During our conversation, I asked the Oxnard, California MC about some of his favorite LPs that carry the same everlasting quality found in his album. He mentions some of the greats: Boogie Down Production’s By Any Means Necessary, N.W.A.’s Straight Outta Compton, Lootpack’s Soundpieces, and Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth. Talking about the latter, he candidly recalls getting shot as a teenager, and how it was Gang Starr’s album that helped him cool down and put his life into perspective. What follows are M.ED.’s words on how hip-hop helped turn his life around, and what led him to create his long overdue sophomore album—his first in over six years.

On being shot as a teenager…
“When I got shot, man…honestly I didn’t really talk about it. People would be like, ‘You need to do a song about it.’ And I’m like, “I ain’t doing no song about being no victim, homey. That ain’t cool.’ At first it was just what it was. I got out of the hospital in like three hours. When you’re mad you ain’t tripping off it, especially if you got hit and you didn’t really feel it cause (the bullet) just went through you. It’s kind of like, ‘Ah, whoa!’ It doesn’t last long enough to make sound. If it don’t hit a bone you just feel wet and what not. You’re a little sore. But when you get a chance to think about it and how you could have been gone, that’s when you start thinking, ‘Man…’”

On the effect of Gang Starr’s Moment of Truth…
“If you going through hard times, put that shit on. Some of them songs touched me like they seemed like they were talking to me like church or some shit. Moment of Truth really was one of those ones where if you’re in a negative zone, (Guru) will make you start re-considering what you’re doing.”

On what he’s been up to since his debut, Push Comes To Shove…
“I’ve just been getting my thoughts together and my mind together. Just getting my pen sharp, finding myself as an artist and just trying to grow as a human being; just become a better person in life. I took a little break, but I never stopped working. I think everything is on the right track now. I think that break was necessary. I think it was a little too long but necessary.”

On putting out music today…
“To stay relevant, is just to do good music. If you want that fast success or you drop something and you’re trying to figure out how to get people excited for you besides just the music, there’s obviously the gimmicks. I think with my album, I just did songs that I felt I could listen to ten years down the line; that I could play and be like, ‘Yo, this is still hittin’.”

On working with Hodgy Beats from Odd Future…
“I think I caught a little slack for getting Odd Future’s Hodgy Beats on there, but that has nothing to do with buzz. (OFWGKTA) went to Stones Throw as more of a fan and somehow it connected. Then (Peanut Butter) Wolf hit (Hodgy) up and was like, ‘Yo, you think you’re down to do a song with M.E.D.?’ And he’s like, ‘Yo, I’m down,’ and it was good money. It’s a good thing for the West Coast. Those dudes are like 21 and I’m about to be 32 so that’s a generation gap, (but) that’s good. I’m down with that.”

Download an MP3 of “Outta Control” featuring Hodgy Beats.

 On his growth since Push Comes To Shove…
“I listen to my old album and I feel like I’m in the booth battling. Some songs I’m just yelling and rapping like I’m not recording a song. You can actually tell on this album I’m more comfortable and more relaxed. I had so much to prove back in the days as far as what I felt. Now (that) I’m feeling kind of loved and I worked with some of the hip-hop greats, I feel like, ‘Okay, you don’t gotta go in there and battle rap every song. Do a song where people can actually just listen.’”

On Classic’s most personal track, “Blaxican”…
“The song was done and I didn’t know if I would get it on the album. I wanted it on the album for sure, but Wolf really pushed for that song. Wolf was like, ‘This is needed.’ I think my mom’s gonna be proud of that song for acknowledging both sides of my race.”

On why he didn’t have Madlib produce the entire album…
“I was gonna do a whole Madlib album, but since a lot of people do that I kinda wanted to focus on M.E.D. That’s my brother and we do so much music together, but it just didn’t go that direction. Plus I knew the (upcoming) Medicine Show was gonna be a completely Madlib-produced album.

Words by Max Herman. Photos by Eric Coleman.

The most recent edition of Mayhem, headlined by turntablist Cut Chemist, reminded me why this night works—here, wide-ranging, international talent trumps any gimmicks. Always fun to photograph, this Friday saw Colombian-based artist Quantic juggle between his mixing boards, turntables and even an accordion. Splitting a slot between performing his original material and a DJ set, while he got off to a slow start, he ascended into an electric mix of cumbia, house and reggae influences that made way for a global party.

