Description
Mick Jenkins:Jayson Jenkins, better known as Mick Jenkins (his stage name), is an American hip-hop recording artist born in Huntsville, Alabama on April 16th, 1991. He was then raised on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of Free Nation, a hip-hop group that promotes creative thought without accepting narrow views imposed by the powers that be. This group believes that when you find a way to combat the status quo, you are free.
At an early age, Jenkins' mother introduced him to contemporary soul greats such as Prince, Erykah Badu, Sade and Jill Scott, thus promoting her son's musical sensibility. The young artist was charmed by the emotions carried out in this musical genre and later found hip-hop music to be another effective vehicle for these same feelings due its lyrical richness. As he grew older, his passion for music developed into an ever-increasing rap talent. This led him to enter a rap competition called "Who got Bars"During his sophomore year at the University of Oakwood in Hunstille, Alabama. When he was awarded second place, the prospect of a career in hip-hop crossed his mind and the chemistry he had forged with FreeNation throughout the competition inspired him to take his lyrical persuasions seriously.
In the Fall of 2012, Mick returned to Chicago and began attending YCA (Young Chicago Authors) a youth center where his first acapella verse caught the attention of local artist and leader of Chicago's Pivot Gang collective, Saba. Shortly after, the two collaborated on "Heaux" for Saba's 2012 mixtapeGETCOMFORTable.
In the spring of 2013 Mick Released a mixtape entitled Trees and Truths. It quickly became a local favorite, buoyed by acid jazz-influenced production, biblical allegory and lacerating lyricism. The project was by far his most lyrical body of work and caught the attention of Chicago's incipient gatekeepers. A few months after its release, a collaboration with Chance The Rapper and Vic Mensa came in the form of a single entitled "Crossroads", which was a summer hit.
In recent months, Mick has been receiving a lot of attention after the release of his single/ Visual "Martyrs". This song juxtaposes harsh truths about our society with a catchy hook, creating a thought-provoking single with various underlying messages and subtle notions. "Martyrs" has led people such as Timberland, among others, to reach out and praise Jenkins for his musical talent and intricate lyricism. Mick continues to find creative ways to convey his message and has recently released a new project entitled The Waters, which has grabbed national attention and received rave reviews.
Kirk Knight (Pro. Era)
Kirk Knight aka Kirk Knasty. Born to win living in the hood making beats with a mpd18 and a dell laptop in a apartment. A lyricist who stays above the ignorance and uses worlds greats flaws and turn then into verses which can cause political madness. Yet so humble. #Temple
Saba:
At a Saba show, when vibrations boom and sharp-witted verses start to permeate the crowd, you better have your hands up and mind in full focus. Tahj Chandler, better known as Saba, the 20-year- old rapper and producer from Chicago’s West Side, joins the city’s new wave of bubbling talent with an aggressive delivery and unmistakable production. Born to a family of musical talent, Saba grew up to the sounds of soul, R&B, and jazz thanks to his father, Chandlar. He began to play piano at the age of seven, and soon after he started to experiment with his sound on beat making software. However, it wasn’t until the young Chandler first heard the legendary Bone Thugs-n-Harmony and other burgeoning Midwest talents that he found his true musical niche and emcee calling, “Hands down my biggest influence was Bone Thugs-n- Harmony. They’re the ones who actually made me like rap and want to do it," he says. At age 16, Saba joined the open mikes at YouthMedia Center and Young Chicago Authors, which he credits with giving him the confidence and charisma to perform onstage. With all these tools in his arsenal Saba has developed a career sound with appeal that spans from the staunchest old-school hip hop heads to a new generation of rap fans. Saba dropped his first full length project, GETCOMFORTable, in December 2012, featuring production from Thelonius Martin, DJ Such N Such, Ikon, and the rising spitter himself. Soothing, serene, and soaring, the mixtape reflects a coming of age and showcases a catalogue of young Chicago talents who join Saba in trying to make sense of themselves as rising adults in today's world. In 2013, Saba joined fellow Windy City talent Chance the Rapper with a standout guest verse on the highly acclaimed track “Everybody’s Something ft. BJ the Chicago Kid”, from Acid Rap. That same year Chandler would began work on his sophomore debut, ComfortZone, produced in conjunction with J.U.S.T.I.C.E League’s Cam Osteen (Acid Rap and Vic Mensa’s Innanetape), Chicago trio NAiMA (Dylan Frank, Cory Grindberg, and Ken Ross), and featuring a slew of notable talents such as MC Tree, Eryn Allen Kane, Legit, Jamila of M&O. ComfortZone was released in July of 2014, and was received with critical enthusiasm and public praise. The 14-track collection is both autobiographical and reflective, a bittersweet window into the young emcee’s upbringing in a culturally rich yet troubled city. With innovative production and hard-hitting lyrics, Saba tries to make sense of his surroundings while maintaining a positive outlook and mindset. Standout tracks include, “Burnout” featuring songstress Eryn Allen Kane ("It's the aural equivalent to a freshly baked apple pie" - Noisey, and DJ Booth's Hook of the Year), as well as “Butter” ("Saba is up next." - Billboard) and “401K”, ("Certain songs are bigger than music." - Potholes In My Blog). ComfortZone not only captured Saba’s undeniable growth as an emcee, but also as a producer, and young adult.
NoName Gypsy
Seizing the opportunity to work with Chance The Rapper on Acid Rap, Chicago’s Noname Gypsy stock continued to rise ever since. Now, in preparation of her debut Telefone, the 22-year-old rapper is determined to be an important voice for hip-hop.
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