New VF release, Gimme Shelter, showcases rising Chicago talent

Chicagoan musical prowess is on display as South Side hip hop and the Chicago Sinfonietta collide.

The Vinyl Factory will release a mixtape showcasing Chicago’s up-and-coming musical talent on vinyl on December 13.

The 17-track compilation, titled Gimme Shelter, sees Chicago Sinfonietta orchestra members Karla Galva, Seth Pae and Edith Yokley team up with local rap artists DJ Aced Spade, Draii Blac, Marko Stat$, Nasa and Young Conscious. Guest artist Roy Kinsey and producer Mike Jones also feature.

Watch an interview with Edith Yokley about the project below.

Created in collaboration with Theaster Gates’ Black Madonna Press, Chicago Sinfonietta’s Community and Public Programs and Urban Gateway’s Street level, Gimme Shelter highlights new artists through narrative storytelling in hip hop and classical music.

Hear Reggie “Young Conscious” Crosby’s contribution, “Reminiscing (Black Lives Matter)”, below.

Thematically, the project addresses the impact of the pandemic on notions of shelter and safety in Chicago and contemporary social conditions, taking influence from the 1969 Rolling Stones hit of the same name, which captured the sociopolitical climate of uprisings amidst the Vietnam War.

Gimme Shelter is available to order now on 180g heavyweight black vinyl via The Vinyl Factory.