On-air interview on KRTU 91.7′s Super Soul Saturday radio show, hosted by Scuba Steve. Qwel & Maker talk about being on the road, the process behind the new album Owl, upcoming projects, and more.

Live footage from the Qwel & Maker Owl tour featuring DJ SPS (DMC ’08 Champ). There’s some cutting by SPS, a Qwel acapella, and a full performance of the song “Owl.” Video courtesy of Timebomb (via YouTube).

Originally posted on alarmpress.com:

“Although Chicago’s underground hip-hop scene has roads that point back separately to both MC Qwel and DJ Maker, their partnership has helped them reach audiences beyond the confines of the city’s gridded streets… As their third release together, Owl displays how Qwel and Maker have matured — first and foremost as duo but also as separate entities.  The album is not nostalgic because it aims to be so; it accomplishes the feeling because of Maker’s simple creativity and Qwel’s reflective and complex lyricism.  In doing so, Owl delivers an unadulterated style of hip-hop that remains refreshing and innovative.”

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Un-official video for Maker’s track “Silver Mountains” edited by Gustav Mandible. Originally appeared on Scion’s Radio 17 Host EP No Static At All, but you can also find it with a few verses from Qwel on the new Owl album.

Originally posted on better-blends.com:

“The Chicago based duo Qwel & Maker recently teamed up with DJ Bizkid to put together a preview mix of their upcoming album Owl. This mix is probably the first time I’ve ever really taken time to check out either Qwel or Maker‘s music, and I gotta admit that I was immediately blown away by what I was hearing. It seems that at some point in the past the music snob inside of me decided to section off the group’s music to the realm of “overly cerebral-emo-hipster” rap music without even listening to it. I’ll be the first to admit that that’s some bullisht on my part, but really, that sort of hip hop just ain’t my thing.

However, this mix quickly destroyed my bit of close-mindedness by filling my headphones with Qwel‘s smart lyrics and engaging rhyme-flow. Add to that some bangin’, soul-sample heavy beats from producer Maker and you have the sort of musical combination that I can get into. As I said earlier, my Qwel & Maker expertise begins and ends with the fleeting tracks featured in this all too brief preview mix. But if this is any indicator of the type of tracks that these guys are making I’ll gladly push past my former “fcuked up” prejudices and give their music a ringing endorsement. Make sure that you keep tabs on that upcoming Owl project, as it looks to be filled with the sort of classic hip hop tracks that quickly draws listeners in and leave them wanting more.”

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For their 3rd full-length album titled Owl (Galapagos4, 2010), Qwel & Maker’s creative partnership has gone from ‘occcasional collaboration’ to a full-fledged endeavor and the results are loud, clear, and undeniable.

Once described by Rolling Stone as having “stark, biographical songs that occupy the same bleak terrain as Francis Bacon paintings or The Dark Knight,” the Chicagobased duo has matured substantially since the release of their 2009 sophomore LP and continually raise the bar with their brand of raw, unadulterated, underground Hip-Hop.

“The Owl watches and grows wiser,” explains Maker. “As we became more aware of our environment, we gained new perspectives. This album is our way of reconnecting with everything that surrounds us.”

The duo is most at home on tracks like “El Camino” where Qwel’s lyrics scrape vibrant, and often harsh, realities across Maker’s soundscape of hard hitting drums and deft arrangements. “Name looking strange in the limelight / Chamber what you trying to change / Sitting here soaking in hindsight / It’s the road / Its the life I chose” concludes Qwel on “El Camino.”  Newly commited to the ‘life they chose’ and resolved to defeat stagnation in an industry in transition, Qwel & Maker have only just begun…

“Local rapper Qwel has earned a reputation for his distinctive lyrics and his outspoken views on controversial topics, both as a solo artist and as a member of Typical Cats, a group that coalesced around Hyde Park’s WHPK in the late 90s and gained an underground following with the release of a self-titled debut in 2001. Since then Qwel has put out a flurry of albums, EPs, and singles (at least 17 total, all on Galapagos4), touching on subjects ranging from commercialism to creationism, and his style has been described by J. Edward Keyes for Rolling Stone as “occupying[ing] the same bleak terrain as Francis Bacon paintings or The Dark Knight . . . Old-school attitude with a manic edge.” Qwel is one of the support acts for Doom and Mos Def this Saturday at the Congress Theater, and I caught up with him for a talk in advance of the big show…”

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“Elevator catches up with producer Maker for an interview at his studio in Chicago’s west side. Maker tells us about making beats, collaborations with Qwel, Chicago hip-hop, records, new projects, Stones Throw, Now-Again, and more. Check it!”

Originally posted by Rolling Stone’s ‘Hype Monitor’:

“The Band: Qwel & Maker The Buzz: Chicago rapper turns out stark, biographical songs that occupy the same bleak terrain as Francis Bacon paintings or The Dark Knight. Listen If: You’re tired of waiting for a new El-P album, or you’re looking for an album that has old school attitude with a manic edge. Key Track: The bounding “Welcome to Chicago,” where Qwel’s desperate delivery does battle with creepy carnival organ and a hook that sounds like it was lifted from a ’70s TV show.”