Image Credit: Trouble Andrew (@troubleandrew)

2 Chainz releases a new single featuring Travis Scott off his upcoming project Pretty Girls Like Trap Music.

Yesterday, 2 Chainz and DJ Khaled teased fans on SnapChat by previewing a new track featuring Travis Scott. “4 AM” has finally arrived (listen below) as a new single for 2 Chainz’ upcoming project Pretty Girls Like Trap Music, which will officially release on June 16th.

Produced by Murda Beatz, the mellow and melodic trap beat is a good sign of whats to come on the official project. A solid effort by all involved, and will no doubt be making its way into many turn-up/weekend rotations.

Interestingly, Complex pointed out that this wasn’t the first time 2 Chainz has previewed this track. When the track was first previewed in January, Drake was the feature, not Travis Scott. As we now know, Drake did not end up on the single leaving fans wondering what prompted the substitution. 2 Chainz also released the official tracklist for PGLTM which you can check out below. As you can see, the only appearance from Drake is on the previous single “Big Amount”, which was released last summer.

Full Tracklisting!!! …Pre Order album now & get 4am Feat @travisscott instantly‼️ LINK IN BIO #prettygirlsliketrapmusic 6/16

A post shared by 2 Chainz Aka Tity Boi (@hairweavekiller) on May 29, 2017 at 9:57pm PDT

Look for Pretty Girls Like Trap Music to officially release June 16th.

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RESPECT. Interview: Nate Nixen Talks Detroit, Label Deal & the Future

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The post 2 Chainz Drops “4 AM” Feat. Travis Scott [LISTEN] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Video screenshot

RESPECT.: Describe the current Detroit music scene in your own words.

Nate Nixen: “On the come up. There’s a lot of different talent in Detroit and there’s definitely a scene that’s been building for a good amount of years now. There’s definitely a culture out here and a rap scene in Detroit, and I like it. I think if everyone keeps doing what they’re doing, there’s definitely room for Detroit to have its own name in Hip-Hop.”

RESPECT.: What are you trying to accomplish with your career? Are you trying to be the best, have fun, or create your own lane?

Nate Nixen: “I think anyone that does anything wants to be the best. But I think mainly with my career what I want to do is create. Create as much dope s*** as I can, and make stuff that I can look back at and say, ‘damn did I make that?’. So I’m going to do that, that’s goal numero uno.”

RESPECT.: You’ve recently signed to Culture Republic, how important is signing to a label in todays industry? What are your thoughts on label deals vs. staying independent?

Nate Nixen: “I think artists definitely have the tools to do it on their own now with the internet. You can move the same way you move with a label, but I think a label can really put you in front of the right people and help steer you right. They make sure you’re going in the right direction no matter what you do. I think the label has been around and they understand the game a lot more than I do, and I kind of just make the music. It’s great to have some more people help steer the ship for sure, but I think in today’s climate anybody can achieve anything they want with the internet. It’s kind of up to the artist right now, but both work for sure.”

RESPECT.: Can you tell us one trend in Hip-Hop right now you mess with, and one you do not?

Nate Nixen: “I’m really feeling Ty Dolla $ign, Kehlani, and Sonny Digital, but that’s a tough one. I’m trying to think of something I dislike but its all part of the culture. I’m down with it. Even if I don’t like it I’m still going to watch.”

RESPECT.: Many Hip-Hop artists have their hands in multiple financial pots (clothing, alcohol, apps). How important is it for Hip-Hop artists to focus on more than just music? Is that strategy something you agree with?

Nate Nixen: “I definitely agree with that strategy. Ever since Diddy came out [with Ciroc], it kind of started around then for me noticing, and 50 Cent. But having your hand in a lot of different pots is going to be a big thing in an artists career but it has to be the right brand and fit. I’ll try myself to get to that point but I definitely agree with that approach. Selling records really isn’t a high part of any artist’s earning anymore, mainly its all from touring and what not. Touring and merchandise is a huge thing as well as endorsement deals and anything along those lines. Just making sure you have a bunch of different ventures going on at one time. That’s the key.”

RESPECT.: Being so close to Canada, what are your thoughts on the expanding northern Hip-Hop scene?

Nate Nixen: “It’s crazy how much Canada is making a dent in Hip-Hop right now. First Justin Bieber being such a big star coming out of Canada, then followed by Drake coming out of there too. Now you got Nav, Tory Lanez, and there’s a lot of other people coming out of Toronto and Canada as a whole. I’m glad it’s branching out past L.A., Atlanta, and New York. I see it over seas a lot too with Skepta and those guys over there. It’s nice you don’t have to be tied down to any city to get momentum, you can do that anywhere.”

