The Game’s followup to his legendary LP The Documentary and forthcoming album, The Documentary 2, is just a couple weeks away (October 9th oniTunes). And in anticipation of his upcoming double album, The Game has released its next track, ‘Standing On Ferraris’. The new record features some clever shots at Interscope Records, talks about Kanye West’s shoe game, and even has some ad-libs and commentary from Diddy. It should be no surprise that Game isn’t siding with 50 Cent in the 50 v. Diddy beef. If you like what you hear, pre-orderThe Documentary 2 now.
Joseph Somers-Morales, better known by his fans as SoMo, serenaded the House of Blues in Chicago last night while on his “The Falling Up” tour. The YouTube sensation, turned R&B star on the rise, brought in help from newcomer Jordan Bratton and rapper Kirko Bangz. SoMo’s latest mixtape, My Life II, dropped earlier this month debuting at #2 on the R&B/soul charts and on the list for the Top 10 album charts on iTunes. Hitting chart after chart, SoMo is bringing back R&B to a new audience. Features in My Life II included: Ty Dolla $ign, Trey Songz, Hoodie Allen, and Jeremih.
Lined up and packed in to see their favorite artists, The House of Blues last night could not disappoint. The venue was filled with great music from SoMo’s dynamic voice, Bratton’s soul filled performance, and Bangz’ thrill ride verses.
Opening the show was rapper Kirko Bangz. Bangz, who is best known for his hit ‘Drank In My Cup’, which when released peaked at number 28 on Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2011. Bangz energetic and adrenaline filled performance set the pace on high for the rest of the night as he brought a headlining caliber performance from the start of the show. His non-stop demeanor rubbed off to concert goers as it set that bar high the rest of the night.
New to the scene Bratton, a Long Island native, has worked with artists like Fabulous and Chance The Rapper (to name a few). Dim light set the mood as Bratton brought the concert goers down to his mellow smooth pace level. Bratton performed original songs like ‘Danger’ and ‘Prisoner’ with even covering Ed Sheeran’s ‘Think Out Loud’. Bratton after his set ventured off into the crowd to greet fans and to pose for pictures.
Known by his core fans for his ‘SoMo Sunday’ cover songs on YouTube, SoMo has come a long way since his YouTube days. SoMo’s performance brought concert goers into his own personal intimate world. Making a name for himself, we’re set to see a lot more of SoMo as he reaches news fans for his smooth and infectious lyrics. With all the characteristics of becoming more recognized for his work SoMo’s next few career moves could set him up in a big way.
Check out more photos (by Jesus Montero/The Early Registration) below and see if SoMo is coming to a city near you here.
Stefan Ponce is more than just the producer behind your favorite records from Childish Gambino, Vic Mensa and Chance The Rapper. Although his name is forever attached to some of your favorite rappers, Ponce is currently making a name for himself. Don’t label him as the Grammy-nominated Stefan Ponce, or the Childish Gambino-affiliated Stefan Ponce, or the guy who produced ‘Down On My Luck’ and ‘3005’, Ponce is an artist of his own, with an album of his own that’s on its way. We sat down with Stefan Ponce to talk about his forthcoming project, and some of his artist friends who have helped him get to this point.
Chicago doesn’t subscribe to the idea that music festivals need to end in the summer, which is why React Present has totally expanded their Halloween music festival this year with Freaky Deaky. And while you purchase your tickets and await it’s full schedule, Freaky Deaky has just announced its daily lineups. Fans on Freaky Deaky’s opening day will be trick or treated to performances from Bassnectar, 2 Chainz, Action Bronson, Flying Lotus, Markus Schulz and many more. On Saturday Armin Van Buuren, Big Gigantic, Logic, Joey Bada$$ and more will hit the state. Then on Sunday, the Windy City will see sets from Chicago’s own Vic Mensa, Pretty Lights, Aluna George, A-Trak, Carnage, Mac Miller and many more.
With appearances from 2 Chainz, Vic Mensa, Flying Lotus, Mac Miller, Logic, Joey Bada$$, Action Bronson and Riff Raff, Freaky Deaky is set to have the biggest rap and hip-hop presence of all Chicago music festivals this year.
We are just a few weeks away from the release of Atlanta rapper/singer Raury’s debut album, All We Need, the follow up to his critically acclaimed mixtape Indigo Child. The LP will drop on October 16th and in promotion of the forthcoming project, Raury paid a visit to Stephen Colbert, as one of his first guests on The Late Show. The ‘Devil’s Whisper’ performance (which is the lead single from All We Need) also marked the 19-year-old’s first network television appearance.
