|
WINDY CITY TIMES
|
|
|
BENT NIGHTS: MUSIC Kid Sister and her show at the Pritzker
Special to the Online Edition of Windy City Times
by Vern Hester 2010-07-28
|
|
This article shared 2553 times since Wed Jul 28, 2010
|
|
As a connoisseur of pop culturelike most of my peersI'm reluctant to admit that I tend to rave about music that moves my soul or shakes my ass. ( OK, it's a confession. ) This is why I was reluctant to check out Kid Sister's duet with Kanye West, "Pro-Nails." Never mind the intense hypeboth local and internationalthe consistent press raves, the sales and Kid's instant cred in the boys' club of hip-hop, "Pro-Nails" was rap. To say that rap doesn't engage my inner spirit or my loins is putting it mildly. Where others hear the beauty of flowing words and percussive finesse, I hear thudding syllables on top of monotonous clunking. Imagine my surprise when I finally un-dummied up and got into her debut from last November, Ultraviolet ( Universal Republic Records ) , a record that just won't seem to go away.
Oh, Kid raps her heart out to be sure, but she also croons, charms, struts, shouts, funks out and shimmies like the fate of the universe depended on it and it's easy to see why she's a hit not only with the B-boys and the South Side crew, but also suburban kids and gay bois and girls of every flavor. Like most rappers she's got personality to spare and her flow has punch but what she doesn't have is pretention or a hollow attitude. On Ultraviolet she challenges up front ( "Big N Bad" ) without swagger and nothing about her or her music approaches a put on. More surprisingly, parts of Ultraviolet harken back to the DIY aesthetic of the Riot Grrrrrrrrrrrrl wave; Kid Sister's attitude seems to be, "If you want something done right, do it your own damn self."
That attitude reveals a lot about who Kid Sister really is. Sister ( nee Melisa Young ) , who was born in Markham, Ill., struggled financially, even working in a Bath and Body Works for a spell. Often having problems with her weightat one point she weighed more than 200 lbs.didn't stop her from achieving a degree in film production from Columbia College. ( In interviews she's said that her self-esteem was not tied to her waistline. ) While she worked on a few major films she went right ahead and worked on her music with duo Flosstradamus, one half of whom was her younger brother Josh "J2K" Young. Word of mouth, MTV's My Block and Kanye weren't far behind.
But her attitude and talent don't explain Ultraviolet's seamlessness and drive; it's like a nice long, adventurous, summer radio single that zooms along at a thrilling velocity. With a clutch of top-notch producers ( including Yuksek, XXXChange, Herve, Rusko and DJ Gant-Man ) , it's something of a miracle that Kid and executive producer A-Trak make the album so consistent and driven. "Right Hand Hi" is the perfect openera greeting, an announcement, a handshake and a call out to any and everyone with an outstretched hand and an ear-to-ear smile. "Life on TV" and "Let Me Bang" are rock/rap workouts wrapped in the finest pop finesse; unnervingly catchy, propulsive and smart, they're like oversized ice-cream cones on a summer daythey're so good and yummy that you want them to last for hours. "Step"a reworking of Queen Latifah's "Ladies First" with an assist from Estelleis both elegant and visceral and, I'm sorry, but popular music these days rarely gets better than this. Even "You Ain't Really Down," a typical "my-man-ain't-no-good" blues scented anti-ballad has an a-typical stance; instead of wallowing in the messy reality of the situation, getting pissed-off or crying about it Kid Sister states her case, coolly closes down that relationship, and walks away. Empowered? No question, Kid Sister doesn't even break a sweat.
