Chicago-based singer, rapper and producer Lance Skiiiwalker (aka Lance Howard) teams up with singer-songwriter and fellow producer SiR (aka Sir Darryl Farris) for “Peso,” a languid, dreamy R&B tune that samples Tupac’s “Do For Love” from 1997’s R U Still Down? (Remember Me). The song—from Howard’s recently released EP, Chapter 2: Internal Shine—is more than an ode to making money, it’s about spending time alone, …
Paul Johnson, a pioneer and champion of house music, has passed away at 50 years old. He began DJing at just 13 in Chicago, eventually making infectious dance anthems that remain beloved all over the world. Best known for 1999’s “Get Get Down” (which landed in the top 10 in Belgium, France, the Netherlands and the UK), Johnson was an instinctive, self-taught DJ and producer. …
“Look Over Your Shoulder,” a Nottz-produced track by Busta Rhymes samples the Jackson 5’s 1970 hit “I’ll Be There.” Between strings and piano, Busta (aka Trevor Smith Jr) offers rapid, raspy rhymes with Kendrick Lamar providing plenty of wordplay. It’s Busta’s final few lines that prove most memorable, perhaps: “Upholding the fundamentals / while most of you boast the rental / focusing on what’s most …
