Ice Cube at Riot Fest delivers N.W.A nostalgia
"Let's keep it gangsta tonight," Ice Cube announced as he took the stage Friday before tens of thousands of fans in Douglas Park. But gangstas were in short supply on...
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Blackalicious still keeping the faith in ‘Imani, Vol.1’
As part of the Solesides label and hip-hop collective (later known as Quannum) that launched out of Northern California in the '90s with DJ Shadow, Latyrx and others, Blackalicious was...
Mick Jenkins poised for hip-hop breakthrough
Chicago is overflowing with gifted MC's, from skillful veterans such as Lupe Fiasco and Psalm One to a wave of rising stars that includes Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa....
Fall album preview: Top picks of the season in pop, rock and country
The fall is always the busiest time of year for new recordings, and this year is no exception. Here's a preview of some of the more anticipated new releases: Rock...
Riot Fest thrives despite growing pains
Mike Petryshyn runs the biggest independent rock festival in the city, but the ideal of providing a consistent home for Riot Fest has proven elusive. This weekend on its 11th...
Low cuts through static on ‘Ones and Sixes’
Don't let the gentle demeanor fool you. Low's music tends to be typecast as slow and quiet, but the typecasters couldn't be more wrong. Slow, maybe, but there's often something...
D’Angelo improvises a keeper at North Coast festival
D'Angelo hasn't been around much the last 15 years, and music has been the worse for it. So his return to his rightful role as a headliner Saturday at the...
The Claudettes give blues a topsy-turvy makeover
Piano-drums combo the Claudettes makes a lot of music for two people. How do they do it? Does Johnny Iguana somehow manage to clone himself while sitting at the keyboard?...
The Weeknd’s pop can’t shake the darkness
In the video for the song that dominated the summer, The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face," Abel Tesfaye goes up in flames. And he does it while busting dance moves...
Foo Fighters like to share at Wrigley Field
It was "This is Your Life" Saturday at Wrigley Field for Foo Fighters' Dave Grohl. He presented a mini-history of Chicago rock, brought out his mother and cousin and sat...