SEARCH FOR: JUICE WRLD

“If I was half as good as I was, I’m still twice as good as you’ll ever be.” -Eminem on “Premonition (Intro) Currently, there aren’t too many artists that are afforded the luxury of being able to release an entire full-length project with no warning what so ever. Come to think of it, there aren’t even many legacy acts that can release albums in this matter. Being active for well over 20 years now, a lot of us can agree that Eminem has had a project or two that have stuck with us during our upbringing. As of late, he hasn’t been getting the recognition that he deserves, due to the lackluster outing we received on his 2017 album Revival. Feeling dismayed by the responses of that album, Eminem came right back in 2018 with the surprise album Kamikaze in which he strayed away from the pop sound of the last album and went back to more of his Hip-Hop roots. Better critically received this time, yet still received some backlash for his means of dedicating the entire album replying those who dissed him over the years. Here we are in 2020 and Eminem seems to put the nail in the coffin and …

Turning the page into the next decade, our fourth edition of the “Top 50 Chicago Projects of the Year” list marks a special occasion. From the first list until now, four years means more than just four years of picks. It tracks four years of growth from some of our favorite artists, and a chance to watch last year’s entries rise up the ranks and improve, one year after the next. This year, we’re welcoming several Chicago mainstays as well as a plethora of new faces. The constant between every pick? A strong representation of the talent in Chicago, solidifying the city as a front runner in the trend-setting landscape of hip-hop. If there’s any city presenting some of music’s premier faces, both old and new, it’s Chicago, just as we aim to capture on this list. That said, below is Lyrical Lemonade’s top 50 Chicago projects of 2019. Thank you to all of the artists working so hard to provide us with music, and here’s to a promising decade to come for Chicago music. From 2019 ’til infinity. Honorable Mentions: Chanelle Truvillion, Kiraly Payne — 50) Josi Green & Ausar – The Good & The Bad EP Josi Green …

Clever is an artist who possesses one of the most unique voices in hip hop. Even when he’s rapping rather than singing, his words are delivered with such passion that they sound like they’re carrying a tune. He has collaborated with a bunch of different rappers like G Herbo and Polo G to name a couple and brings a twist to their music considering his extremely different sound. Juice WRLD was another collaborator of his who clearly changed the way he approached his music for the better, so I was beyond pleased when I found out Clever’s latest song “It’s All Bad” was a full-on tribute to the late superstar. “It’s All Bad” is a truly melancholy ballad, and sadness can be heard in everything from Clever’s voice, to the beat, and even the gloomy lyric video that comes with the track. Clever stretches out his words, making them appear even more powerful and meaningful the longer he holds the notes. His voice also quivers from time to time, directly demonstrating just how hard it is for him to record this song about his beloved friend. The lyrics are directly talking about Juice as well as topics like sadness, death, …

As we are approaching the end of not only the year of 2019, but the end of an entire decade–it’s around this time where we sit back and reflect on everything that has been going on in the grand scheme of things. We start to discuss who the hottest new artist is, who had the best run, who was the most consistent–so on and so forth. As of late, there has been a lot of talk in the industry about the current state of hip hop. Everything from where we’ve been, where we’re at currently, and where we will be in the future to come. With all the talk about Grammy nominations and awards show snubs, it sparked a thought in my mind about the current state of hip hop. As I sat and reflected on the industry, it posed the question to me–are we in desperate need of a new sound? Seeing as rap has been the most dominant genre not only on the Billboard charts, but culturally in the past five years or so, there have been a vast array of hot takes and opinions about the current state of rap, and what we need in order to …

8MatikLogan is an artist who has been extremely consistent in the Chicago music community for the past seven or so years, and he recently stopped by Illanoize Radio to chop it up with the homie Bekoe + his co-hosts. The four of them spoke about several things such as mental health, his record “House Of Pain” + the visual for it, getting more mature + growing as an individual, having a two-year hiatus from music, when he first started making music, experiencing PTSD about having a near-death experience, being a studio rat, his family, coming up in Chicago’s underground scene, going through an artist identity crisis at one point, the days of selling out Reggies, Juice WRLD, working with ATS & Hitco, having an unreleased song with G Herbo, advice he would give to younger artists, his plans in 2020 and more. Watch this awesome new interview below!

