Mr. River "Soul Lingo" premiere

UPDATE 7/30/20: Link to Rincon’s music, as well as the original Chicago Crowd Surfer post, have been removed following allegations of abuse posted on Instagram @lilsunnyside on 7/29/20. In part: “My abuser is my ex, Danny, many of you know him on here as (bluntcorner). This man was a real life living hell for me. I spent a year being mentally and sexually abused by this guy. When I finally had enough and tried to leave, he wouldn’t allow me to until after physically assaulting me.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/CDPQRmphFM2/

Chicago musician Danny Rincon, who also leads the rock ensemble Blunt Corner, released his debut rap album as Mr. River in January. The self-produced Ol’ Lingo pairs Rincon’s inner monologue rhymes with a savory stew of soul samples, and it includes verses from fellow DIY veterans like Decibel Crawl organizer Clyde Moreau and each member of the Why? Footclan. On the second track “Soul Lingo,” River goes from boasting about his investments paying off to empathizing with people writing verses as a respite from their day jobs: “Your boss found you on the clock jotting your thoughts / ‘quit your chit-chatting, you better get back to working, son’ / Told him you need to take a five when we both know that’s not enough time.” 
After seeing her previous work for British musician Puma Blue, Rincon contacted visual artist Alice Bloomfield for an animated “Soul Lingo” video. The finished product is a trippy journey into Mr. River’s mind’s eye and back. Chicago Crowd Surfer is premiering the video for “Soul Lingo” today. Tune in and drop out below.

Originally published on Chicago Crowd Surfer.