RESPECT.: Jason Geter praised your talent for not only recording, but editing and directing your own videos. How important is it for artists to be involved in more than just the recording aspect?

Nate Nixen: “My favourite part about doing everything, is that I can put my two cents into everything that we do. It’s not necessarily the most important thing, I mean you can just be the guy that raps, or the guy that does the videos on the side, but I like the fact that I can be a part of everything. The beats, the rap, the video, that way I can really convey the feel I’m trying to. It’s nice that every step of the way I can have my two cents heard. But I don’t think its necessary for any artist to be completely involved in every part. But I will say with me kinda doing everything, Jason respected that about me and my hustle because I don’t have to wait on anybody to get things done.

RESPECT.: If you could collaborate with one artist, who would that be?

Nate Nixen: “Jeff Lynne from ELO. He was composing a lot back in the day, and still making music and putting it out today. Definitely someone I look up to in music. If I could collaborate with anyone, that would be the guy.”

RESPECT.: How would you describe your own sound?

Nate Nixen: “I like to think it’s a little bit of everything. I like to sample from older music, I like to listen to older music, so I like to think that you can hear a little bit of everything. There definitely will be labels, but I like that there isn’t. I want to be able to make every genre I can, I just like making music as a whole. I never go in tied down to one sound, I just let it flow. Whatever you hear is 100% me, I only make my own music. I have my own vibe.”

RESPECT.: Can you give us any details on what’s next for Nate Nixen?

Nate Nixen: “I’m going to keep the First 59 [series] coming. I’m going to unleash a string of music videos and singles, I’m not really focused on doing a whole project right now, but more just a constant flow of material. I’m going to focus on producing a lot more, on the beat side of it. Up until now it’s been mostly other producers, but I’m really going to try producing my stuff instead of just writing and recording it. A lot of songs and videos coming real soon.”

While the rest of Detroit may be currently facing political and economic obstacles, the Detroit Hip-Hop scene is in fact alive and well. Nate Nixen is also proving the newest generation of rappers can do it all. With writing, recording, editing, and now producing on the horizon, Nixen is acquiring the skills he needs to one day be a force in Hip-Hop. Check out Nixen’s First 59 Youtube series, and look for new material to drop soon.

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Future Recieves 7 RIAA Certifications in April

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The post RESPECT. Interview: Nate Nixen Talks Detroit, Label Deal & the Future appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Future has received seven new RIAA awards this month.

Future stepped out of the spotlight in late 2016 after putting in a massive amount of work during last year. This move proved not only an intelligent one, but left fans wondering “whats next?”. Well the answer to that is, two brand new back to back albums HNDRIXX & his self-titled Future. 

This time around, Future seemed to be much more calculated in his approach to releasing new material. By dropping two projects which renewed his Pluto persona and let fans into an unprecedented personal space, he capitalized big time. 

Recently, Future has started to reap the benefits of his unparalleled work ethic with seven brand new RIAA awards.

Um going platinum everyday ?

— FUTURE/FREEBANDZ (@1future) April 19, 2017

Pretty much. According to the RIAA database, so far in the month of April Future has received; a triple platinum certification for EVOL single “Low Life” featuring The Weeknd, a double platinum certification for Monster single “F*** Up Some Commas” a platinum certification for HNDRIXX single “Mask Off”, a platinum certification for non-album single “Used To This” featuring Drake, a gold certification for DS2 single “Blow A Bag”, and two gold certifications for his first two albums Pluto & Honest.

Future has been fairly quiet lately, no doubt enjoying the waterfall of recent accolades. However, with summer right around the corner, it’s not a far-fetched idea new material is too.

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G-Eazy drops new Lady Killer merchandise. 

It appears as though almost every artist in Hip-Hop is either collaborating with select brands or designing their own clothing line altogether. Tour “pop-up” shops have also seen quite a bit of popularity in recent years, but have unfortunately for some, only the bigger cities get an appearance.

G-Eazy just entered the game with his own personal Lady Killers collection. The collection features embroidered hoodies, leather jackets, baseball jerseys and T-shirts. Check out some of the new threads below.

The Bay Area inspired designs strike a good balance between minimalism and graphic heavy articles of clothing. The collection is also non-gender specific.

