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- Music, Music Feature Nov 18, 2020
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TheMIND reclaims his mental real estate
On his first album in four years, the Chicago singer digs in against the disenfranchisement of Black voices.
- Music, Concert Preview Feb 14, 2020
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Musa Reems and David Ashley bolster the lineup for one of the winter’s best Chicago rap shows
- Music, Concert Preview Jan 24, 2020
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Mick Jenkins fills the short Circus EP with considered, complex verses
- Music, Music Feature Apr 23, 2019
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Operation Hennessy digs a new channel for Chicago hip-hop
Keen-eyed rapper Qari hooks up with producer Green Sllime and opens the floodgates on his reservoir of irreverent old-school beats.
- Music, Concert Preview Jan 25, 2019
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Mick Jenkins shows why he’s one of the best rappers in Chicago with Pieces of a Man
- Music, Music Feature Nov 21, 2018
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Chicago rap crew Pivot Gang honor a fallen comrade
Saba’s Care for Me memorializes his cousin John Walt, whose generous spirit also survives in the arts nonprofit that bears his name—which holds its flagship concert fund-raiser this weekend.
- Blogs, Bleader Aug 21, 2018
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Lyrical Lemonade’s first outdoor festival: scads of Soundcloud rap, thousands of teenagers, and hours of waiting for food
Three Reader writers hash out the highs and lows of the Summer Smash, which showcased a young rap scene that's innovating a vital new sound but also celebrating alleged abusers.
- Blogs, Bleader Apr 19, 2018
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Dispensary block parties, THC dinners, and more 4/20-friendly events
Here are all the green goings-on Friday 4/20.
- Blogs, Bleader Feb 26, 2018
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Mick Jenkins commands his own future on the brand-new EP Or More; the Frustration
Chicago rapper Mick Jenkins is ending his deal with Brooklyn indie label Cinematic, and he's self-released two EPs that demonstrate where he's going next.
- Music, Music Feature Apr 12, 2017
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A people’s history of Kevin Coval
For decades the cofounder of Louder Than a Bomb has nurtured young voices and built vital communities in Chicago’s poetry, spoken-word, and hip-hop scenes. Now people whose lives he’s touched help tell his story.
- Music, Gossip Wolf Mar 28, 2017
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The Vic screens the Wax Trax! Records documentary before it’s even finished
Plus: Dream-pop project Fauvely celebrates its debut EP, and Chicago expat Alex Wiley returns to headline a hip-hop party at the Promontory.
- Blogs, Bleader Feb 15, 2017
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ThemPeople draw from Chicago’s close-knit hip-hop scene for two new tracks inspired by TV
Production collective ThemPeople recruits Smino, Via Rosa, and the Mind for the new Sitcom.
- Blogs, Bleader Feb 9, 2017
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RIP Chicago rapper-singer Dinner With John, cofounder of Pivot Gang
Dinner With John, born Walter Long Jr. and formerly known as John Walt, was stabbed to death yesterday at age 24.
- Music, Music Feature Jan 4, 2017
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Ben Burden blends hip-hop, R&B, and pushback against toxic masculinity
After an injury ended his soccer career, he came to Chicago to find his true self in music.
- Music, Music Feature Dec 22, 2016
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The year Chicago hip-hop beat the haters
For ages, local rappers tore each other down, as though the city could produce only one star at a time—but in 2016 the whole scene seemed to grasp the value of community.
- Music, Music Feature Sep 28, 2016
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Saba brings the west side to life in rap
On the new mixtape Bucket List Project, the Pivot Gang MC reminds Chicago that one of its most violent neighborhoods is also a home.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 17, 2016
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Pitchfork Fest on Saturday was mostly a joy to behold
On Pitchfork's second day, RP Boo and Jlin inspired fancy footwork, while Sufjan Stevens and Brian Wilson served up different doses of sadness.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 16, 2016
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Carly Rae Jepsen was a ray of sunshine on Pitchfork's gray opening day
Pitchfork's first day included (sometimes surprisingly) great sets by the likes of Carly Rae Jepsen, Moses Sumney, and Twin Peaks.
- Blogs, Bleader Jul 15, 2016
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Photos of the Friday crowd at Pitchfork Music Festival 2016
Portraits of the crowd at Union Park on July 15
- Music, Pitchfork Jul 1, 2016
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Pitchfork’s hometown heroes
Get acquainted with the record-breaking nine Chicago acts at this year’s festival.
- Music, Pitchfork Jul 1, 2016
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Who else should fans of hip-hop, R&B, and soul see at Pitchfork?
Like Thundercat? Try Beach House. Like Jeremih? Listen to Blood Orange.
- Blogs, Bleader Jun 30, 2016
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Chicago singer the Mind makes romance sound huge and feel intimate on his debut mixtape
After adding his voice to music by the likes of Mick Jenkins, Chance the Rapper, and Joey Purp, the Mind steps out on his own with Summer Camp.
- Blogs, Bleader Jun 15, 2016
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The Beats & Bars after-school program makes great protest music that doesn’t need a news hook
Chicago magazine's story on current Chicago protest music overlooks some of the best, including the EP Who They Wish I Was by the Beats & Bars after-school program.
- Blogs, Bleader Feb 19, 2016
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Here's the lineup for this year's Pitchfork Music Festival—and some insights from Reader critics in the know
The lineup for the three-day festival is out now; here's info and commentary from Reader critics to get you up for it.
- Blogs, Bleader Jan 27, 2016
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Brother Ali shares a bill with Mick Jenkins and Rhymefest at the Harold Washington Cultural Center on Saturday
That makes today a good time to revisit the Minneapolis rapper's 2012 album, Mourning in America and Dreaming in Color.
