“When I started skating, I was definitely in a creative rut, and I needed to push myself in a way,” says Chicago R&B singer Loona Dae. “It’s scary to fall, but I found a lot of refuge in skating because it’s just you and the skateboard. It taught me to trust myself more and rewired […]
Author Archives: Alejandro Hernandez
‘For me, music and spirituality are intertwined as one’
“Music is a spiritual thing.” These are the words of legendary Nigerian musician and activist Fela Anikulapo-Kuti, and if any artist in Chicago still carries the same pan-African spirit Fela did so many years ago, it’s Chai Tulani. Born in Kenya and raised in Chicago, Tulani has been a fixture in the city’s creative community […]
The Reader’s guide to World Music Festival Chicago 2023
In July, I attended a community meeting at the Broadway Armory in Edgewater about the city’s plan to turn the Park District facility into a temporary shelter for asylum seekers. A group of protesters, angry that much of the armory’s programming would be relocated or otherwise disrupted, carried bright yellow signs reading “Don’t Displace Us.” […]
Stock Marley invites us to show genuine love
“I’m not tryna get high, man. I’m tryna get righteous,” says Stock Marley. He’s in his west-side apartment, delicately rolling up a joint. “This is a daily sacrament. It’s a way of life. I’m not tryna do things fast—I’m trying to do it right. With the weed, with the music, we’re just trying to be […]
Calez makes music his guide
Ten years ago, Chicago artist Calez was part of a changing of the guard in Chicago music. The south-suburban rapper made a name for himself locally during the peak of the blog era: as a member of the BRKF$T Club collective (part of a larger crew called 2008ighties), he collaborated with many future Chicago staples, […]
Galaxy Francis leans into community to reinvent himself
Our current understanding of how galaxies form is that they’re shaped by the clumping together of dark matter, which makes up the invisible scaffolding of the universe. Clouds of gas and dust gather along this scaffolding, slowly collapsing into stars that evolve and then die in supernova explosions. These explosions create clouds of gas that […]
RXK Nephew and DJ Rude One merge their distinct styles on the sinister The ONEderful Nephew
In a meeting of generations, rising New York-based rapper RXK Nephew and Chicago underground legend DJ Rude One join forces to make magic on The ONEderful Nephew. Rude One is a student of the old school with cosigns from 90s hip-hop royalty (including Kool G Rap and Doom, who appear on his 2016 record, ONEderful), […]
CantBuyDeem to Black men: go to therapy
“I got all these friends but I still feel alone, imagine that,” says CantBuyDeem. These are the first words in Reality Raps, a short film created by and starring the multidisciplinary south-side artist. He’s a rapper, a model, a graphic designer, and now a filmmaker. Reality Raps, like the album of the same name that […]
Producer Thelonious Martin keeps hip-hop’s old wisdom alive
Sitting under the warm blue lights of his home studio, Chicago producer Thelonious Martin reflects on his musical influences as he studies a set of shelves completely stacked with obscure vinyl. On the shelves’ top right corner rest thick biographies about two of the greatest innovators in their respective genres: jazz pianist Thelonious Monk and […]
TheGr8Thinkaz elevate as teachers, healers, and artists
It was a cloudy March day when I walked into Classick Studios to conduct my next interview for this series on Chicago artists impacting their communities. I was greeted by one of the purest forms of hip-hop: a bevy of rappers freestyling together, rhyming to the classic instrumentals of Mike Jones’s “Still Tippin’” and the […]
Best potanist to follow on social media
When Cae Jones was fired from his job at his neighborhood dispensary a few years ago, he could’ve pivoted toward a more traditional industry. Instead, he built an Internet presence under the moniker Jungle Cae (also Cae, the Potanist) to educate others on cannabis culture and laws, while dispelling harmful myths around marijuana stemming from […]
Speaking purpose into artists’ lives
Behind a great artist, there’s often a great manager. The average fan likely never thinks about the people who manage their favorite musicians, but they’re the ones typically handling the behind-the-scenes work on the business side of the entertainment industry. Whether they’re booking performances, negotiating contracts, or just acting as voices of reason for the […]
East side flavor
Stony Island Park native Recoechi’s assertive bars carry a positive message.
Healing, music, and love
Freddie Old Soul credits music with helping her heal and find God.
Showing up for one another
Poet and organizer JazStarr builds bridges on the page and in the community.