Music & Nightlife
Music & Nightlife
Edited by Zach Long
timeout.com/chicago/music @z_long Nnamdi Ogbonnaya
Ogbonnaya is a busy guy. He’s the drummer for local math rock group Monobody and the bassist in punk outfit Nervous Passenger, among other projects. His solo album,
DROOL, sounds like an amalgamation of his various musical pursuits, overseen by his clever, surreal and hilarious lyricism.
ON COLLABORATION “Being able to combine with people to do something that you wouldn’t
be able to do by yourself is a beautiful thing. People in Chicago realize that if one person
starts popping off, they’re going to bring along the people they collaborate with.” ON HIS MUSIC “The music that I make is 100 percent me. I have to be the one to decipher what the final outcome will be, I have to write the first melody, and I have to decide whether the lyrics are stupid or not.”
Wicker Park Fest, Milwaukee Ave between North Ave and Paulina St (
wickerparkfest.com). July 29.
Ric Wilson An activist and a rapper, Wilson
produces dance music bristling with enthusiasm. His recent EP, Negrow
Disco, is a homage to disco’s roots in the black and LGBTQ communities.
ON COLLABORATION “[Chicago] musicians are open to playing and helping you form
your own bands as a hip-hop artist, which is really rare. The doors opened back when (local band) the O’My’s started playing with (rap duo) the Cool Kids.” ON HIS MUSIC “For so long I was battling with what type of MC I wanted to be—did I want to be a Nas or a Common? I think I’m finally getting into being a Ric Wilson.”
Schubas, 3159 N Southport Ave (773-525-2508,
lh-st.com). June 26.
Making the next wave
Chicago’s rap renaissance is here to stay. Three rising musicians tell us why there’s never been a better time to collaborate and create hip-hop in the city. By Zach Long
Morimoto In high school, jazz saxophonist
Morimoto was inspired to start rapping after listening to Lil Wayne. A member of Massachusetts DIY collective Dark World, he moved to Chicago with an
ex-girlfriend but stuck around because of the musicians he encountered. ON COLLABORATION “Most of the people who play in bands with hip-hop artists are
actually really amazing jazz musicians. That’s why it works so well. If I can afford to pay a full band, I’ll always do that.”
ON HIS MUSIC “My computer just died a couple days ago, so I lost [the music] I’ve been working on for the past two years. I went straight to acceptance, which means that something is really bottled up inside me.”
Margaritaville DIY venue (
notdiychi.com). Aug 12.
From left, Ogbonnaya, Wilson and Morimoto DISCOVER! Time Out Chicago June 7–September 5, 2017
For the latest gigs and music news, head to
timeout.com/chicago/music-nightlife. 56
PHOTOGRAPH: TONY FAVARULA
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