Later that night, Cut Chemist reignited the b-boy circle that was sparked by DJ Intel earlier on during the opening, local segment (Face Melt vs. Push Beats). Former Jurassic 5 member Cut Chemist didn’t shy away from scratching and cutting up records and surely pleased his core fan base with dusty funk tracks along with hip-hop classics (Dead Prez’s “Hip-Hop”) and his own cuts (“Storm” with Edan and Mr. Lif). His constant use of a projection screen rife with animation and wild visuals undoubtedly enhanced the set and made it more interesting to shoot.

Consider these photos a snapshot of what to expect from Mayhem at The Mid, in this case featuring Chicago talent (DJ Trew, Intel, Abyss, Cos, BRC), an international innovator (Quantic), and a seasoned turntablist (Cut Chemist); just another varied Friday in this up-and-coming club.

Words and photos by Max Herman.

Opting to not read the press release for the documentary 50 Cent: The Origin of Me before watching, it was a mystery whether the film was going to be yet another look into 50’s storied past in Jamaica, Queens or something entirely different. Thankfully this film, which is part of VH1’s “Rock Docs” series, leans heavily towards the latter category.

Only a few minutes into the film, the hip-hop star declares, “Everybody knows 50 Cent, but there’s so much more to know about Curtis Jackson.” And with that we follow Curtis (a.k.a. 50) on a private jet from NYC to the rural community of Edgefield, SC—the town where his late grandfather grew up. This doc is essentially done in the same vein as NBC’s series Who Do You Think You Are?, where celebrities dig deeper into their family tree. (The full episode is available to stream at VH1.com.) While 50 was primarily looking to find out about more about his grandpa, he winds up tracing his roots back 200 years with assistance from the local genealogical society.

Throughout this film, 50 remains noticeably quiet when discovering details about his family and the oft-racist history of Edgefield. There’s one scene that’s eerily surreal where the rapper and his great aunt visit the home where his great, great, great grandmother lived and worked as a slave. Here he talks to a descendant of the slave master. During this conversation this elderly white man living in the house ironically gives 50 props on his hit “In Da Club.” Despite the impressiveness of 50’s music reaching such an unlikely target and the man’s hospitality, the whole visit to this house is cut short when the racist history in the air becomes too much to handle.

If you expect to see Curtis Jackson deeply contemplating on his encounters in Edgefield, you’ll be disappointed in The Origin of Me. This documentary is more about following 50 Cent on his journey as he gets to know his family with small doses of commentary. His reflections like, “If I sat on the back on of the bus, it was by choice,” prove that he’s processing the history he encounters. But at the same time, between finding out about Edgefield’s history and discovering facts about his family, there was a lot to take in on his seemingly short visit. Ultimately, the documentary reveals the patience and historical curiosity of the artist we know as 50 Cent. And hopefully, in time, we’ll hear more about his reaction to all of his encounters through his world famous raps.

Review by Max Herman.

Even as the distinctions between street art and graffiti remain debatable, it’s safe to say that just about every participant in this show has put in work on the outside world—under viaducts, on light signal boxes, on industrial doors, etc. But one participant, Mental 312, is notably breaking down barriers between graff and street art in practice. Using a roller and a single color of bucket paint, he creates gigantic, maze-like pieces of lines, which sometimes don’t even spell anything out in particular. Mental says the motive behind these pieces originally was to cover all of the unsightly brown buff paint plaguing Chicago walls.

Even with Mental’s newer, roller pieces being such a large step away from his older traditional graffiti fill-ins and tags, he still doesn’t necessarily consider himself a street artist. “As a graffiti artist, I look at street art as something new. Street art is just a new version of graffiti—a new generation.”

Being in his first gallery, it was intriguing to see how Mental’s left field piece fit into the puzzle that is the collaborative wall at the Chicago Street Art Show. With large sheets of mounted plywood as the backdrop, Mental took a roller and green paint to the surface and created the foundation of the piece with his freestyle linear work. Eventually, one of the shows’ curators, Joseph Depre, and others began wheatpasting various posters and prints by street artists Viking, Goons, Cro, Brooks Golden, Solve (R.I.P), and many others onto the same wall.

Subsequently Mental was not too happy about how much of his original piece was covered. Given that this wall and show features such a large cross section of artists bringing street side-style work into a gallery, it’s only natural that some tension would arise. Each artist has their own technique; their own vision; their own purpose. What was cool is that by the end of the day that I was there, the main collaborative wall completely came together. Eventually more artists helped to arrange the work, including Brooks Golden, Cro, and Mental—the latter who picked a roller back up and recreated some of his lines over parts of the wheatpastes. When the setup came to close, it looked like a real wall—a relatively proportioned representation of Chicago street art.

