Nekita Thomas: “The Artsy Kid in the Hood”
This Out of the Archives podcast episode features narrator Nekita Thomas, who talks about Chicago’s Dearborn Homes and the designs of the everyday in public housing.
“Bastard Children of House Music”
featuring DJ Slugo
Out of the Archives, Episode 28
DJ Slugo grew up in the Robert Taylor Homes in the 70s and 80s with DJs all around him.
In Episode 28 of Out of the Archives, hear how he and his peers took the existing music landscape in Chicago and the country, and remixed a new sound to meet their generation’s experiences.
This interview was conducted by Dr. ShaDawn “Boobie” Battle as a part of her 2025 Chicago Archives + Artists residency with the National Public Housing Museum, sponsored by Sixty Inches from Center.
Episode notes, sources, and resources
Learn more about DJ Slugo at djslugomusic.com.
Additional resources:
- Video: DJ Slugo – Celebrating 30 Years of Ghetto House Music @TheLotRadio
- Ghetto House Music: What is it?, Wiseband
- DJ Slugo’s 10 Essential Ghetto House Tracks Every DJ Should Know, Beatportal
Music:
- “Opps Lurkin, Snakes Plottin” by LilMati, accessed via Freesound.org (2022)
- “Real Hittas” by LilMati, accessed via Freesound.org (2022)
- “Jukebox Groove” by Xcreenplay, accessed via Freesound.org (2022)
- “Footwork t001” by Rancho_, accessed via Freesound.org (2020)
- Additional music by Robert Van Vranken.
- Hear more music from the entire season in our season playlist.
About the series
Out of the Archives is the National Public Housing Museum’s oral history-based podcast, created from interviews with public housing residents across the United States.
About the season
Season 5
Black Creative Innovation in Chicago Public Housing
Across season 5 of Out of the Archives, listen to abridged interviews with public housing residents whose innovations helped put Chicago and Black creative practices on the map.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
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