Chicago, IL. (www.galapagos4.com) - The upcoming release from the
Chicago lyricist called Qwel once again expertly displays his graceful flow and fiery soul, and those elements – writing, flow, and soul – are actually the things Qwel feels are generally missing from underground hip hop.
"I think the state of Chicago hip-hop is screaming out with the pangs of birth. We still feel that despite the recent resurgence of mainstream stuff out of the Chicago area that we are the world's best kept secret. We feel that we still speak for the streets in a relevant manner. We still live amongst gangbanging and poverty," he says.
Qwel emerged from humble beginnings in Rockford, IL and decided to enter Chicago's battle circuit when he moved to the big city. He found his niche among his soon-to-be crew at the University of Chicago's WHPK Wednesday night rap show. The show, legendary in Chicago's underground hip-hop history, was hosted by DJ Natural and Kid Knish. There, Qwel would meet both Denizen Kane and Qwazaar and soon after they would form Typical Cats, the beginning point of Qwel's notoriety. Qwel later met Meaty Ogre during the recording of Typical Cats' debut LP The Manhattan Project in 2000. Six years later, Qwel &Meaty Ogre created Freezerburner, which will hit stores on Galapagos4 Records In October, 2006.
When playing Freezerburner, listeners will notice that Qwel embodies some Christian values and embraces aspects of the Christian doctrine, but at the same time believes that "religion should be demolished." Politically, Qwel is sickened by the fact that organized religion often leads to war, is an avid fan of liberal commentators such as Al Franken and avidly speaks out against the war in Iraq. While Qwel's views on evolution on the track "Machinegun Monkey" from Freezerburner may be shocking to the average left leaning music lover, it's not dogmatic fluff. Qwel is trying to make people think, and even they don't agree with him, his skillfully crafted lyrics are still thought-provoking. "What I say is important, but how I say it is the art and skill."
Like his dichotomous religious and political views, Qwel came up with the name Freezerburner to illustrate the same thing about Chicago's famous winters. "It's the frozen Chicago wind and that sterile, beautiful untouched snow. It's also like being splashed by life's proverbial slush while watching children build snowmen." It goes to show that everything that may seem ugly and painful on the surface can reveal a new beauty and beginning that otherwise wouldn't exist without agony.
Qwel & Meaty Ogre On Tour:
10/24 Dresden, Germany
10/25 Munich, Germany Sunny-Red
10/26 Luzern, Switzerland Boa
10/27 Geneva, Swizterland L'Usine
10/28 Karlsruhe, Germany
10/29 Bordeaux, France Rock School Barbay
10/31 Amiens, France Le Safran
11/01 Saint-Etienne, France L'Elephant
11/02 Lyon, France La Marquise
11/03 Marseille La Machine à Coudre
11/04 Strasbourg, France La Laiterie
11/09 Nevers, France Le Malys
11/10 Paris, France Le Glaz'Art
11/11 Larnod, France Le Cylindre
