CANCELED: Chuck Strangers
Doors Open: 7:00 PM
w/ Bocha
While recording his new EP, Boys & Girls, New York-based MC and producer Chuck Strangers came up with a mantra: “The journey is the reward.” It’s the sort of phrase that can disintegrate into cliché when performed disingenuously, but this philosophy permeates through Boys & Girls and helps Chuck showcase the ways in which he’s grown as an artist and a man. In fact, though it’s only 10 songs long, Strangers is certain this is his strongest work to date. Though the subject matter touches on scars from the past and memories that just won’t fade, Chuck’s ability on the mic helps communicate a joie de vivre; after all, his new mindset is based around the idea that spitting rhymes for a living is a damn good job. Moments of desolation come for everyone, but on Boys & Girls, Chuck Strangers wants to showcase the arresting beauty of expertly crafted rap music.
“Stop looking for it to be over. This is the gift,” Chuck explains. Late nights in the studio are moments to celebrate, not remember with disdain. “You get to turn on a sampler and get creative every single day. Some people have to go do all kinds of other shit.” When Chuck began to fix his mindset and steer it towards this positivity, he not only became happier, but a better musician, too. While projects like 2020’s Too Afraid To Dance and his work with Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era squad are rightfully celebrated, Chuck considers Boys & Girls a fresh start; a renaissance. “I started really thinking about my shit deeper and not being afraid to just start over,” he adds. “I always used to be like, ‘Oh, well I'm half done with the song.’ Now it’s like, ‘Nah. Start over and write a new verse.’”
On “Devin Hester,” Chuck flips the script completely, offering a whole new range of sounds in the beats he spits over. The hazy melody, especially when contrasted with the shimmering soul of “Prospect Park West,” offers a mood of foreboding. Chuck takes a few hits but like the football star the song is named after, he gets up every damn time. The psych-tinged synth gives the song a mystical somnambulance, with Chuck free-associating memories from deep in the recesses of his subconscious.
There were times in the past few years when Strangers felt like quitting on his dreams and picking up a 9-to-5. It’s not like he wasn’t making money, but the culture of comparing himself to others made him feel spiritually poor, even when his pockets were fat. “It was real and it was humbling. I just appreciate everything so much more now,” he explains. The revelations were tangible and karmic. When he stopped caring about making enough money to flex how much he had, the checks started rolling through more frequently than ever. He works harder than ever before, not because the bills are stacking up but because there is no joy like crafting a breathtaking musical moment.
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MOSTLY STANDING / LIMITED SEATING
21 & OVER
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