By: AK

Jersey rapper Austin “AK” Kassabian has released a dope new record titled “Don’t Look Down”. After the massive success of his debut single “Love Me” this young MC is riding out a musical wave and has no intentions on slowing down.

On this record you will hear AK flowing about his emotional and rewarding journey toward success, as he continues to strive to reach new benchmarks in his career.

As he has already garnered 65 million views on Youtube and 15 million streams on Soundcloud, his original sound has already captivated the minds of many.

The most impressive thing about this release is how effortlessly the Jersey natives bars flow over the poppy, youthful beat. AK is a name you want to get familiar with as he plans to having a lasting impact on the music industry.

Press play below to stream the latest from one of music’s rising  superstars!

The post AK Releases “Don’t Look Down” Single appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Big Homie Stone by Isaac Styles

The climate of Hip-Hop in 2018 is vastly different than it was in let’s say… 2001. For example, Nas took almost 6 months to respond to Jay-Z’s chilling, “Takeover” diss and nobody faulted him for it. Instead, many — idiotic people — think Nas actually won the battle. Earlier this summer, when Pusha T let off his earth-shattering, “The Story of Adidon,” we weren’t willing to give Drake two weeks to answer. The moral of the story is, the attention span of the average Hip-Hop head in 2018 is fickle and it’s easy for an artist to be hot today and gone tomorrow, especially if they aren’t putting out consistent content.

Not Big Homie Stone. 

Despite everything I just described in the opening paragraph, Stone beat those odds. After staying dormant for more than a year — save for a few singles and guest appearances — following his highly acclaimed, PRMSLND debut, the Las Vegas general picks up exactly where he left off with his new EP, Don’t Know Don’t Kare.

Originally billed as BIGHOMIESTONE & said to be handled by one producer, Stone instead masterfully crafted a seven-track-EP handled by all Vegas producers that is sure to set him apart from the rest of the pack, both nationally and locally. With piercing lyricism to accommodate high octane melodic runs and action packed production, Don’t Know Don’t Kare is without a doubt Stone’s best work yet.

From the enigmatic intro, “Two Phone Stone” the Las Vegas native sets the tone for the rest of the project, creating a hard hitting, punch-line focused approach as opposed to the more groovy style he elected to go with on his debut. The project then perfectly bridges the gap between the first two tracks with a hilarious skit about buying weed, that’s so relatable, it’ll have you fuming that you didn’t think of the skit first. Standouts from this project include, “Like Me,” the ZOTiYAC assisted banger that’s sure to be a fan favorite, “Left Cheek,” a hook-heavy party anthem that gets straight to the point and “What Happened,” a cluster-fuck roller coaster ride that sees Stone leaving the melodies at home and instead spitting some of the best lyrics of his life, bar none.

Though the project virtually has no skips — an ode more to the strict track-listing than the content — without a doubt the best example of what’s to come from Big Homie Stone can be found in the single, “Private Show.” Released as the second single for the project, the song has no flaws. The confidence in which Stone exuberates over the Uli Cook Up production perfectly compliments his ever growing lyrical chamber as the IPMG member uses some of the best qualities he has to offer from his vast arsenal.

Check out, Don’t Know Don’t Kare below and be sure to keep an eye on Big Homie Stone, who has promised more content in the near future.

The post Rising North Las Vegas Star, Big Homie Stone Drops Off His Industrious New EP, ‘Don’t Know Don’t Kare’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Richie Bux by Kiari Cook

If you’ve been paying attention, then you’ve probably noticed the slow but noisy rise of a mouthy Midwest wordsmith named Richie Bux. After dominating our With All Due RESPECT. series in 2015 with sleeper after sleeper, the Indiana native is no longer being slighted. Whether it’s the Shade 45 co-signed, “Get Dough” which featured Rarri, or his O.J. Simpson-tribute, “Orenthal,” Bux has spent the last 6-7 months building a solid underground base that’s carried his momentum into 2018. Riding the wave, Bux enlists 18-year-old production prodigy, AK, for their high-octane, trap-heavy collaborative EP, To Hell Wit It.

AK by Geno

To put it plain and simple, this EP is like getting an Uber Pool to hell and realizing that your driver was Hunter S. Thompson only to come to grips with the fact that maybe this was your destiny. From the jump, AK’s chest-thumping 808s and mind-altering synths capture your attention, while Bux sticks to the high-pitched cadence that he flashed signs of on previous projects, Vanilla Sky & Early Infamy. While many of the tracks have the potential to be the one to blow the project out of the water, it’s obvious that the Jay Storm, Drayco McCoy-assisted, “Gang” is the one that the kids will be talking about for months on in, already at 30K plays on Audiomack. With a minimalistic chorus that calls for a tribal chant, Richie sets the table perfectly for Storm and McCoy to completely gas the opening verses. You almost forget it’s even Bux’s track until the veteran comes in at the end and totally cleans the whole song up, leaving no room for even another hook. Couple this track with complementary bangers like, “T-Shirt Me,” “No Home Training,” and especially the Lady Bux assisted, “M.P.D.C.D.”