Joseph Depre, whose work is also featured in the show, says that, “The important part of the gallery is to find the balance [between artists’ work]. When they’re all put together, it’ll say a lot.”

Walking around the gallery, though, it’s not just the main collaborative wall that represents a balance. Take the two “You Are Beautiful” collaborative pieces, which are comprised of individual letters from different artists that come together to spell “You Are Beautiful.” The letters are made up of graffiti pieces, cartoonish characters and sometimes both. Considering the amount of participants in this piece and divergence of techniques, it’s possibly the most varied piece of the show.

Another highlight is the street sculpture that sits right in the middle of the gallery called (T)HUG LIFE(?). Created by longtime Chicago artists Chris Silva, Thor, Brooks Golden, Nick Adam and others, this gigantic installation is made up entirely of found objects like doors, windows, and even a model house, which are mostly collaged together and painted on with various oddball characters. It looks like a mini city in itself. One side even features a red light district with a nude female standing behind shutters as a pervy man looks on. It’s a bizarre collective piece that tells stories at every angle.

Silva, one of Chicago’s pioneering street artists and longtime graffiti writer says that in such a large-scale collaboration, “You work with similar sensibilities and have an understanding of the visual language.” He adds that, “This is a project of peers. We’re all holding ourselves to a pretty high standard.”

The aforementioned piece, (T)HUG LIFE(?), is one in particular that will continue to be worked on even after the shows’ opening. Like when these pieces are actually on the street, they evolve—artists add elements and sometimes strangers tear a part of the poster off or tag over it or just place a similarly styled work next to it. Street art is not static and those who made The Chicago Street Art Show happen, whether Chris Silva or Mental are arguably well aware of this evolution.

The Chicago Street Art Show runs through June 4th at the Chicago Urban Art Society, 2229 S. Halsted in Chicago.

http://chicagourbanartsociety.tumblr.com/

Words by Max Herman

Related Post:

Lowbrow or “Hi-Graff”?

All Hands On Decks: The Skateboard Art of Haroshi

The History of Graffiti and Street Art Exhibition at MOCA

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Sure just about everyone with a laptop and a playlist wants to be a DJ nowadays, but a true selector is often judged only by how well they can connect with a crowd. Red Bull Thre3Style, a new, countrywide competition series, is weeding out the wannabes and finding the top crowd-moving DJs in each city. The format features eight competitors who are given fifteen minutes to garner a response using music from at least three genres. On the Chicago leg of the Red Bull Thre3style tour held at The Mid, the competition largely took the challenge seriously and pushed themselves to dig deep in their Serato playlists to come up with party-worthy sets.

If judging by the crowed response alone, Zebo seemed to incite the most cheers with his genre-weaving set featuring Rusko, the Isley Brother’s “Shout,” and a closing snippet of Crucial Conflict’s sole hit, “Hay.” Lighting a disc on fire while Jimi Hendrix’s “Light My Fire” played didn’t hurt his response either. While not quite as visually jubilant, the Ghetto Division’s Charlie Glitch also got a great response while mixing house, juke, and other Chicago dance staples. In the end, though, battle-tested turntablist Big Once proved to be the best at pleasing the people according to judges Craze (also the headlining performer), Catchdubs, and Chuck Flask, who had the final say (Zebo came in third and DJ Trentino in second).

Big Once said it himself in his video introduction that he was the only competitor with DJ battle experience and it showed. Using vocal snippets, the Red Bull Thre3Style winner called out each of his competitors by name in true battle fashion in between playing hip-hop and dance tracks. Of course the participants weren’t asked to address their fellow DJs, but that battle edge obviously set Big Once apart. Ending his set by firing an air horn off was a nice finishing touch for this tried-and-true turntablist who will compete in the Red Bull Thre3style National Finals to be held November in Vegas with a chance to move onto the International Finals in Vancouver.

Words and photos by Max Herman

Personally having been hooked on The Beatnuts sound since ‘93-94, it baffles me that it took 17 years for me to see them live. I remember in high school seeing a flyer for a show that they were going to be a part of (also featuring personal ‘90s favorites Common, Organized Konfusion, and Artifacts). I was salty about being too young to go then, but upon getting word that they were coming to Chicago’s Double Door this month, it became a must-see set.

