Rhymefest performs 'Eight Hour Song' for WBEZ's Curious City WBEZ

Sabina from Naperville, a suburb west of Chicago, asked WBEZ's Curious City how the bombing at Haymarket Square in 1886 affected Chicago's culture. We have an in-depth article and audio story with answers here: http://wbez.is/1rGrAgR

The short answer is - free speech was curtailed in Chicago and Haymarket set back the labor movement for decades.

But historians say there were other effects, too ... take music. "The Eight Hour Song" was the rallying cry for Chicagoans who were striking in 1886. And after Haymarket and other labor troubles -- its popularity died down.

But the issues that prompted Haymarket -- labor, immigration, police power, freedom of speech -- are as relevant today as ever.

And so the Eight Hour Song is being revived by Chicago's own Grammy-award winning rapper, Che Smith - aka Rhymefest. He performed his new version of the song in WBEZ's studio as part of our story. His producer, T.L. Williams made the backing track.

Rhymefest will be performing the Eight Hour Song on May 10, 2014 as part of "Let's Get Working: Chicago Celebrates Studs Terkel," along with Psalm One & Fluffy, JC Brooks, Sally Timms & Janet Bean, and The Eternals. Each of these bands was asked to reinterpret a labor song from the early 20th century as a component of the Hull-House Museum exhibition "Unfinished Business: The Right to Play." This project is a collaboration between the Jane Addams Hull-House Museum, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, and the Hideout.

Curious City: http://curiouscity.wbez.org/
WBEZ - Chicago Public Media: http://www.wbez.org/curiouscity

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Rhymefest performs 'Eight Hour Song' for WBEZ's Curious City
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Music	Upload TimePublished on 30 Apr 2014