Walk with me up Halsted Blvd. We’ll start this journey in the wild 100s on Chicago’s notorious South side. Stay close, straighten your ball cap and don’t be a dummy, let’s go. Take a look in any direction and poverty is prevalent. The pot hole strewn streets and filthy sidewalks are evidence that the streets and sanitation dept. don’t make too many stops on this side of the city. Look up and you’ll find abandoned buildings, empty lots and torn down rusted vehicles decorating unkempt lawns. Drug dealer’s, drug addicts and liquor stores are on almost every corner. Look a little closer you might see the Gangster Disciple six point star sprawled across the dilapidated brick walls. Keep your head up and eyes open its hard to see your fellow man in this condition but remember it’s all for a reason, Hip Hop lives and breaths here. Let’s keep heading north.
For the entire story shoot the J.
"I just thank god that I’m still young still fly and have been through all this and I can give you all that pain." - Mikkey Halsted
Here we are on the corner of Halsted and Garfield on the outskirts of Englewood. Conditions haven’t changed much except for the writing on the walls. The six point star graffiti has been replaced with a five point star and a crescent moon, letting outsiders know that this is no longer GD territory. Once one of the premier shopping locations in Chicago and a stop on the western railroad Englewood is now where members of the All well Black P. Stone Nation chop it up. It’s where oppression and poverty led a young Jeff Fort to organize his fellow people to rise up against his oppressors in the 1950s. Just east of here, on the corner of 73rd and Stony Island, G’s join the rest of the community to get uplifted at the iconic Mosque Maryam. This proof that we can find some light in all this darkness.
Common described the imagery of this area best when in the track “The Corner” he raps:
Bang in the streets with hats cocked left or deep right/Rappers and hoopers we strive to be like/ Gs with 3 stripes seeds that need light/ the corner where struggle and greed fights… Robbing, stealing, and dying just to make a living.
It’s not easy for anyone to be here but don’t forget we are on this journey to learn that poverty breeds some creative shit.
You can relax a little more but never put your guard down this is Chicago Charlie. We are further north, in Bridgeport, on Halsted and 35th. You’ll find races of all sorts calling this area home. From old Irish men sitting at the very same bar they’ve not moved from in years, to young Asian families that run the plethora of liquor stores we walked by while in the hood, Bridgeport is a diverse neighborhood. Look to your right and you’ll see U.S. Cellular field, home of the 2006 world champions the Chicago White Sox (I can say that it’s only been 5 yrs.) Look to your left you’ll find the Bridgeport homes, nothing much to be gained there. Let’s keep moving towards Pilsen.
Look around and peep Pilsen. Located on the corner of 18th and Halsted, predominately a Latino neighborhood, Pilsen is a Petri dish for young artists and hustlers just the same. You’ll find that the 5 pt star we saw scrawled on the brick blocks back now has a catholic cross underneath it, that’s how you know it’s where the Almighty Bishops put in work. The overall feeling has changed though, on the corner we see newer buildings and refurbished housing with starving artists bunked side by side in the large studios within. It’s also rich with hipster dive bars art galleries and vintage clothing stores. On the weekends in Pilsen it’s teaming with emo haircuts, tight pants and suburban art yuppies looking for a new look or art for their condo. This is the area where the poverty line begins to blend and fade. Just a bit further north you’ll see what I mean.
This is the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC) near the Loop. Education is on the walls and gentrification is in the hood. This is where we can find million dollar condos next to abandoned project housing. The UIC area is where men walk by sporting three piece suits and Rolexes. Meanwhile, down the block, traveling street hustlers will sell you a bag of stolen watches that look just as real. A stone’s throw west from campus and you run into the Black Gangsters territory. Young scholars from all over the country (and the world) come here to get an education in their respective disciplines but leave with an education from the streets as well.
"Everyday I’ve been through has led me to be the person I am standing here before you right now." - Mikkey Halsted
This is the University of Illinois in Chicago (UIC) near the Loop. Education is on the walls and gentrification is in the hood. This is where we can find million dollar condos next to abandoned project housing. The UIC area is where men walk by sporting three piece suits and Rolexes. Meanwhile, down the block, traveling street hustlers will sell you a bag of stolen watches that look just as real. A stone’s throw west from campus and you run into the Black Gangsters territory. Young scholars from all over the country (and the world) come here to get an education in their respective disciplines but leave with an education from the streets as well.
It’s been a long walk and I’m starting to get hungry I can smell something good cooking not too far from here.
Here we are now across interstate 290 into Greek town. Great smells of Mediterranean food fill the air and swank upper class shopping centers line the streets. This will be a good place to rest our feet before we reach our final destination. Pick a stoop to chill on, grab a cold beer and a Gyro while we meditate on the journey we just took. Are you all good? Good, it’s time to have some fun.
