Have you been to lackluster events in Chicago? Have you wondered where the professionalism and love for hip-hop is? Well, I have, and Cataclysm completely changed my mind about the underground scene in Chicago. Hip hop is still alive and thriving and it was showcased at Bourbon on Division. Anyone can throw an event but few people can throw a successful event. This night was a masterclass in throwing events that benefit all involved. It is safe to say this night will spiral into opportunities for performers and patrons alike.

The networking taking place, the content still popping up on social media, and the general public still talking about it is a testament to the hard work Yung Tact, Wilhelm Duke, and Paris Jemm put into curating this event. The line up was stacked and every artist caught and kept your attention. It was sponsored by The Kief Collection along with Dukes & Duchesses. I must admit I did falter on my job a few times because I just had to dance and vibe with the performers.

The Performances

We started the show around 9:30 with Yung Tact giving us an introduction on how the event came together. He then introduced us to Wilhelm Duke, Paris Jemm, and Kung Pao. Then, we got the show started with Wilhelm Duke.

Wilhelm Duke: He started his set with ‘Not a MooVee,’ a song from his newest project, ‘Chrome Adrenaline’; I did sing along because it was one of my favorite songs from the project. He got the energy going and got the crowd pumping. It was an excellent way to start the show. Another song he did was with Dean Akbar, who was the next performer. This was an excellent segue to prepare us for what was to come. After all the performances were done at the end of the night, he came back to show out with Majin Inca. We were all dead tired, but it was still a cool vibe, and I hope to see them at a different show.

Deen Akbar got us hype when he performed with Duke. He then got into a thought-provoking and smooth track, which is a stark contrast to his fast rapping on Speed Force. He gave us that little teaser and went into a Vibe which was faster-paced. Long Overdue was another nicely paced track. He also gave us the song that he won with in the competition with Twista. It is insanely fast, and you can tell he got into his zone and may have left the planet while rapping. He had his breaths planned out to a t. He lost it at one point but just took a second and found it again. Last up, we had “Flowers upon you”. Deen Akbar has a passion that you can see with his flow and energy. You can see his soul leave his body while he lays everything on the floor. He also gave us a freestyle to take us out.

The Dark Skin Rapper: To start us off, he performed a song he had made only three days before. This might not have been the best idea since he did mess up fairly early on. He laughed it off and went into another song. He was able to complete this one along with the rest of his set.

Red Top was not on the original line up, but he made a huge impression on me. He is super talented. He gave us a few different styles, and I liked his love-style songs. It was nice to see what he offers. I had to connect with him immediately. I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more from him. I’m not sure how he got here, but I am glad he did. This is someone to keep your eyes one, I know I will.

Pharoah Afternoon: These guys not only came ready to perform but also had a merch table set up. Unfortunately, my camera was tripping hard, so I didn’t get as much footage as I would have liked. However, they brought the energy and engaged the crowd. They just had fun with their performance. The Colby Jack song was so much fun and probably my favorite from their set. Their energy was on ten for the entire performance. The handshake had me dying!!! The Popping Bottles song was also super catchy and high-energy. Clearly, the overarching theme of their performance was HIGH ENERGY.

The UA was up next, but they were missing a member. I have watched them perform before and the last time they didn’t have enough mics. This time however, there were and it made a difference in their performance. They were able to move around the stage better instead of worrying about switching mics. They were in their element and had some good crowd engagement. They have an eclectic style that works for them. The stand-out song for me was the birthday song. It was energetic and catchy.

White Noize performed with Wilhelm Duke. They have had a few collaborations, but this was my first introduction to him. White Noize needs a little more confidence on stage. I’m not sure if he just had an off night, but he seemed a bit shaky for me. He’s super cool people tho and has the lyrics to match. He did a song without a beat and made the best of any issues that came up. The crowd went wild for him. He started off shaky but recovered the further along in his performance he got. He knows how to talk his shit and told the crowd to invest in him now.

Asha Omega wants to know if we have been drinking. Sorry, hun, but I don’t drink on the job. To get the crowd’s attention, she jumped in and got everyone’s attention real fast. After she got us locked in, she did her fucking thing. She is a goddess on stage and demands attention. She transitioned between songs seamlessly and gave us gems to get the crowd engagement up. She went into the crowd again to interact, and everyone was loving her energy.

SamIAm took us back to the real hip-hop. I mean what can you say about such a legend besides how did you get here and why am I so lucky to be in your presence? He’s been in the game since I was a git so you already know the vibes. He brought out Queen Zenobia from Zulu Nation. She brought out props that matched her lyrics which was dope. They did a few songs together. They also had another guest come out for their set.

Allegra Dayo was such a vibe. We got “real sexy,” as Tact said, for this next performance. She brought out her guitarist and got us started with some smooth notes as she sang a classic, ‘Killing Me Softly.’ Before we got into her performance, she brought out her tarot cards to give us a message to allow us to let joy in. I needed this message low-key. Another tarot card told us to slow down and let things simmer and cook. The song she performed was about having a sneaky link. She owns the stage and is very interactive. It is impossible to ignore her. She gives us a little backstory on the song. Another stand out song is instructions because don’t we all wish love came with instructions? It was beautiful and so relatable.

Metra Flako switched up the flow back to some “gangsta rap.” He is such a FUCKING VIBE. He came out strong with a song stating “back that ass down, but back that ass up.” He went crazy with his performance, and the crowd loved it. He had another song that was a bit slower but still had a cool rap vibe. He sped it back up for us for the next track. I already saw a collab brewing with an artist that I am very familiar with coming soon. *fingers crossed*

Yung Tact closed out the show, and he brought the vibes. He had old-school karate vibes in the back. His second song is still stuck in my head because “You ain’t never been outside.” He is such a vibe on stage even though he was tired and lit. Ultimately, he just had fun with it, and that’s all that matters. It is no easy feat to host an event and perform. He also surprised us with a performance featuring Kung Pao (who lied to me and said he wasn’t performing but did).

While I try to capture every moment some do miss me. Sometimes, I get so into the environment that I forget I am working, or I take a little bathroom break. Other times, it is because some of you are stopping me to chat. So if you did not get a full recap it was likely due to one of those reasons.

Overall Thoughts on Cataclysm

This was the definition of what a showcase should look, feel and run like. Every artist got their time to shine and even had time to bring out guests. The segue between some of the performances was great since they would transition using those featured artists to get into the next performance. It was like passing the baton. There were no dull moments. There were a couple of technical issues, but they were covered up by placing intermissions. Most shows or performances will face some sort of issue, but it is how it is handled that matters. It can either make or break it. In this case, the performers and hosts did an exceptional job of handling the issue with little impact on the audience. I love the transparency and how Tact is unapologetically himself when introducing artists. Shout out to Kung Pao for handling the music and ensuring the artists could do their thing on that stage.

The venue was incredible. It was easy to get to, and the top floor is a reserved event space, which is ideal for these kinds of showcases. It also means the party can continue downstairs after, which is exactly what some performers did. I definitely enjoyed the after-party vibes. This might be my favorite venue thus far on the Chicago scene, but it also might be due to the organizers and their hard work. I will absolutely be going to more events at Bourbon on Division, especially if Yung Tact and Wilhelm Duke are involved.

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