SEARCH FOR: LIVE PERFORMANCE

There is a never-ending amount of talented artists and musicians that are in Chicago, it’s the main reason why the city’s art scene is so rich and fruitful. I love that on any given day, I can do a little research and find a handful of amazing creatives to listen to, and Anessa Rivera is a singer based in the city who I believe in through and through. Just last week, Anessa released a studio performance of her record called “Worth It”, performed with assistance from her wonderful band. This is a brilliant few minutes of music all around, I enjoy Anessa’s music on DSPs, but it hits much harder when performed live. Don’t take my word for it though, check it out for yourself below! Guitarist: Trevor Stewart • Bassist: Ed Pogalz • Pianist: Tamar Mitchell • Drummer: Ethan Reinbach • Audio Engineer: Ben Kula • Filmed by: Braxton Po

Rising from New York City, blckfriend has combined many genres to create a style that is distinctly his own. These elements also shine through in his live performances and experimental filmmaking, which have helped him not only accrue an audience on DSPs but also on socials, where he avidly posts freestyles to keep his fans engaged. Before signing with Babygrande Records, blckfriend had fully immersed himself in his artistry, weaving hip-hop, rock, punk, and grunge into his sound and style.   “It is rare to find an artist with multifaceted talents like blckfriend. When you see an artist live and he raps, sings, and plays the guitar it’s something special,” says Babygrande Founder Chuck Wilson.  This month, the aspiring artist released his official debut single “Robbery” and the supporting visuals. The music video for “Robbery” depicts the same talent and mystery that the track conveys. Directed by Jack Rottier, who is best known for shooting a handful of Yeat’s best performing music videos, the visual takes viewers to an urban landscape where villains and thieves move through the night. His ability to combine clever wordplay with off-kilter harmonies and rhythms, and dissect a beat while also delivering catchy flows. His talent truly shines …

Though the world of upcoming artists is decorated with an endless roster of undeniable talent and boundary-pushing music, few artists get support from me like Kojima Plus and ZAYALLCAPS. Carter Fife devotees (my mom) might recognize Kojima Plus from the TikTok favorite “snow elf” or LL coverage for his last project SKYLINE UNLIMITED – an EP decorated with futuristic and genre-blurring bangers from one of LA’s best kept secrets. On SKYLINE UNLIMITED there exists a bop known as “SURFIN”, an atmospheric and hypnotic R&B-meets-hip-hop-meets-DnB anthem featuring two of underground music’s most cherished darlings. Enter Kojima Plus and ZAY: together they unite to amplify each other’s undeniable artistic spirit and charisma on what is possibly the best song of 2022. This month fans are treated to “SURFIN”‘s long-awaited visual, a hazy and melancholic masterpiece filled with 203 seconds of raw and film grain sunset vibes. Directed by SEBCUBILLE – shots of the beach and airplanes flying overhead are juxtaposed against shots of Kojima and special guest ZAY simply doing their thing. If the visual leaves you ravenous to see this song performed live – you’re not alone, but you’re also too late. The duo recently performed this track together at LA’s Jojank & …

I don’t often stray too far away from writing about new songs, videos, or projects that artists put out, but every now and then, there are some things that give me no choice but to write about because I enjoy them so much. NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert series is one of those pieces of content because it is just such a unique way of seeing a musician perform considering no matter what live performance they may put on, none of them are doing it inside of a silent office setting with an intimate crowd except for when they’re featured in this series. Typically, singers and rappers are completely out of their element which gives you an even more unique look at their artistry and personality, but NPR’s latest guest seemed to be right at home behind the desk. I’m talking about Omar Apollo, someone whose natural skill set has always shined without needing to use an abundance of vocal effects or alterations to sound immaculate, so this bare-bones style of performance not only suits him well, but allows him to thrive unlike I’ve ever personally seen before. Although he only performs 4 songs total, including “En El Olvido”, “Evergreen”, Petrified”, …

It’s not easy to make a name for yourself in music nowadays, and it never really has been in the past either, for that matter. Further than those difficulties, just imagine how tough it must be trying to make a name for an entire band in the existing climate. I mean, if you take a second to look at the music scene as it currently stands, there aren’t very many bands blowing up, and the biggest names in the industry seem to be the monikers of individuals, not groups. Sure, there are outliers as there are with anything, but overall, it’s pretty much kept to individuals and that’s that. I’m not sure if technology or social media has something to do with this or if it’s just so easy to collaborate that artists do their own thing and come together when they need to, but when I come across a collective doing their thing as a unit as impressively as Chicago’s very own Worry Club, you already know I have to tap in. Worry Club has been blowing up in the local scene and slowly but surely making their way across the country, and while their music speaks for itself, …

