—andmoreagain presents—
Fly Anakin x Quelle Chris - Forever Dream Tour
w/ Big Kahuna OG & ewonee
at The Pinhook
Durham, NC
doors 7pm // show 8pm
$20 adv // $25 day of show
Tickets on sale now
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FLY ANAKIN
Fly Anakin is a rapper from Richmond, Virginia, who’s been described by Madlib as “one of the illest MCs”. He’ll be known to Lex followers for FlySiifu’s, his 2020 collab album with Pink Siifu, and follow-up EP $mokebreak. He’s previously collaborated with the likes of Freddie Gibbs, Nickelus F, Evidence, Ohbliv, Redveil, MAVI and is co-founder of the Richmond rap collective Mutant Academy.
“If we’re talking fundamentals he’s probably the single best pure rapper in the scene.” Pitchfork
Fly Anakin released his debut studio album Frank on Lex in Spring 2022. The project marked a new chapter in Anakin’s artistic trajectory, including a wider array of collaborators, including Madlib, with whom he has another joint project in the works.
“As an MC, he’s a whirlwind, unleashing a rapidfire flow and packing every pocket with anecdotes, reflections, and commentary over soulful production. A mastery of MCing that took years to develop.” Complex
“Fly Anakin makes his most tongue-twisting verses seem effortless. He knows how good he is and refuses to let anyone forget it.” FADER
・Listen: open.spotify.com/artist/5WybyjV2fRyRQcJrmmiifF
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QUELLE CHRIS
Unconventional and hard to categorize, producer/lyricist Quelle Chris has created work in several genres, including punk rock, poetry, abstract soul, and instrumental as well as vocal hip-hop. As a beatsmith, he tends to favor lo-fi production methods and oddball samples, and his rapping is loose and casual yet thoughtful and introspective. Armed with a dark, self-deprecating sense of humor, he pokes fun at himself while addressing serious personal concerns and social issues. While Chris has been steadily releasing sharp, accomplished albums since the early 2010s, including 2011's Shotgun & Sleek Rifle, he began to receive more attention by the end of the decade, when he issued efforts such as Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often (2017) and Everything's Fine, his 2018 collaboration with longtime partner Jean Grae. He followed these releases with the topical albums Guns (2019) and Deathfame (2022), as well as work with Chris Keys and Homeboy Sandman, among others.
Born Gavin Christopher Tennille in New York, he has spent time in several other cities including Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Oakland. He first received notice as part of Wasted Youth, an obscure act that attracted attention from Detroit hip-hop luminaries such as J Dilla and Proof. Tennille formed Crown Nation with Denmark Vessey, and recorded as Q-Life and simply Quelle. He released a collection of early material titled Blue Mondays and produced several tracks on Danny Brown's early albums.
Around 2011, he settled on the name Quelle Chris and began concentrating on his solo career. Debut album Shotgun & Sleek Rifle appeared in late 2011, and featured guest appearances from Brown, Roc Marciano, and Big Tone. After issuing two EPs as part of the experimental group Racehorses Are Resources (one of which featured legendary poet/activist John Sinclair), Chris signed to Mello Music Group. The single Rappin Ass and full-lengths Niggas Is Men and Ghost at the Finish Line were released in 2013. After Quelle Chris did production work for Pharoahe Monch, Diamond District, Open Mike Eagle, and others, the Chris Keys-produced full-length Innocent Country appeared in 2015, followed by the instrumental album Lullabies for the Broken Brain in 2016.
Being You Is Great, I Wish I Could Be You More Often came out in 2017; the album featured guest appearances or production by Jean Grae, Mndsgn, Suzi Analogue, and others. The following December, Chris proposed to Grae and the two became engaged, then married the next year. The couple also recorded an album titled Everything's Fine, which was released in March 2018 to critical acclaim. Featuring guest appearances from rappers like Your Old Droog and Denmark Vessey as well as comedians such as John Hodgman and Hannibal Buress, the record was darkly humorous, reflecting on stereotypes, police brutality, anxiety, and other topics. A year later, Chris released Guns, an incredibly focused solo album addressing issues related to gun violence and white supremacy.
Innocent Country 2, a reunion with Keys and a sequel to their 2015 collaboration, appeared in 2020 with guests including Earl Sweatshirt, Merrill Garbus, and Pink Siifu. Its release was directly preceded by a vinyl issue of Innocent Country, which was previously only available digitally. Quelle also worked with Homeboy Sandman, producing his album Don't Feed the Monster. He contributed music to the 2021 movie Judas and the Black Messiah, collaborating with Chris Keys, trombonist Craig Harris, and veteran film composer Mark Isham. Deathfame, produced by Quelle along with Keys and Knxwledge, appeared in 2022. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi
・Listen: open.spotify.com/artist/2SlUrJAcTYbWR8GcmB9IEi
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BIG KAUNA OG
・Listen: open.spotify.com/artist/5H9qWExyKaoAteM6JzlSoZ
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EWONEE
Ewonee cites Art Blakey, Curtis Mayfield and Madlib—alongside “everyday life experiences”—as influences. The three musicians first seem a surprising trio, but then again, each shares a profound interest in music as form, while displaying a deep knowledge and engagement with Black American musical traditions, art, and identity. Born and raised in Mount Vernon, Ewonee often refers to growing up in the same neighborhood as Pete Rock being important to his identity as a hip-hop artist. What’s important is how Ewonee keeps the past alive in his music without allowing it to get too obvious or reducing it to a stack of clichés. It’s history as a deeply felt reality and continuum, something special and rare in itself. - MADELEINE BYRNE
・Listen: open.spotify.com/artist/27Mx3cYUOF8wt6SNSicp3S
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