Welcome to Urbana Poppin' Champaign, Your Premier Urban Channel. UPC was established in May 2010 with a focus on introducing new music to the masses in hopes of creating a better bond between deserving artists and fans. We still believe in that statement, however, in addition to staying true to our roots with a steady flow of music, we now offer our readers the latest in style, art, and much more.
Review: Chance The Rapper - Acid Rap

Review: Chance The Rapper – Acid Rap

Review written by Brad W. (@Brad_C_Williams). In response to his stellar debut #10Day, Chance The Rapper’s latest free release Acid Rap indicates a dramatic transition in his life. The angst and frustration revolving around his 10-day suspension from Chicago’s William Jones College Preparatory School seems outdated, as Chance’s opening statement...
Interview: MartyParty

Interview: MartyParty

In preparation for Thursdays event at the Canopy Club, we were able to quickly chat with the wonderful and innovative artist known as MartyParty. Born in South Africa, Martin Folb traveled to the States after finishing his studies in Cape Town in order to further pursue his professional career. After...
UPC.FM Vol. 2: Deep Bass (Hosted by Homemade Spaceship)

UPC.FM Vol. 2: Deep Bass (Hosted by Homemade Spaceship)

Artwork by ĐG & Michiko. Coming at you with the second installment in our exclusive mix series, we bring you UPC.FM Vol. 2: Deep Bass hosted by our good friend from Chicago, Homemade Spaceship. Differing from his produced tracks, the mix is full of his select favorites ranging from dub, trap, to...
Review: Justin Timberlake - The 20/20 Experience

Review: Justin Timberlake – The 20/20 Experience

Review written by Brad W. (@Brad_C_Williams). It seems as if every year one artist produces an album that defines the listeners and musical appeal of the time. In 2010, Kanye West‘s My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy not only ushered in Ye’s reemergence but challenged the boundaries of “conventional” hip-hop. 2011 was Adele‘s year,...
Top Tweets of Unofficial 2013

Top Tweets of Unofficial 2013

What initially started as a marketing ploy by local bar owners in the Champaign-Urbana area, has transpired over the years into something that’s been adopted as a major staple of student culture at the University of Illinois. I mean, UPC even participated with our own rendition of gear just for...
Review: Kilo Kish - K+

Review: Kilo Kish – K+

Review written by Brad W. (@Brad_C_Williams). When Kilo Kush (legally Lakisha Robinson) released her Homeschool EP in 2012, both listeners and critics alike were undecided. Some embraced her refreshing honesty and neo-soul contemporaneity while others dismissed her nihilistic approach as insipid and unrefined. At 22 years old, Kish never imagined herself...
Review: Generation Wild Tour Chicago

Review: Generation Wild Tour Chicago

As the cold consumed the city of Chicago, the anticipation at 306 North Halsted grew heavily with the hopes of a wonderful opening night for the GENERATION WILD TOUR. And those hopes would soon turn into beautiful memories as the night proved to be a complete success. We were graciously...
Interview: Excision

Interview: Excision

Considering his ever-growing popularity and countless sold out shows, Jeff Abel, better known as Excision, certainly is a mystery. With ominous branding complete with skulls and masks, the elusive nature this artist brings carries over into his PR exposure. Very few interviews or even simply unmasked photographs exist of this...
Interview: Papadosio

Interview: Papadosio

From discussing their new album, to worldly views, to thoughts on psychedelics, the five-member-band of Papadosio bring an inspiring, positive message into the music realm. Their new album To End the Illusion of Separation (T.E.T.I.O.S.) focuses on unity and the theme that humans are interconnected with each other and the earth....
Review: Pusha T - Wrath of Caine

Review: Pusha T – Wrath of Caine

Review written by Brad W. (@Brad_C_Williams). “’Anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.’… The Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him” (Genesis 4:15). Whether he is creatively referring to the biblical fratricidal marked man Cain or to a certain white product he pushes in...
UPC.FM Vol. 1: #CertifiedDope (Hosted by Epilep[c])

UPC.FM Vol. 1: #CertifiedDope (Hosted by Epilep[c])

We’ve been looking forward to this day for a while, and we’re sure you have too–even if you didn’t know it. From now on you can expect UPC to drop an occasional mix in collaboration with DJs and artists that we cosign. We’ve always wanted to put something special together that...
Review: Rockie Fresh - Electric Highway

Review: Rockie Fresh – Electric Highway

Review written by Steven V. (@ambitouS_Vision). Following the success of Driving 88 last year, it’s safe to say that high expectations were held for Rockie Fresh. The next project would be his first body of work released post-signing a deal with hip-hop powerhouse MMG. After a few underwhelming verses on Rozay’s The Black Bar...
J.Mars - After Lights (Mixtape)

J.Mars – After Lights (Mixtape)

