Minutes ago, rapper and notorious tokers Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa packed the Hollywood Casino Bowl Amphitheatre in Tinley Park, IL. Dubbed “The High Road” Tour, not only did Wiz and Snoop bring two of the biggest weed advocates in music to Chicago (2nd and 3rd to maybe Willie Nelson), but they brought some great supporting acts, including the lovely and talented Jhene Aiko, Kevin Gates, Casey Veggies and DJ Drama. Top to bottom, the crowd was in for a memorable night from the very beginning.
With DJ Drama keeping the crowd live between sets, up first for the night was ‘Backflip’ rapper, Casey Veggies. Originally known for his affiliation with the Tyler The Creator-led collective, Odd Future, Casey has been all about his solo career for quite sometime now, and has been recently enjoying the success of his 2015 debut album, Live & Grow. With features from Dej Loaf, Tyler The Creator, YG, BJ The Chicago Kid and more, Veggies put out an impressive debut last year and tonight he performed a number of his records from his 2015 LP.
Following Veggies opening performance, the beautiful Jhene Aiko took stage for her Chicago fans. Your favorite rapper’s favorite guest singer, Jhene Aiko has laid down some memorable vocals for everyone from Childish Gambino and Big Sean to Drake, Omarion and many more. Most recently Aiko teamed up with Sean to form their duo, Twenty88, which came with an 8-track EP that released earlier this year. Don’t be under the impression though that Aiko only works best complementing the best rappers in the game, as her solo records are perhaps her best work. Tonight Aiko performed some of her best records, including ‘The Worst’ and ‘To Love & Die’, as well as other tracks from her debut EP, Sail Out, and her 2014 debut album, Souled Out. Aiko provides a nice change of pace from the rappers that takeover the tour’s lineup, but still provides a sound that rap fans across the board can enjoy.
Next up was ‘Really Really’ and ‘2 Phones’ rapper Kevin Gates, who brought performances from his 2015 debut, ISLAH’. Gates brought street rap straight from Louisana to Chicago tonight, and it was more than well received. With Snoop and Wiz’s headlining performance just minutes away, the crowd was ready to turn up the tempo and Gates got the amphitheatre off their seats.
And before fans had the opportunity to catch their breath after Gates turned up performance, it was time for Snoop Dogg to great his Windy City fans. Opening the solo portion of his set, Snoop Dogg started things on the highest note possible by blessing fans with performances of his classic records, including ‘Gin & Juice’ and ‘Nuthin’ But a G Thang’. And before you knew it, was time for Wiz to join Snoop on stage. If you’d expect two weed advocates like Snoop and Wiz to put on a slow paced and mellow performance together, you’d be greatly mistaken as the two performed together with especially high energy (no pun intended). While Snoop and Wiz both have casual and laid back personalities on-stage and off, their performance tonight was far from mellow, and gave fans everything they wanted and more.
Check out our photos from tonight’s stop on Merry Jane’s “The High Road” Tour below.
Off her forthcoming second studio LP, The Altar, singer BANKS has released her visuals for her addictive new single, ‘Gemini Feed’. Speaking on the music video, BANKS describes the visuals as “(her) thirst for balance.”
Right now, fans can purchase both ‘Gemini Feed’ and The Altar‘s record, ‘F*** with Myself’, ahead of the albums official release on September 30th, 2016. And if you like what you hear (and you will), you can pre-order The Altar now on iTunes.
Releasing later this month, Vince Staples has just announced his newest project and the highly anticipated followup to his critically acclaimed double-LP, Summertime ’06. Titled, Prima Donna, the project will be Staples’ newest EP, will release August 26th via Blacksmith/ARTium/Def Jam. With exclusive production from No I.D., DJ Dahi and James Blake, this will be one hell of an EP.
And fans won’t only have the music itself to get excited for, as Prima Donna will be accompanied by a short film by Staples, which is directed by Nabil (Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Bruno Mars).
After a hiatus in 2015, Common’s Chicago music festival AAHH! Festis returning to the Windy City’s Union Park, and this week the legendary rapper shared some names from the festival’s initial lineup. Teasing fans before the full lineup drops, Common told fans on Instagram that Odd Future’s The Internet, as well as Chicago’s own Jeremih, Sir The Baptist and Tink will all perform on the second day of the two-day festival (September 24-25). In 2014 the festival saw some huge performances from Kanye West, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Twista, Vince Staples, Jennifer Hudson and many more, so this year is already getting off to a great start.