Across the music industry, few artists have had as much of a successful 2022 as Phil Crown. The young R&B, pop, and electronic artist has recently taken the industry by storm following a string of popular releases and live shows. Taking his music in an exciting new direction with the release of his latest single “Broken Wings”, Phil Crown has captured the attention of listeners and critics alike. First coming onto the scene with the release of the hit single “Pick Up The Phone”, Phil Crown immediately impressed listeners with a truly unique style of pop. His sound blends together warm tones with upbeat and infectious beats, resulting in a mix that shares the best qualities of both R&B and pop genres. Recently, with the release of his single “Broken Wings”, Phil Crown perfected this recipe by mixing in an extra layer of electro-pop, adding electro-synth hooks that give his music an extra layer of excitement and intrigue. Filled with melodic hooks and passionate choruses, Phil Crown’s impressive R&B vocals on “Broken Wings” are perfectly complemented by the electro-pop breakdown underneath the track. Fans have already shown a huge reception to this new sound. Following awesome live shows at Kiss …

Although drill music may have just started to pop off around a decade ago here in Chicago, it’s absolutely insane to think about how much it has impacted the entire music industry as a whole. Drill artists may have once been regarded by outsiders as aggressive, hostile music, but if you really listen to the words, it’s a story about the lives of these emcees. While there are clearly threats, violence, and antagonism throughout any drill song you tap in with that I may not condone myself, it is a part of the art and I feel like that needs to be respected in its own right. It also feels like this subgenre is one of the fastest moving and quickly transforming styles because usually you can track the evolution of a style and see how it has progressively changed, but that’s tough to do with drill considering how recently it was conceived and how much it has changed in only a handful of years. Classic drill and songs that came from the early 2010s will never go away luckily, but the new wave of the subgenre is here, and it is spearheaded by emcees like the DCG Brothers. These …

Just last week, I wrote about Lil Gnar and Chief Keef’s brand-new song “Almighty Gnar” and went into heavy details about how much of a legend Sosa is as well as how Gnar is an icon leading this generation of musicians in his own right as well. I just feel like when you pair a new, energetic, and exciting spitter like Gnar with a certified veteran like Keef, there is no way that the results could be bad. Even though this song is the first of many with the two rappers, it seems to barely skim the surface of what is possible when they collaborate. To be completely honest, my first listen to this track left me wanting more, partially because I knew that both emcees have demonstrated their talents even further in other records but also because I was just impatient and wanted more music from the tag team immediately. As I kept listening, though, I realized that I loved this song even more than I first had thought. I started to pick up on all the different lyrics that were performed by both artists and I also loved the epic aesthetic of the instrumental, so even though I …

KUR has finally returned with his first official mixtape in two years and I must say it’s an excellent body of work. The 12-song mixtape has rapidly climbed into the Top 20 of Apple Music Hip-Hop albums chart. Before the release, he debuted the lead single “Seasons” which set the tone for this project. There are mixtures of instrumentals, a hypnotic harmony, vicious wordplay, and a lethal flow. The tracks on this project have been in the vault for a year. To finally hear everything come together as one, was an extremely heartfelt listening experience. “I always heard the phrase, ‘Loyal To A Fault’ Throughout my whole career, people always told me that. It would be like, ‘Yo bro, you’re loyal to a fault’. I still have a soft spot for certain individuals though,” Kur explained. “I go out of my way for them even though the situation isn’t good for me and I know I deserve better. In terms of the concept, it doesn’t have to be a person per se. It could be a neighborhood or a family. You should put yourself first, but you end up going down the same tunnel because of your loyalty.” Recently, KUR …

Most music listeners find out about an artist in a variety of ways, but as far as I can tell, they just tap in with new releases and run back their favorite songs without giving it a second thought. I guess this is where I differ because even before I became a writer here at Lyrical Lemonade, I loved to dive into their background and see what they were up to before making music as well as reviewing the major moments throughout their career thus far. Another statistic I find intriguing is seeing their popularity in different countries because considering I’ve never been out of the United States, I just find it hard to believe that places all the way across the world listen to music from America, even though I know that’s totally normal. When I was sent the latest YSN Fab song “Way That I Live” a few days ago, the email came with a press release with numbers and charts the Winnipeg emcee has made it onto, which turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the up and coming artist’s bio. Alongside staggering numbers like 305,000 monthly Spotify listeners, over 60 million combined streams, …