Words, images, and thoughts collected in celebration of ZERO FATIGUE on Nov 23 2019 Edition 4/8 Zero Fatigue takes the stage at Chicago’s hallowed Thalia NOTE FROM THE EDITOR Contributors Hall for a one-of-a-kind performance celebrating their sin- gular, collaborative sound. The collective and label boasts by Tara Mahadevan / @yungnoodlecup Chris Classick a roster of staggering talent and a connection that feels Sie downright familial, based around artists like genre-bending frontman Smino and enigmatic producer Monte Booker. A Nosidam blend of future funk, melodic rapping and warm, organic Police State soul has brought them to the forefront of Chicago’s hip-hop and R&B scene and delivered them national critical acclaim. Brock Seals 6norlax Thalia Hall Ryan McMahill Saturday, November 23 Pooneh Ghana This edition is edited by Tara Mahadevan, paying trib- Michael del Rosario ute to Smino and Zero Fatigue’s impact on St. Louis, Chicago, and the Midwestern music scene as a whole. Design by Alexa Viscius Cover Illustration Yewon Kwon @REDBULLMUSIC #REDBULLFESTCHI NOTE FROM THE EDITOR by Tara Mahadevan / @yungnoodlecup When Smino released his single “Smellin felt like the second coming of the Country Like a Re-Up” in 2014, it was an instant Grammar rapper, a prophecy that Smi has classic. One of the first collaborations be- now undoubtedly fulfilled. tween him and fellow Zero Fatigue mem- ber Monte Booker, at surface level, the During those years, Zero Fatigue trans- song is a dissertation on weed and sex— formed into a formidable presence in the though nothing that Smi creates is really Midwest rap scene, further uniting St. Lou- that simple. is and Chicago, allowing the cities—both competitive, blue-collar, hustling places— Early mentions of a blood moon and war to hold each other in higher regard. Smino wounds show he’s trying to connect with rallied his ZF crew of Booker, Ravyn Lenae, his girl on a more profound level—and Bari, Jay2, Chris Classick, and L10MixedIt, lines like “Fuck the world, .38 special be and collectively, they forged the way. my contraceptive / My zip code got my arms stretchin’ like yoga sessions” literally On the day that I wrote this, Smino earned hit close to home. Released after the mur- a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Album der of Michael Brown, “Smellin Like a Re- for his contributions to Dreamville’s compi- Up” was a nod to the police brutality that lation project, Revenge of the Dreamers III. plagues St. Louis and the U.S as a whole. In the weeks before, he, Saba, and Noname It’s a topic Smi would continually broach— teamed up to form the supergroup Ghetto in the blkjuptr cut “Oxygen” and blkswn Sage and release their first song, “Häagen song “Father Son Holy Smoke”, for exam- Dazs.” With Zero Fatigue by his side, Smino ple—as his presence would soon reverber- has elevated his community and showed ate deeply within a city that was aching us our dreams don’t have to remain just from fear and an unfathomable loss. He that. swooped in, uplifting us exactly when we needed him. “I want my family to know that you can do anything,” Smino told me during an inter- The song also acted as his introduction view for Vice in 2015. “Like you can’t do to non-St. Louisans: the melodicism and regular shit. You can go as far as you want swing in his voice a salute to the city’s in anything… That’s what I’m hoping to storied history of blues and jazz; his fa- achieve. I never seen anybody 100 per- milial roots (his grandfather was a famous cent in my life chase their dream. Never… blues bassist, his dad a keyboardist, and And it’s like if you actually go through with his mother a singer); and to Nelly and the that shit, bruh, like everything is going to St. Lunatics. Even in the early days, Smino align itself to make sure that you get it.” 3 CLASSICK STUDIOS SCRAPBOOK from the archives of Chris Classick “Music really brought the family around the world and back and it all started at Classick Studios. These pictures remind me of why I started in the first place.” CLASSICK STUDIOS SCRAPBOOK Z4L from the archives of Chris Classick by Sie / @_Sienote 2011-2012 - Y.D.O.C. I first heard Smino between 2011 and 2012. Back then, I thought I wanted to blog so I was really into documenting underground artists. When I met Smi, he still went by his full government, Chris Smith Jr., and had more aliases than P. Diddy Puff Daddy himself. My first dose of Smi was through The Show Me Cy- pher 2, which brought a lot