Rolling Stone called Acid Rap “…one of the year’s best hip-hop releases,” and Chance was chosen asSpin Magazine’s Rapper of the Year. Acid Rap also appeared on numerous best of 2013 lists including: BET, Pitchfork, Sound Opinions, and Rolling Stone.

A creative duo who came to fame thanks to their genre-jumping mixes, The Hood Internet was formed in Chicago after members Aaron Brink (ABX) and Steve Reidell (STV SLV) both moved to the city with fresh college diplomas. Their shared love of sampling and looping sections from their large collections of music is what started the duo’s creative output in 2007. Hundreds of bootlegs later, the two are now a fixture in North American clubs, igniting dance parties wherever they land.

Their discography includes 2008’s love letter The Hood Internet Vs Chicago, a mix that sampled only Chicago artists, and 2012’s FEAT (Decon Records), an album that moved beyond the mashup featuring original productions and a unique roster of guests including many Chicagoans like Psalm One, ShowYouSuck, Kid Static, Slow Witch, and Kleenex Girl Wonder.

By day John Stirratt and Patrick Sansone sell thousands of albums, tour the world with indie juggernaut Wilco and lend their writing, playing and producing abilities to dozens of high-profile recordings. But by night these renowned pros are able to sit down, relax and create something special that comes straight from the heart of why they pursued music as a career – and that’s The Autumn Defense. After releasing 2007’s The Autumn Defense on their own Broadmoor label, Stirratt and Sansone teamed up with North Carolina’s Yep Roc Records to release the full-length work, Once Around. For the past nine years, this pair of Southerners-turned-Chicagoans has quietly been nurturing the reverent, classic pop of The Autumn Defense.

Though the outset of the band saw Stirratt handling the bulk of the songwriting while Sansone lent his talents to production, the duo has steadily evolved into a partnership in both respects. From 2000’s debut LP The Green Hour to the critically lauded, salt-of-the-earth folk rock of 2003’s Circles, the Autumn Defense developed its late afternoon kickback sound like a fine wine develops and deepens – with time. Once Around is a formidable tapestry of thoughtful, intricate sunshine wrapped around a core of timeless, experienced songwriting. It’s the kind of record that needed to be made, for the audience but also for the artists.

“The band particularly excels at capturing the unease of entering your 20s and struggling with a range of newfound problems: changing friends’ career decisions and teenage love dissolving as grownup responsibilities encroach. Lyrically astute and driven by a nervous energy…” – Chicago Red Eye

Has bemused cynicism and ennui ever been so fun? Archie Powell & The Exports have made a career of grafting prismatic power pop and sardonic, dark looks at the world outside into guileless songs with hooks galore.

Archie Powell makes it look simple; he is incapable of writing an un-danceable tune, whether he turns a jaundiced eye on the culture of self-medication or whipping up a 3-minute heist story. Great Ideas in Action (2012) was the band’s third release of deceptively sophisticated songs. Blink and it’s killer catchy rock; blink twice and it’s social commentary that is sad, biting, funny but ultimately incredibly honest. Powell’s writing could easily come from someone twice his age but it never feels studied – his humanity just shines through and demolishes any doubts about where he stands.

Bonzie — the moniker for 18-year-old Chicagoan Nina Ferraro — isn’t a traditional confessional singer-songwriter. She’s more of an observer and commentator who is drawn to expressing the concerns of her generational cohort (the bond between independence and interdependence, not wanting to be manipulated, a view of one’s self beyond society) with unwavering honesty, and delivering them with powerful abandon. It’s partly for this reason that Ferraro has chosen to release her songs under the moniker Bonzie (an image and word she’s long associated with her creative output) as opposed to her own name.

Ferraro has taken on the role of co-producer and mixer with LA-based Will Golden, teaming up with Tom Biller (Elliott Smith, Fiona Apple) on her debut full length album, Rift Into The Secret Of Things. Songs like “Convert” and “Daniel and the Great Solstice,” with their finger-picked acoustic melodies, swell with elegant string arrangements that raise the emotional ante of the songs.

Clinton Sandifer, better known by stage name ShowYouSuck has raised the bar for live music performance and is considered a trailblazer for a new era of sound: alternative hip-hop. Having made appearances on MTV Suckerfree and joined Yelawolf on his national “Slumerican” Tour while still finding time to release three mix tape projects, including “Girls, Girls, Girls” (produced By Stefan Ponce), and “Loose Slices,” it is clear that the rapper’s momentum is rapidly building.

Born on the west side of Chicago and raised by a single mother, his early encounters with the Smashing Pumpkins, Anthrax and Slayer left him a devoted rock fan for life. Lack of interest for alternative genres within his community did little to stop his drive: without access to instruments or others interested in starting a band, Show turned to rap.

While working at an art gallery and tattoo shop, the art school graduate found himself surrounded by like-minded people. Show felt inspired and welcomed to share his creations, unaware all the while that his fans were growing rapidly.

ShowYouSuck’s point of no return occurred when performing at the sold out Reggie’s Rock Club release party of his mixtape “OMPP2.” The large crowd of concert-goers moshed, crowd surfed, and reacted positively to the new genre Show had brought them.

With the support of; Complex, Red Bull Sound Select, MTV2, Spin Magazine, The Sun Times, and Mishka, ShowYouSuck continues to raise the bar for live hip-hop entertainment. He has worked with DJ duo Flosstradamus, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Doomtree and production credits from Cardo of Taylor Gang, HoodInternet, Thelonious Martin, and more.

ShowYouSuck will be releasing his full length project, Rad, sometime in 2014, a completely original piece from ShowYouSuck sure to impress his old & new fans.

With a polished sound that spans far outside the boundaries of hip-hop, ProbCause seamlessly jumps from dubstep to glitch-hop to R&B then back to a classic boom-bap gritty rap sound. With stories that make you reminisce and a percussive delivery that highlights his unique production, ProbCause is one of the most exciting and versatile touring acts.

ProbCause recently released the Recipe Volume 2 which has received critical praise for its diverse range of sounds and features. His musical relationship with Chance the Rapper and the thriving Chicago music scene has solidified him as one of the most promising young rappers coming out of the city.

Hologram Kizzie has a past. She even has another name: Psalm One. Rap, urban, hip hop, soul, pop and dance music all have distinct characteristics, yet Kizzie blurs the lines of these genres effortlessly. Building on these varied soundscapes, her lyrics are nothing less than brilliant, combining intelligent quips, global sensibilities and compassionate philanthropy.

While traveling in Europe, Kizzie made a vow: to protect the positive impact hip hop has on youth culture internationally. She recalls being taught about great books, historical figures, poignant life events and art — all through rap.

There is no longer a culture balance in mainstream hip hop, but Kizzie works tirelessly in the real world to provide one, and it shows.

A native Chicagoan, former chemist and hug enthusiast, Hologram Kizzie is an artist who comes around once in a lifetime. She’s a self-proclaimed nerd who is beyond interesting. You only need to meet her once to understand she’s quite unforgettable.