The new collection ranges from $28.00 to $398.00 in price. Which is fair in comparison to other artist endorsed merchandise.

Head on over to g-eazystore.com to check out the full collection, and check out his most recent single “Good Life” featuring Kehlani below.

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Russ is wasting no time on his way to the top. His work ethic is unparalleled, his vision is without compromise and he’s proven he’s the only one holding the keys to his future. From the mic to production to SoundCloud royalty, he can do it all — better than the rest. Russ sat down with RESPECT. to speak on his new record deal, recent success and his plans for 2017.

RESPECT.: You signed to Columbia Records this summer. Why did you go in this direction as opposed to another label?

Russ: Intuition.

How will this change your approach to creating and releasing music in 2017?

You know, the super-dope thing about Columbia is that they completely understand the vision. That was another big reason I went with them. They understand what I built up, and kind of how I got here, the method that I used to get here — which, you know, was the singles, the output, the content. So it hasn’t really changed much at all, regarding how I put out music. I’m still in the same studio, I still make whatever I make, I still drop it when I want to drop it. But now I can give their people a heads-up, like, “Yo, I’m about to drop it,” and they’re like, “Yo, all right, cool, man.” But definitely next year we’re planning to put out a project, for sure. You know, I’m just waiting for the buzz to be right. I have the ability to drop so much content, so many songs on SoundCloud, videos, et cetera, et cetera.

RESPECT.: Are you perhaps working on an album with Columbia Records?

Russ: Yeah, so that’s the thing: My album was done when I signed.

RESPECT.: Within the last two years, your career has truly started to blossom. What will you do with it? Are you just having fun, making money or trying to be the best who ever did it?

That’s the end game. I’m trying to be No. 1 across all categories.

RESPECT.: You’ve established yourself as an immensely accomplished rapper, singer and producer since entering the game. How important is it in today’s industry to be a multitalent threat?

I think it’s super important. I think it’s all fair to say Drake is No. 1, and I think that’s largely his ability to sing those hooks. How can you compete with the best if you can’t even do what the best can do? You have to be 100% multitalented if you want to compete with the best. If you’re cool with being top 20 and not top two, then cool. I’m trying to compete with the best.

RESPECT.: Recently, label executives, writers and critics have all been attempting to label your sound. How would you describe your music?

I wouldn’t. I think people need to decide that for themselves.

RESPECT.: Your SoundCloud accolades are incredible and well documented since you registered your account just two years ago. Why has your SoundCloud presence been so successful?

I put out a song a week, for like two years, and it was dope. A lot of people are like, “Quality over quantity, quality over quantity,” and yes, that is a rule that society has put in your head because they’re assuming you can’t make quality music [often] enough to also put it out at a high rate. But everything I dropped is quality, every week. So I think what it was was good music being put out every week, and it was never bad music being put out. Sometimes it was just better than others, whatever, whatever, but I feel like it was all quality. I think one more thing is my style with my graphic designer. My boy [and I] kind of organically stumbled upon our whole aesthetic. You know, when you go on my SoundCloud, it looks like a real package, it looks clean. It’s fresh. At the end of the day, I think it comes down to being consistent each week. You know, there’s a void in hip-hop. People need to f****** rap and make good songs. There’s all this s*** rap, and a bunch of people can’t f****** rap.

RESPECT.: You’ve been touring across the United States since early October. What has been your favorite stop so far on your current Yung God Tour?

I don’t really have a favorite, but one of the craziest places was Montreal.

RESPECT.: Features haven’t been priority for you thus far. Is there a specific reason? And will this continue in 2017?

Yeah, I just don’t f*** with people like that. I’m not dying to work with that many people. The ones I would like to work with are like the elite, and I’m down to wait for that to happen. And the main reason is I’m a new artist and I’m trying to get people acquainted with what I’m doing. I see all these people, and I’m like, “Why you doing all these features when we don’t even know who you are?”

RESPECT.: You recently tweeted that you did 79 shows this year, and next year you’re going even crazier. Can you give us any details on what you’ve got planned?

Actually, I did more than 79 shows this year. The 79 shows I counted were headlines; I only counted my headline shows. So next year it’s music festivals. We’re going to go to Australia and a bunch of cool places. It’s just going to be crazy and go super, super well.

RESPECT.: What advice do you have for young, amateur artists recording their first DIY songs, who are looking up to you as an inspiration as someone who’s done it?

