New Music Monday – Hotstylz, The Hurt Game, Really Doe

Dave Leonard, NBC5 Street Team, (Video)
The Midwest continues to represent in a major way on the music tip this Summer! Here are a couple of new releases that recently dropped that you will definitely need in your collection:

In late 2007, Chicago’s own HotStylz dropped a hilarious and creative hip-hop anthem called “Lookin’ Boy” which was based on “The Dozens”, a hood tradition of good natured trash talking and two or more competitors trading witty insults. This song featured Atlanta rapper, Yung Joc, who also signed HotStylz to his Swagg Team Entertainment label and became an instant classic. Virtually, nothing was heard from the trio for almost two years…until now.

Thanks to Swagg Team/Jive Records and UIC Radio’s own DJ Moondawg, Hotstylz’ Raydio G, Krayzee, and Meatball are back with a funny, yet innovative major mixtape release, “A.D.D. : The Mixtape”. In this day and age of rappers talking about money, cars, and clothes, Hotstylz brings a great deal of comic relief, realism, creativity, and originality to the game. On “A.D.D.” they pick-up right where “Lookin’ Boy” left off with catchy hooks and infectious club beats. Standout tracks include “Michael Phelps”, the “laugh out loud” “Auntie Booty”, “Go Dutch” and “Thik & Fye” which features fellow Chi-town MC, Twista. Of course, Hotstylz’ true comedic talents shine on the hilarious skits. Check out the “Dead Beat Dad” skit and you will probably have tears in your eyes from laughing so hard. You can download this mixtape for free at DJ Moondawg’s website at www.djmoondawg.com

Shadowkat Nightson came to bring the pain…and it’s called “The Hurt Game”. This impressive collaborative effort brings together some of the Midwest’s best with a majority of them hailing from the Indianapolis area. “Nightsons Presents: The Hurt Game” presents a hard-hitting, unflinching soundscape that also has a very organic feel to it with a diverse collection of MCs rockin’ over beats provided by the Nightsons camp.

Shadowkat and his fellow Plugg City family, Chi-town’s own Rhymefest let you know what time it is right off the top with the sickening title track where “they ain’t playin’ no word games”. They keep the energy going with the pulsating “Breath Control” which features alpha.live and it’s pretty much a straight listen from start to finish from there. Check out “Money Bags”, “Full Blown”, and the head bobbing “Cold Case”. Don’t let this one pass you by! “Nightsons Presents: The Hurt Game” is now available at iTunes and Amazon.com. For more info or a preview of the album you can also go to www.nightsons.com

Last but not least, the anticipated debut release from Chi-town MC and Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music affiliate, Really Doe “First Impressions”, dropped via Cartel Records. Ever since the MC showcased his unique rhyme flow on “We Major” on West’s multi-platinum “Late Registration” album alongside the legendary Nas, hip-hop heads have wanted to hear more and Really Doe delivers on his first effort.

“First Impressions” has a lot of soulful hip-hop on it courtesy of producer Griffin Guess. “Sew It Up”, “RPS (Rock, Paper, Scissors)”, and one of my personal favorites, the unapologetic “My City” are indicative of that. Another single to check for on “Impressions” is the first single, “Mesmerized” which features vocalist Danny Klein and has a slightly similar sound to Lupe Fiasco’s “Superstar”. Other standouts to peep are “Follow Me”, “Million Dollar” and Mr. West even shows up on “Plastic”. Really Doe has been grinding for a while on the hip-hop scene and it’s good to see the hard work finally paying off. Hit up iTunes or Best Buy and cop this one for the iPod. He makes a good “first impression”…really doe.

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Get Your Yeezys Here!

Itika Oldwine, NBC Chicago Street Team

The other day while we were checking out the inventory at West Loop sneaker and urban wear store Self Conscious, it appeared like a mirage in the desert — a pair of the much-coveted Air Yeezys, perched on the back wall. It was like an Elvis sighting. Who the heck knew there was an unclaimed Yeezy out there?

The Air Yeezy, designed by Kanye West, has been on every sneakerheads must-have list for months. When the Black Yeezy was released earlier this month, folks slept outside of Niketown on Michigan Ave. to snap up a limited pair of Yeezy’s. The shoe completely flew off the shelves within hours of its release, and soon after there were bids upwards of $1,000 for the Yeezys on eBay.