‘To Hell Wit It’ tracklist.

We got a chance to catch up with Bux to discuss the making of the album, features and what’s next for the rapper. Check it out below.

RESPECT. Magazine: Where did the idea for ‘To Hell Wit It’ come about?

Richie Bux: “Hell” is always a concept that I wanted to dabble around and play with, because it’s so feared and frowned upon by American culture. I think my rebel nature compelled the concept, but the title came from me being drunk as fuck and watching Final Destination. It was originally titled, ‘No Home Training’ but I heard one of the actors say, “To hell with it” and I knew that was it. 

RESPECT.: Talk about connecting with AK & what made you want to do a full project with the young producer.

Bux: I feel like AK is a legend in the making, my dawg is one of the greats. He’s on a different wave length with this production shit and he is so slept on that I was like, “Let’s show these niggas what it is!!” He was with it, so we started running this project and it came together so naturally and fluently that It seems like It was meant to be.

RESPECT.: Compared to your last project, ‘Vanilla Sky’, this is a lot more energetic and trap sounding. What made you want to switch up and showcase that different style?

Bux: My goal with every project is to be left field as possible. Like soon as you think you might have my home genre figured out, here’s Bux with a Rock & Roll joint going silly. I want my fans and everyone out there to know that I can play ball in every park there is.

RESPECT.: How did the track, “Gang” with Jay Storm & Drayco McCoy come about? That shit is bananas.

Bux: I have to shoutout Honey on this one. She damn near crafted this record, bruh. Deadass. She literally hit me and told me who to throw on there and it worked perfectly. I was surprised.

RESPECT.: Now on the track, “M.P.D.C.D.” we hear a distinct, but unfamiliar famine voice by the name of Ladybux. Who the hell is Ladybux and when do we get a full tape? Where did that feature come from? Sheesh.

Bux: Ladybux is my shorty. Honestly, she’s low-key one of the best rappers I know and it’s crazy. Like the track she has on the project. It was the first song she ever recorded and It was so natural. She’s still in the beginning stages, but be prepared for videos, some big features and possibly a tape in the near future.

RESPECT.: What can we expect to hear from YOU in the future?

Bux: I’m going to chill on projects for a while. This makes three in a very short period of time. I’m just going to focus on releasing a lot of music videos and experimenting with different sounds for the rest of the year.

Check out, To Hell Wit It below and get familiar with Richie Bux.

Suggested Articles:

Midwest Rep Richie Bux Takes a Step Forward on, ‘Vanilla Sky.’

RESPECT. The Track: Richie Bux – “Closer” 

The post Midwest Soldier Richie Bux Enlists Rising Producer, AK for Collaborative EP, ‘To Hell Wit It.’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

 Brooklyn duo The Underachievers have been grinding on the mixtape circuit, and now they are gearing up for the release of their debut album, Cellar Door: Terminus Ut Exordium, due out later this year. The first single off their upcoming project is “Incandescent,” produced by Canadian Ryan Hemsworth. The track has a darker, eerier tone than we are use to hearing from Issa, and AK. The menacing beat allows the duo to spit aggressively, and they let off an entire arsenal of bars. The Underachievers are also getting ready to hit the road on their first headlining tour, “Eyes of the World,” with a first stop in Boston on April 2nd. The tour will aslo feature Denzel Curry, Azizi Gibson and Dillon Cooper.

The post New Music: The Underachievers – “Incandescent” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Virginia’s Chance Fischer is gearing up to drop WREATH soon, and today he delivers the new single from the project. The hi-hat heavy, AK-produced beat finds Fischer venting frustration over his country’s, and specifically his city’s, lust for materialistic goods while still living in ruin. Check it out below.

The post New Music: Chance Fischer – “Shinythings” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The Underachievers have released the  video for “Land Of Lords.” The visuals are actually a  look-book for a company called KidSuper‘s ICONIC 2013 line. KS explained that:

While designing this line, [they were] searching through art books and studying different cultures to spur some creativity. For some reason I would always return to the same images that I thought were the most powerful, the most captivating, the most iconic. […] This is my attempt to show what makes something iconic.

The dopest part of the track is that knocking, jazzy beat that Issa Gold and Ak effortlessly spit over. Check it out:

The post New Video: The Underachievers – “Land Of Lords” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Right now is a great time for music in New York City, especially for the brooklyn duo The Underachievers. Thanks to a Pitchfork interview, Issa Dash and AK drop details of their upcoming mixtape projects and tour dates as well as discuss the meaning behind their last album Indigoism. During the 7 minute video the duo also talk about working with their record label CEO Flying Lotus and reminisce on the days when they skated with the Pro Era crew in Flatbush. Plus, the last 2 minute includes a new freestyle over a Ryan Hemsworth beat, equipped with fun psychedelic visuals.

The post The Underachievers Break Down Indigoism & Beast Coast + New Freestyle appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.