We’ve reached The Mid Nightclub on 306 N. Halsted in the meat packing district of the west loop. At first entrance the general feeling is of an upscale Eastern European night club. You soon realize your still in the states when up on the high stage the DJ drops A Tribe Called Quest first, then Freeway and then Peter Gunz, we are most definitely still in the states. The sound system bumps throughout the club and the base vibrates nice tunes and good vibes. Black leather couches surround the reserved for V.I.P tables which sit next to the identical pink and green back lit bars that are lined with top shelf liquor. It’s easy to get a drink from the bartenders who are of course young and beautiful. Everyone from the go-go chicks in short shorts holding sparklers to the bouncers in well fitted suites look clean and professional in all black everything. The walls are decorated with rococo era print stylings and hanging from the ceiling is an oversized disco ball reflecting pink and blue rotating lights. The stage is visible from almost anywhere in the venue, especially the second floor cat walk. The place is jumping, the ladies are swinging their hips and the heads are bobbing. Although space is tight tonight and bumping into someone is almost unavoidable, the general vibe is polite. It’s grown folks having a grown folk’s party.
"Get right or get left. That’s the motto. Those that know…know. Don’t be a dummy your whole life." - Mikkey Halsted
The reason most of the 30+ crowd came tonight was to see the headliner, Ice Cube, along with his west-side connection affiliate Dub C. Once on the stage Cube and Dub show that they can still rock hard and rock well. It’s good to see that they haven’t lost a single step in their C-walk.
After a few jabs at the sound man for his mic volume being too low Cube gets busy with “Straight Outta Compton”. Cubes voice is sharp and crystal clear. Both Cube and Dub do a systematic and chronological history of their discographies; they do all the classics from “Wicked” to “Today Was a Good Day” and even “We be Clubin.” From second level cat walk you can see all the beautiful people who came to see the legendary Cube get down. Although it’s nice to see a staple in hip hop history do his thing we didn’t take this journey to see Ice Cube, we took this journey to see the embodiment of our entire journey Mikkey Halsted himself.
I caught up with Mikkey Halsted after the show and got a chance to find out a bit more about the man that the prolific producer NO I.D. (who has helped launch both Common and Kanye West’s careers) calls the next piece of the puzzle of Chicago hip hop.
D&M:
What’s good Mikkey? hows the motto go? Get right or get left?
MH:
Get right or get left. That’s the motto. Those that know… know. Don’t be a dummy your whole life.
D&M:
Tell us how you got your start In Hip Hop here in Chicago?
MH:
Man, actually I got my start from the Iconic Kanye West you know freestyling. He saw me took notice gave me a beat tape (they still had beat tapes back then). I came back the next day with some dope ass music and that was my start with Hip Hop in Chicago.
D&M:
Once you got your start you went on to CMR tell us a little about that?
MH:
The demo that I did with Kanye led to me getting signed. I had a lot of interest from a lot of labels. Cash Money was you know, doing their thing at that time and next thing you know I was signed to Cash Money. It didn’t last long cause it really wasn’t the right fit for me but I got some valuable experience and made some great relationships with people like Lil Wayne and them. So everyday I’ve been through has led me to be the person I am standing here before you right now.
D&M:
That’s was up. Then after you went on to sign with Jermaine Dupri over a Virgin records right?
MH:
Yeah after that I got out of that deal. Jermaine had just got a job over at Virgin. He signed me but he didn’t like how things were going (with Virgin.) Right after I got singed he ended up leaving so I got out of that contract, thankfully, because there’s such a thing as a keep me clause and he was the person that signed me so I was free. Now I just got back with No ID after being a free agent and just dropped this Independent project that’s called the Darkroom. Go online and check it out on ITunes, Amazon the whole nine. So Right now that’s what’s setting the internet on fire setting the streets on fire and man labels are back in the picture and we gonna make sure do it right this time and in the right situation. I just thank god that I’m still young still fly and have been through all this and I can give you all that pain.
D&M:
On that Darkroom there is a track called Exorcist. A lot of people say that it’s about somebody in particular. Clear the air about that.
MH:
No doubt, Exorcist is not about any person in particular it’s about Hip Hop and I feel like Hip Hop is going through a commercial phase. You remember back when the only people winning Grammys was MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice you know what I’m sayn. Now…It was never about radio with Hip Hop know what im sayn Hip Hop wasn’t even played on the radio so I feel like when commercialism kinda came into to play we kinda lost our soul, like we sold our soul to the devil. So the music is sort of watered down now. The Exorcist is just about hip hop in general taking it back to the essence and roots of where it came from. Getting it back on the right track that’s what that song is about.
D&M:
Alright so outside of hip hop, you love Basketball right? How do you feel about the Bulls right now?
MH:
I feel like the Bulls right now have the best chance in the East to win it. Derrick Rose is the MVP Joaquim Noah is a beast boozer is a beast. I wish we had a two guard that I liked a little better. I think they should start Rodney Boar kick Boguns to the curb and let Korver come right off that bench.
D&M:
Let Korver come up! yeah, let him hit those three’s.
MH:
That’s where I’m at!
D&M:
So we are DonutsandMilk.com when we wake up in the morning music is what gets us going. What gets Mikkey Halsted going in the morning?
MH:
Man, first thing that gets me going is me hitting my knees and thanking god that I’m still here.
This is when we get the boot for blocking the stairway and the interview is over. This journey though is far from over its actually only begun. After meeting the man that has embodied our journey and also personifies Chicago Hip Hop I only hope we have both gained a little perspective. This is about more than just Mikkey Halsted; it’s about how the music we love has risen like a phoenix from the ashes of poverty, it’s risen to the success that creative minds deserve. Keep your eyes and ears open for Mikkey Halsted, he’s going to be doing big things very soon.
Stay tuned, stay fly.
A-Drego
