Chicago producer Smoko Ono is the kind of guy you know about even if you don't exactly know about him: He's played as a member of Vic Mensa's touring band, and he produced Vic's single "Feel That." He's worked with all kinds of artists throughout Chicago and the artsier fringes of the hip-hop world in general. And now he's finally putting together a full-length project of his own, Slackin N Mackin, due in late January. With features from Vic Mensa, Denzel Curry, and many other standout young rappers from Chicago and elsewhere, it has the potential to be a pretty exciting compilation.Today, Noisey is premiering Slackin N Mackin's "No Look," which features verses from Chicago MMG torchbearer Rockie Fresh, West Side phenom Saba, and Smoko's brother, Jarred AG. All three come through with a couple moments of tight wordplay and flows that head all over the place. Witness exhibit A of how much the lyrical corners of Chicago rap are playing with cadences as much as they can. But the real attraction here, appropriately, is Smoko's laid-back, bouncy beat, with live horns from Will Miller of the O'Mys. Smoko says: "I wanted this track to incorporate an element of Chicago sound featuring a live jazz style fused with hip-hop and juke music." Success? Success. Check it out below:
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