Everyone, including myself, is still in utter disbelief about the extremely premature passing of Juice WRLD over the weekend. He was a legend in every sense of the word, with unlimited potential that no one was ever going to even come close to matching, and unfortunately, he’s no longer with us. Friends, Family, Fans and celebrities alike have been flooding social media timelines, paying their respects to the late Rockstar in many different ways. One way that particularly stuck out to me was UnoTheActivist’s song “Way Too Young”. This track is completely dedicated to the Chicago talent with inspirations ranging from the lyrics, to the flows, and especially the overall aesthetic of the song. The production includes gloomy guitar chords and somber melodies that Juice was known for being able to take and turn into hit after hit. Even the vocal effects had inspiration to Juice, so Uno really seemed to show out for him. Everyone mourns in their own separate ways, and I think Uno did Juice WRLD justice with his ode to the late star. He’ll be missed by all and there’s no doubt in my mind that the music industry will never be the same. At least …

“I wasn’t necessarily looking for happiness, just less pain” – Trippie Redd on “Leray” Having been an avid fan of Trippie Redd’s music since his debut project, A Love Letter To You, released back in 2017, his musical journey has been nothing short of a rollercoaster. Not only speaking on behalf of the emotions that he puts into the craft, but for the fans, as well. While the first project in this series is what many fans will call a classic, the second project, A Love Letter To You 2 was a big disappointment for many fans including myself due to the fact that it seemed rushed, coming just five short months after his first project. Taking almost a year off, Trippie took time to perfect his craft for his debut album Life’s A Trip in 2018 which ushered him back in the great graces of fans and really showed his growth as an artist. On top of that, we also received the third installment in the Love Letter series which fans grew to love. 2019 was a year where it seems like everyone was releasing so much music, and in the midst of it all, Trippie came with his second album titled ! (exclamation mark) and the fans …

Over the past five years of covering the Chicago music scene, interviewing artists, and making relationships with these creatives, I have noticed something that I believe is super intriguing: there have been so many talented individuals who went to Homewood Flossmoor High School at (or around) the same time. It’s not too often that you see this many extraordinary creatives come out of the same place at once — at least I have never heard of something like this before — but even more so, I think it’s a rarity for to have this type of talent come out of the same school especially in the same field. I believe that a big part of this should be credited to the opportunities that Homewood Flossmoor provides to their students, in all avenues, but especially in the music field. The school has engaged students in music industry classes, Jazz orchestra courses, holding rap contests (and giving out prizes to the winners), shooting music videos for their senior students at times, giving them their own radio show to practice freestyling + DJ’ing, and they even take their bands on extraordinary trips to places like Japan. It’s crazy to think about what can …

Ski Mask The Slump God has quickly become not only one of the hottest new artists in the game, but a leader in the next generation of artists and the exact same can be said about Juice Wrld, so when you see them connect for a brand new music video you already know it’s going to be special. Things do get elevated to another level though when you see that the GOAT of video directors, Cole Bennett, was brought on to bring this song to life, and together they formed something like a Big 3. The setting that they shot this music video at looks something like a Call Of Duty map from back in the day, and trust me when I say that this one is action-packed to the extreme, it’s filled with twists & turns that will have you on the edge of your seat. Watch this brand new visual on YouTube below and if you like it, then don’t forget to smash that thumbs up button!

Polo G has arguably had a better year than most Chicago artists in 2019 & he is one of the best new emcees in the game, so when I saw that he linked with the homie Bootleg Kev + DJ Hed for a brand new interview I couldn’t wait to watch! They spoke about plenty of topics including growing up on the northside of Chicago, who inspired him musically, wanting to do a collab with Juice WRLD, his tattoos, his well-received project, the meaning behind the title of his album, how he connected with Lil Tjay, his recording process, evolving as an artist, his spending habits, his relationship with his father, being multi-dimensional and much more. This was a solid interview so shout out to the great hosts, they brought out the best in Polo G & I suggest you check out this interview below!