Kids These Days | |
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Origin | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
Genres | |
Years active | 2009–2013 |
Past members |
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Kids These Days was a hip hop band from Chicago, Illinois.[2] The band formed in 2009 while the members were teenagers and their debut album Traphouse Rock was released in 2012. Their split in May 2013 served as a launch pad for Vic Mensa and Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment, among others.[3]
In November 2009, the band won first place at Congress Theater’s Next Big Thing competition.[4] In 2011, the band performed at South by Southwest,[5] at Milwaukee's Summerfest on July 1,[4] at Lollapalooza,[1] and at The Roots Picnic started and hosted by The Roots on June 2.[6][7] On June 13, 2012, the band performed on Conan O'Brien's TV show, Conan at The Chicago Theatre.[8]
During the Fall 2012 Chicago Teachers Union strike, Kids These Days performed at the union's Solidarity Festival in Union Park.[9]
Kids These Days 2012 debut, "Traphouse Cuts," was produced by Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and mixed by Mario C.[10]
In May 2013, Kids These Days decided to split up.[3]
Vic Mensa launched his own career and continued to pursue his musical talents. He worked on collaborative songs with rappers such as Chance the Rapper and Kanye West. He currently[when?] fronts the punk-rock project 93PUNX.[11] Nico Segal, the horn player, also released 2 mixtapes, Illasoul: Shades of Blue and the Donnie Trumpet EP as Nico Segal and currently[when?] went on to perform in The Social Experiment with Greg Landfair Jr.[citation needed]
Lane Beckstrom went on to produce and record his own electronic music under the name Lane. His debut EP "Argot" was released on January 20, 2015.[12] Rajiv Halim recently released his debut album Foundation in August 2015.[13]
Three previous members of Kids These Days, Macie Stewart, Lane Beckstrom and Liam Cunningham, along with Matt Carroll, formed the band Marrow.[14]
Macie Stewart formed the band OHMME, with Sima Cunningham, which remains active as of 2020. As of 2019, Stewart also plays violin and sings in Chicago's avant-garde jazz community, including as a member of Marker, led by Ken Vandermark.[15][16][17]
Liam Kazar (Cunningham) backed the duo Tweedy on tour. In 2021, Kazar released a solo album[18][19] and was regularly performing in Chicago, including with his band.[20]