Today UPC is proud to premiere the sophomore project from J.Mars titled, After Lights. When JM reached out with the opportunity for us to get on board with this project, we didn’t think twice and knew that it would be something special. Sure enough, our predictions couldn’t be more true. Upon listening to his...
Latest entries
Asaad (Saudi Money) - Holy Matrimony

Asaad (Saudi Money) – Holy Matrimony

The illRoots guys come thru with new music from Philly native Asaad aka Saudi Money today, as he releases a new cut titled “Holy Matrimony.” Look for this track to appear on his upcoming EP #COLDBLUE, due out on June 27th. Take a listen to the record below and be sure to check out his recent release WHITE...
Chuck Inglish - Droptops EP

Chuck Inglish – Droptops EP

After the Cool Kids unofficially broke up about a year or two ago, we’ve only really seen Sir Michael Rocks release solo projects, while Chuck has remained low key, producing for many different artists and jumping on a few features. Without further ado, here is Chuck Inglish’s first official solo offering, an EP titled Droptops...
The Underachievers - May's Patience

The Underachievers – May’s Patience

Fresh off concluding the Beast Coastal tour with the Pro Era and Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers are capitalizing off the buzz they built throughout the tour and hitting the fans with a free song called “May’s Patience,” the perfect song title for those patiently awaiting the summer months. Stream the song below and be sure...
UPC Presents: Your Bonnaroo Survival Guide

UPC Presents: Your Bonnaroo Survival Guide

This article was originally published on June 19th, 2010, as “Bonnaroo 2010: My Experiences and a Survival Guide for Future Patrons” by former UPC editor Thomas B. Cullen. We decided to bring it back as a relevant preview to this years Bonnaroo festival. Enjoy! It’s been almost one week since I got back from this little...
Black Hippy - U.O.E.N.O. Remix

Black Hippy – U.O.E.N.O. Remix

Kendrick Lamar and the rest of Black Hippy collective released their own “U.O.E.N.O.” remix to kick off the good kid m.A.A.d city world tour. The song features impressive verses from the whole crew with a particularly noteworthy verse from Jay Rock. The tour launched with a show in Las Vegas and will travel to 15 countries...
Throwback Thursday: Back When He Was A College Dropout

Throwback Thursday: Back When He Was A College Dropout

Kanye West is without a doubt the most polarizing figure in music for almost the past decade. Currently, he’s busy doing guerrilla marketing and surprise performances to promote his new album Yeezus, which is due June 18th. While we all initially knew Kanye as that in-house super producer for Roc-A-Fella records, today his role is...
The-Dream - IV Play (Album)

The-Dream – IV Play (Album)

Grammy award-winning R&B king The-Dream has recently blessed his fans by allowing them to stream his upcoming album, IV Play in its entirety via his VEVO page. The 12-track standard edition album features an impressive list of features including Jay-Z, Beyonce, Big Sean, and more. Stream the album for free and then make sure to support good music by...
Ken Rebel - R.E.B.E.L. (Mixtape)

Ken Rebel – R.E.B.E.L. (Mixtape)

Ever since I caught glimpse of “Disrespectful” last fall, followed by “Rebelution” this spring, I’ve eagerly been awaiting a release from Ken Rebel. The young NY based emcee knows how to pack a song with more bars than many of your currently favorite rappers, which is why this up & comer has quite the promising...
Review: French Montana - Excuse My French

Review: French Montana – Excuse My French

Review written by Evan K. (@LegendarE). I am officially bored of waiting for work to start so I am WILLINGLY doing what no sane human being should ever do unless they are paid to do so… I am going to live review French Montana‘s debut album Excuse My French. How did I like the album?...
The Jet Age of Tomorrow - On!

The Jet Age of Tomorrow – On!

The Jet Age of Tomorrow, comprised of Hal Williams and The Internet’s Matt Martian are a subgroup of Odd Future that originally sparked fan interest in 2011 with their second album The Journey to the 5th Echelon. Before Frank Ocean and The Internet, the duo was the outlying soul of Wolf Gang, treating listeners to expressive jives and easy-listening melodies. The band’s first...
Sir Michael Rocks - In A Minute ft. Da$h & Ab-Soul (Prod. by Larry Fisherman)

Sir Michael Rocks – In A Minute ft. Da$h & Ab-Soul (Prod. by Larry Fisherman)

It’s looking like Sir Michael Rocks is going to drop a free mixtape called While You Wait for the fans before his debut album Banco hits the stores. Here’s the first drop from that tape titled “In A Minute” which is produced by Larry Fisherman and features from Ab-Soul and Da$h, both who have been impressive on Mac...
Travi$ Scott - Owl Pharaoh (Album)

Travi$ Scott – Owl Pharaoh (Album)

After much anticipation from fans and critics alike, Travi$ Scott releases his debut project today with Owl Pharaoh. With some hard hitting singles like “Quintana” and “Upper Echelon,” we’re confident this album is full of bangers from front to back. Get familiar with the G.O.O.D. Music/Grand Hustle artist below and download this 15 track project,...