I would say follow your intuition. Really listen to your gut. Make what you think is cool; don’t make what other people like, or what you think you have to make to fit in or whatever. Just make what you think is cool, and perfect that. When you perfect what you think is cool — whether it’s a shirt, song, video or whatever — if you do it enough, you’ll be surprised there’s a lot of other people in the world who will think it’s cool. You don’t want to portray to the world something that’s not even really you. Do you. And do you over and over again. Follow my footsteps and follow my movements when it comes to dropping [laughs].

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Soulja Boy was taken into custody yesterday after Los Angeles police raided the rappers home. Upon searching, the police found a firearm within the home, which was a violation of Soulja Boy’s probation stemming from similar gun charges in 2014. Within less than 24hrs of the arrest, the “Crank That” rapper posted $35,000 bail, and has since been released from custody. Reports from TMZ suggest police received a tip from Crime Stoppers which lead to the initial raid.

Many, including TMZ, have begun speculating the raid and arrest are a result of Soulja’s recent activity on social media where the 26-year old has been showing off several fire arms and making numerous violent threats. Recently, Soulja Boy has managed to keep himself relevant by starting, or escalating several beefs with Lil Yachty, Shia LaBeouf, and Migos’ Quavo. For the most part, those on the receiving end of Soulja’s threats have either laughed it off or not responded all together. Check out some of the reactions to Soulja’s recent arrest.

Finally the Feds put the social media Al Capone to rest. For Now Atleast.

— lil boat kot* (@lilyachty) December 15, 2016

trading Kanye and Soulja Boy in the 2017 racial draft.

We’ll take Shia for both of them.

— John Scott (@JXHNSCXTT) December 15, 2016

Told y’all this would happen. When will you idiots realize the shit you do online can have real consequences offline? Plus this article said someone told on Souljah, know he told on himself every time he posted a video posing with a fucking gun. SMH.

A photo posted by Charlamagne Thagod (@cthagod) on Dec 15, 2016 at 10:34am PST

Before the summer, Soulja Boy proclaimed a new deal with World Poker Fund for $400 million (in possible stock growth), which was discovered to be currently worth no more than $2.5 million. It was initially reported that this deal was struck based on Soulja Boy’s social media influence. Its doubtful they meant toting an AK-47 and making death threats on Instagram was part of the plan.

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This past Friday, J. Cole shook things up within the Hip-Hop community with the announcement of a brand new album and two accompanying music videos.

It’s been just over two years since J.Cole dropped 2014 Forest Hill Drive, which thanks to the memes, most of us know has gone double platinum without a feature. Since then, Cole has been relatively quiet leaving fans unsure how long the hiatus would last.

On Friday, J.Cole announced the release date of his upcoming album For Your Eyez Only, which will be arriving December 9th. Along with the announcement, a short-film was released exclusively to Tidal. In the short film, which featured two music videos for “Everybody Dies” & “False Prophets” which will presumably end up on the album (watch below). 

The two videos in question have created significant waves within the Hip-Hop community, as both tracks subtlety take aim at several current rappers. Due to the indirect approach by Cole, this has left the internet to guess who exactly sits in his crosshairs, even though some lyrics seem less veiled than others.

In the first verse of “Everybody Dies” Cole calls out a rapper using “Lil” within their name. Naturally fans assumed this was a shot towards either Lil Yachty or Lil Uzi Vert. Both rappers have now responded to the possible shade, and surprisingly seem to be taking it well. In a recent Interview Yachty admitted he had caught wind of the line and doesn’t listen to Cole’s music, however still messes with him. Lil Uzi Vert sarcastically responded via Twitter (see below).

Heard some beautiful shit today @JColeNC ??. ?®

— Uzi London ++® (@LILUZIVERT) December 2, 2016

Kanye West & Wale were also the assumed targets on “False Prophet”. While some have agreed with Coles thoughts on the fall from grace of a great rapper, others have condemned the possible shade due to Kanye’s recent mental health status. Kanye is yet to respond, however Wale dropped a response in a new track titled “Groundhog Day” (listen below). There appears to be no bad blood though between Wale and Cole as they just recently uploaded a video together at a basketball team (see below).

“See you at the game, Bro” pic.twitter.com/jgzxQ85uA5

— Wale (@Wale) December 3, 2016

Its going to be another Cole winter this year, but fortunately for fans there’s a lot of heat coming our way. Unfortunately for some unsuspecting rappers, some of that heat might be directed at them. J.Cole is one of the, if not the best lyricists in Hip-Hop, and he’s not afraid to let his honesty burn bridges.

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