Chicago
North Coast Music Festival to Host Armin van Buuren, ILLENIUM, Porter Robinson, More In 2022
Playing on its core tenet of “Celebrate Our Differences,” Illinois’ North Coast Music Festival has announced a massive first wave lineup for its 2022 edition. It comes complete with representation of all the major EDM genres as well as a slew of local artists. Lineup highlights include a handful of stages curated by industry-leading labels, including FISHER‘s Catch & Release, Diplo‘s Higher Ground, and Seven Lions‘ Ophelia Records, as well as headlining performances by Armin van Buuren, ILLENIUM, Porter Robinson and Kaytranada. Alive Coverage The Midwest staple, now in its 12th edition, will return to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview after a successful debut last year. The 2021 event drew 78,000 attendees across three days and saw the implementat...
Jussie Smollett Takes Stand For 6 Hours In Criminal Trial
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI / Getty The criminal trial of Jussie Smollett continued with high drama in Chicago. The actor was called to testify to refute allegations that he staged the hate crime he claimed to be a victim of, with salacious details about one of the attackers being mentioned by Smollett himself. The former Empire actor took the stand on Monday (Dec. 6), facing charges that he lied to police about being attacked by two men in his downtown Chicago neighborhood in January 2019 after returning home from a trip. The two brothers, accused of committing the attack on Smollett, delivered impactful testimony the week before, claiming that the openly gay and Black actor crafted the entire attack to gain publicity. The 39-year old sat and testified for si...
Juicy Smolliét aka Jussie Smollett Heads To Trial This Week In Alleged Attack Hoax Case
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Nuccio DiNuzzo / Getty Juicy Smolliét aka Jussie Smollett was initially cleared of any wrongdoing after charges of staging an attack were thrown out of court after his February 2019 arrest. On Monday (Nov. 29), jury selection has begun in the former Empire actor’s disorderly conduct case where he faces six felony counts. ABC 7 Chicago reports that Smollett’s trial takes place almost three years to the day he told the authorities that he was the victim of a violent attack near his Chicago home and hit with racist and homophobic verbal attacks. Prosecutors believe that the 39-year-old actor staged the attack based on accounts that two men were paid thousands to help Smollett arrange the attack. Cook County Prosecutor Kim Foxx’s office threw out the charges,...
New Documentary Explores Cultural Divide Between Chicago’s House Heads and Hip-Hop Fans
Chicago is the birthplace of house music and an incubator for hip-hop hitmakers, yet the city remains divided over how it views its musical legacy. A forthcoming documentary titled It’s Different In Chicago, slated for debut at the Black Harvest Film Festival in November, uncovers the animosity between fans of house music and fans of conscious rap, otherwise known as “backpackers.” Directed by David Weathersby, the film explores how this divide manifests through the lens of numerous Chicago-native industry professionals who provided their first-hand impressions. “I’ve noticed that, especially within the Black community, we like the music but it also becomes our tribe—the flag that we fly,” Weathersby told the Chicago Sun-Times. “And chronicling...
Dance Music Artists Aim to Impress—And Surprise—In Triumphant Return to Lollapalooza
“I’ve been replaying this moment over and over for months and it’s so much better than I could have imagined,” singer-songwriter Lauv proclaimed from the Lollapalooza main stage. It was a sentiment heard over and over again at the music festival’s 2021 edition, the first large-scale event to return in Chicago at full capacity in the pandemic era. For precisely that reason, the festival garnered a level of national attention unseen in recent years. Given the heightened visibility, artists were particularly eager to put their best foot forward for their loyal fans while also seizing the opportunity to reach new ears by embracing the element of surprise. It was a picture-perfect weekend in Chicago, and between the star-studded lineup, refreshing froze...
Take a Look Inside Brownies & Lemonade’s Larger-Than-Life Lollapalooza Aftershow
Since appearing in the Los Angeles EDM scene in the mid-2010s, electronic music collective Brownies & Lemonade has grown exponentially—with a cult following to match. Known for their off-the-walls, if-you-know-you-know shows, they’ve hosted everything from underground pop-ups and open aux concerts to high-profile artist showcases and curated festival stages. The powerhouse brand’s latest stop was in Chicago at Lollapalooza, which was the first major multi-genre festival to surface since the onset of the pandemic. Following a July 30th stage takeover, B&L headed to Chop Shop for a sold-out July 31st aftershow that proved larger than life. With its packed audience, stacked lineup and multitude of merch-clad fans, one thing became instantly clear: ...
