By Christian Sanchez, Marlena Wadley and Tanya Munoz  photos via RJ Eldridge On Wednesday (February 15), Chicago Art Department hummed with chatter and laughter while people lined up outside waiting for the premiere of the web series Brown Girls. Written by Fatimah Asghar and directed by Sam Bailey, Brown Girls is a story based on…

By Marlena Wadley, Nick Dimas, Tanya Munoz and Tommy Branniganphotos via YCA Maurice Swinney, the principal of Tilden High School on the South Side, decided to move to Chicago after he heard the poem “Lost Count” by Nate Marshall, Demetrius Amparan, and Deja Taylor. That poem—written by three then-high school students—focuses on corruption in the…

Young Chicago Authors is excited to share incredible news with you, particularly as we kick off the 2017 Louder Than A Bomb Chicago Youth Poetry Festival. The MacArthur Foundation recently announced the recipients of its 2016 MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. YCA was one of only 14 organizations this year to receive this…

By Marlena Wadleyphoto via Noname Upon arrival, The Metro was filled with a swarm of fans dying to see Chicago rapper Noname bless the stage at the first sold out hometown show of the Telefone tour. With acts Akenya and Ravyn Lenae opening the show, The Metro was a booming spectrum of Chicago talent. I…

By Marlena Wadley and Tommy Brannigan  photos via YCA It’s no secret that Chicago is one of the most racially segregated cities in America. Constantly under speculation because of the violence, many benefactors to the city go by as unsung heros. However, their efforts to build a better community in the city have resulted in…

By Anna Mason and Nick Dimasphoto via Bryan Allen Lamb It’s common knowledge that you must fail a few times to achieve success. Emma McKee’s failures led her from falling off a skateboard in a Jiffy Lube parking lot,to an elevator encounter with Kanye West. McKee is full of laughter while she explains spending hours…

By Breanna Bonslaterphoto via Jaro Jaro is a producer from the Humboldt Park neighborhood in Chicago, IL. His family is originally from Vietnam, but he was born in America. While we talk, he always says something that makes you think about the topic on a more profound level. His earliest musical influence was the piano,…

By Charles Donalsonphoto via Bradley A. Murray Jamila Woods, “Bubbles” “Bubbles” is the first song from Ms. Woods’ debut album Heavn. The track sets the tone for the rest of the album, both sonically and subject-wise. The track starts with beautiful vocal loops, courtesy of Ayana Woods and Dee Lilly. The instrumental to the song…

By Kharisma Thomasphoto via Sir the Baptist “I always wanted to make music, but I wrote because I needed that sort of outlet. Most of the writing I do is very emotional,” Chicago musician Sir the Baptist says in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel. The hum of eager Lollapalooza attendees fills the space as…

By Simon Berdesphoto via Renee Marban “My music isn’t for a person who likes just a single genre — my music is for people who just want to listen to feel good music,” Zach Henderson says. Better known as oddCouple, the 27-year-old producer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin has found major progression during his time as a…