MALCOLM LONDON, called the Gil-Scott Heron of this generation by Cornel West, is an internationally recognized Chicago poet, activist & educator. A member of the Young Adult Council of the prestigious Steppenwolf Theater, London brings vim & vigor to his energetic performances tackling tough contemporary issues head-on. He has appeared on PBS for the first ever televised TED Talk with John Legend & Bill Gates & has shared stages with actor Matt Damon & rapper Lupe Fiasco as a part of the The People Speak, Live! cast. He also appears on Season 2 of TVOne’s Verses & Flow.

In 2011, Malcolm London won the Louder Than A Bomb youth poetry slam in his native Chicago, scooping the top award as both individual performer & with a team. The poet, performer & activist recently wrote & directed a spoken word infused play responding to the Zimmerman verdict called Two Years Later at the Goodman Theatre with an ensemble of five youth poets. Malcolm’s work has been featured on national outlets including CBS, NPR, Huffington Post, The Root, and the Chicago Tribune. Only 21 but he has wielded a dynamic spirit for speaking engagements utilizing his feisty & passionate performances as words of encourage for next generations to tell their stories.

London attends University of Illinois at Chicago & is a member & co-chair of BYP100 Chicago Chapter, a national organization of black activists & organizers. Deeply interested in working on ways to improve the national education system, London regularly visits high schools, youth jails, colleges & communities to work with students on writing workshops and performances. London is currently devoted to being a youth advocate & coordinator of The Know Your Rights Project out of Northwestern Law School, a project dedicated to educating young people on their rights within the juvenile justice system, & continuing his work as teaching artist on staff at Young Chicago Authors, a program working to transform the lives of young people by cultivating their voices through writing, publication and performance education.

The O’My’s are the new sound of Chicago Soul. Rising stars in the midst of a Chicago music and cultural renaissance, The O’My’s have recorded and shared stages with Chance the Rapper, Wyclef Jean, ZZ Ward, Ab Soul, Twista, NoName Gypsy, Mick Jenkins, Save Money, Yo Yo Ma, and Kids These Days. A multi instrument, multi-ethnic crew, The O’My’s are led by co-founders and songwriters, singer/guitarist Maceo Haymes and keyboardist Nick Hennessey. The crew’s rhythm section is comprised of bassist Boyang Matsapola and drummer Barron Golden. Erick Mateo on sax, William Miller on trumpet, and J.P. Floyd (formerly of Kids These Days) on trombone complete the horn section. All Chicago natives, The O’My’s sound captures the tremendous love, pain, warmth and bitter cold found in the city’s streets. Delicate arrangements, a pounding rhythm section and soaring horns provide a perfect home for Haymes’ commanding, smokey rasp and smooth falsettos. Drawing from Chicago’s rich musical traditions of blues, jazz and rock, The O’My’s pick up where their musical forefathers left off, taking Roots Rock’n’Soul to the present. The O’My’s are now in studio recording their third project, Keeping the Faith, a Psychedelic Soul record slated for release in the late fall of 2014.

Morocco Brown is a 20-year-old rapper from Chicago, Illinois. Brown was only 15 when he produced his first mixtape and 17 when he decided he wanted to dedicate his time to making music. Once he graduated high school, Brown signed with Tay Bennett Entertainment as Bennett’s first signee. While his fans describe his musical style as “revamped, old-school Hip-Hop,” Brown prioritizes lyricism and says that “melodies come after” deeming his musical style as “indescribable.” As an artist, Brown’s agenda aims to encourage listeners to “whole-heartedly” remain true to themselves. Brown stays motivated by continuing to progress and excel as an artist, knowing his music will one day reach millions. The young Chicago artist looks forward to releasing his first album this September tilted, Manic.

K-Mu is a band of young musicians, ages 17-20, each from different sides of Chicago. K-Mu was formed in the summer of 2015 by Eddie Burns (Drums), Tony Milano (Keyboard), Kopano Muhammad (Vocals), and Johnathan Miller (Bass). They first performed together at a house show on the city’s north side but made their debut at House of Blues in January 2016. They then went on to perform at venues such as Subterranean, 27 Live, and even selling out Martyrs’. K-Mu plays music ranging from neo-soul to hip hop and their influences include Erykah Badu, J-Dilla, and The Social Experiment. They recently dropped their first single on Soundcloud, “Red Wine” early April and look forward to dropping their EP, “The K-Mu Tape” in the coming months.

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