March 28, 2024

On the Radar: Chance the Mayor, RIP Oli Herbert, BET spotlights Chicago + More

Chicago Music

It’s Monday again, so kick off the week by catching up on music’s biggest stories with the latest edition of On the Radar.

Oli Herbert, guitarist of All That Remains, dies

Image result for oli herbert

Oli Herbert, founding member, and guitarist of All That Remains died last Tuesday (Oct. 16). He was 44 years old. Herbert died due to an accident at his home. TMZ reports that his body was found in a pond near his home. According to a statement from Herbert’s publicist, no further details will be released at this time. “Funeral arrangements are pending and will be announced once that information is available.”

Herbert’s wife, Beth, released her own statement:

“Hello everyone this is Beth, Oli’s widow. Thank you all for the kind thoughts and words. I don’t want to go into what happened until we have a complete picture, but as soon as we do there will be a statement from the family on this page. In the meantime, please respect our privacy as there are still relatives being informed of Oli’s passing. Thank you.”

Our thoughts go out to Herbert’s family and friends during this time.

Chance the Rapper NOT running for mayor; endorses Amara Enyia

Despite numerous Chicagoans hoping Chance the Rapper would become our next city mayor, he’s not running. Chance revealed the news during his press conference at City Hall last Tuesday (Oct. 16). Instead, he’s endorsing community activist Amara Enyia.

“I want to work with somebody that’s about change, somebody that’s about our community, somebody that’s about equity, somebody that’s about fairness,” Chance said of Enyia. He added that Enyia is the one mayoral candidate whose views “most align with mine.”

Before the February 2019 election, Chance will team up with Enyia for a big voter registration campaign. And while he’s not supporting her financially, he doesn’t rule it out. “I have a lot of money,” he told reporters.

Enyia, is a community activist, organizer, and lawyer, who currently serves as director of the Austin Chamber of Commerce.

Local rapper represent Chicago at 2018 BET Hip-Hop Awards

Chicago was represented in a big way during the 2018 BET Hip Hop awards. This year’s cypher included freestyles from local rappers Vic Mensa, Taylor Bennett, and G Herbo. Though the performance was tight, it wasn’t without controversy.

Mensa’s verse featured a diss against late rapper XXXTentacion. “Your favorite rapper is an abuser,” Mensa rapped referring to the rapper’s various legal problems related to domestic abuse and assault. Many considered the line tasteless since XXX’s mother was in the audience for the taping. BET went as far as censoring a portion of Mensa’s cypher as Pitchfork points out: “[Censored] we all know you won’t live that long/I don’t respect [censored] posthumously.” Those in attendance said Mensa referenced XXXTentacion by name.

After the backlash, Mensa later apologized for saying the diss in front of the rapper’s family in an Instagram video: “I vehemently reject the trend in hip-hop of championing abusers, and I will not hold my tongue about it… Protect women,” stated Mensa. “With that said I was not aware his mother would be in attendance & I offer her my deepest condolences.”

Upcoming Shows

Lacrae hits up the Vic Theatre with special guest Andy Mineo on the Better Late Than Never Tour. It goes down Monday, October 22. Get tickets here.

Catch Phish during their three-night stint at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont on Friday, October 26 – 28. Get tickets here.

Nine Inch Nails is playing the Aragon Ballroom for three sold-out nights on their Cold and Black and Infinite Tour. They’ll play October 25 – 27. Hopefully, you already have tickets, but you can still try to score some here.

The one and only Elton John brings his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour to the United Center for two nights on October 26 and 27. You can still get tickets here.

Chicago Artist Spotlight: Konsept the Emcee

Adiel Jaime III, better known as Konsept the Emcee, has worked hard to get where he is now. Raised in a home dealing with mental and physical abuse, he sought comfort in music and used it to start his career. His first song, “Life That I Live,” released in 2007 made him a recognizable name in the underground hip-hop scene. After performing in countless open mics and bars around the city, he got his big break in 2015 when he was picked up by talent scouts. This led him to open for acts like Tech N9ne, Bone Thugs N Harmony, and Twista.

The following year came his debut mixtape, They Made Me Do It, which garnered him more acclaim and spread his music to a wider audience. In August 2018, Konsept released his first full-length album dubbed Work of Heart. Here, he reflects on his upbringing, how he struggled through his career, and how he made it where he is now.

Pick up a copy of Work of Heart here and make sure to check out Konsept’s other releases. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.