Chicago hasn’t always been welcoming of hip-hop. In the late 80s and early 90s, its artistic viability was often overlooked or ignored by local clubs and radio stations. That disregard lasted long enough that when Chicago hip-hop finally blew up internationally years later, many people were blindsided. But those in the know have always been cognizant of our beloved city’s cultural influence within the genre.
 

That’s partly due to the work of Duro Wicks, who took it upon himself to create space for hip-hop to grow in Chicago long before any traditional venue embraced the form. Writing for the Reader in November 1994, Rosalind Cummings dubbed him “one of the godfathers of the Wicker Park hip-hop scene,” recognizing the key roles of his group He Who Walks Three Ways and the parties and open mikes he hosted in the neighborhood starting in 1991. Late that year, he launched an important all-ages hip-hop open mike at Club Lower Links. The series drew kids from across Chicagoland to the basement venue to witness the budding scene take shape—despite segregation within the city’s music culture and dismissive snobs who thumbed their noses at what soon became a global sensation. The Lower Links parties didn’t last long, but Wicks continued his hot party-promoter streak for the next few years, stamping Wicker Park with his events at clubs such as Estelle’s, Red Dog, and HotHouse (which plans to open a new space in Bronzeville in 2025, its first since the South Loop venue that closed in 2007). He retired from party promotion in the mid-90s, but he continues to champion new music behind the scenes and onstage.