Rising stars NUNNABOVE celebrate the release of their single “Tiny Bookshelf” at The Hook on October 24th. Come groove with Goon Tribune, iLLism, & Nunnabove. Get tickets NOW!
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NUNNABOVE has been called the “next generation of the Minneapolis sound”. They were featured on season 13 of America’s Got Talent. “The Current calls them “Minneapolis’s latest and greatest.” Terry Lewis says, “They have many years of music ahead of them.”. Star Tribune’s national music critic Jon Bream says, “they have oodles of talent and potential.” Sounds of Blackness music director Gary Hines says, “They are super-talented, highly-skilled and gifted musicians, writers and performers with a unique sound and style.” The band has shared the stage with Chaka Khan, Boy II Men, Neo, PJ Morton of Maroon 5, Stokely, and many others. NUNNABOVE is Cadence, Mattie, Bennett, and Wisdom; four siblings from the Twin-Cities. As did Prince, NUNNABOVE has formed their own unique blend of Alternative Pop. As a featured new artist at Prince’s Paisley Park Celebration in 2023, they “shined the brightest” as one of the 5 most memorable moments. As Matthew Allen of the Grio writes, “The Minneapolis Sound seems to be in good hands.”. Chaka Khan, who also attended the celebration, heard the group and embraced them, later inviting them to open for her and Boys II Men at the Minnesota State Fair. NUNNABOVE is actively creating new music and booking shows across the US and overseas.
iLLism
Since 2015, the award-winning husband and wife team iLLism has given performances all around the Twin Cities and the country. The hip-hop team is known for its cross-genre production, catchy songs, tight harmonies, and inspiring lyricism. Envy and Fancy were born and raised in the Twin Cities, home to Prince, The Time, The Sounds of Blackness, and Mint Condition. Growing up in the 1990s, both of their upbringings were concentrated on black culture and its influence, which spurred their passion for hip-hop music and the revolutionary genres that influenced it.
iLLism’s repertoire incorporates live instrumentation while the production crosses several genres, including Hip hop, R&B, Jazz, and Minneapolis Funk. Since 2016 they have delivered two EPs and three full-length albums, including their most recent release, “Family Over Everything,” which dropped in July of 2021. Their efforts have been rewarded with invitations to play on prestigious stages like Super Bowl Live, NAMM, SXSW, and Prince’s famous estate Paisley Park.
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Goon Tribune is a hip-hop, G-Funk, and electronic jazz band led by artist Ian McCarthy and bassist Nick Benish, combined with a tight group of musicians: Andrew Tomten (Purple Funk Metropolis, Tabah, Wry Samurai) on Saxophone, Tarek Abdelqader (Purple Funk Metropolis and A.P. Simpson) on drums, Colin Peters (Willows and Dawn of Time) on Guitar, and Andy Colburn (Boats & Bridges and Witch Hunter General) on keyboards/synthesizers, started in the basements of Como and working their way through the Minneapolis music scene. This band makes for exciting live shows, combining refined story-telling lyrical content with a sound influenced from old school hip-hop loops of Dr. Dre and J-Dilla and jazz funk like Herbie Hancock.
