Chicago rapper Ric Wilson busted out of the Young Chicago Authors (see, Chance the Rapper, Vic Mensa, Jamila Woods, Saba) with last year’s BANBA EP. Now, ahead of his first-ever tour, the rising MC has dropped a pair of new tracks, “Yellowbrick” and “Dan Ryan”.
The former song opens as a swaying R&B number before switching to a snappy hip-hop bop. During both sections, Wilson sings, “It’s the vibes that you bringing around/ The way that you smile/ You holdin’ me down/ That’s the yellowbrick road to my love.” ” As the lyricist tells Consequence of Sound, “I wanted to make a song about love, a song that reminded of the rom coms I watched when I was younger with happy endings. No one sings about love any more.”
Check it out:
“Dan Ryan”, meanwhile, takes its name from the expressway that cuts down the center of South Side Chicago. Passing cars take the listener into Wilson’s “thoughts in my car when I’m in rush hour Dan Ryan construction traffic,” scored by daydreaming piano notes. Take a listen below.
The songs are in advance of Wilson’s US tour, which kicks off at Treefort Music Fest in Boise, Idaho on March 23rd. Find his schedule below, and grab tickets here.
Ric Wilson 2019 Tour Dates:
03/23 – Boise, ID @ Linen Building (Treefort Music Fest)
03/23 – Boise, ID @ The Reef (Treefort Music Fest)
03/24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Kilby Court
03/25 – Denver, CO @ Larimer Lounge
03/28 – Minneapolis, MN @ Icehouse
03/29 – Milwaukee, WI @ Backroom at Collectivo
05/11 – Miami, FL @ Rolling Loud Festival
06/02 – New York, NY @ Governors Ball
07/20 – Chicago, IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival
