Holiday Kirk beats the pizza up.
Rap Dreams is an examination of individuals who have decided to make rap music their career, but haven’t broken through to reach mainstream success. For them, rap music requires huge investments of time and money for little reward. These are people who rock shows sober so they can get up for their day job in the morning then work double overtime in order to afford studio sessions on the weekend. So why do they do it? For some it’s a matter of passion, the chance to make art and be recognized. Others see it as a way out, to pull themselves out of their circumstances along with their families and friends. For those that reside in the crowded inner city, it’s the only opportunity they’ve got.
In 2012, packed to bursting with talent, Chicago’s rap scene exploded outwards. Residents of the city’s north side, west side, and south side became national stars. The city seemed to grow a new economy overnight as artists of all kinds tumbled into the scene. Presented by LA’s Passion of the Weiss and Chicago’s Fake Shore Drive, Holiday Kirk’s Rap Dreams is a chronicle of those artists still striving to make it in a high turnover industry. In episode two, Clinton Sandifer aka ShowYouSuck explores his long journey to success: his roots in the pre-Internet era, constructing his unique style, honing his stage presence through basement shows, touring with Yelawolf, and eventually going on to pack some of Chicago’s bigger venues and festival stages.
With a flair for distinctive visuals (the pizza, the polka dot shirt) and out-there taste in beats, ShowYouSuck has garnered a cult fanbase by being as friendly and approachable on record as he is on life. There are lyrical references to creeping on Tumblr and lists of his favorite sets of 80s boobs. On stage, his energy is a product of the basement hardcore shows he came up on, storming around the stage and filtering even the most laid back rhymes through a commanding bark. But as grateful as he is for all he’s achieved, he still has a day job. Rap Dreams: episode two finds Show reflecting on his success along with an awareness on how much further he has to go.
