The Third, a rapper and teacher who was born and raised on the South Side, creates art that is thought-provoking, light, and communal. He's been making music and performing for nearly a decade now, and in that time he’s learned that in order to make a show memorable for his audience he must do more than ”show them your work and say come listen to me.” He recalls his first show this year was in early January at Subterranean. “Literally just yesterday I had somebody come and talk to me about that show,” he says. “When you leave them with a central message and make them feel something, they’ll never forget it.”

He says that his favorite part about live performance is “hearing people that came to see you, join you in singing a piece of your work. Something I probably made alone… to see that energy given back to me in public is really cool.” Community is always at the root of his work, so while he loves performing for large crowds at big venues, more intimate shows will always hit a little differently. He enjoys getting to see the faces of everyone in the room who will be impacted by his music. 

The Third says that he’s loved watching the ways in which TGF has been able to give upcoming artists the fuel and publicity they need to press forward with their careers. As a Chicago native, performing at a landmark as iconic as Navy Pier was not on The Third’s 2023 bingo card. “There’s a set of venues and different places I have on my list to knock out before I’m out of here,” he says. “And I didn’t see this coming at all.” He says that this is certain to be one of his best performances yet.

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WRITTEN ARTCLE PREPARED BY - Tyra Nicole Triche