Not surprisingly the show produced a packed crowd and after local acts Scheme, Astonish, Que Billah, and Mass Hysteria properly warmed up the night, JuJu and Psycho Les stepped up with DJ Bassi Maestro for an hour-plus of intoxicated, classic hip-hop. Sure, there were moments later on when the Beatnuts just let their signature beats ride and weren’t exactly performing yet the collective nostalgia going down was entertaining in itself. Well into the one a.m. hour, JuJu laughed at the idea of drinking water and was seen holding a bottle of Jameson and Bud Light in one hand and the other was holding the hand of a tight jean-wearing female fan he was dancing with. As thugged-out as this duo comes off on certain songs like “Reign of The Tec,” it doesn’t mean that these guys don’t know how to have a good time.

A lot of hip-hop acts talk about creating a party, but I’ve seen very few that can actually make that happen like The Beatnuts did here. It didn’t take much effort to get hands up or females on stage. And that doesn’t mean the ruggedness of songs like “Do You Believe” or “Find That” wore off at all during this show (two great renditions of the night). When they warn, “If you owe me money, better find that shit…” while performing the latter track, you can see that JuJu and Les are no studio thugs. Finally seeing The Beatnuts reminded me of when rap wasn’t quite so manufactured and safe. And seeing that they aren’t quitting anytime soon, it’ll be interesting to see how their street level party rap holds up as hip-hop continually moves towards new trends.

Words and photos by Max Herman

15-plus years into his career and internationally known producer/selector DJ Vadim is still finding new sounds to tap into while keeping his true school hip-hop foundation in tact. A large part of the multi-hued Vadim experience derives from the vast selection of artists he winds up working with—those who aren’t always the most known but who undeniably click with Vadim sonically. While touring his last solo album, U Can’t Lurn Imaginashun, in 2009, Vadim brought along two then up-and-coming artists who were featured on that very project: UK singer Sabira Jade and Chicago MC Pugs Atomz.

While rocking stages the artists didn’t just stick to set lists—they began playing with their chemistry live and cooked up songs that would soon become the inception of the new group The Electric—songs like the soulful, laidback, and multi-layered “Beautiful.” The trio embraced messing with everything from minimalist down tempo to synthy funk. As Vadim recalls via e-mail, “Whilst on tour we started to record, trying songs out at sound check, in the back of the car, and before you know it, we had like 40 songs.”

Sabira, who had never worked closely with an MC previously enjoyed the back-and-forth writing process with Pugs alongside Vadim on stage and in studio. With none of this being planned, she agrees that the formation of The Electric was a natural progression of the on-tour kinship. “We were thrown together for like nine months and spent almost every day and night together traveling in the car all day, then hanging out backstage, then we’d do the shows and then partying afterward or hanging out in each others hotel rooms making new music!” she says. “We had a lot of time to get to know each other and luckily it just worked.”

Living in Chicago, I caught up with The Electric’s Chi connection Pugs Atomz in his new neighborhood of Rogers Park to take some photos amongst the artist-friendly area and to get his take on the formation of The Electric. After watching a slew of classic hip-hop videos by the likes of Organized Konfusion and Mobb Deep we discuss his history as a road warrior, the making of The Electric’s debut album Life Is Moving (due out March 14^th on Organically Ground Sounds), and how touring with Vadim and Sabira has completely changed the way he writes music.

Can you talk about the first time you went on the road to perform?

Pugs Atomz: It was probably when I was 18. It was an NAACP art competition. They flew us out to Minnesota and they gave us money for everyday. And then I met Kanye for the first time and I met this guy Damon Lamar and this other guy Dinky. They were all Chicago residents or people that just moved to Chicago. But we all were there for our art. I was like, ‘okay, if I could get this to happen and I didn’t really try for this, there’s gotta be other things.’ Further down the line being with The Molemen and Prime—more so being with Prime and him bringing me to do shows I started going to New York, going to Philly, going to Boston. And then with the Nacrobats, us doing the Midwest run of Minnesota, Detroit, St. Louis and then really doing the college scene heavy— hitting Bloomington, hitting all those little places but coming back and seeing more people then being like, ‘well if we could do it at these schools, why can’t we do it at further schools?’ And then the first time the Nacrobats did a month tour in L.A., it was the first three weeks with me and Thaione and we came back two-three weeks later with Psalm (One) and Infinito and Cosmo (Galactus) and it was like, ‘wow, this is really possible. This is feasible.’

