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"

Shabazz Palaces @ Williamsburg Park in August (more by David Andrako)

Seattle's Shabazz Palaces are currently on tour throughout Europe and have announced plans for a January US run. Most of those US shows will be spent supporting the Helio Sequence, but they'll finish off with a headlining performance of their own at Chicago's The Shrine on February 1. Tickets for that show are not on sale yet, but check The Shrine's website for updates.

Shabazz' excellent Black Up LP arrived in 2011 via Sub Pop. Stream that album in its entirety and check out their 2012 // 2013 tour schedule below...

Continue reading "Shabazz Palaces announce tour, playing The Shrine"

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"