be healthier. We call it awesome. more ›

Today, our favorite monster of the Orient spits hot fire, and not the kind of flame he's known for. This will put some much-needed pimp in your strut this afternoon, trust us. (Warning: Language). more ›

In which we take a listen to two recently released records in Chicago's fertile underground hip-hop scene. First up is the long-awaited official full-length debut of former Cash Money man Mikkey Halsted, titled The Dark Room. Second, and last, is Rockie Fresh, who dropped his second mixtape, The Otherside, in the middle of December. more ›

Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist and candidate for 20th Ward Alderman Che "Rhymefest" Smith is calling on some legends to help him raise the campaign cash he feels is necessary to unseat incumbent Willie Cochran. Case in point: a fundraising concert tomorrow night with the Atomic Dog himself, George Clinton. more ›

As we noted earlier, the entire Gothamist network has been dealing with some technical issues most of the day that seem to have been ironed out (knockonwood). Comes with the territory, but it still doesn't make it less frustrating for readers or staff. more ›

The folks at Fake Shore Drive have new tracks online for you from Twista and Kid Sister ready to roll. more ›

RJD2 is the moniker of Philly-based turntable wizard, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer Ramble John (RJ) Krohn. Many know him for supplying the theme song for AMC’s Mad Men, but he’s been making music professionally for more than ten years, starting as a DJ for Columbus rap group MHz back in ’99. Of course, he’s departed from the group since, and in the past few years has been on a voyage of sonic exploration. more ›

Lupe Fiasco fans might want to tune in to Vocalo this afternoon at 3 p.m. He's the special guest on Vocalo's "Music Vox" program with host Jesse Menendez and guest host, the inimitable Richard Steele. more ›

The hip-hop hydra, The Wu Tang Clan, is hitting the road. They'll be hitting The Congress on January 8. We're not even going to attempt a history lesson here but we're reasonably sure that even if you've never heard of The Wu Tang Clan you can thank them for pretty much every predominant meme in hip-hop today. From samurai warriors to dark side of the moon flows to innovative basement digging underwater beats, this crew was a lone bright spot in the days hip-hop was beginning to sag under its own bling. Solo shows by the memebers can be hit or miss, but when you get them all on one stage the sheer numbers provide the odds that you are about to see a blazing live show. more ›

Per the folks over at Fake Shore Drive, Che "Rhymefest" Smith is putting months of speculation to rest and released a brief video announcing he's running for 20th Ward Alderman. The 20th Ward encompasses parts of Englewood, New City, Back of the Yards, Woodlawn and Washington Park. Under incumbent Alderman Willie Cochran, capital improvements in the ward have been slow in coming over the years, which Rhymefest dutifully notes in his video. more ›

One of the better instructional videos we've seen in a while, courtesy of the clever kids at Everything is Terrible. Hell, even Kanye digs it. [h/t Marah!]. more ›

For "Computers Come Alive!," their last concert of the season at the Harris Theater, new-music group Fulcrum Point will once again feature a new hip-hop-infused work by composer-in-residence Randall Woolf. more ›

Oh Snap!! has updated their hilarious paean to hipsters "Funk Dat" -- itself a re-up of Sagat's hit from the early '90s -- for the new year. more ›

In the face of the devastation in Haiti a group of young Chicago artists and activists have combined efforts, setting up the grassroots organization, Every Drop Counts. Every Drop Counts' ultimate goal is to raise funds to send water filtration equipment to Haiti that will provide much needed clean drinking and bathing water. more ›

What's a DOOM show without controversy? Pleasing, for one. more ›

Wait--before you start, we know that mash-up albums are, like, so last decade. We know that every so-called unsuspected relationship between rock and hip-hop has been bridged by ambitious producers all over the world who happen to have some acappella tracks and GarageBand. While we still love the great bits, like Chicago's own The Hood Internet, so much of it is just sloppily placed together, without regard for what makes two different tracks work well harmonically. But, amidst a trend that we can't quite figure out is leaving or here to stay indefinitely, every once in a while a well-intended and talented soul finds the right match. In this case, it's Tom Caruana and his free album pitting Wu-Tang vs. The Beatles, Enter the Magical Mystery Chambers. more ›

