Hip-hop and live instrumentation have never exactly gone hand-in-hand. Instead, the genre has based itself around samples and produced tracks that often took a backseat to powerful lyrics and flow. Yet in recent years, MCs have begun embracing live instruments, and in the case of Chicago’s Treehouse, it has put everything into making those elements merge.

The group formed after MC Rico Sisney and drummer Aunnoy Badruzzaman met at Columbia College-Chicago. The two began shooting around the idea of starting a new project and began looking for bass players to round out the group’s sound, “We had jammed with a few other people, but we stopped jamming with people as soon as we jammed with Mike [Ruby, bass]. It was just instant,” Badruzzaman said.

Once Sisney and Badruzzaman found Ruby, the trio quickly started finding its footing by melding hip-hop with a jazzier backing band. “The first time we played together as a trio, it kind of clicked. There really wasn’t much of a period of us getting used to each other’s styles; we just got together and fuckin’ played music,” Ruby said. – Pop ‘stache

Session Tracklist
1. Tell No One
2. Long Distance
3. Nearly There
4. Kinetic
5. Pocket Life

Hometown
Chicago, IL

Visit the band’s website