Wednesday, December 10th @ The Drunken Unicorn
Speakeasy presents…
Quelle Chris, Fly Anakin, $ilkMoney, Big Kahuna OG, EWONEE
8pm / $20 / 21+
Unconventional and hard to categorize, producer/lyricist Quelle Chris has created work in several genres, including punk rock, poetry, abstract soul, and instrumental as well as vocal hip-hop. As a beatsmith, he tends to favor lo-fi production methods and oddball samples, and his rapping is loose and casual yet thoughtful and introspective. Armed with a dark, self-deprecating sense of humor, he pokes fun at himself while addressing serious personal concerns and social issues. While Chris has been steadily releasing sharp, accomplished albums since the early 2010s, including 2011's Shotgun & Sleek Rifle, he began to receive more attention by the end of the decade, when he issued efforts such as Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often (2017) and Everything's Fine, his 2018 collaboration with longtime partner . He followed these releases with the topical albums Guns (2019) and Deathfame (2022), as well as work with and , among others.
Born Gavin Christopher Tennille in New York, he has spent time in several other cities including Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Oakland. He first received notice as part of Wasted Youth, an obscure act that attracted attention from Detroit hip-hop luminaries such as and . Tennille formed Crown Nation with , and recorded as and simply Quelle. He released a collection of early material titled Blue Mondays and produced several tracks on 's early albums.
Around 2011, he settled on the name Quelle Chris and began concentrating on his solo career. Debut album Shotgun & Sleek Rifle appeared in late 2011, and featured guest appearances from , , and Big Tone. After issuing two EPs as part of the experimental group Racehorses Are Resources (one of which featured legendary poet/activist ), Chris signed to . The single Rappin Ass and full-lengths Niggas Is Men and Ghost at the Finish Line were released in 2013. After Quelle Chris did production work for , , , and others, the -produced full-length Innocent Country appeared in 2015, followed by the instrumental album Lullabies for the Broken Brain in 2016.
Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often came out in 2017; the album featured guest appearances or production by , , , and others. The following December, Chris proposed to and the two became engaged, then married the next year. The couple also recorded an album titled Everything's Fine, which was released in March 2018 to critical acclaim. Featuring guest appearances from rappers like and as well as comedians such as John Hodgman and , the record was darkly humorous, reflecting on stereotypes, police brutality, anxiety, and other topics. A year later, Chris released Guns, an incredibly focused solo album addressing issues related to gun violence and white supremacy.
Innocent Country 2, a reunion with and a sequel to their 2015 collaboration, appeared in 2020 with guests including , , and . Its release was directly preceded by a vinyl issue of Innocent Country, which was previously only available digitally. Quelle also worked with , producing his album Don't Feed the Monster. He contributed music to the 2021 movie Judas and the Black Messiah, collaborating with , trombonist , and veteran film composer . Deathfame, produced by Quelle along with and , appeared in 2022. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
RIYL: Tyler the Creator, MIKE, Father, Homeboy Sandman, Open Mike Eagle, Westside Gunn
Fly Anakin is a rapper and producer from Richmond, Virginia who approaches his craft in a way few contemporaries can. Described by Madlib as “one of the illest MCs,” the Mutant Academy cofounder was known for his razor-sharp lyrics, ear for soulful production, and collaborative synergy well ahead of his acclaimed solo debut, Frank (2022). After years of consistent releases with his collective, Anakin broke major ground in 2020 with his and Pink Siifu’s joint project FlySiifu’s, followed by their $mokebreak EP in 2021. A student of the East Coast’s golden age, Anakin transmutes its spirit into music that’s both classicist and pioneering, having worked with the likes of Freddie Gibbs, redveil, BbyMutha, and MAVI. With the releases of both a Mutant Academy project and his solo album (The) Forever Dream imminent, Anakin has cemented his place as a leader in rap’s underground Renaissance
“This album is really only for my giving niggas,” says Richmond, Va.’s $ilkMoney when asked about WHO WATERS THE WILTING GIVING TREE ONCE THE LEAVES DRY UP AND FRUITS NO LONGER BEAR?, his latest offering. “It’s for my niggas who give and never expect anything in return.”
On “THE $400 CHEESEBURGER FROM THE WINDOW SHOPPER VIDEO WAS JUST A BIG MAC,” $ilk struggles with feelings of inadequacy and the paradox of desperately striving to be the “better man” he already may be. “PROLLY WOULDNT BE HERE IF WE WOULDA BEEN KILLED THAT NIGGA KING BACH” is some scathing social commentary about the rise of digital minstrelsy and negative depictions of Black people in the media. He sets his sights on a vampiric wealthy elite class on “FUUUUCK, BABY. YOU'RE JUST SO SEXY WHEN YOU'RE TERRIFIED” rapping from their nefarious P.O.V.
Still, $ilk is most potent when he turns his gaze inward. On “FIRST I GIVE UP, THEN I GIVE IN, THEN I GIVE ALL” he returns to the Giving Tree motif, and asks earnestly: “If I fall down, when no one’s around, would it make a sound?” The song reveals itself not only as a metaphor for life but for the life of an artist who loves his culture and craft. “I give a lot to hip-hop, " he says matter-of-factly. “I give my all to hip hop in every way and I try to embody everything that is hip-hop in its purest form, [but] at the end of the day, hip-hop don't owe me nothing.” Ultimately, the Giving Tree is just grateful to have given.