Authors: Dan Vesper
CHiT CHAT WiFF RiFF RAFF
SLUG: If you were playing basketball with President Obama and you had the opportunity to dunk on him, would you hesitate to do it out of respect for the office?
RiFF RAFF: I would super dunk 370
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Black Flag @ The Complex 07.28 with HOR
You might be surprised to hear that Black Flag is still kicking around—I certainly was. … read more
Swans @ Urban Lounge 09.01 with Carla Bozulich
To describe Swans’ live set is nearly impossible—but I’ll try. Simply put, it was the most violently loud performance I’ve ever seen—and I’ve experienced Motorhead. … read more
Joey Bada$$ @ The Complex 10.08 with Vince Staples, CJ...
Hip-hop shows at The Complex are a feast for the senses. I like to drink it in like it’s a chilled glass of Alizé. Weed smoke and grocery store body spray form an atmosphere as thick as any inversion in February. Brawny men in wife beaters strut their stuff. Tattoos tell stories. … read more
Elevated Minds Festival @ The Complex 10.09
The second annual Elevated Minds Festival was a showcase of some of the best hip-hop Utah has to offer along with a litany of golden-age rap superstars, including Keith Murray, Slick Rick and KRS-One. … read more
Closing the Sale with Swell Merchants
When Nico told me he was a rapper, I asked him for some music. Honestly, I didn’t expect a whole lot—you never know—but the moment I threw Swell Merchants into my car stereo, I knew it was something special. … read more
Straight to the Mu’Fuckin’ Greatest: The Best Mixtapes of 2014
For years now, some of the biggest game-changers in hip-hop haven’t been albums—they’ve been “mixtapes”—free, digital releases that may or may not have an annoying DJ who ruins the whole thing. These days, mixtapes are a necessity for staying relevant, which probably sucks for rappers, but appeals to the cheapskate in me. Everyone makes them, so there’s a lot to sift through. Luckily, SLUG has done all the hard work for you, and these are the 10 tapes from 2014 you need to know about.
The Demonstrably Modest Isaiah Rashad
I was gushing to Isaiah Rashad about his excellent new album, Cilvia Demo. A gauche, fanboy move I admit, but I couldn’t help myself. I went on about how there’s no filler, how it’s a “fully realized artistic statement” and so on. With all of that in mind, I wondered why he decided to call it an EP? … read more
