hiphop

Mr. Greenweedz to Host Simmer Down Sound 5 Year Anniversary

May 9, 2017

Mr. Greenweedz is a  legendary name in Chicago hip hop lore. He grew up on Chicago’s West Side, began rocking microphones in 1986 and he hasn’t stopped nor slowed his pace since. In the early 90’s he linked up with Chicago hip hop royalty, Capital D and Tone B Nimble of All Natural, who led a collective known as Unison. Unison evolved into Family Tree and the record label All Natural Inc.

 

Mr. Greenweedz enjoyed great success with Family Tree and also as a solo emcee. By the 2000s he was also the featured emcee of Grammy-nominated Liquid Soul. He has shared the stage with countless giants in hip hop and almost every other imaginable genre.

 

The video is an homage to the 1988 classic film They Live. 

 

In 2010 Greenweedz founded Hey Lil’ Baby Entertainment with Cosmos Ray and began working with acts like Rita J, JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound and Adad. By 2013, Mr. Greenweedz added tastemaker to his resume as he became the talent buyer for Chicago’s legendary club, the Shrine. At the Shrine, Greenweedz booked some of the best in reggae and hip hop and hosted a weekly Sunday staple reggae night, Rocksteady Sundays. Rocksteady was the longest lasting recurring event at The Shrine and forged Mr. Greenweedz’s name as an impresario of reggae music in Chicago.

 

With respect to his love for reggae, Greenweedz says “My dad and brother turned me onto it back in the day with Bob Marley and Jacob Miller.  They used to go to Wild Hare and to Selassie Festival back in the day.  I couldn’t wait to get down.  I’m a hip hop artist but reggae might be my first love as far as digging the music, and I immediately found the connection between reggae and hip hop. It was an easy fit for me. I will always love reggae music which is why I’ve been down to put together events or be a part of them. I became a vegetarian as a result of the influence the music and culture has brought to me. I’m Ras as a result of it. It’s a very beautiful thing.”

 

In addition to emceeing and promoting reggae, Greenweedz recently began an acting career at Chicago’s legendary comedic institution The Second City, making his stage debut in the critically acclaimed Afrofuturism show. We at Simmer Down Sound are thrilled to have Mr. Greenweedz host our 5 Year Anniversary this Saturday, May 13th at Subterranean.

Illuminati Congo Live at Simmer Down Sound 5 Year Anniversary

May 8, 2017

Illuminati Congo is a Chicago-based one-of-a-kind project melding hip hop aesthetic with reggae consciousness, imagined and realized by visionary frontman Jahn Da Baptist and backed by production created by Nic the Graduate.   The last decade has seen few emcees as prolific and dynamic in lyrical content as Jahn Da Baptist, or such diversely influenced production as that of Nic The Graduate.

Borrowing from hip-hop, soul, funk and electronic strands and particularly reggae, Jahn’s ties to his music are not simply about aesthetics, and are rooted in early childhood. “My father used to play reggae when I was in grammar school and I took all the reggae he brought back from Jamaica. That was what brought me to Rastafari.”  

His personal connection to his music is clear from scripture imbibed songs like “Shiva Smokin’” to odes about physical immortality on “Eternal Life” to songs celebrating “Bike Ridin’” to the comedic admonishment of “Still Got My Sensi.”  

Jahn says that “reggae is music that encourages consciousness, activism, love, and good vibes. These are pillars for me.”

A regular collaborator with both local and national acts, Illuminati Congo has played and recorded with Lee “Scratch” Perry, KRS-One, Dead Prez, Big Youth, Lutan Fyah, Digable Planets, Shabazz Palaces, Del the Funky Homosapien, Anthony B, Burro Banton, King Kong, Jahdan Blakkamoore, Perfect Giddimani, Sa-Roc, and Rocker T, among others.  With the release of two albums in July, Illuminati Congo continues its prolific creative clip.  Jahn attributes the rate of his creative output to feeling inspired by the current political and cultural situation, stating simply, “If we can continue to spread the message of roots and culture, acceptance and compassion through the music and embody it in our day to day relations, it’ll help our situation.”

We always love to have Illuminati Congo at Simmer Down Sound and are thrilled to have them as our very special guest for this occasion. Illuminati Congo has three songs with Jahdan and will join Jahdan for a couple songs on Jahdan’s set this Saturday, May 13th at Subterranean for our 5 Year Anniversary!

 

 

 

http://illuminaticongo.com/