AAHH! Fest isn’t just a great music festival either, as it’s also Common’s dedication to bringing education programs and jobs to Chicago, by raising funds to support the Common Ground Foundation and Donda’s House, the charitable organizations of Common, Kanye West and Rhymefest.
Get your tickets now at AAHHFest.com and check out our photos from 2014’s AAHH! Fest below.
Moments ago, singer-songwriter Meghan Trainor brought The Untouchable Tour to Chicago as she paid a visit to the Rosemont Theatre in the Windy City’s western suburb of Rosemont, IL. The ‘Me Too’ artist didn’t travel alone either, as the diversely talented Hailee Steinfeld is supporting Trainor throughout the massive tour, with tonight being no exception. With a sold-out theatre of Trainor and Steinfeld’s biggest fans ready to sing along to the pop stars’ biggest records, the stage was set and conditions were perfect for a memorable and untouchable night.
To get things started, Los Angeles-native and all around triple threat, Hailee Steinfeld, hit the stage. Not only can she sing, act and model, but anyone that is part of Taylor Swift’s squad, must be pretty fun to be around as well. She was a breakout star with her role in the Coen brothers’ film True Grit, which landed the young Steinfeld an Academy Award nom for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, but tonight was all about the music and required no acting skill whatsoever. Steinfeld is no one but herself on stage and through her music, and it pays dividends. Whether its because of her natural charm and relationship with the audience or it’s her fun performances of ‘Rock Bottom’ and ‘Love Myself’, you can’t help but like everything that Steinfeld has to offer. In her breakout single Steinfeld pledges to love herself without needing the love of anyone else, and while that may be the case, she isn’t alone, as thousands loved Steinfeld and her opening performance tonight in Rosemont.
Soon after Steinfeld said her goodbyes to the Windy City, it was time for night’s headliner, Ms. Meghan Trainor herself. An overnight star ever since the release of her 2014 hit, ‘All About That Bass’, Trainor is easily one of our favorite pop stars of today. Her latest album, Thank You, has the rest of us saying thanks as it has brought fans hit after hit, including her newest singles ‘Me Too’ and ‘No’, each which bring a ’90s pop vibe and sass that had since started to fade in pop music. Trainor has a big voice, an infectious attitude, and while she boasts her “champagne problems”, she is more relatable than any other pop star out right now, all things that she showcased live for her Chicago fans.
As the packed crowd erupted as Trainor and her band hit the stage, Trainor provided an untouchable mix of her biggest records to date and performances of the majority of her new album. It wasn’t just about the hits however, as Trainor made her big production an intimate one as she took time between a number of records throughout the night to talk to fans, introduce her songs, and generally just made the theatre feel smaller by making the night a more personal one. Through her music Trainor promotes confidence, healthy self-images, and overall positivity, and this doesn’t take a back seat during her live performances. Trainor has an especially cheerful stage presence, and whether she is belting out one of her biggest hits, dancing her butt bass off, or playing some adorable videos of her dad dancing, Meghan Trainor is just having fun out there, where you can’t help but have fun with her.
Check out our photos from tonight’s Chicago date on TheUntouchable Tour below, and peep the remaining dates on the tour here.
After debuting the record live during Vic Mensa’s headlining set at Lollapalooza, SAVEMONEY’s Vic Mensa and Joey Purp have teamed up again, this time for their ‘773 Freestyle’. Trading bars throughout the record, titled after Chicago’s area code, Mensa and Purp work together perfectly on the new track and sound better than ever. With references to everything from Killa Cam, the police, Future’s classic “Gucci flip flops” lyric and even Chance The Rapper’s Nate Fox produced record ‘Pusha Man’, this one is truly a freestyle at its core, but it’s fire none the less.
“And the murder rate higher than Dr. Jay’s socks, Purp be the Pusha Man, word to Nate Fox.” – Vic Mensa
Despite a 10-win season and an exciting bowl victory against USC to bring their 2015 to a close, the Wisconsin Badgers certainly could have hoped for better luck last year. All season the Badgers fell victim to their injuries and costly mistakes, that without could have easily led to an undefeated season after their opening loss to Alabama.
Starting tailback and the Badgers’ most valuable player, Corey Clement, only logged 4 games played and just above 200 yards rushing for the season due to a sports hernia injury and a suspension from an off-field incident. As a result, the Badgers and their massive front line only averaged 150 rushing yards per game in 2015, which is more than disappointing by the team’s standards. And although QB Joel Stave was one of the rare consistencies for the team last year, it is hard to imagine if his few but notable mistakes at crucial moments, would have been avoided if he had Clement to relieve him of some of the offensive burden.
