Chicago Hip Hop Gets Comp'ed

By Scott Smith in Arts & Entertainment on Apr 12, 2006 3:47PM

In today’s Sun-Times, David Jakubiak discusses a CD spotlighting the local hip-hop radio show “CTA Radio” broadcast on the University of Chicago’s WHPK 88.5 FM. The comp will be released on New York label Raptivism Records.

Artists like Twista, Kanye and Common have led many to suggest a renaissance is brewing for Chicago’s hip-hop community and Raptivism label head Vincent Merry agrees:

"It's a really large city with a very diverse population and numerous institutions of higher learning that attract people from all over the country to partake in Chicago culture and take that back to wherever they are from," said Merry. "Chicago is a great platform for the development of art because it has all of these elements."

Merry also notes that by encouraging underground scenes across America, a national market for “vintage hip-hop of the A Tribe called Quest days” could be created. Clips from the CTA compilation can be heard here.

For more, check out this NPR interview with Chicago hip-hop/soul act Modill and this timeline of Chicago hip-hop from Galapagos Records.