Her blow-out at the Pritzker was all about the sweat, though. Abetted by a crisp, spine-rattling, deep bass mix, Kid hit the stage with a high-octane "Right Hand Hi" and started the party with a bang. "Life on TV" and "Big N Bad" went off the rails in a jolly way while "Let Me Bang" had a blunt funkiness that thoroughly fleshed out and improved her studio version. More revealing was Kid herself; equal parts clown, cheerleader and acrobat, with her hair and a necklace of tiny brass crucifixes flying in all directions. So did she move my soul? Well, I have to say it was giggling. Did she make my ass shake? It had no choice...
|
|
|
|
This article shared 2553 times since Wed Jul 28, 2010
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
|
| | SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo 2024-04-12 - Gay comedian/filmmaker Jerrod Carmichael criticized Dave Chappelle, opening up about the pair's ongoing feud and calling out Chappelle's opinions on the LGBTQ+ community, PinkNews noted, citing an Esquire article. Carmichael ...
|
| | Judith Butler focuses on perceptions of gender at Chicago Humanities Festival talk 2024-04-10 - In an hour-long program filled with dry humornot to mention lots of audience laughterphilosopher, scholar and activist Judith Butler (they/them) spoke in depth on their new book at Music Box Theatre, 3733 N. Southport Ave., on ...
|
| | Andersonville Chamber announces Andersonville Midsommarfest entertainment lineup 2024-04-09 --From a press release - CHICAGO (April 8, 2024) — The Andersonville Chamber of Commerce (ACC) is pleased to announce the full entertainment line-up for Andersonville Midsommarfest, one of Chicago's oldest and most beloved summer ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Outfest, Chita Rivera, figure skaters, letter, playwright dies 2024-04-05 - For more than four decades, Outfest has been telling LGBTQ+ stories through the thousands of films screened during its annual Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival—but that event may have a different look this year because ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Dionne Warwick, OUTshine, Ariana DeBose, 'Showgirls,' 'Harlem' 2024-03-29 Video below - Iconic singer Dionne Warwick was honored for her decades-long advocacy work for people living with HIV/AIDS at a star-studded amfAR fundraising gala in Palm Beach, per the Palm Beach Daily News. Warwick received the "Award of ...
|
| | 'Rumors' performers create alternative drag playground 2024-03-24 - At first glance, Dorian's Through The Record Shop (1939 W. North Ave.) looks like a brightly-lit shop with a handful of records on the wall, but there's a secret world behind those unassuming shelves. Visitors are ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Queer musicians, Marvel situation, Elliot Page, Nicole Kidman 2024-03-21 - Queer musician Joy Oladokun released the single "I Wished on the Moon," from Jack Antonoff's official soundtrack for the new Apple TV+ series The New Look, per a press release. The soundtrack, ...
|
| | THEATER Chicago's City Lit has anxiety on tap with 'Two Hours in a Bar' 2024-03-21 - Two Hours in a Bar Waiting for Tina Meyer by Kristine Thatcher with material by Larry Shue Text Me by Kingsley Day (Book, Music and Lyrics). At: City Lit Theater, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.. Tickets: ...
|
| | Lollapalooza announces lineup; SZA, Skrillex among headliners 2024-03-19 - Lollapalooza has released its line-up for the event that's taking place Aug. 1-4 at Grant Park. Headliners include SZA, Blink-182, Skrillex, The Killers, Hozier, Melanie Martinez and Stray Kids, among others. Some of the other acts ...
|
| | Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance 2024-03-18 - Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition' 2024-03-15 - Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...
|
| | House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it 2024-03-13 - The ARC Music Festivalan event celebrating house musicwill take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Parkless than ...
|
| | COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy 2024-03-08 - COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...
|
| | SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer 2024-03-08 - Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...
|
| | Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret 2024-03-05 - Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...
| |
|
|
|
|
| NATIONAL Trans woman killed, Tenn. law, S. Carolina coach, Evan Low, Idaho schools | | Through a queer lens: Photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya discusses Chicago exhibition | | WORLD Ugandan law, Japan, Cass report, Tegan and Sara, Varadkar done | | Q FORCE launches 2024 election efforts in Chicago | | SHOWBIZ Jerrod Carmichael, '9-1-1' actor, Kayne the Lovechild, STARZ shows, Cynthia Erivo | |
|
|
|
|