These Days had a chance to sit down with Tramaine to get more context on how he became the prolific writer that he is, the differences between Chicago & L.A., why his sound is so Southern in nature and more.
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Growing up listening to the likes of DJ Premiere, Nas, OutKast, and J. Cole, Amir’s care for songwriting and rapping dexterity is more than evident in his songs.
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These Days catches up with rapper Jabba44x to learn more about his upbringing in Chicago, how basketball influenced the work ethic he approaches his music with, the concept behind his next project Prairie Ave. and more.
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We caught up with Toronto-based singer-songwriter, Shanuka, to better understand her artistry and growth over the last few years and hear about her upcoming releases for 2023.
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In anticipation of his upcoming single and defprez’s new album, It's Always a Time Like This, we sat down with CRASHprez to talk about his recent merch drop, releasing new music, collaborating with other artists, and much in between.
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These Days editor Iman Music sits down with Amira Jazeera to learn more about her move to Chicago to pursue music, how she makes room for growth, and navigating social media as an artist.
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Staff writer Allie Antonevich caught up with Dora Jar briefly over the phone before her concert at Schubas Tavern back in late 2022.
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Read our Q&A with King Melik below to learn about how he first got into music and his aspirations for the future.
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An example I found this year was Chicago-based producer and composer Norfik’s Escape. A six-track EP that unboundedly explores the sonic characteristics of IDM, ambient, and club-ready jungle music while cohesively piecing these concepts together in a way that can only be described as liberating.
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Dehd’s Blue Skies, released in May 2022, was the ideal soundtrack to a Chicago spring. For 32 minutes, Dehd do what they do best: deliver earworms with punk sensibilities and indie rock execution.
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In “Boundaries,” Jamila Woods identifies healthy characteristics when entering new relationships, such as not losing yourself or recognizing when you might be entering a flight-or-fight mode rooted in fear.
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Dave Coresh's debut EP SMOKENMIRRORS struck the deepest chord for me in 2022. Centered on self-healing and shedding old traits, Coresh dives into heavy issues of unequal relationships, heartbreak, and individualism on this project.
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In late May of 2022, Andrew Goes To Hell and WASTEDJU dropped their debut single, “Turn It Up !,” under their new electro-pop duo, Girls That.
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Everyone defines “best” differently. For me, art that creates an uncomfortable feeling makes it to my “best of whatever” lists more often than not. Alga’s “Star” fits into this category for various reasons.
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For our preview piece of Tomorrow Never Knows Festival 2023, some of the These Days staff shares thoughts on artists we’re looking forward to seeing perform at this year’s fest.
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For our first interview of the new year we pick up on a conversation which started a few months back with our friend Rich Jones surrounding his album Smoke Detector.
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As part of a wider retrospective series on the landmark year, These Days talked to individuals who actively participated in the 2012 scene to look back at the special moments that continue to shape the different scenes here.
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Ahead of John Walt Day, we sat down with Joseph, MFnMelo, Saba, Dae Dae and Frsh to talk about John Walt Day and their recent releases.
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Heavy Crowns gets vulnerable and showcases his attributions as a musician in our Q&A where we dig deeper into his visions for music and beyond.
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In light of the release of his third project, Peace in Armageddon, we connected with DERYK G to talk about balancing school and music, the backstory behind some of his favorite songs, and what he’s looking forward to as he makes his return to the city.
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