Chicago · Afro-Global · Community Radio
The Sound
Chicago's Been
Waiting For.
NoLaces Radio is an online station built for Chicago's Afro-diaspora — Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall, Reggae, Afro House, and the voices that carry our culture forward. Help us go live.
10% funded — every dollar gets us closer to launch day. Share this page and make it count.
The Story
Chicago has Afro-diaspora. Chicago has the culture. What it doesn't have is our radio station.
Back This Project →My name is Ade Awolola. I'm a Nigerian-born DJ and cultural curator who's spent years watching music do what nothing else can — break down walls, collapse distances, bring rooms of strangers into one shared moment.
"Growing up, Afrobeats wasn't just what I listened to — it was how we communicated. It was celebration. It was grief. It was us."
After years of spinning at events across Chicago, one thing became undeniably clear: our community has no dedicated radio home. No curated, 24/7 station carrying Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall, Reggae, and Afro House — and the stories of the people who live and breathe this culture every day.
NoLaces Radio is my answer to that gap. It's a station, yes — but it's also a cultural hub. A platform for Chicago's diaspora DJs, artists, entrepreneurs, and community voices. A space that's fully, unapologetically ours.
And eventually, it becomes the foundation for NoLaces Lounge — a real physical space where the culture connects in person. But that starts here, with this campaign, with you.
What NoLaces Radio Offers
More Than Music.
A Cultural Home.
24/7 Afro-Global Streaming
Afrobeats to Amapiano, Dancehall to Reggaeton, Afro House to R&B — nonstop, curated, alive.
Diaspora Spotlight
Platforming Chicago's DJs, artists, creatives, and entrepreneurs doing the work in the diaspora.
Community Talks Podcast
Weekly conversations on culture, identity, creativity, and what it means to build in a city that wasn't built for us.
Nightlife & Culture Coverage
All things Chicago — events, movements, the scenes that make this city breathe after dark.
Where Your Money Goes
Every dollar has
a clear purpose.
How to Support
Every amount
moves the needle.
You believe in the sound. That's everything. Shoutout on air when we go live.
Named in our founding supporters list. You helped build this from the ground up.
Exclusive invite to our virtual launch party. First access to Community Talks episodes.
Your name on the station's founding wall. A one-on-one call with Ade. You're part of the story forever.
Chicago's Afro-diaspora
deserves its own frequency.
This isn't just a radio station. It's a cultural infrastructure project. And right now, it needs a village. Be part of it.
Donate to NoLaces Radio