Cut & scratch" or "turntable wizard" may accurately describe Montreal's A-Trak, but more than anything the guy just wants you to shake it. If his recent live performances are any indication, the crowd at The Mid tomorrow night will be treated to the renowned DJ and Fool's Gold label head's finest dance and hip hop mixes. more ›

Ever since we announced the impending release of a Kid Sister mixtape featuring a collection of past collaborations and new freestyles (mixed by Nick Catchdubs), the hype machine has been in full effect. DJs in the Twitterverse have dropped hints of its greatness, and fans have been chomping at the bit in a fit of anticipation. Well, just in time for your evening commute, the wait is over. more ›

As a performer and as a songwriter, Kid Sister demands attention. As Chuck pointed out yesterday, the charmingly hyper local house-hop queen released a track, “Kiss Kiss Kiss” from her upcoming mixtape. Needless to say, “Kiss Kiss Kiss” had the Chicagoist offices bumpin’ in no time. According to a news release, members of the (Kid) Sisterhood have more reasons to get up and celebrate. more ›

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

Considering the success of both years, let's hope Freaky Deaky becomes a tradition. more ›

For the second year in a row Congress Theater will host Freaky Deaky, a Halloween-themed concert headlined by electro-funk duo Chromeo. For Freaky Deaky 2, however, the support has changed significantly. Instead of Crystal Castles and Boys Noize, this year Chromeo will receive help from A-Trak (brother of Chromeo lead singer Dave 1), Kid Sister, Theophilus London and Gemini Club, making for one of the premiere Halloween parties in the city. more ›

2010 thus far has been filled with some pretty fantastic shows, but last Saturday’s Hennessy Artistry in Chicago event extravaganza raced to the top of our list for potential “best show of the year.” The combined star power of The Roots, Q-Tip, Kid Sister and Erykah Badu (along with a few special guests) made for a performance memorable not just for the incredible lineup, but for the energy, the free-flowing nature and the fun that didn’t let up for a second. more ›

This weekend Mad Decent is curating the yearly Hideout Block Party. Having a dance-o-rama for the yearly block party might appear to be a bit of a step sideways for the Hideout but it makes total sense as the little club tucked away in an industrial wasteland has been making quite a name for itself through it’s DJ sets. The concert schedule is still dominated by rock and country acts, but the late nights belong to the dancers. more ›

Who are we to begrudge an artist from making money off their work? Still, we were dismayed to see that the new jingle attached to ads for the atrocity beer that is Bud Light Lime is Chicago's own Kid Sister and her song "Daydreaming." Yes, following in the footsteps of previous hip-hop/indie cross-over phenom Santogold, Kid Sis's song is being used in a national campaign to sell an awful beer to people who just seem hell-bent on not ordering Corona. Get used to hearing that 30-second clip of the song a lot over the course of the next year. Of course, given the city's fears about alcohol and a Kid Sister show not mixing well, the irony of the commercial isn't lost on us. more ›

We're having trouble finding motivation to get going this morning, what with a too-quick end to the weekend and the gorgeous weather and the general desire to sit on a porch and drink beer in the sun. Maybe the new video from Kid Sister will give us that spark. more ›

Anyone that attended last Monday's Kid Sister show at the Prtizker Pavilion in Millennium Park was met with an unusually large showing of police force and a great lawn and pavilion seating area sectioned off with temporary fencing. There were literally more people in the area surrounding the concert than there were inside the performance space. We were suddenly reminded of the Bel BivDeVoe / Salt-N-Pepa show during the Taste of Chicago when police created an unsafe situation by closing down the seating area in Grant Park, even though there was still plenty of room for folks to enjoy the music, creating bottlenecks and angry mobs at each gate. Things never got that ugly last Monday but we were left wondering what was to blame for the situation. more ›

While we're still waiting on a quote from the City of Chicago explaining the ridiculous police presence and sectioned off lawn areas at last night Kid Sister show we'll amuse ourselves with this video of same kids combining smooth dance moves and silly slap-fights that one of our readers filmed during her set at Pritzker Pavilion. more ›

If you have any energy left after this year's hot Pitchfork Music Fest, and especially if you skipped out for other fun, there's still a little bit of musical awesome leftover to help you further ease into the week. That awesome is none other than Chicago's own Kid Sister, back in town for the performance at the Pritzker Pavilion, part of the City's ongoing Downtown Sound series. Joining the charming (yeah, we're swooning, stop looking) Kid Sis is Congolese band Konono N°1 who will have the kids dancing with their unique world-beat brand of electronic folk. One note: for whatever reason, the city has noted that for this specific show: "Alcohol, glass bottles and metal cans will not be allowed into the Jay Pritzker Pavilion seating bowl or Great Lawn for the Kid Sister + Konono N°1 concert. Bags, coolers and packages will be screened." So be warned. Given the overcast skies and (slightly) cooler temps than the weekend, it should be a great night for some fun music. more ›

