News RoundUp • Ian Eastwood Releases New Video, Famous Dex Signs, The Palmer Squares Top Bandcamp & More
Chicago is a big city and, as Vic Mensa told us late Friday night, There's A Lot Going On. So much, in fact, we decided to round up some of the bigger stories from the last week to get you in tune with what's going on in and around the city from our perspective. Here, there's no telling what might happen moment to moment and this week we get some new music, surprise dance moves and a few unforseen announcements, check it all out below and keep it locked to TheseDays for all your alt-news.
Ian Eastwood Releases New Video for "I Love Kanye Remix" by Lido
Hailing from Oak Park, Ian Eastwood has been making waves with his fancy footwork for a minute now and returned this week with a new visual adaptation of Lido's take on the infamous "I Love Kanye" single.
The release is the first from Eastwood since he released his 'visual mixtape', AdultLessons which was released exclusively on DatPiff and came scored by no other than Peter CottonTale and Donnie Trumpet of The Social Experiment. If you're not familiar, Eastwood has built a name for himself through his distinct and unique choreography that pulls from real-life influences and often directly mimics the music pacing it. He kills it once again here, get in tune if you're not already.
Famous Dex Signs with '300 ENT'
It's no secret at this point that Chicago is at the center of the hip-hop world and the labels are circling once again, with news coming out this week that quick-rising internet star Famous Dex has inked a deal with none other than 300 ENT.
The signing is a sensical one for an act that has taken the city and the country by storm, riding the wave that has vaulted similar stars like Lil Uzi Vert and Lil Yachty to the forefront of contemporary rap. With a label founded by the likes of Lyor Cohen, Kevin Liles and Todd Moscowitz behind him and labelmates like Young Thug, Fetty Wap and Rich The Kid, Dex might just have put himself in a situation to become one of the more recognizable names in hip-hop moving forward. Dude is a real-life cartoon, let's see if he can make Thugger uncomfortable.
The Palmer Squares Top BandCamp Charts with New Album
The Palmer Squares have long held the title as most interesting hip-hop act in Chicago. Unbeknownst to some, cherished by others, the group has amassed a dedicated following through blazing their own trail and proved that once again by topping the BandCamp charts with their new album, Planet of the Shapes.
Having talked to the guys on several occasions, they've always done things a bit differently, explaining that most of their fanbase is out of town and connected via the Internet. BandCamp doesn't report sales numbers, but operates as a sort of open-market NIT to big music industry's NCAA and it appears the Stank Face Records signees have figured it out. Regardless of how you get to the music though, these guys have long been one of the better acts in town and definitely deserve the recognition coming their way. Check out the album for yourself here.
Chance The Rapper Talks Activism
Chance The Rapper has been just about everywhere in the wake of his latest release, Coloring Books. From Fallon to the city's skyline, the kid's face has been everywhere and this week he also stopped by the University of Chicago to ruminate on politics and activism, a pair of topics he knows well.
Rocking what has become his Coloring Book uniform in '3' hat and blue/grey sweater, Chance answered questions and spoke with professors from the University's Institute of Politics. Looking a little worn from the promotional run of the project paired with having a newborn at home to take care of, Chance shook off the bags under his eyes to continually underscore his prevailing sense of realness, speaking from the heart and offering some necessary insight to topics young people in our city need to hear. Check it all out for yourself below.
North Coast Festival Adds Matt & Kim, Umphrey's
North Coast Music Festival is back again this year in Union Park. Entering it's sixth year, the festival is once again returning to it's dance-centric roots after a 2015 that saw organizers look inwards at local talent to fill out the slots. While that soul-infused edition of North Coast may have been a bit smaller, it seemed to be going in a cool direction.
With smaller crowds though, it appears that direction has been readjusted as organizers revert back to big-name DJs and rap acts including Bassnectar, Zedd, Logic and Odesza. Joining them on the bill will be festival fill-ins Matt & Kim and Umphrey's McGee, the latter of which has played the festival no less than three times. Action Bronson's back, Bassnectar headlines for the second time in three years; yeah, North Coast is back.
