Kanye West: Stay In School Benefit Concert @ Chicago Theatre

ABC Coverage

Kanye West: Stay In School Benefit Concert @ Chicago Theatre

LIVE Performance Footage

Last nite at the Chicago Theatre, Kanye West performed a free concert for Chicago Public School students who earned free tickets for attending class and achieving good grades. Two suburban high school students, David Abrams and Zack Harris, conceived the admirable idea and worked hard to put the event together as an extention of the Kanye West Foundation, founded by the late Donda West.

Kanye was personally thanked by Mayor Daley for giving back to the Chicago Public Schools and made dreams come true for the students in attendance as he rocked the stage with no hypeman. Above is ABC7 Chicago coverage of the event along with performance videos of classics like “Amazing”, “Jesus Walks”, and “Through The Wire”. The event was all over the papers this morning as well and you can take a look at the Chicago Tribune’s coverage HERE, which outlines some of the celebrities who came through to show support.

Down below is a summation of the day’s audio and video, starting with a NEW live cut from Mikkey Halsted & Mick Luter – a true raw performance that DJ RTC further describes. Also included is a new jam from Naledge and friends that features some chopped and screwed action on it. Not a big fan of that in general, but the southern influence on the track, brought also by Bun B, gives Naledge and fellow Chicagoan a slightly new sound than some of their other work. The verses are still on point, yet it’s not a track I’ll be consistently going back to.

R&B fans get their fix with a NEW track from Joe and the video premiere for Cassie’s “Must Be Love” f/ Diddy. Rick Ross also premieres the “Mafia Music RMX” video and, because it’s simply a dope track, Linkin Park’s “New Divide” also gets some video treatment. It’s directed by the visionary Joe Hahn, who has done many of the group’s previous videos, and he mixes in some Transformers 2 footage¹ with some cool “Welcome To Heartbreak” effects. Enjoy!

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¹ Yes, “New Divide” is on the movie’s soundtrack… and yes, some Megan Fox footage makes the video as well (sans thumbs close-ups!)

Mikkey Halsted & Mick Luter “I’m A Ryder (Live)”

FULL, CDQ *Tibs Fav.™

Naledge “Look At Them Hips” f/ Bun B, Curren$y, & D.O.E Boy

FULL, CDQ, Track off upcoming mixtape, Chicago Picasso

Joe “Friends Don’t Let Friends”

FULL, CDQ (Final Version)

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Cassie “Must Be Love” f/ Diddy

VIDEO PREMIERE!

Rick Ross “Mafia Music RMX”