Kid Sister + Extreme = Awesome. Check out the video proof more ›

Kid Sister, we appreciate this frothy little piece of pop on a day that is slowly growing into something as lovely and gorgeous as our hometown heroine's smile. more ›

Jim DeRogatis uncovered this summer's line-up for the Monday after work Downtown Sound music series in Millennium Park and whoa are we impressed. We knew Hum was going to headline the Memorial Day date but nothing could have prepared us for The Besnard Lakes opening the series on May 24. Their latest opus The Besnard Lakes Are The Roaring Night is already in the running as one of our favorite albums of 2010 and the idea of hearing its epic songs emanating from the Pritzker Pavilion is enough to make us mess our pants in glee. more ›

Kid Sister appears on tonight's episode of Sound Opinions and man if she is not one of the most adorable interview subjects Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot have chatted with. She admits her musical theater nerdery, gracefully informs DeRo that she is now single and no longer with A-Trak, lays down vocals on a couple of her jams, and generally just kicks total ass. She even comes clean on why she pulled her first pass at what would become Ultraviolet and re-recorded an almost completely new album. What's most remarkable is how, despite the mountains of hype and buzz surrounding her right now, Kid Sister comes off so Midwestern down-to-earth you'd be hard pressed to guess this is a gal on the cusp of more mainstream stardom. more ›

Speaking of Sound Opinions, Chicagoist fave Kid Sister recently went into the studio to lay down some live tracks for an upcoming episode of the radio show and WBEZ was there to catch her in action. Below is a video of her performing her well-known hit "Pro Nails" and you can check out a few more videos here. more ›

The year has a been a tumultuous one for nightlife and electronic music in Chicago. Promoters had to think smart to pull in crowds with far less spending money and we lost our shining star, the always tasteful Sonotheque. With Lava Lounge set to relaunch in 2010 as a cocktail lounge and a long winter still ahead, many feel uncertain, yet curious, for what the new year will bring. more ›

It's the Monday after a looooooong holiday weekend so you're not ready to jump right back into work yet. If you're not scanning the web for the Cyber Monday deals, then consider the below video of WBEZ's Wikipedia Files with Kid Sister, an artist who we dig quite a bit and, hey, she has a new record out. 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 ›

Ultraviolet, Kid Sister's years-in-the-making debut was finally supposed to drop October 6. Now we hear from her publicist that it's not arriving until November 17. We love Kid Sister, but we're beginning to think there's a good chance Marcus will actually catch a unicorn before the album finally gets released. more ›

DOWNLOAD: Kid Sister "Right Hand Hi" more ›

We're pleased to see Kid Sister has been taking care of herself and getting fit lately, but we're even happier to hear she's buckling down to finally deliver that debut album that's been delayed about a thousand times already. more ›

Looks like we're not the only one growing impatient for Kid Sister's constantly delayed debut Dream Date. Cream Team has jumped into the act with a particularly right on analog blog about the release date that keeps retreating into the horizon. more ›

We know we recently told you the looooong awaited debut from Kid Sister, Dream Date, was pushed back to a January release ... but we've just learned that it's actually been pushed further back to March as she works on some additional tracks for the album. On the bright side, we had been grousing around the office that a winter release might dampen the album's summer hopes, but at this rate it may just be the summer jam of '09! more ›

Tomorrow's show at Metro with Kid Sister, Flosstradamus, and The Hood Internet should provide a cap on a pretty wild year for all three groups. High profile gigs and buzz have followed this crew internationally and the anticipation for both Kid Sister and Flosstradamus' debuts has steadily built to nigh ridiculous levels. This bill is basically constrcuted from the kings and queen's of Chicago's feel-good party scene, so we expect Metro to be a madhouse. The fact that it's happening on Blackout Wednesday (which precedes Black Friday every year) should only add to the chaos. more ›

Kid Sister's hotly anticipated debut, Dream Date, has been pushed back to a January 27, 2009 release date. We're beginning to worry this album is destined to become the Chicago hip-hop version of Chinese Democracy... more ›

Sunday Sweaty Sunday. The weather was somewhere between Friday's scorcher and Saturday's gorgeousness. We had our sunscreen applied, water packed, our beach towels ready, and were prepared for whatever Day 3 had to bring us. Lots of questions floated around the grounds, including the still-rumored Obama appearance. What some folks failed to realize was that said rumor was actually listed in the program making it feel manufactured for dubious promotional purposes more than anything else. With that in mind, we took advantage of a wide-open schedule to catch as many bands as we could amongst the (once again) sell out crowd. more ›

Check out who's on the cover of the latest URB! more ›