DJ Snake Shows Chameleon Colors In Electrifying 2021 Tour Debut
DJ Snake‘s return to the stage to kickstart his 2021 U.S. tour highlighted just how much his cachet has grown since we saw him last. Immediately prior to the onset of the pandemic, February 2020, DJ Snake wrapped the biggest show of his career at the Paris La Défense Arena, performing in front of 40,000 people. It was an iconic moment, but no one could have expected the glacial freeze in momentum the music industry at large would sustain a mere month later. As we’re entering the other side nearly 16 months later, artists are beginning to reconnect with their audiences again—some more successfully than others. For DJ Snake, however, the start of the Chicago leg of his tour was met with a particularly warm welcome. It was a statement-making night for Snake at Ch...
Lollapalooza Ramps Up Personnel to Support COVID-19 Vaccine Screening Measures
Lollapalooza is just a couple of days away from kicking off its 30th annual event and preparations are in the final stages. Of course this year’s event proves to be especially unique. Following an online-only edition in 2020, Lollapalooza is returning to form with a plan that puts public health top of mind. This year Lollapalooza is staffing up particularly heavily to support the coronavirus screening efforts that will be taking place at the festival’s front gates. At the City of Chicago’s direction as well as the Department of Public Health, all attendees will need to produce a printed vaccine card or proof of a negative COVID-19 test in order to gain entry. Chicago’s Lollapalooza music festival. Lollapalooza (via Facebook) Recommended Articles Acco...
SVDDEN DEATH Teases “Largest Production Yet” At Upcoming Chicago Show
Spooky season is starting early this year in Chicago as SVDDEN DEATH has just announced he’s preparing to kick off October with his “largest production yet” in the Windy City. While the “Behemoth” producer hasn’t yet divulged specific details, he doubled down on the assertion that this would be his biggest show ever in an announcement shared via Instagram, noting that he has a number of tricks in his back pocket he plans to reveal for the occasion. It’s a declaration that bass music fans shouldn’t take lightly. Throughout his career, SVDDEN DEATH has made it a priority to deliver unique, headline-grabbing sets, oftentimes shocking fans in the process. Early last year, for example, he performed a surprise stunt in Los Angeles by levitati...
Chicago Is Hosting Free House Music Pop-Up Parties Throughout the City
Although many festivals in Chicago have gone fully virtual for the past two years, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events has a solution for the house heads aching to get their groove on. In lieu of the annual Chicago House Music Festival, the department has announced a series of events called “House City,” which began on July 4th. DCASE is planning to host various pop-up parties throughout the city—the birthplace of house music—over the next few months. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the events will be free and will take place in the neighborhoods of South Shore, Englewood, and North Lawndale, among others. Local Chicago talent will be featured at each pop-up. People dancing at the 2019 Chicago House Music Festival. City of Chica...
R. Kelly Transferred From Chicago Prison To New York Ahead Of Trial
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Cook County Department of Corrections / Cook County Department of Corrections Imprisoned R&B singer R. Kelly has been transferred from a Chicago facility to a detention center in Brooklyn, N.Y. ahead of his sex crimes trial there. Kelly is now being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) and he’ll face trial starting this summer. According to a report from the Chicago Sun-Times, Kelly 54, has been held at Chicago’s Metropolitan Correctional Center for almost two years, adding that Kelly’s stay at the MCC has been replete with some issues that include him being attacked by an inmate among other concerns surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Kellly will face racketeering charges in New York, and this request was known for quite some time, this ...
Chicago is Giving Out Over 1,000 Free Lollapalooza Passes to Vaccinated Residents
Receiving the COVID-19 vaccine could punch your ticket to one of the nation’s most iconic music festivals. As the city enters its final reopening stage, Chicago’s health department has announced plans to give out 1,200 free single-day passes for Lollapalooza‘s 2021 edition to anyone who makes an appointment at select vaccination sites on June 26th. The promotion is part of the Protect Chicago Music Series, which offers free tickets to concerts for vaccinated residents. According to city officials, Chicago will transform four of its vaccination sites into “Lolla Day” events, each offering a live DJ, custom Lollapalooza-branded giveaways, and a pass to the festival. Those who have already been inoculated will also have a chance to secure a free ticket....