We admit we've sort of lost touch with the super chill jazz-hop of The J. Davis Trio in recent years. We followed them pretty closely in the early aughts, often catching them with The Baldwin Brothers at shows packed with sassy ladies and sharp dressed dudes grooving to each other to the J. Davis Trio vibe. The group has just dropped it's latest album, These Things Happen, and judging by the band's first single "Breezay" they haven't changed their approach one whit. Groovy. more ›

If we were given the task of assembling a year end list of albums we're most looking forward to in 2010 from Chicago musicians, Lasers, Lupe Fiasco's three years in the making followup to 2007's The Cool would top the list. Rumored to be Lupe's grand exit and final album, the emcee and label head has released the first of what will be two album teaser mixtapes. more ›

We thought we had missed out the first go round, but MTV Jams' Chi Day, originally scheduled for November 14 is taking place right now, all day long on the network. more ›

Our first clue that Kid Sister -- Melisa Young-- was on the road to fame is when she apologized to a friend of ours while telling him she wouldn't be able to babysit his kids any longer due to her hectic travel schedule. This also offers some insight into what it is that sets her apart from so many other hip-hop-popsters; even while shooting videos with Kanye West she was picking up work on the side babysitting for friends. It's that combination of a solid work ethic and her lack of pretension that makes her debut, Ultraviolet, such a satisfying listen. more ›

While we patiently wait for Lupe Fiasco to release his next album -- mid-December, we hope, we hope! -- at least we're getting a semi-regular dose of him playing live around town! He continues the trend of not forgetting his home base with a concert at the Congress Theater on October 29. more ›

Usually we avoid corporate sponsored music events since they tend to be stacked with B-list acts, but when we heard Hennessy was bringing Common to a small South Loop club, and The Roots would be his backing band, we couldn't resist showing up. (Side story: We ran into ?uestlove in the alley pre-show and made sure to let him know that, in our opinion, he's the Twitter master. The dude's tweets alone make Late Night with Jimmy Fallon worth watching.) Opening act Elevator Fight warmed the crowd up with some middle of the road rock sung by Zoë Kravitz, the daughter of Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz. It was the kind of act that usually causes us to avoid these events, but once The Roots hit the stage for a solo set the dull tghrob that preceded them washed away in a burst of bliss. And once Common hit the stage to join them for his own set? It was all over. The room erupted and the assembled coterie of musicians onstage took that energy and threw it right back out to the people. We were on such a high we even found ourselves singing along to Heavy D when he suddenly appeared onstage and we hated his tunes back in the day! It was just a big ol' party, with ace talent packed into a small room giving it their all. more ›

On thing we love most about Peter Bjorn & John is their unpredictability. They careen from glistening pop to coldly strange world rhythms to shoegaze to frenetic garage workouts. You honestly don't know where they're heading next! And now, in advance of yet another bout of touring (do these guys ever stop?) they've "leaked" a complete rethink of their last album, Living Thing, in the form of a hip-hop remix album. Re-Living Thing is filled with cameos both large and small, including a vocal turn by Chicago's own Rhymefest on The Kickdrums' remix of "Nothing To Worry About." The best part about the whole thing? Peter Bjorn & John are just giving it away for free. So check it out! more ›

Yeah, we admit it. We're pretty stoked Lupe's playing Grant Park for free. And here's the tune that made us first fall in love with the brainy and verbally brawny rapper. more ›

Next door to this year's Taste of Chicago the Nike 6.0 BMX Open will be underway from June 26 - 27 in Grant Park. While the image of BMX bikers butting heads with stout suburbanites wielding oversized turkey legs is enough to set our phasers on "gleeful irony" we've learned a little piece of news that makes the event all the more awesome. more ›

It's time for the internal rhyme. At midnight. That's right, Metro has announced a special midnight show this Saturday featuring the legendary Rakim, with support from Chicago outfits Primeridian, Que B.I.L.L.A.H., and DJ Intel. more ›