Talib Kweli with Idle Warship, BV-CMJ 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Chicago venue The Shrine consistently hosts some of the best hip hop shows, including multiple performances from mainstays like Talib Kweli, Yasiin Bey (aka Mos Def), and others. You can catch Kweli at The Shrine again on March 1 supporting Bun B. Kweli will be playing a DJ set, but surviving UGK member Bun B will be performing live. Advance tickets are on sale now.

Talib Kweli's Blackstar partner Yasiin Bey will also be playing his own show at The Shrine in March, on the 15th of the month. Advance tickets for Bey's performance are also on sale now.

All known tour dates and videos from all three acts are below...

Continue reading "Bun B & Talib Kweli are playing The Shrine; Yasiin Bey is too"

Mos Def with Erykah Badu @ Afro-Punk Festival 2012 (more by Amanda Hatfield)

Mos Def, who is now known as Yasiin Bey but is still cool with you calling him Mos Def, is set to headline Chicago's The Shrine on October 11. That show is one of the handful of dates he'll be playing this month, and advance tickets are on sale.

One of his October shows is with Talib Kweli (aka a Black Star performance), which we saw them do at the House of Blues last year. Talib is also headed to The Shrine this month, on October 31, to play a special "Soul Train Halloween" DJ set. Advance tickets are also on sale for that one. Talib is currently prepping his new album, Prisoner of Conscious, for release on November 20 via Blacksmith Music/Javotti Media. You've already heard the album's lead single "Push Thru," which features Kendrick Lamar and Curren$y. Maybe he'll drop another before the LP hits stores.

All Mos Def tour dates and a few videos are below...

Continue reading "Mos Def playing The Shrine this month; Talib Kweli is too"

Talib Kweli's Idle Warship @ BV-CMJ 2011 (more by Dominick Mastrangelo)

Talib Kweli is a busy man. He had two albums come out last year, solo effort Gutter Rainbows and his group Idle Warship's debut LP Habits of the Heart, and began recording/touring with Yasiin Bey.. -ahem- Mos Def as Black Star again. Look out for a new Kweli album, Prisoner of Conscious, to hit stores soon. Check out PoC' lead single, "Distractions," in music video form at the bottom of this post. Also, stay tuned for the follow up to his 2007 collaborative LP with Madlib, Liberation.

On April 25, Talib Kweli will hit Chicago for a full band performance at The Shrine. Advance tickets are on sale. In related news, Kweli's Idle Warship partner-in-crime Res will be at The Shrine on April 5 to host a local talent showcase. Res and Kweli will head to Austin this coming week, performing at SXSW as both their respective solo projects and as Idle Warship.

Music video for "Distractions," below..

Continue reading "Talib Kweli is coming to The Shrine; Res too"

photos by Zach Pollack, words & some photos by Parker Langvardt

The second Black Star performance on Friday night (9/23) at the House of Blues (part of a larger tour) began around 12:30am with a set by DJ 33 1/3, accompanied by an MC who did just enough to get the crowd moving. The set started out strong with a classic hip-hop-filled run including Wu Tang, Kanye West, KRS-One, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest and fun songs like "Pump it Up" by Joe Budden, "Apache (Jump On It)" by Sugarhill Gang. Most of the songs were mixed together in one-minute clips that focused on the most memorable verses and hooks. The MC encouraged the crowd to break dance, and a circle formed around the most talented dancers in the room, but by 1:30am I was just hoping the headliners would hit the stage soon.

Luckily, almost immediately after the DJ finished, Black Star took the stage (it was around 1:45). Mos Def proved himself to be a stylish entertainer, spotting the camera and rapping towards it, going as far as winking once. Talib Kweli wore a driving cap and dark vest, displaying a certain solidarity and professionalism that he broke only to smile and laugh. Highlights included "Definition" and "Astronomy" from Black Star and "Auditorium," "Embassy," and "Life in Marvelous Times" from Mos Def's The Ecstatic.

Black Star's sound was evenly mixed and the MCs delivered their classic songs with perfect annunciation and clarity that many rappers just don't seem to understand. Mos Def's voice was as smooth as it is recorded.

Mos Def briefly mentioned his new name, Yasiin, but stuck to his current name for most of night. Black Star invited a friend out to hold a "moment of noise" for Troy Davis, executed in Georgia on September 21, 2011. They also celebrated a friend's birthday, with trick candles that created a cloud of smoke rivaling the one created by certain audience members. At the end of the show, Mos Def danced in front of a stage speaker as if battling its electro-magnetic attraction, miming the guitar and drums of an instrumental track.

Some pictures from the show are in this post. They continue below...

Continue reading "Mos Def & Talib Kweli were Black Star twice @ HoB (pics)"

Black Star @ Rock The Bells 2011 (more by Dana (Distortion) Yavin)

Like the two did at Rock the Bells earlier this month, rappers Mos Def and Talib Kweli will be Black Star in Chicago this week. They'll play two shows at House of Blues this Friday (9/23). Doors will open for the early show (9PM) at 7:30PM, and for the late show (12:30AM) at midnight. Tickets are still available for both the early and late show.

In the late 90s, the melding of two underground stars (Talib Kweli of Reflection Eternal & Mos Def) created the influential indie hip hop crew Black Star, who crossed over into the mainstream with their intelligent rhymes and unique beats. The crew has been focusing on solo work in the 13+ years since, but rumors of new material are prevalent. Cross your fingers. Check out a classic video below...

Continue reading "'Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star' again, playing HoB twice (!) on Friday"

Lauryn Hill @ The Wellmont Theatre in NJ (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

today in Chicago
* Brett Dennen, Dawes @ the Vic
* Lauryn Hill, Mos Def @ Aragon Ballroom
* Raphael Saadiq, Kids These Days @ Park West
* Thao & Mirah, BOBBY, Led to Sea @ Empty Bottle
* Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Chamberlin @ House of Blues
* Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Bukue One, Serendipity Project, Abstract Giants @ Abbey Pub

What else?

This weekend marks the return of Chicago's Do Division Street Festival. Taking place from noon to 10PM on both Saturday, and Sunday; most other shows will take a backseat to the festival's schedule. You can view full details, including set times here.

FRIDAY
Lauryn Hill and Mos Def will play the Aragon Ballroom.

Thao & Mirah will headline Empty Bottle; joined by BOBBY, and Led to Sea.

Brett Dennen and Dawes will play the Vic.

Raphael Saadiq, and Kids These Days will play Park West.

Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Bukue One, Serendipity Project, and Abstract Giants can be found at Abbey Pub.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, and Chamberlin will play the House of Blues.

SATURDAY
Moxie Motive, and The Black; who consist of members of Voxtrot, and ...Trail of Dead will play the Beat Kitchen.

Bonobo will play a late DJ Set at Beauty Bar.

Dengue Fever, The Eternals, and Young Boys will play Empty Bottle.

Lincoln Hall will host Bailiff's record release, with special guests: Secret Colours, and Box Jellyfish.

SUNDAY
Big Freedia, Javelin, and Shane Shane will play Empty Bottle.

Oberhofer, Young Man, and Netherfriends can be found at Lincoln Hall.

UPDATE: Shawn Rosenblatt of Netherfriends will be playing a 4PM in-store at Reckless Records (Belmont).

Brendan Perry of Dead Can Dance, and Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins will play Metro.