Chicago, and all of its young talent, was the city that stole the show on day 2 of SXSW. We began the day by catching up with SaveMoney's Joey Purp, who got us hyped for his upcoming project, Quarter Thing. In the same hotel, we then linked with Kweku Collins, and, unwittingly, Ta'East (LA-via-KY) and Kami, another SaveMoney representative.
We then attended a boozy listening session held by CyHi The Prynce for his upcoming debut album, No Dope on Sundays. He seemed more confident than ever, and his fans have got a lot to look forward to, as No Dope on Sundays is executive produced by Kanye West and Travis Scott and also features the GOOD leaders Big Sean and Pusha T. A highlight was a collab with ScHoolboy Q called "Movin' Around," which will be CyHi's next single. The fiery track will definitely be in rotation during the months ahead.
Ahead of their Zero Fatigue showcase, we held a joint interview with Chicago rapper-producer duo Smino and Monte Booker. They talked about Smino's excellent recent debut album, blkswn, produced mostly by Booker. That night we would return to their party, which was also attended by blooming Chicago artists like Saba and Noname. The takeaway from the day was that the depth of the young Chicago scene is a result of the love and support they all show for each other.
After a shutdown performance at Mass Appeal's Live at the BBQ on Thursday night, Denzel Curry kicked it with us and took part in what he said was one of his all-time favorite interviews. Rapping is far from his only artistic prowess. Known for his love of anime, we had him draw a character of his choosing while we spoke about his upcoming plans in all of his preferred creative realms. The final product was a figure very dear to his heart and to his music, inspired by his late brother.
Our final sit-down of the night involved one of the hottest artists at the festival, a woman who had already headlined a few of the week’s biggest events. What a difference a year makes, said Young M.A, reflecting on making her first trip out here last year. She told us about her upcoming EP -- Her Story -- as well as the album that will follow -- Her Story in the Making. She also explained her perfectionist ways when it comes to dropping music, and how she chose to release “Hot Sauce” at the onset of the recent snowstorm that took over NYC.
Stay tuned for all of the exciting video content we've cooked up down here in the days ahead. Check out our photo diary from Day 1 here.