But even with their injuries, the Badgers still put up 10 wins last season and had a stellar defense that surprised many. The Badgers were just a couple scores away from an undefeated conference record and without the Iowa Hawkeye’s remarkable and surprising season last year, the Badgers would have won the Big Ten West and would have been playing for much more than the National Funding Holiday Bowl title.
So how about this season? Although the Badgers lost Joel Stave and their leading receiver, Alex Erickson, (to name a few) they are no better or worse off than most Big 10 programs this year. And where they lose their starting quarterback, they gain with a fresh Corey Clement, who many wondered would even see a 2016 season with the Badgers. With Clement back, hoping to make up for last year and increase his draft stock for next year, and of course that classic Grade A offensive line that has become a staple in Wisconsin football, you can expect big things for Wisconsin’s rushing game this year. Not only can you expect much more from Clement this year, but he should be a statistical dream for the Badgers this season.
Running game alone won’t win the Big Ten West for Wisconsin however, and with Stave gone, the QB battle between Bart Houston and Alex Hornibrook will be interesting. Head Coach Paul Chryst hasn’t picked his man yet, but Wisconsin fans should keep their fingers crossed that he gets it right the first time around, because their is no time to waste, as the Badgers open their season against LSU at the historic Lambeau Field on September 3rd, which should be an easier opening opponent than Alabama, but still no walk in the park either.
Houston and/or Hornibrook shouldn’t feel pressured into greatness though, because with the Badgers’ running game and the O-line providing great protection, the key for Wisconsin’s future starter should be not making big mistakes and providing Clement an occasional breather.
And now for the other side of the ball, the defense. After their loss to Alabama last year, Wisconsin’s defense gave up only 13 points in its next four games. Even in its heartbreaking loss at home to Iowa, the defense only gave up 10 points in a game where the offensive gave up 4 turnovers. The 2nd-ranked defense far exceeded anyone’s expectations and despite losing three starters in the secondary, the defense is definitely in a position to have another great year, even if not a 2nd-ranked year. Their 3-4 defense isn’t full of future NFL stars, but collectively they are a solid bunch that should get the job done and put the offense in a great position to get some major wins.
Overall, while you can’t predict just what may go wrong in terms of injuries/bad luck/crucial mistakes, Wisconsin should be in a great position this year to make noise in the Big Ten. Iowa won’t be the team they were last year and assuming Clement comes back as motivated as we expect him to be (and stays healthy of course), the Badgers will be the rushing machine that they once were and the favorite in the Big Ten West. Mix an unstoppable rushing program with the Badgers’ new stellar defense that they found in 2015, and you have one great football team. Replacing starters and finding answers at quarterback should all be questions that Wisconsin can answer before conference play begins, but a big win against LSU is crucial to get the season started on the right foot.
Photo by Dan Garcia/The Early Registration
Their first big test:September 3rd vs. LSU @Lambeau Field
While the Badgers have struggled opening their season against SEC opponents in the past two years, things look to be different in 2016. Not only are they playing close to home in Green Bay, WI, at an historic stadium where most Badger players have dreamed of playing since they were kids, but they look better off this time around. In 2014 they suffered a disappointing comeback to the evenly matched LSU, but still a game they could have easily won. In 2015, they lost another virtual Away game in Texas, this time to Alabama, who at that point was clearly the better team. Fast forward to 2016 and the Badgers are practically playing a home game against an evenly matched team, who may not be able to pull the same comeback in front of a sold-out Green Bay crowd, if given the opportunity like they were two years ago.
Will they win the Big Ten West?Yes.
With Iowa expected to fall short of their season last year, Wisconsin is our favorite to win the Big Ten West this year. The East winner (whoever that may be this season) is likely to come ahead in the Big Ten Championship, but if Wisconsin makes it that far, they will definitely be in a good position to steal the conference championship and much more.
The difficulty of their conference schedule comes in its first three games (at Michigan St., at Michigan, home against Ohio St.). If they can win at least 2 of the 3, they will be in a great spot before they face Iowa on October 22nd, otherwise you can expect the winner of that game to eventually represent the West in the conference championship.
The 2 keys to success:Corey Clement and the Defense picking up where they left off.
Even with uncertainties at quarterback, Wisconsin’s offense will be just find if Corey Clement does as well as we expect him to. He will make Houston and Hornibrook’s job much easier if he stays healthy and dominates like he should. And if Clement keeps the Wisconsin defense off the field and well rested, the D can continue to build off their dominance in 2015. Again, don’t expect another 2nd-ranked defense (especially with the changes in their secondary), but with Clement making their job easier, they can have another outstanding year.
