This All-Star Weekend

Did I miss out? [READER]( I spent part of Sunday's brilliantly sunny afternoon in the dark confines of Metro. Chicago rap star Polo G had assembled a festival-worthy lineup of hip-hop and R&B acts for a last-minute benefit in celebration of NBA All-Star Weekend. For the most part, I elected not to attend any of the corporate-sponsored events that filled last weekend in advance of Sunday night's game at the United Center. I'm still struggling with my decision not to engage. Working at an alternative newsweekly enables me to avoid big, mainstream events that are well-covered by just about every other outlet in town. At the same time, All-Star Weekend put the spotlight on local creatives of color, many of whom we've profiled at length in the pages of the Reader, including [Shelia Rashid]( and the entire Fat Tiger Workshop crew (who I first wrote about before they launched a permanent storefront as part of [a 2012 feature on the streetwear scene](. Weekend attracted untold numbers of important Black and Brown cultural figures and corporate entities, and it also galvanized Chicago's hip-hop and R&B scenes. There were more parties than any one person could possibly attend, and so many unofficial gatherings reminded me of South by Southwest, but more intense. The single-digit temperatures we experienced Friday would likely cause the city of Austin to shut down, but that didn't stop Chicago hypebeasts from following Kanye as he rode through Wicker Park and Grant Park in boxy Sherp ATVs. I just hope the sneakerheads who traded the shoes off their feet for a pair of Yeezys didn't catch frostbite. I've been writing for the Reader for nearly a decade, and I've benefited from having the space to dig deep into local scenes and marinate on stories. So while I didn't rush to cover the same pseudo-events every other outlet that descended on Chicago the past weekend did, I also knew that witnessing what I did from afar and up close would help me when All-Star Weekend is a distant memory and its effects still reverberate. And when Polo G drops his next album, I'll remember when he presented gigantic customized checks to four different nonprofits onstage at Metro while a capacity crowd screamed his name. And by witnessing that moment, I hope it'll help me show our readers what makes the north-side rapper one of this city's best new exports. Sincerely, [Post-Mortem]( by Aaron Cometbus (Cometbus) ["The 100 Greatest Emo Songs of All Time,"]( by Ian Cohen, David Anthony, Nina Corcoran, Emma Garland, and Brad Nelson (Vulture) [Fearless: The Making of Post-Rock]( by Jeanette Leech ["Greg Kot says farewell to readers,"]( by Greg Kot (Chicago Tribune) Der Eisenrost, Armored Weapon Cindy Lee, [What's Tonight to Eternity]( Primal Scream, [Screamadelica]( Tink, [Hopeless Romantic]( [Drummer Jeremy Cunningham releases a dense but delicate jazz record to honor his late brother]( Plus: The Black, Brown, and Indigenous Crew rocks the Vaginal Davis exhibit at the Art Institute, and Chicago songwriter Wyatt Waddell plays Behind the Scene at Schubas. By [J.R. Nelson]( [@JR1Nelson]( and [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [The Pitchfork Music Festival announces its 2020 lineup]( For its 15th year, the famously eclectic fest has booked headliners the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Run the Jewels, and the National. By [Leor Galil]( [@imLeor]( [Issue of Feb 13-19, 2020 Vol. 49, No. 19]( [Valentine’s Day]( [How to break up when surrounded by brides]( | [Reader Matches returns]( | [Beach Bunny have a blast singing about heartbreak]( [Download Issue (PDF)]( [DONATE]( [View this e-mail as a web page]( [@chicago_reader]( [/chicagoreader]( [@chicago_reader]( [Chicago Reader on LinkedIn]( [/chicagoreader]( [chicagoreader.com]( [Forward this e-mail to a friend](. Want to change how you receive these e-mails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. Copyright © 2020 Chicago Reader, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in via our website. Our mailing address is: Chicago Reader 2930 S. Michigan Ave., Ste 102Chicago, IL 60616-3228 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](