What were some of the experiences like as far as the artists you opened for back then and did you interact with those artists before you went on stage?

Pugs Atomz: The bigger shows like House of Blues it would be really random. Somebody like Rakim you would actually get to kick the shit with him, talk to him a little bit. And at the time, I was designing for the company Afro Wear so I had some gear to give him so it was more a camaraderie kind of thing. Other people, you might not notice who they are. Like I remember when I opened for Cypress Hill, I didn’t’ really know who what Muggs looked like and I get off the stage and this guy’s back there like, ‘Yo, man, I really liked it, you were really good.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, thanks.’ And I kept going and I got a little further and [people] are like, ‘yo, you know who that was?’ And I’m like, ‘no, who’s that?’ They’re like, ‘Muggs!’ It was that kind of thing where you don’t really know what people look like. But then people like Atmosphere are very hands-on. You knew them. They were almost like your friends to a point when you do a show with them. They showed a lot of love. I remember one show where me and Prime and Mad Crates had drove up to Minnesota and we went to the wrong city. And by the time we got to the right city, it was 2 a.m., show’s over so no money at the door, promoters like, ‘Ayyy.’ So Prime called Slug, like ‘Aye, we don’t’ have no place to stay, do you think you could help us out?’ And he’s like, ‘yeah, come to my house.’ And he put us up at 3 in the morning.

What relationships have lasted between different artists that formed back then?

Pugs Atomz: Everybody from the late-90s. If they’re still in music, we’re still cool. But I think it’s a little different in the sense that if we don’t see each other, that’s pretty much the extent of it for the most part just because everybody’s into their lives now. Most of the people are between 27 and almost 40. So everybody has families and that kind of thing and it’s become a job now so it’s a different kind of thing. But when everybody sees each other it’s definitely like old friends catching up and shootin’ the shit and comparing notes. I think the last time I talked to Brother Ali on the phone was probably a year and some change but we were on the phone for a minute and it wasn’t really about a song, it was just chewing the fat.

You had just mentioned this has become more of a job so probably in the earlier days it was more about the battle element, rapping about rapping. How has your approach to writing changed?

Pugs Atomz: Now I write where people that don’t speak English could kind of follow what I’m saying just ‘cause we’re doing a lot of shows with The Electric and Vadim where nobody speaks English—not nobody, but it’s a vague sense of the English language. So that definitely is one thing I try to keep and count: how to articulate well so you could get the gist. And then also doing songs for stage. For me now, there’s really no point to just do a song to do a song—it’s gotta be something that I could actually perform to maximize it.

So you’re always thinking about the possible reaction?

Pugs Atomz: Yeah, yeah.

Can you talk more about how you’re changing the accessibility of your flow so people that speak different languages can understand?

Pugs Atomz: I just try to keep it clear. We all have our drawls and stuff but I try not to over do it and really just focus in on the letters and the end sounds so you hit every word. It’s a rough one if you’re performing and nobody has a clue at all—they can’t even guess what you mean. So you really have to figure it out.

On the Electric album your flow has slowed down a little bit, and like you said, it’s a little more clear. Would you say that was a conscious effort for the whole group?

Pugs Atomz: Nah, I think it’s one of these things that just happened cause with The Electric stuff, everything we were doing, we were performing first and then we recorded it. It’s kind of like freestyling and just riding the beats. So that’s just naturally what happened. But as I look at it, I’m like, ‘overall, this is what’s really happening—my brain is writing to the live audience as opposed to writing to people who go home and study.’

So you guys were really trying stuff out on the stage, on the road?

Pugs Atomz: Yeah, every song, man. For instance, “Beautiful,” I was going to a radio interview and [they] had played Flying Lotus and then I was like, ‘ ah, that was really dope!’ And Vadim was like, ‘ okay, I think I can play around with it and make something like that as well.’ And then we had some live instrumentation come in, they did the thing, and then went for the verse, it was real random, but I think at the radio station I spit the verse. Everything was in those kind of ways—right before the show, I’m like, ‘well, I got this idea—play the beat and we’ll see what happens.’ And some of the remixes are very opposite of the original songs. Like “So Now You Know.” I mean me and Sabira were just on stage playing around with it and she had sang a couple different riffs and I’m like, ‘Ah, man, yeah yeah, that’s it, that’s it!’ [It’s] just moving stuff around and not being where it has to be locked in one way. On the other side, the similes and metaphors are still there—just the way it sounds is clearer.

