Alright, so the holidays got us pretty backed up. Between closing out 2018 and easing into the new year though we seem to have gotten back on track. Thing is, we’ve been tweaking on getting some of this new music up from around the city. With that in mind we bring you once again, The Catch Up, a one-stop shop to get, well, caught up, on projects that have hit the streets in the last few weeks. Check that all out below and as well, make sure you stop by Mild Sauce Radio here or on TuneIn to catch all the latest music from the city streaming 24/7.
Chris Crack • Thanks Uncle Trill
For the last couple of years, Chris Crack has moved a bit more diagonally than we remember him in years past. His releases have been gradually building on the last and his sixth project of 2018 capped a year of progress for the longtime Chicago rapper. Having been relatively quiet after a years-long run, Crack seemed to have spent his hibernation cooking up, because 2018 turned out to be a breakthrough one for the hometown product, even getting a positive critical reception from Pitchfork for his project, Being Woke Ain’t Fun. On his latest, we get a consistent follow up that build’s on Crack’s ability to handle himself over just about any beat he encounters. Don’t call it a comeback, but revel in the upward moves of a familiar face in Chicago ready to take it up in 2019.
J Bambi • Retrograde
J Bambi has existed in the creative scene’s collective periphery for as long as I can remember being around it. A confident voice, unafraid of her own truths, her recent foray into music has had me excited, and we finally got a peek just before the new year. The standout here is the opening track, a perfect opening to introduce Jasmine to your ears. Featuring Akenya, the joint is super jazzy with production from Wun Two and put’s Bambii’s bars front and center. Like I said earlier, she possesses an outright confidence in her thoughts and feelings that truly connects here in the way hip-hop was meant to. Can’t wait for some more to come through but for now dive into Retrograde.
Shy Riot • Don’t Kill People
This is a project that I’ve been meaning to write about for a minute. Shy Riot originally hit me up with an advance listen of this project, and through the last month it’s just now finding its way to our pages. A bit of a change of pace for what we usually feature, its a welcome breath of something different, leaning into several genres simultaneously that ultimately feels like an unplugged version of a Lil Uzi song. Take that back, that does it some injustice to be honest, but the sentiment stands. What we have here is an amalgamation of sounds and influences through the lens of internet kids fortunate to operate in a time that allows for such far-reaching discovery and instrumentation that’s providing the multifaceted backdrop for this four-song introduction that is definitely going to keep us looking for more in the nw year. If you haven’t had a chance to get into Shy Riot’s Don’t Kill People, now is the time.
Dally Auston • This Is The Future
For those who may no be aware, Dally Auston may well have broken into legend territory as of late. The longtime SaveMoney member and general personality around hte scene has become more than a rapper and more of an overall ambassador for the city. The other night on Fallon, Noname in a moment of pause simply went to a line that made sense “you’ll see Dally…Westside Get The Money Still a Classic” and she’s not lying. We’ve all been waiting for Dally to give us a proper followup to The Wood, but thus far have been strung along with EPs and singles. That continues in the new year with his three-song offering This Is The Future produced by Cangelosi. Dive into the whole thing before and if you see Dally, let him know that we’re all waiting on the full-length!