Run The Jewels Release New Track “Blockbuster Night Pt. 1”

El-P and Killer Mike have been keeping themselves busy the past few years, that is for certain. Aside from each releasing monster solo albums individually, as well as some mix tapes, they also teamed up last year to form a supergroup duo like no other known as Run The Jewels. If you missed that album last year, I am sorry, but luckily there is this thing called the internet that can assist you in still finding a way to get your hands on it. And be sure that you do get a hold of RTJ1 ASAP just so that you can enjoy this year’s follow up, RTJ2 all the more when it gets released October 28, 2014. Last week the duo announced the new album’s release date as they dropped their killer new track like a bomb on the world of rap, “Blockbuster Night Pt. 1”, which you can and should listen to below.

Pitchfork Music Festival 2013 Recap

On the surface level, I think it’s natural to have some preconceived notions of what a festival put on by Pitchfork may be like. Pretentious I would imagine is the first thing that would come to many people’s minds. An uppity crowd filled with music snobs and young folks more focused on style than substance. You’d probably also assume that following suit with any other festival/venue it would provide nothing but overpriced food and beverages that would be moderately annoying to wait in line to get as well. The lineup can also be a bit off-putting for some. Unsure of all the names on the lineup seems to be a problem for even dedicated music followers at times as Pitchfork likes to stick with very highly acclaimed (even if it is themselves in fact acclaiming them) list of acts. Not to mention the staggeringly small number of acts for a three day festival that pales in comparison to that of a Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, or Coachella.

After attending this festival for the second time, I have to say that I am continually amazed at how far off base all of these notions are. Every one of them. The crowd is amazingly genuine. It is smaller than most fests, but people there seem to be genuinely into music. I attribute this largely due to the fact that Pitchfork’s lineup is not conducive for the teenie-bopper types that are looking to attend a three day festival to simply see one show a day whether that be Monsters of Men or fun.. All of the fans at Pitchfork seem to genuinely be there to enjoy all music. As far as price goes, there is hardly a bar in Chicago where you can get craft beers for $5, let alone a spectacle venue. Food is also moderately priced, from local Chicago restaurants, and very delectable. The lineup, whether you know the artist or not, is wonderful. Every act you see there (or at least that I saw there) is someone I would pay a full priced ticket to see as headliners. And the fact that this number of acts on the list is smaller than most, only provides strong set times, and less conflict from overlapping acts. All-in-all it has to be the US festival with the most bang for your buck. Now let’s get down to brass tax shall we?

I attended this year on Saturday/Sunday only. Friday I was at a Pearl Jam concert at Wrigley Field that will be worthy of it’s own post at a later time. So below is my quick few-sentance recap of what was one of the more surprisingly great festivals/weekends of my 2013:

Killer Mike & El-P Review: Run the Jewels

Run The Jewels – aka Killer Mike & El-P
Run the Jewels

Last year, El-P released his most polished work yet with Cancer 4 Cure, a 50 minute spastic masterpiece that goes down in my book as one of the finest hip hop albums to be dropped since Kanye’s Dark Twisted Fantasy was released in 2010. Also last year, El-P produced a killer album for Killer Mike that was released within the same month of Cancer 4 Cure. This year the two have teamed up again, but this time to release a fully collaborative effort that is almost a direct cross between Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music and Caner 4 Cure, and the result is mind-numbingly glorious. Point blank, if you are any type of hip hop/rap music fan, you must listen to this album.

Seven Under The Radar Shows To Not Miss At Bonnaroo

With Bonnaroo starting up in less than 48 hours, we decided it’s time to begin our coverage for this years festival. Bonnaroo is always home to plenty of acts that everyone knows are must-sees, and this year is no exception. Wu-Tang, Animal Collective’s late night show, Paul McCartney, etc. Well in case anyone out there is looking for some mid-day/early evening recommendations that you may or may not have heard of yet, here is a short list of artists that just may be worth your time in checking out. The fact that I have dubbed these “under the radar” were all based on the surprising low attendees votes on the Bonnaroo website. Granted, I have never personally seen any of these myself, but I have my hunches that they won’t disappoint. Hopefully I will catch you at one of these shows:

 
Charli XCX

When: Thursday, 2:15 PM
Where: The Other Tent
Biggest Competition: Local Natives

Call me hopeful, but I expect good things out of this 19-year old British bombshell. Her album was fun, honest, and raw and I hear her live shows follow suit. My guess is that Local Natives will focus mostly on their snoozy second album material which never makes for a good afternoon show on Friday anyways. The good news is that she begins a good 15 minutes before Local Natives, so if her show is going south, you can always abandon ship with and hit up your back-up plan.

Big Boi & Killer Mike Show Review

Big Boi & Killer Mike

The Vogue

Indianapolis, IN

April 30, 2013

There is a difference between having a lot of fun at a show, and a show being legitimately good.  I had a lot of fun at the Big Boi & Killer Mike show, but only one of the two artists present really impressed me, and it may not be the one you’d immediately expect.  Just by saying that, I’m sure everyone is clued into the fact I enjoyed Killer Mike much, much more than Big Boi.  Let me go through the two performances in chronological order, just to give you a taste of the whole experience.