You originally opened for Vadim’s group One Self, but how did you get to the point where you were actually collaborating with him on stage to where he said, ‘okay, I wanna work with you.’

Pugs Atomz: Well the last show that we did on tour in 2007, we did like 40-50 shows, we were in Canada—in Montreal—and the night there they opened it up and we just all rocked out. It was me, Abstract Rude, Awdacate, Yarah, and it was fun. I think after that show, he gave me a beat CD that day. And from there, I just wrote a couple songs, sent him some songs, and he sent me some more beats, and then wrote a couple more songs. And then it was after I did “Saturday” and “Always Lady,” that when it was like, ‘okay, we’re really building a relationship at this point.’ And then when he was doing the tour for You Can’t Lurn Imaginashun trying to figure out he was gonna do it. He was going through the thing with his eye [cancer] and it’s a possibility, maybe that it’s gonna happen. From what I hear now, Yarah was doing her thing as well so he was like, ‘you want to come out and do a few shows and see how it goes?’ Because with him, his whole thing is always [take] a different group of people each tour from the album—so from Deuce Eclipse and everybody on Soundcatcher. After we practice, I pulled up a bunch of my old songs like “Tear In Your Eye” and he had this kind of reggae beat and I was like, ‘aw, that’ll work’—that kind of thing. And then just the chemistry on stage was really dope. After we did that, he had me host a few shows for him through the West Coast so it became more of a friendship and a bond. And we recorded so many songs in the short year-and-a-half period.

And at what point did Sabira Jade come around and the idea for The Electric really formulate?

Pugs Atomz: I think he met Sabira at a Hexstatic concert that Yarah was the opener. And I guess from that point they started to communicate back and forth. Sabira told me something about MySpace as well because he was looking for singers. But my first day for the You Can’t Lurn Imaginashun Tour ’09 she walked in the door and [Vadim] was like, “Pugs, Sabira, Pugs, Sabira’ and we just practiced. And I think it was more towards the end of that first little tour where I was like, ‘yo, we need to make a group or something.’ That’s usually my way of everything—if it’s working with The Gent$, Nacrobats or whatever—we should capitalize. And then Vadim, he was definitely about it, but we didn’t have a name per se. We were going back and forth on e-mail after I came back—he gave me a list of names and I gave him a couple names and then he had The Electric as one of ‘em and I was like, ‘yeah, I like that one!’

It was really just the You Can’t Lurn Imaginashun Tour so the luck of the draw.

At what point did you guys know that you wanted to make it really official?

Pugs Atomz: That was the thing though. With me, I record every week so when I was out there, I was trying to record records; Sabira was recording records as well so then from the same conversation it was like, ‘oh, those songs are Electric songs now’—just smash ‘em all together.

So there was a certain feel that you know right away that they belonged as Electric songs?

Pugs Atomz: Yeah, well that’s the cool thing about The Electric: there’s no one sound. It’s just really what we’re into and what Vadim is making and what influences us. And even though I’m sure you could find something similar in all of the music, overall it’s just whatever the beats are. Some of the remixes are totally different from the originals—more glitchier, more electro—that kind of stuff. But that’s still The Electric. And that’s the one reason I really like the name that I felt that I wouldn’t be stuck in this sound. It could be whatever it wants to be.

Since you guys pretty much formulated in Europe doing all the shows over there, can you talk about that experience playing in front of that audience compared to performing in the States?

Pugs Atomz: Well, to me, I relate Europe to Cali—Cali is just a lot of fun people, looser, ready to have a good time. And Europe is pretty much that. There’s some areas that are a little more hardcore like when you’re in Germany where there’s more of a tough scene so that’s more super rapper, battle mode kind of shit. But I think the one thing is it’s the real party vibe that we bring to the stage. Some people will be like, ‘to see you guys live is just a whole different experience than the CD. The music is good, but live there is an extra umph. For me, I love to perform. That’s like one of my favorite things. Vadim is a very animated character and he has his controller and a bunch of blinking lights and he’s cutting and scratching, and there’s a bunch of different instruments on stage and Sabira’s a very solid vocalist. She could just stand there and sing and it’s the same feeling. It’s really a party vibe. Vadim, he’s done a lot. The people of Poland are like, ‘this is one of the first people to bring hip-hop here.’ Having that behind you makes it a very nice intro. People are gonna treat you a lot different than if it’s just you kicking it.

Since you have collaborated with so many people, what advice would you give to younger artists as far as working with other people? What should they be looking for in collaborations?

