BBU is the Chicago-based, four-man crew made up of MCs Epic, Illekt, Jasson Perez and DJ Esquire, whose sound place the listener in the middle of a Chi-town juke party. Following the release of their self-released first mixtape, Fear of A Clear Channel Planet, BBU performed across the country with names like Mos Def, MF DOOM, and J. Cole, been on the Lollapalooza and South by Southwest (SXSW) stages, and featured in the pages of The New York Times, The Washington Post, URB, The Chicago Tribune and TimeOut Chicago. The Chicago Reader named BBU as one of the “Best New Musical Groups,” and Pitchfork hailed their anthem, “Chi Don’t Dance” as one of the “Best New Tracks” of 2009. In early 2011, BBU teamed up with friends Das Racist and The Hood Internet for a collaboration titled “Please, No Pictures,” which debuted on Prefix Magazine and became one of the hottest singles of the summer.

Now the guys are set to release their second mixtape, bell hooks, in February 2012. Presented by Mad Decent and Mishka and mixed by DJ Benzi, bell hooks provides a refreshing take on hip-hop from a group whose alternative inspirations have them tossing out sounds along the lines of M.I.A. and dead prez, with a hint of Bad Brains. As the crew puts down the final touches on bell hooks, which includes features by Das Racist, Mic Terror and more, the men of BBU remain on the artist-activist grind. They are all helping to grow a culture connected to a People’s Movement by working as community and union organizers, health care providers, legal counsel and educators. They are creating a soundtrack for the people, by the people.

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