Artists I Heart:

Hip Hop:

Atmosphere, Grieves, Sage Francis, Dessa, Brother Ali

A vast majority of my favorite musical artists emerge from an oddly specific pool of Minnesota-based hip hop labels. Rhymesayers represents: (my all-time favorite) Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Grieves, and Sa-Roc; Doomtree represents Dessa, Cecil Otter, P.O.S., and Sims. Overall, their work is characterized by a cerebral take on popular hip hop, laden with intellectualized and often moody lyrical content.

Twin Cities Hip Hop has greatly defined my taste in music, and one day I will make a pilgrimage to Minneapolis. On one occasion in the middle of getting a tattoo, I discovered that the artist was from Minneapolis and had in fact known Slug personally, and I cried for several minutes. It was really embarrassing.

Jade Chynoweth - Dancer

I have never been a dancer—or really showed any particular interest in dance—but for whatever reason I find the talents of Jade Chynoweth to be utterly entrancing. I’m pretty sure I’ve watched every single one of her videos. If you’re a person who appreciates dance and/or beautiful people, you should check her out. Seriously, she’s bloody amazing.