A couple of Big Sean classics on his birthday

“One of the most important quotes I live by is ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge.’ Dreams are so important. Without dreams, you got nothing.” — Big Sean (2010)

GY, one of our OG #TeamGowhere members you all know as @GY312, is out in L.A. with us and today we were rappin’ on some old music, which then turned into a reminiscing rabbit hole of our old interviews… which then led us to this. “Living Our Dreams (Memories)”, one of our all-time favorite documentary style cuts shot by the Emmy-winning Cam Be and doubling as one of GY’s first interviews with us at GWHH.

We caught up with Big Sean, post-Finally Famous 3, but pre-Finally Famous the debut album. It was late 2010 and his G.O.O.D. Music buzz was peaking in such a way on the internet that it manifested into reality at Reggie’s Rock Club on Chicago’s south side.

Funny enough, our organic recollecting also led us to our trip to Austin for SXSW in 2012. A year and a half later, the three of us: GY, Cam, and I — amongst our Gowhere contingent were packed into a small venue for the G.O.O.D. Music showcase. This meant a performance by Big Sean of his Finally Famous album singles and a surprise appearance by none other than Kanye West. Here’s another Camovement of the back-to-back-to-back performance of “Dance (A$$)”, “Marvin & Chardonnay” and ‘Ye going solo for a hype rendition of “Can’t Tell Me Nothing”. Chills to this day. We were all behind them on the stage and it’s still one of my memorable concert experiences I bring up casually in convo when it comes up.

Even more comically, to us at least, our nostalgic convo culminated in the realization that Big Sean’s back on social media on his born day today. To bring it full circle: 2010–>2012–>2019. The new rhymes are sounding good. Here for it all these years later. HBD!

Tell your friends. @BigSean is back 👀 https://t.co/rSjAeTHxOW

— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) March 26, 2019

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D’Angelo @ North Coast (GWHH Photos)

Last night, D’Angelo closed down North Coast to rave reviews. “Amazing show,” our photographer Cam Be simply said. Here’s his full review:

I’ve been to a lot of concerts. Most good, some amazing, while a few others have been major disappointments. So when I do stumble upon one of those amazing ones I try not to take it for granted.

D’Angelo and the Vanguard at North Coast Music Festival 2015 was one of those concerts.

Playing the majority material of his latest release ‘The Black Messiah’ D’Angelo was at the top of his game. I felt the spirit of James Brown, Prince, Sly Stone, Marvin Gaye, and Jimi Hendrix. For a man who had been relatively quiet the last 15 years, D’Angelo seemed to be enjoying every minute on stage. His set filled with wardrobe changes, funky breakdowns, and virtuoso solos left us all saying thank you.

Moments like this remind of everything I love about attending concerts. More than just an hour of sight and sound. We got to witness a true showman pouring out his soul on stage. These moments we can’t take for granted.

– Cam Be

Above is Cam’s gallery of photos, showcasing D’Angelo & The Vanguard under the epic stage lights with some fresh looks to match.

Please credit @camovement & @gowherehiphop for photo use.

ICYMI: D’Angelo’s first interview in 10 years (!) with Tavis Smiley below.

http://video.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365556795

http://video.pbs.org/viralplayer/2365557593

 

Feel Better World, Love, Ms. Badu

Surprise Erykah Badu mix?! Surprise Erykah Badu mix.

This hour-twenty long mix, dropped simply with a surprise link on Twitter, fuses some Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, Eddie Kendricks and of course Erykah as well. Listen below and receive these positive vibes.

ALL OVER THE GLOBE…KEEP WALKING TALL BROTHERS AND SISTERS. SOMEDAY WE WILL ALL BE FREE. THE WORLD IS IN NEED OF HEALING…. I CAREFULLY AND LOVINGLY SELECTED HIGH FREQUENCY TONES FOR THE SOUL…. PLEASE LISTEN FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

https://www.mixcloud.com/widget/iframe/?embed_type=widget_standard&embed_uuid=28440564-f711-4c52-8fdc-d079f8fdf6c5&feed=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mixcloud.com%2Ferykah-she-ill-badu%2Ffeel-better-world-love-msbadu%2F&hide_cover=1&hide_tracklist=1&replace=0

And hey, while you’re here… Erykah Badu recently had her own DJ set at The Shrine here in Chicago and below is a fantastic recap video, a Camovement by Cam Be, that makes me wish I was there. Ne-Yo even made it and I didn’t. Ha! More good vibes below:

Premiere: Jon Content “Somebody” f/ Shelby Obleton

We’re proud to premiere some soulful new hip hop and R&B in the form of “Somebody” — an audio/visual experience from Chicago’s Jon Content, featuring singer Shelby Obleton, and directed by one of our longtime favorites behind the lens: Cam Be.

This is a song for anyone who’s ever felt doubted and given the lyrics and visual, you can take it a few different ways. Content has some very relatable lines, delivered calmly by the way, and Obleton’s hook is well sung as well. They both ride to the vibe set by producers Cass, John Wynn, and Content himself.

What really took the song another level was the visual — an engaging mix of Chicago winter scenery with stop motion animation, poignant color correction, and cinematic pans. Every “Camovement” gets better and better and these subtle edits help stand “Somebody” apart from the many up and coming videos we see every week.

Look for this one off Chasing Grace — the Jon Content album coming soon.

*Tibs Fav.

J. Ivy “I Need To Write”

I feel like this is for anyone who creatively expresses themselves in any format. For J. Ivy, it’s writing, and it’s reciting.

Here is “I Need To Write” as J speaks to us about his passion and using this tool to express himself, his emotions, and remain at peace. Again, I feel like really anyone can relate. The pieces is delivered on a beautiful sunny day and captured through the lens of Cam Be. This new Camovement is spliced with the written words J. Ivy speaks and it’s a cool effect that only further drives the message home. Job well-done by all parties involved — another new excerpt from J. Ivy’s milestone book release this week, Dear Father: Breaking The Cycle of Pain. Go get that if you’re inspired up above!

An added coolness to this: J. Ivy wants to hear from you. Do you need to write too? Submit your letter to DearFatherLetters.com.

ICYMI: J. Ivy “Dream BIG” (Video)