Chicago’s DA-MOVEMENT has never been pleased to go along for the ride, they create it. But with their new release, “ALL BLACK EVERYTHING,” the group proves it is more than just a hip-hop group, it’s a summit where some of the city’s most powerful voices meet. With features from Ak, Never, and J Harris, the track is an art lesson. It bridges the city’s storied hip-hop past to a forward-looking edge that is both urgent and timeless.
“ALL BLACK EVERYTHING” has a way of ingraining itself in one’s consciousness. Pay’s opener is a ferocious, poetic performance with much romantic resonance. That’s to say, this isn’t background music, it’s intentional music. DA-MOVEMENT has long served as a model for Chicago rap, but here they turn that model into a battle cry, a reminder that true power isn’t in being loud or tough, but in having something worth saying.
This one’s big and small at the same time. The pairings felt organic, with the voices blurring seamlessly from one song to the next, creating an impression of a larger-than-life yet deeply human soundscape. “ALL BLACK EVERYTHING” is effectively a soul manual, one that cajoles you to think and groove simultaneously. It’s a song and a mission statement at once. It casts DA-MOVEMENT as cultural navigators, moving Chicago hip-hop toward brave new frontiers. If you’re wondering what’s happening in the Chicago scene over time, you need to listen to this release. DA-MOVEMENT proves once again they’re not part of the conversation, they are scripting it. “ALL BLACK EVERYTHING" is more than a song, it’s a movement that everyone needs to hear and contemplate and, most importantly, act on from anyone who will listen.