of us from St. Louis to where we are now creatively. As some would say 2013-2016 - Zerø Island today, “He floated on that mf.” I don’t think any of us knew what he was capable of, but I think we all I began to notice a change in sound believed he had something that would take him for Bari and Smino. They were living far. in separate cities: Smino in Chi- cago and Bari in STL. This is when Around the same time, Bari emerged through an- Monte Booker entered the picture. other popular cypher, The Gateway Cypher—and In Chicago, Smi recorded and lived in 2012, they formed the group Y.D.O.C. (Young at Classick Studios, which is where Dumb and Out of Control). The opposite rawness he linked with Monte—“Smellin of the two is what made them so cohesive: Bari like a Re-Up” was one of the first adds the bounce that makes you mean mug the of many collaborations between 808s and Smi adds the groove that’ll have you them. humming and singing along for days. We used to have debates on who was the most kountry of the It wasn’t until after the Blk Juptr Tour two. The consensus? Bari was just as kountry as Smi in spring 2016 that the ZF squad but with a little more trap. was solidified with Smino, Bari, Jay2, Monte, and Ravyn Lenae. 2016 was the year Monte and Smino hit their 2017-Present - Growth first million streams with “Kolors” and traveled overseas. That sum- If 2016 was the warm-up then 2017 was the race. mer, it was Ravyn’s time to shine Smino’s debut album Blkswn dropped on March with her Moon Shoes EP. 14, 2017, or his hometown holiday, 314 Day. He went on to sell out his Swanita Tour, which featured Bari, Jay2, and Jean Deaux. Smino and Ravyn toured with SZA and T-Pain in the fall, closing the year with the second annual Kribmas benefit. Since then, Smino dropped his sophomore album Nøir in 2018, and in 2019, Bari released MSTRGLSS and Jay2 dropped 4 Tha Wait. Our family tree has extended, blessings and unlimited opportunities have poured in for all of us, and we continue to grow closer every day. The best part is we haven’t 5 TOP 5 TOUR MOMENTS from Nosidam / @nos.pov 1. GOING TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE 1ST TIME 2. PLAYING COACHELLA 3. SWANITA TOUR (1ST TOUR) WAS SOME OF THE MOST FUN SHIT EVER 4. TOUR WIT T-PAIN 5. SEEIN ERIC ANDRE AT THE BLUE FLAME IN ATL .. HELLA RANDOM 6 7 THE MIDWEST SWING REQUIRES ZERO FATIGUE by Police State / @DoRightMars Over the last decade, the Route 66 connection between St. Louis & Chicago has shifted from a rivalry to one of the most fruitful connec- tions in contemporary music. This playlist shines a light on some of the brightest talents hailing from both cities, with Zero Fatigue being the vessel for much of the discovery. Outside of a few influences, the artists curated herein are collaborators, friends and even tour mates of ZF that together comprise a vibrant cultural renaissance happening right in the heart of America. The two cities can be starkly different- the food, the slang, the pace- but that Midwest Swing is apparent in both. The playlist takes listeners on a journey that meshes the best of both places seamlessly. The first half is the build-up for listeners to turn up like they’re headed to a party in Chicago or St. Louis and the 2nd half is that mellow vibe that we all need after having a blast on a night out with friends. Full of raw energy & cool vibes, this isn’t for the faint of heart because The Mid- west Swing Requires Zero Fatigue. Get Police State’s mix here: PERIODIC DRIP OF SMINO by @6norlax 8 Illustration by @sealsbrock 9 ZERO FATIGUE photos by Ryan McMahill and Pooneh Ghana 10 Thalia Hall usually feels like an opera the- Smino’s superstar persona immediately ater with its ornate walls and imposing commanded attention behind bedaz- stage, but at Smino and Zero Fatigue’s zled shades and a puffy jacket (neither show, the mid-sized venue in Chicago’s of which lasted halfway through the set). Pilsen neighborhood felt like a cross be- His stadium-sized energy could barely tween a nightclub and a cathedral. be contained within the packed walls, a point that became especially clear A 15-minute drive from Thalia sits Clas- during “Wild Irish Roses”. The first track sick Studios, the current iteration of a off ‘blkswn’, which forecasted Smino’s studio where Zero Fatigue first formed ascent and established his melodic, and where Smino first honed his craft in funk-driven style, had most of the room the presence of close friends and col- hanging onto every word.