The Columbia Chronicle

Review: Vic Spencer and SonnyJim take listeners back to basics in ‘Spencer for Higher 3’

September 15, 2020

For years Vic Spencer has been a mainstay in Chicago’s hip-hop scene due to his colorful lyricism, diverse array of instrumentals and aggressive attitude toward musical output. Despite not having the ...

From 2 a.m. after-parties to 2 p.m. classes: Self-taught DJ creates own path in Chicago hip-hop

December 9, 2019

When Quentin Moore was 12 years old, his mom bought him his first DJ equipment, a Numark Mixtrack Pro I when they didn’t have much money. But the moment he began to take his work seriously w...

Fake Shore Drive creator takes a cruise down memory lane

November 13, 2017

In 2007, Andrew Barber, then 26, turned his passion for music into Fake Shore Drive, a blog focused on all things Chicago hip-hop. Four years later, he left his lucrative advertising job to pursue bloggi...

Hamilton's Education Program kicked off its second year in Chicago Oct. 18 at the CIBC Theatre, 18 W. Monroe St., where 1,900 students gathered for a matinee performance and a Q&A with the cast.

CPS students get a “shot” with Hamilton Education Program

October 25, 2017

Chicago Public Schools did not "throw away their shot" at being "in the room where it happens," to quote lyrics from Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical "Hamilton"--the show that offers select students history les...

Hip-hop EP Better Man features three young South Side artists with proceeds funding scholarships.

South Siders drop EP to raise scholarship funds

October 2, 2017

Three young South Side men, working to raise scholarship funds through The Better Man Than Me Foundation, dropped collaborative hip-hop EP Better Man on iTunes Sept. 19 to help fund these scholarships.Da...

Illinois groups stand with transgender youth

By Jackie Murray

March 6, 2017

When the Trump administration rolled back guidelines introduced by the Obama administration regarding the protection of transgender youth Feb. 22, LGBT advocacy and civil rights groups in Chicago and across the s...

Columbia improv group Cat Booty will be competing against 15 other student groups Feb. 25 during the annual College Improv Tournament.

Columbia improv group to compete in College Improv Tournament

February 22, 2017

Columbia improv group Cat Booty will be competing against 15 other student groups at the 10th Annual College Improv Tournament Feb. 25. Columbia students and Cat Booty members Tom Spooner, senior theatre major, Glo Chitwood, junior theatre major, Will Nicholson, junior theatre ma...

Rap battle brings rhymes for Valentine’s Day

By Kendrah Villiesse

February 6, 2017

More than a dozen underground rappers from across the nation are going to be putting their rhymes to the ultimate test in a Valentine’s Day rap battle.Valentine’s Day Massacre 4, a rap battle prese...

Biggest Mouth erupts with heart and soul

April 25, 2016

The soulful hip-hop duo ConSoul took first place and unleashed its feel-good energy, performing for the 421-person crowd at the 12th annual Biggest Mouth battle of the bands competition at the Metro, 373...

From alleyways to galleries

By Arts & Culture Editor

March 14, 2016

A crumpled bag of Cheetos, some balled-up t-shirts and maybe a PlayStation. In the mess of a student’s dirty dorm room, one icon shines through the clutter: a concert poster from a favorite band.“The concert poster represents a tangible connection to part of their identity,” said Dan MacAdam, illustrator and founder of Crosshair Silkscreen Printing and Design. “They can put it up in their room and display it to their frie...

The Alliance for Community Services shout ‘tax the rich, break up the banks

February 1, 2016

The Alliance for Community Services held a protest Jan. 26 in front of Bank of America at Lawrence & Broadway because Illinois is pouring millions of dollars into banks, which they say allows the 1 p...

Greg Fenton, founder of Red Shelf, said that the company’s attitude toward content distribution is like Netflix for textbooks and educational material.

RedShelf platform promotes educational innovation

January 25, 2016

New print editions of textbooks are typically released every few years, but digital content distributor Red Shelf allows publishers to update their textbooks every semester based on the information students...