Pugs Atomz: Well one, you should really want to do the collaboration. Don’t just do it because of the name kinda thing. Obviously if it’s a big name, it’ll help in terms of getting it out but if you guys don’t really like each other’s music then you don’t really care what it’s gonna sound like. And then also, just your goals. When you’re working with somebody, you really have to set an idea of what you’re trying to accomplish and try to stick to that so that it doesn’t go awry. With most groups, there’s always that awry part that happens. Everybody wasn’t on the same page. And it’s hard. I’ve had my ups and downs with people just because communication is a hard thing and everybody’s not really that great at it. Some people assume you get what they’re saying and vice versa.

So do you feel like you’ve reached a really good level of communication with Vadim and Sabira?

Pugs Atomz: I think so far we’ve been pretty good, but I think it’s a different dynamic just cause most groups you wouldn’t spend this much time together before the record even begins. Usually the tour is after you did this great record. Then you hit the road and realize, ‘wow, I don’t know if I could hang out with this person all the time.’ For us, it’s more of a family kind of thing. When I’m in London, I stay at Vadim’s house you know what I mean?

A lot of times people become family. Like the Vadim tour with Abstract Rude and Yarah—they definitely became my family by the end of those 50-some days. And you just go through so much with people where you appreciate each other and also you start to listen more to each other’s music. That was the funny thing when they were like, ‘Yeah, we listened to your whole album.’ And they really knew the records.

Was that when Conversations with a Chamelion came out?

Pugs Atomz: Yeah, Conversations. They had their favorite songs. And Vadim, when he gave me the first beat CD, he tried to give me beats in that vein. He was like, ‘I know what kind of beats.’ And then touring with Large Professor—he was really, really cool and I learned a lot just watching him with his equipment and his approach. And then also having music that’s timeless. That’s a really big thing that he can still do a record from ’89 and people act like it just came out. That’s a really big thing. And that’s something that I hope [will happen] with a lot of my music.

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Words and photos by Max Herman

LB’s recent stop at the Abbey Pub was his first show performing in Chicago in a few years and his return didn’t disappoint. Currently on tour in support of his new album As U Were, the MC kept throwing out declarations of his set being a party as he performed 30-plus songs with his band and wife, vocalist Joyo Velarde. Lyrics Born assured the Chicago crowd that they’re one of the best audiences that he plays for in between igniting the synthy future funk of the cuts “Callin’ Out,” “I’m A Phreak,” and “I Like It, I Love It.”

While the presentation of Lyrics Born’s set hasn’t changed a whole lot since the last tour, his heightened energy level hasn’t wavered much either and he still had a surprise or two to offer including a fresh freestyle session during the encore. The biggest surprise of the night though came from LB’s touring partners, Keys N Krates—the three-piece live remix band out of Toronto.

Keys K Krates (KNK for short) is DJ Jr-Flo on the turntables, crossfader, and MPC (!!!), Matisse on two sets of keys, and Adam Tune on drums. The concept seems so obviously smart but not many artists have taken a stab at what KNK brings to the stage: a whirlwind of hip-hop, pop, and rock tracks re-imagined live. Seeing the trio turn The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” into something more percussive and danceable was impressive. Meanwhile a medley of Jay-Z’s “Lucifer” alongside the song that inspired it (“Max Romeo’s reggae joint “I Chase the Devil”) was one of those inventive moments that just can’t be replicated.

Whoever decided to pair Keys N Krates with Lyrics Born on tour needs to be given a pat on the back because as far as electronic-tinged hip-hop goes, these two acts both have a worthy way of keeping things live. Respect is also due to the show’s openers: Chicago’s very own production duo The Opus and the band Abstract Giants who have both been thinking outside of the hip-hop box for years.

Words by Max Herman

Some of the best live shows that I saw in 2010 were not necessarily by artists that I have been faithfully listening to for years. As a hip-hop head, of course it was great seeing De La Soul again who are still in top form twenty-plus years into their careers. But this past year the sets that resonated with me most came from artists/groups that I saw on stage for the first time—those who have only recently begun to gain proper recognition for their individual innovations in music. Yes, the list could have been longer, but this handful of performances were the ones that reminded me why I still cover concerts. These were the shows that made 2010—both sonically and visually—a year to remember.

