Sooooooo, The Weeknd definitely made my day by sharing Starboy with us and I couldn’t be more ecstatic. Artists love to pull their social media stunts, and honestly I am the one screaming from my couch in disbelief. So first and foremost, if you don’t follow The Weeknd on Instagram you better get on it! However, you won’t see all of his past awesomeness. You will fortunately be in for a treat to know that he is releasing his third album, Starboy.

The Weeknd, or Abel, if that is what he is going by now, released the cover art to his new album. The three images that are subsequently his only images at this moment have got some different vibes going on compared to his last album. To start, there is color! And a lot of it, as well as a shocking new haircut. Fans everywhere have been picketing his hair for years now. Maybe he just wanted something different, or maybe he just wanted them to shut up.

Ok, so yea there’s color and yea he changed his hair but the cover art looks a bit regular to me. And if you know The Weeknd, he is anything but. Though I’m concerned I believe we are in for a treat. Considering his last album, Beauty Behind The Madness which had 14 chart toppers on it, Abel may have his juices flowing and is in a music making mood. I ain’t mad at it!

Personally, I can’t say that I’ve ever been let down by The Weeknd, and I don’t plan on being let down any time soon! Keep up with the madness of the Starboy here, and make sure to follow him on Instagram for teasers like these!

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The post The Weeknd Surprised us With Artwork For ‘Starboy’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With a freshly released album, it looks like Abel is having a pretty good week so far. During this year’s MTV Video Music Awards, artist The Weeknd took over the show with a performance of his highly popular summer hit, “Can’t Feel My Face.” Utilizing dark lighting per usual, the singer brought viewers into his world, while offering up a ring of fire as the main source of illumination as he danced in the middle of it. You have to respect the craft of a man that can get even Kanye out of his stoicalness.

Watch The Weeknd’s VMA performance below:

The post The Weeknd Gives Fiery VMA Performance of, “Can’t Feel My Face” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Over the weekend, fans celebrated the life of the legendary DJ Screw on the 13th anniversary of his death. Aside from furthering Houston’s presence in the rap scene, the DJ was the innovator behind one the most recognizable sounds ever: chopped and screwed. The hazy, slowed vocals over jarring cuts and chops take on a life of their own and bring an entirely new dimension to songs. The sound is ubiquitous within Houston music and is generally the first thing that comes to mind when fans think of the city’s music (save for, perhaps, grillz). Following Screw’s innovation, many other DJs ran with the sound, from the likes of Michael Watts of Swishahouse fame to OG Ron C, who is carrying on the tradition today. While the difference between great and terrible screwed remixes is vast, a properly-executed one can be even more enjoyable than the original. Therefore, in honor of DJ Screw, we’ve compiled a brief list of some familiar songs that are better slower.If you’re looking to get your feet wet in the sound, this is the pool for you. Enter the land of Screwston below.

Westside Connection – “Bow Down”

DJ Screw takes the piercing horns provided by Bud’da on the original version and muffles them in a sea of dirty sprite. The result is a much more menacing and scary threat than Westside Connection’s angry original.

UGK – “One Day”

UGK’s classic off Ridin’ Dirty is already melancholy, but DJ Screw manages to milk a little more sorrow out of Bun and Pimp’s vocals. The high-pitched harmonizing of the chorus is gone and replaced by tortured crooning.

Chamillionaire featuring Z-Ro – “Denzel Washington”

As mentioned, DJ Screw was the pioneer, but plenty of other DJs followed suit and put their own twist on the screwed & chopped sound. Michael “5000” Watts goes back a long way with Chamillionaire, and has remixed plenty of his records. “Denzel Washington,” though, off Cham’s Mixtape Messiah 7, is one of the standouts. Accompanied by another Texas legend in Z-Ro, Chamillionaire’s fast-paced flossing stops to smell the purp here.

Drake – “Marvin’s Room”

Houston may be home to the screwed sound, but you don’t need to be from there for your music to fit. Drake’s music has been screwed and chopped plenty of times. In fact, Ron C has chopped up all of the Toronto rapper’s albums in full. The undeniable winner, though, is “Marvin’s Room” (okay, “Trust Issues” is up there, too). The drunk dial has never sounded sadder and more desperate than it does right here.

The Weeknd – “Wicked Games”

Continuing with Ron C’s Toronto connections, here he manages to make The Weeknd’s music sound even darker. “Wicked Games” gets turned on its ear as Abel‘s vocals cry out in pain over a plethora of chops.

Bonus: Big HAWK – “I’d Rather Bang Screw”

Another fallen Houston legend, Big HAWK, delivered a classic when he professed his love for DJ Screw and the whole chopped and screwed sound. While it doesn’t have a non-screwed counterpart to compare it to, it’s only right to pay homage to the song as it encapsulates the entire city and sound.

The post 5 Songs That Sound Unfathomably Better When Chopped & Screwed appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

As we wait for Abel’s next move, he is busy putting in work across the pond in Europe. Check out this photo of an interesting moment to say the least.  Do you think those those fellas know who he is?

The post Photo Of The Day: A Weeknd In Europe appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.