DJ Oreo seems to be everywhere all the time. Just this year I’ve run into him at the Era’s Lab Sessions (an informal footwork gathering at High Concept Laboratories in Pilsen), seen him spin an unannounced, impromptu set during Fake Shore Drive’s showcase (at Lincoln Hall with Cam’ron, SD, and ShowYouSuck), and spotted him side stage or in the crowd at more rap shows than I can count. Given that Oreo handles the ones and twos for Vic Mensa and Chance the Rapper, he’s often on the road and could easily have his eyes trained on opportunities on the coasts—but he remains grounded in the Chicago scene. On Saturday the west-side DJ celebrates his birthday at Thalia Hall with the second Oreo Fest, whose bill is stacked with great locals.
The track is the highlight of the MC’s recent Off My Chest mixtape, a short stopgap release before his forthcoming In My Own Lane. Other tracks worth repeating include “Nasty Man,” which sounds like his take on T-Pain’s remix of Jidenna’s out-of-nowhere meme-spawning hit “Classic Man,” which bluntly borrows the ratchet-riffing beat of Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy.” “Nasty Man” could just as easily be a remix of Jidenna’s original track, but the bounce of Stakks’s vocals is right in line with T-Pain’s soul-dripping flow.