Daedelus at Lincoln Hall, 2/16/10

Performing behind just a cheap, plastic fold-up table, L.A.’s beat innovator Daedelus proved to be a class act, breaking a sweat in his blazer and tie for the eager crowd at the modest-sized Lincoln Hall. Enthusiastically utilizing his signature monome box as a controller, the producer rapidly recreated songs from albums like Love To Make Music To without missing a step.

The Very Best at Mad Decent/IHeartComix Carniville SXSW, 3/20/10

Why it was so cold and windy on this March Saturday in Austin is still mystifying, but the third day of the outdoor Carnivile at SXSW remained most memorable for the music, namely The Very Best. This South African/UK group featuring Mo-Laudi as the crowd-commander/MC, likely got even the most cynical in a good mood. TVB’s global grooves paired with an upbeat hip-hop presence was immediately embraced.

Janelle Monáe at Schubas Tavern, 3/29/10

With the dramatic entrance, cloaked band members, and massive amounts of fog this show was undeniably strange—perfectly fitting for visionary vocalist Janelle Monáe. On the first of two shows at this shoebox venue, Monáe brought the artsy soul of songs like “Dance or Die” full force with a plethora of facial expressions and dance moves. Why she will be around a long time is because she doesn’t just let the music speak for itself on stage—she gives her tracks a whole new life.

The Slew at Sónar Festival Chicago, 9/9/10

To have Barcelona’s esteemed Sónar Festival come to Chicago was a big deal in 2010 and there no shortage of progressive music/visuals featured in the first stateside edition. Yet one of the most memorable sets came from one of the least avant-garde groups of the weekend: The Slew. This turntablism-meets-psych funk/rock experience featuring Kid Koala brought heavy guitar riffs and equally heavy percussion (from drums and turntables) to a happy, head nodding audience at Millennium Park.

Black Milk at Reggie’s Rock Club, 11/16/10

Detroit’s Black Milk threw most hip-hop show clichés out the window at the Red Bull Big Tune pre show held on the near South Side of Chicago. There was no long list of iffy opening acts/DJs or gigantic entourage crowding the stage—it was just Black and his band re-imagining the best of his four-album catalog of music. The raw, battle rap of “The Matrix” and the reflective relationship rhymes of “Without You” alike were taken to another level with the dirty Detroit blend of soul, funk, and jazz lighting up the stage.

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The opening of Millennium Park, the greening of city rooftops, and other innovations crafted during the Daley administration have no doubt helped to propel Chicago into international notoriety in recent years. But Daley couldn’t accomplish it all, which was painfully evident with his failure to secure the Summer 2016 Olympics after a massive push to do so. Still, when Daley announced last fall that he wouldn’t run for re-election, it was somewhat surreal and many weighed in on the decision—including local artists.

In response to this not-so-expected shift in power, a group of over 20 artists were recently invited by the Chicago Urban Art Society and Johalla Projects to share their response to Daley’s exit and his history in office. Given that many of the participants in this exhibition called “The Daley Show” are former/current street artists, I was especially invested in seeing their visual interpretations of a man who made prompt graffiti removal famous with his multi-million dollar “Graffiti Blasters” program beginning in the mid-90s.

Surprisingly, though, the tone of The Daley Show is not all that negative. Looking at the photo journalistic stills of Daley by Jennifer Greenbaum or Leo Kaplan’s large graphite drawing of the mayor in his younger days, some of the pieces in this show are pleasingly straightforward; no bias, just a capture.

Of course it wouldn’t be much fun if the portraits were all on the non-confrontational front. Peter Kepha of The Chicago Urban Art Society and participant/co-curator of the show says that he wanted it to have a “double-edged” feel. “It’s my farewell but with a kick ass out the door,” he says.

Looking around the massive gallery at CUAS, it’s the campaign style posters that represent the satire one would expect from street artists like Ray “CRO” Noland and Nick Adam. One print in particular that says it all about Daley is Zissou Tasseff-Elenkoff’s “I’ll Be Back” piece (lead image), which features Daley’s cheerful campaign face melting away to reveal a robotic terminator character underneath. It’s the kind of statement that rings remarkably true about this politician who never seems to be done with his mission, even after announcing his retirement.

As Kepha puts it, “whether we like it or not, Daley was here a really long time.”

That longevity is what this variety of Chicago artists captured best in The Daley Show, whether the work was satirical or straightforward. Even those who aren’t keen on politics could appreciate these portraits of a man who changed Chicago and seemingly was never going to leave office.

The Daley Show runs through January 8 at the Chicago Urban Art Society

Words and photos by Max Herman