Watch Raury’s powerful performance of ‘Devil’s Whisper’ below.
Watch as A$AP Rocky pays a visit to Jimmy Kimmel Live for a special performance of his At. Long. Last. ASAP record, ‘Canal St.’, with California rapper Bones. If you like what you see, you definitely need to catch Rocky on tour with Tyler the Creator on their new joint tour. Their tour (also with Vince Staples and Danny Brown) kicked off last weekend in Lowell, MA and it will hit a number of stops throughout the U.S., including Chicago, New York, Phili and more. You can get your tickets now at RockyAndTyler.com.
Watch A$AP Rocky’s performance of ‘Canal St.’ below.
Last night, Energy 106.9 brought two of the hottest artists right now to the Lucid Light Lounge in Milwaukee for the “That ENERGY Party”. After hours of free champagne, fans were treated to a special live performance from Atlanta rapper Silento, as he performed his hit single ‘Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae).’ After hitting that whip, everyone got to see Wisconsin native and ‘Classic Man’ singer, Jidenna, perform his hit record for the Milwaukee crowd.
Check out our photos of Jidenna and Silento’s performances below.
Lil Dicky isn’t only a talent rapper and a hilarious comedian, but he is fiscally responsible as well. And that’s why for his new music video for ‘$ave Dat Money’, LD does just that, he saves that money and found a mansion owner who would let him shoot the visuals on-site for free. Recruiting ‘Trap Queen’ rapper Fetty Wap and Rich Homie Quan, Lil Dicky’s ‘$ave Dat Money’ video continues his trend of absolutely awesome and hilarious music videos. The video even features (free) appearances from comedians Hannibal Burress and Sarah Silverman, Kevin Durant, Dillon Francis, Tom Petty and billionaire Mark Cuban.
Watch the official music video for ‘$ave Dat Money’ below.
Last night, Ed Sheeran brought his one-man show to Chicago as he, and special guests Passenger and Christina Perri, performed at Tinley Park’s Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre. Greeting fans as the amphitheatre filled up, ‘A Thousand Years’ singer/songwriter and Pennsylvania native, Christina Perri, gave a warming opening performance. Perri split time around the stage and at her piano as she beautifully sang some of her biggest records, including ‘Jar of Hearts’ and ‘Arms’, in her opening set.
Next up was English folk rock singer, Michael Rosenberg, better known by his stage name of Passenger. Humbling himself, Passenger joked about how people often confuse him as being an entire band and reminded fans that his big song is ‘Let Her Go’, not Frozen‘s ‘Let It Go’. And while Passenger continued to make the fans laugh as he sipped his beer “strong apple juice”, his soothing folk music was the highlight of his appearance. Just coming off a performance in Minnesota, for a few hundred people, Passenger took in the moment and thanked the crowd and Mr. Sheeran for allowing him to play some of his records. Great music and making the crowd laugh between songs, Passenger knows exactly what it means to put on a great folk performance.
While the opening performances could not have been better, once 8:30 hit, it was time for the man of the night, Mr. Ed Sheeran. Opening with his records ‘I’m a Mess’ and ‘Lego House’, only two songs into the performance Sheeran had to give his disclaimer to the crowd. After a recent performance, Ed’s manager informed him of the tour’s first complaint, where a couple wanted their money back because they could not see the live band that was performing in the background. The twist however, was that there is no live band, as Ed performs all the background music live and on his own (through the help of his looping station). It’s this unique style of performance that not only showcases Sheeran’s talents, but also makes his show especially entertaining. He may not move around the stage too often, expect for when he is rapping of course, but Sheeran’s set showcases one of music’s great solo performers (which follows to other great solo performances).
Check out our photos and the official set list below and be sure to check out if the tour is coming to a city near you.
Besides his new feature on Travis Scott’s debut album Rodeo and production on The Weeknd’s new LP, it feels like it has been forever since we had some new music from Kanye West. Well although we are still patiently awaiting his forthcoming album Swish, today we have a new record with Kanye West, ‘White Iverson’ rapper/singer Post Malone, and Ty Dolla $ign.
Debuting during Yeezy Season 2 (of Kanye West’s New York Fashion Week runaway show and which will reportedly not involve adidas), ‘Fade’ samples The Unidisputed Truth’s ‘I’m Losing You’ as well as Hardrive’s ‘Deep Inside’. What do you like better, this one or ‘Wolves’ (from Season 1 of Kanye’s adidas line)?
