Another day, another unforgettable live music experience – the second day of the Pitchfork Music Festival featured pitch perfect weather and flawless performances from stage to stage. While day one of the Chicago-based celebration of music was decidedly dreamy, day two featured a variety of acts treating fans to everything from old-school hip-hop to modern […]
Posted inRebellions
If Black Lives Really Matter, We Gotta Stop Hitting Repeat
There’s a black man. Police confront him. Police kill him, and we watch the video. There’s an investigation, protests and calls for justice. A community grieves, and we all hit repeat. Alton Sterling, repeat. Philando Castile, repeat. Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Walter Scott, Willie Tillman, David Joseph, repeat, repeat, repeat. I’m tired, y’all. I’m fucking […]
Posted inRebellions
I Am the Personification of a Hate Crime, and I’m Voting for Donald Trump
As our nation slowly truffle-shuffles towards the general election, I find myself fascinated by the Republican Party. It has turned into a Kafka-esque human centipede, with Donald Trump emerging triumphantly from its anus to wreak havoc over the rotting, festering corpse of the GOP. This is my modest proposal—vote for Trump. Who even cared about […]
Posted inMusic, Reviews
Photos/Review: Beach House, Carly Rae Jepsen top Pitchfork’s Dreamy Day One
On Friday, July 15, Union Park was the place to be in Chicago for day one of the Pitchfork Music Festival, as alternative legends, indie elite and rock stars on the cusp of superstardom converged on the Near West Side for the listening pleasure of all in attendance. Despite some afternoon drizzles, the evening emerged […]
Posted inEditor Welcome
Ch-ch-ch-changes
There are some pretty exciting changes under way here at Rebellious Magazine, and we hope you’ll pardon our virtual dust as we go about sprucing up the place. We’re four months into our Relaunch Year, and already we want to give you more: More of Chicago’s most Rebellious articles, columns, essays and reviews and even […]
Posted inRebellions
First-Ever Soulful Chicago Book Fair a Gathering of the Griots
Think Scholastic Book Fair meets your black family reunion/block party. This month’s Soulful Chicago Book Fair promises to be a gathering of the griots. The fair, founded by Asadah Kirkland, will present a counter-narrative to Chicago’s violent reputation that’s perpetuated by the media, and it’ll do so in Woodlawn, a neighborhood known for high crime. […]
Posted inColumns, Uppity-Negro: In Memory of Aaron Hawkins
2016: Year of the No-Win, No-Win Election
“And, of course, they [Republicans] hate Hillary. Why she has this effect on some straight white males is beyond me. Some defect in them, I expect.” –Aaron Hawkins if Donald Trump wins the presidency, it will have nothing to do with the American people. sure, there are plenty of xenophobic and incredibly racist citizens who […]
Posted inColumns, Cycle Chic
Early American Bicycles Gave Us Suffragettes and Weird Facial Expressions
“Bicycling has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world.” — Susan B. Anthony Bikes in cities are like the horses of the Wild West. They can release us from traffic snarls, free us from El platforms and unshackle us from Chicago’s parking meter system. Did you know that cycling was even […]
Posted inBooks, Reviews
‘I Almost Forgot About You’ by Terry McMillan
I Almost Forgot about You By Terry McMillan c.2016, Crown $27/$36 Canada 358 pages In every love life, there’s always The One That Got Away. He got away because you were both too young, too scared, too broke, or too different. Things were said that couldn’t be unsaid, done that shouldn’t have been done. It […]
Posted inMusic, Reviews
Photos/Review: Against Me! Proves the Power of Punk at Metro
Sometimes we forget, but music has the ability to evoke change. Acts like John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Rage Against the Machine and Bob Marley are as famous for their political stances as they were for their songs. And now, Against Me! is wielding the power of punk rock to become the voice of a generation. […]