Click here to read the rest of this post on NBCChicago.com.

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Kanye’s Burgers are P-H-A-T!

Dave Leonard, NBC Chicago Street Team

When rapper Ice Cube says “Two in the morning, got the fat burger” in the hip-hop classic song, “It Was A Good Day”, I can definitely relate to that line. There has been many a time I’ve found myself in Los Angeles, California late at night after the club, craving a juicy Fat Burger. Now thanks to Chi-town’s own Kanye West, I no longer have to fly thousands of miles to get some of my favorite fast food.

This past weekend, my wife and I headed to my old stomping grounds, the South burbs to check out the brand new Fat Burger restaurant in Orland Park, IL (located at 15110 S. Lagrange Rd.). The 2,353 square foot, 74-seat restaurant is the first of several that Kanye West’s KW Foods LLC is slated to open in the Chicago area over the next year. We were curious to see how the new franchise would stack up to the ones out West. Well….it didn’t dissappoint!

The first noticeable difference when we arrived was the seemingly never-ending line that stretched out the door. All 74 seats inside were occupied and it was like playing musical chairs to get a seat. It took us at least 20 minutes to get through the line as there was only one person working the register up until we got a few feet away from the front of the line.

Just as we got to the front and started placing our order, I noticed a seat about to open that a young girl had also been scoping until her mother foolishly sent her around the restaurant to check for another opening. I am not ashamed to say, as soon as the seat did become available, I abrubtly interrupted my wife and sent her to retrieve it. All is fair in war and hunger. Some casualties are even innocent children.

I ordered my usual, a XL Turkeyburger with cheese, no pickles and no relish accompanied by Fat fries and a Maui Banana Shake. My wife settled for a regular Turkeyburger with cheese, fries and a chocolate shake. Because it was so packed inside, everyone was given a number on an small orange construction cone and a server brought your meal out to you. The service was pretty quick considering the large crowd and once we took a bite, it was worth every minute. Ironically, Kanye’s “Flashing Lights” and “I Wonder” from the “Graduation” album played in the background on the jukebox that was located near the back of the line.

Even though we both were extremely hungry, we took our time and savored every bite. By the time we finished, we felt like we had been eating all day. I was pleased, and thankful that Kanye had the vision to bring Fat Burger to Illinois and I look forward to the new location on 95th Street (which will also be closer to me) in January 2009.

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Kanye is Bringing Us Some Fatburgers…

Blagica Bottigliero, NBC5 Street Team (Video)

Chicago’s Hip Hop King, Kanye West, is bringing 10 Fatburgers to the Chicago area. If you don’t know what Fatburgers is, it’s a west coast chain with tasty, finger licking good hamburgers.   The first one opens in Orland Park, with a Beverly location coming soon. Now that’s some nice South Side love:). Who knew he was starting a food empire?

Thanks, Kanye!

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Two Festivals, One Weekend…

Chasity Chaos, NBC5 Street Team

Two festivals, one weekend… On one hand we had Lollapalooza – Chicago’s own annual music festival that features musicians from every genre of music ever conceptualized and even a few made up ones. This year, the festivals headlining acts were Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, and Kanye West.

On the other hand we had the Warped Tour – the annual touring music and extreme sports festival that started out as a showcase for punk rock music, but in the recent years has evolved into a showcase for a plethora of musical styles including, various genres of rock and other genres such as reggae and alternative hip hop. This year’s lineup boasted a few act’s I’ve heard of – Katy Perry, Gym Class Heroes, Shwayze, Against Me!, and the Horrorpops – and a few bands that I hadn’t heard of – 3OH!3, the Human Abstract, and the Aggrolites.

With all of these options, what was a girl to do? Well, since I figured that most of the street teamers would be heading over to La-La Land for their musical fix, I decided to go against the grain and rock it out at in Tinley Park at the Warped Tour, and I must say that I’m not disappointed.

Even though a lot of people deprecate the tour for unbridled commercialism, high concession prices, and “watered-down music,” I personally feel that the addition of more genres of music to the lineups added a much needed diversity. Where else could I see Katy Perry perform after the Human Abstract – the “brainy” progressive band named after metaphysical British poet William Blake? The Human Abstract has been catching a lot of heat after lead guitarist A.J. Minette, was replaced with Andrew Tapley, but if you ask me, Tapley’s lighting fingers have the potential to fill the void of Minette’s absence.

Even though I give the Warped Tour mad props for varying their lineup, in retrospect I don’t think it was a good idea for the high-spirited, bi-curious, pop vixen Katy Perry to follow a metal act, seeing as though she got hit with an open water bottle at the beginning of her set. But what woulda been a setback or a fight for other acts, didn’t even cause Perry to flinch. She went on to finished her act flawlessly, while even managing to sneak in a smooch session with, not one, but two girls during , “I kissed a Girl.”

Other highpoints of the show included performances by the Aggrolites – a Los Angeles band who literally, put the reggae back in ska music, and the Horrorpops. Now, when I walked over to the stage where the Horrorpops were to perform, I walked over as a girl who only new a little bit about psychobilly music and even less about the band, but I walked away as a fan. Not only did this band rock out the, lead singer/stand up bass player – Patricia Day – showed me what women in rock are truly capable of.

All in all, I had a great time. I walked into the gig wanting something different and I walked out with a gang of CDs and a new respect for some hot vets  and some new acts.

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Lupe Fiasco Glows in the Dark

Chasity Chaos, NBC5 Street Team Video

As most of you know, two of Chicago’s most illuminating rappers graced the city with their presence last week when they rolled through with their critically acclaimed ‘Glow In The Dark’ tour.

Kanye West aka “the Louis Vuitton Don” and Lupe Fiasco aka “Hip Hop’s Whiz Kid,” radiated the stage at the United Center along with N-E-R-D and Rihanna during the Glow in the Dark show… or so I heard. Unfortunately I didn’t get to see the show. Tickets were sold out before I could “Kick, Push” and go buy some. My hookups at the label didn’t even have any extra tickets lying around! But fortunately, I found a way to finagle my way backstage with a camera crew to sit down with Mr. Fiasco himself to ask him a few questions that have been lingering in my mind.

With interruptions from Chris Brown and Pharrell Williams, along with Fiasco’s occasional departure to tell his crew and N-E-R-D to quiet down while we were talking, this was a Q&A that I’ll never forget.

Check it out for yourself.

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The Cool Kids: Cookin’ up somethin’ fresh…

Liz Holland, NBC5 Street Team

A couple weeks ago I went to see one of Chicago’s up and coming rap duos, The Cool Kids at Underground. Today they release their debut EP, The Bake Sale (C.A.K.E./Chocolate Industries) featuring their hit song “Black Mags”, a tribute to BMX-biking. If you like hip hop, I highly recommend that you pick up a copy.

Mickey Rocks (aka Antoine Reed), 20, and Chuck Inglish (aka Evan Ingersoll), 23, rocked the crowd at Underground with their signature sound, a contemporary version of throwback 80’s with prominent beats and catchy commentary similar to the likes of the Beastie Boys and Run-DMC with a touch of Pharrell. Their sound has been praised by the Chicago Reader for “a Chicago specific hip-hop sound rivaling that of the Dirty South, or Bay Area”.

The duo met in 2005 through Myspace after Mickey came across Chuck’s beats online. Thanks to the internet, their music has quickly spread from the underground scene to landing major creds booking notable music festivals including the upcoming Lollapalooza and Rock the Bells, touring with rap star M.I.A, and callabos with A-trac (Kanye West’s DJ), Flosstradamus, and Lil’ Wayne on “Gettin’ It”. Not to mention, they were featured in Rolling Stone as one of the “Top 10 Artists to Watch in 2008”.

In my opinion, part of what makes them “the whole package” is their down to earth swagger and “tell it like it is” attitude. Most impressively, they have their style down to a T with a fresh take on vintage street wear.

Mark my words — this duo is soon to be added to the Chicago hip-hop hotlist of Kanye, Common, Lupe — just you wait.

Besides checking out The Bake Sale, you can catch them for a performance at the Abbey Pub, this Wednesday, May 21^st at 9 p.m. for a Darfur Now Benefit (suggested donation at the door).

The Abbey Pub

3420 W. Grace

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