Schubas | Sun, Dec 9 | 8PM | 18+ | $10 ADV / $12 DOOR

Hooligan Mag Showcase, featuring:

Lulu Be.: https://soundcloud.com/lulubomb

Akenya: https://soundcloud.com/akenya

Aaliyah Allah: https://soundcloud.com/aaliyahallah

Melissa Lozada-Oliva: https://www.melissalozadaoliva.com

LULU BE.
As a first generation Ethiopian born and raised in the city of Chicago, Lulu Be. grew up between two worlds: her family’s deeply rooted Ethiopian culture and the life of an American city kid. It is these worlds that garnered her musical inspiration and created her unique sound combining elements of afrobeats, Chicago house/juke, and hip-hop, topped with her lyrical flow. Illustrious Chicago music blog Fake Shore Drive described it as, “A big gumbo pot stirring with ingredients such as afrobeats, Chicago juke, and dancehall.”

Never being the school type, Lulu Be. took a long break before deciding to give school a chance and attend Columbia College Chicago to study music engineering. While at Columbia she worked as a studio manager at the renowned Classick Studios where she recorded her first track titled “Rude Tings.” The song unexpectedly blew up with 300k streams on Spotify, 154k on Soundcloud, and fan made dance videos shared by celebrities like Lala Anthony and June Ambrose. She was also featured on Pigeons and Planes as an “Artist to Look Out For.” It was then that Lulu Be. decided to turn her long love for music and pursue it full time.

Lulu Be. released her first project Lululand October 13th, 2017. The five track EP shows her versatility as a rapper while creating a new lane for her. The project received a lot of praise from the likes of Fake Shore Drive, Miss Info, Hip Hop Since 1987, and had “Raindance,” a song off the EP featured on an Adidas x Urban Outfitters online campaign. Lulu Be. is currently working on her second EP entirely produced by her and is expected to be released late fall 2018.

AKENYA
Akenya is a multi-genre singer, pianist, composer, and arranger. Her music places a strong emphasis on jazz and incorporates elements of hip-hop, funk, pop, classical, and world music. A proud Chicago native, Akenya has performed and recorded with some of the city’s leading artists such as Smino, Saba, and Grammy®award winning Chance the Rapper. In 2016, Akenya joined forces with emerging rapper Noname, appearing on her acclaimed debut album Telefone and touring as her musical director and opening act in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. After appearing with Noname on her Tiny Desk Concert, Akenya was asked to contribute vocals to Chicago legend Mavis Staples’s 2017 record If All I Was Was Black. While recording at the famous The Loft Recording Studio, Akenya worked closely with the album’s producer and writer, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco.

As a solo artist, Akenya’s unique sound and versatile musicianship has garnered the attention of top tier publications such as The Chicago Tribune, The Fader, and Afropunk. She has performed her original music across the country and abroad. In her home town, Akenya has played nearly every major venue including Bottom Lounge, Lincoln Hall, and Metro. Last fall she made her solo festival debut with a stellar set at North Coast Musical Festival. Akenya is currently working on her highly anticipated, debut LP, Moon in the 4th. Her newest single Decay is out now and can be streamed, downloaded, and purchased anywhere music is available.

AALIYAH ALLAH
Aaliyah Allah is an independent artist from Chicago. Her melodic voice paired with poetic lyrics on top of eclectic production can be described as ethereal. She began her music journey in 2013 when she released a song on Soundcloud which received much positive feedback, encouraging her to actively pursue her dream of being a musician. She has now released her debt EP titled “Being” on all streaming platforms. Being EP ranges from sensual melodies to disco/house rhythms.

MELISSA LOZADA-OLIVA
Melissa Lozada-Oliva is the author of Peluda (Button Poetry) which explores the intersecting narratives of hair removal & Latina identity. Her work as appeared in Adroit Journal, Muzzle Magazine, the Guardian, BBC Mundo, REMEZCLA, & Google maps. She is an MFA candidate at NYU. She lives in Ridgewood, Queens.

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Tags: Aaliyah Allah, Akenya, Chicago, Hooligan Mag, Hooligan Mag Showcase, Illinois, Lakeview, Lulu Be, Melissa Lozada-Oliva, Schubas Tavern