Michigan Avenue - Niche Media - Michigan Avenue magazine is a luxury lifestyle magazine centered around Chicago’s finest people, events, fashion, health & beauty, fine dining & more!
Issue link: http://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/732891
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY OF MOTOWN RECORDS (PORTRAIT AND ALBUM COVER); CHRISTOPHER POLK/GETTY IMAGES FOR UNIVERSAL MUSIC (PERFORMANCE) Supporting player no more: With his solo album In My Mind, Brainerd Park native BJ the Chicago Kid has stepped center stage. WITH A BUTTERY-SMOOTH SOUND AND AN ACCOMPLISHED MOTOWN DEBUT ALBUM, BJ THE CHICAGO ID IS POISED TO BECOME THE CITY'S NEXT MUSICAL SUPERSTAR. BY J.P. ANDERSON THE NEW SOUL MAN His Motown debut album In My Mind has been praised by everyone from Vibe to NPR and gotten him gigs at Pitchfork and The Tonight Show. Now, as 31-year-old Bryan James Sledge (aka BJ the Chicago Kid) embarks on his first world tour, the Brainerd Park native shares his musical inspirations, his love of Chicago—which he reps in songs like "Home"—and his passion for collabora- tions with greats like Kendrick Lamar and Chance the Rapper. On collaborations: "It's like a chef working with another cool chef. You get to see how he cooks, why he cooks the way he cooks." Windy City love: "Chicago is everything to me, man: My teacher, my best friend. Chicago has been something I couldn't understand at times. It's a real relationship [laughs]." Favorite hometown spots: "I always hit Harold's Chicken [laughs], get some Garrett's Popcorn, and I hit Leaders 1354, Fat Tiger Workshop, RSVP Gallery, and see friends and as much family as I possibly can." On raves for the album: "I'm just an artist and I'm coming from my heart when I do it. All this starts from silence; I say that a lot." On his playlist: "I get inspiration from my friends all the time, from the Ty Dolla $igns to the Anderson .Paaks to the Chance the Rappers, to the Vic Mensas to—who else am I listening to right now? A$AP Ferg, School Boy Q. And the Dixie Chicks [laughs]." @bjthechicagokid; for complete interview, see michiganavemag.com . "I'M JUST AN ARTIST, AND I'M COMING FROM MY HEART WHEN I DO IT." –BJ THE CHICAGO KID 60 MICHIGANAVEMAG.COM SCENE BREAKOUT