After supporting Fetty Wap on the most recent Monster Energy Outbreak Tour, rapper Post Malone will now be headlining the tour’s new run and he is bringing some talented artists with him. Kicking off next month, on September 14th in San Diego, Post Malone, Jazz Cartier and Larry June will be hitting a number of stops throughout North America until the tour concludes November 9th in Los Angeles.
Post killed it in support of Fetty Wap last time around (peep our photos here), so you can definitely expect the same and even more now that the ‘White Iverson’ rapper/singer has since released his debut mixtape, August 26th. Tickets for the forthcoming tour go on sale for the general public on Friday, August 12th at noon (local time), so be sure to get your tickets at PostMalone.com, because they will definitely sell out fast.
Check out the tour dates for the upcoming Monster Energy Outbreak Tour below.
In anticipation of his forthcoming third studio album, PARTYNEXTDOOR 3, OVO Sound singer/producer PARTYNEXTDOOR has released his newest record, ‘Don’t Do It For You No More.’ While the new track isn’t off PND’s forthcoming project, it’s certainly a nice bonus to tide fans over until P3 drops August 12th on OVO Sound. ‘Don’t Do It For You No More’ was produced by Bizness Boi, Th3ory and Soufwest and it should definitely last you for the next week.
Listen to PND’s new record, ‘Don’t Do It For You No More’, below.
Minutes ago, singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes stepped off stage at opening night of the Wisconsin State Fair, after bringing his World Tour to Milwaukee, his biggest headlining show to date. Performing at the fair’s Main Stage, Mendes was also joined by Island Records labelmate, 18-year-old British singer, James TW. Both young singers delivered memorable and polished performances for their Wisconsin fans, that were far from amateur, showing that both Mendes and James TW are especially talented and experienced beyond their years.
As fans continued to fill in past 7:30, James TW kicked things off for the Milwaukee crowd. Not only did James set the tone for the rest of the night, but it is hard to imagine a better opening act for the night’s headliner. Shawn Mendes and James TW share more than just their label. Both teenage artists have big voices and similar styles, who each standout with their impressive songwriting, all while finding home behind an acoustic guitar.
And although, James is just barely old enough to vote (by American standards), he is no stranger to music. Named after his parents’ favorite musician, James Taylor, James TW first picked up a guitar at the age of 12, and he hasn’t looked back since. He draws influences from Ed Sheeran, John Mayer and BB King, he also plays the piano, he places a strong emphasis on the lyrics of his records, and these are just a few of the things that add clarity as to why one of Island Record’s youngest artists seems far ahead of the game. James gained a number of new fans in Milwaukee tonight, with his performance of his single ‘When You Love Someone’ and a few other records from his debut EP, First Impressions, which released earlier this year.
Moments after James TW said his goodbyes to fans, it was time for the night’s headliner, Canadian singer-songwriter Shawn Mendes. Even younger than James TW, Shawn Mendes can barely see a Rated-R movie, yet it seems like he has been a staple in pop music for quite sometime already. Initially Mendes gained a core fan base from the mobile phone application, Vine. However while many artists and personalities, become and remain “Vine famous” and never see a social reach outside the app, such was not the case for Mendes. After landing a deal with Island, Mendes released his breakout single ‘Stitches’ which soared to the Top 10 in the U.S. and Canada. An EP, debut album and huge supporting tour with Taylor Swift later, Mendes has a number of radio hits under his belt and is one of the most exciting acts in pop music today, with no signs of slowing down.
Mendes’ set tonight was everything that his fans wanted. His performance of course consisted of all his biggest records to date, including ‘Life of the Party’, ‘Ordinary’, his newest single ‘Treat You Better’, and even some fan favorite and lesser known records from his debut album, Handwritten. The highlight of the night though came as rain and lighting almost cut the show short. Near the end of his set, the weather caused a power outage on stage, luckily for fans however, production was able to get things back running for one last song, Shawn’s biggest record to date, ‘Stitches’.
Throughout the night you had to remind yourself that Mendes is still just a kid by many standards, because it doesn’t show. He has a big voice, he stands at about 6′ tall, and his performances are anything but amateur. Pop Music will certainly have a place for Shawn Mendes for many years to come.
Check out our photos from tonight’s performance below and see the remaining dates on Shawn Mendes’ World Tour here with support from James TW through August 21st.
The Early Registration 