By: Ali

Multifaceted recording artist Mohamad Ali, known as “Ali,” surprised fans with an new visual for his new single “I Do The Numbers”, produced by Mohamed Ali. The Detroit native took a different musical approach reminiscent of the UK drill sound sweeping the airways. He does a great job of showing fans just how little the pandemic has slowed his progress and numbers.

“They racked tabs on what I fronted.” exclaims Ali. In this video you will see him diving into the first verse, making it clear that he is in this game to win. Directed also by Ali, he visualizes that same energy as an independent rapper unmasking the industry and foul dealings with celebrities who fed off his swag to stay relevant.

By the time the second verse comes along, his lethal bars captures your ears and eyes like never before. As he talks about his origins, grind, unwavering focus to the business, and “appetite for the finer things”, you will see him in and out of vintage cars, with a leading woman by his side. The lighting of cigars with his flame thrower torch is the most memorable scene from this release. “I Do The Numbers” is a direct reflection of the young rapper’s hustle that never stops.

Watch the latest visual from Ali via Youtube below.

The post Ali Drops Surprise Music Video For His “I Do The Numbers” Single appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Philly rapper Tayyib Ali just released his newest track, “100 Bandz.” The 2 Astronauts-produced track is the first official track off the rapper’s upcoming album, ALI. With his latest project coming out June 21st, be sure to be on the look out for this artist.

Listen to Tayyib Ali’s “100 Bandz” below:

The post New Music: Tayyib Ali – “100 Bandz” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

To paraphrase the good kid himself, Kendrick Lamar came to Governor’s Ball to party. While he certainly did just that, he couldn’t help but reach for more. Leading off with the near-forgotten yet energetic “West Side Right On Time”, followed by “Hol’ Up”, “Pussy & Patron”, “Fuckin Problems” and the remix of Young Jeezy’s “R.I.P.”, K.Dot clearly was pushing the themes of celebration and all that comes with it, and doing so while reaching out to the wider audience that festivals bring by employing some of his prolific guest work. Before beginning “Hol’ Up” and again before “P&P”, Kendrick made a point of asking who in the audience had been fans from day one; who would rock out and rap along to hits from his lesser known work on Section.80 and Overly Dedicated. The crowd would have gotten an A in enthusiasm but a C in knowledge, which hurt the energy as some people seemed thrown by the inclusion of “West Side Right On Time” and “Pussy & Patron”.

Ever the poet and perfectionist, Kendrick was not content to simply convince the crowd that NYC was the most hype city in the country, or rattle chests to the point of near-heart-attack with “m.a.a.d. city”. Kendrick’s live performance, much like his recorded work held a focus on lyrics and cohesion. To bring a greater attention to his words, Kendrick cut the beat at the end of several songs so that he could rap the most recent verse over again in perfect clarity, accompanied by the crowd.

To give the slew a songs a sense of interconnectedness, Kendrick went on several short rants, each ending with either on the topic of next track or its title—a faux-worried tangent about the crowd’s energy level led into “Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe”; an invitation to drink with the star after the show preceded “Swimming Pools (Drank)”. By almost conversationally introducing each song, Kendrick lent not only a sense of improvisation—epitomized in his four-bar freestyle ending with the words “fucking problem”; cue the beat—but also that the lyrics and melodies we were hearing were the story of that very afternoon on Randall’s Island; that Kendrick had selected each track to be a cog in the real-time narration of the festival’s most consistently alive set.

Kendrick was Governor’s Ball’s most commanding, most engaging Master of Ceremonies. To ensure that his hour and fifteen minute set was the most energetic of the festival, Kendrick made a point of connecting with his audience, playing with their expectations and challenging to get loud, then get louder. Kendrick separated the crowd into thirds and reattached them with the swiftness of an aged conductor, and the frenzy of “m.A.A.d. city”’s narrator, raising and lowering them with one confident, swooping black motion after the next.

Kendrick repeatedly expressed his wish to have a good time, as if he was an audience member who had just happened to launch on stage. That’s not to say, however, that he’s remained the average joe he once made himself out to be, though. Kendrick rocked the Honda Stage wearing a scaly-looking black and white hoodie and matching baggy shorts, looking, head-to-toe like the lovechild of A$AP Rocky and a king cobra. The odd outfit led a nearby audience member to remark that he “can’t relate to that shit”, but this fan was still ready to cheer when Kendrick satisfied the hip-hop heads, calling freestyling “the essence of hip-hop”. It’s other essence may be the art of reanimating, something Kendrick also took part in during his set, as he regularly changed his delivery to be more free-flowing and melodic. This helped to make the performance feel unique and helped show, along with his mastery of improvisation and conversation, Kendrick’s ascension to artistry beyond air-sealed preparation, into heights of transcendent connection with his audience and his music. Kendrick Lamar is not beyond the party, though. Instead, he’s taking it with him.

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After hearing rumors that the Atlanta trio may be splitting up, Strap Da Fool aka Strap of Travis Porter released his fist solo project All In today. Known for making fun party hits that gets the girls “twerkin'” with his team Ali and Quez, Strap offers a harder side of himself introducing this tape with the release of his first single, “Real Nigga Music.” Collaborating with ATL‘s trap-god Gucci Mane on “Heinz 57” and producer Zaytoven on “Hey DJ”, All In is yet another southern tape that’s oh so trill.

Download Strap Da Fool‘s All In mixtape including the single “Real Nigga Music” here .

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Derek Ali aka MixedByAli or simply known as Ali for those familiar with the TDE camp, spoke to top mixing engineer Dave Pensado to talk all things audio in his weekly show, Pensado’s Place. The show typically includes interviews with top music industry artists, engineers, producers, mixers and record executives and also includes in-depth tutorials in engineering and mixing.

Of course the discussion delved deep into Kendrick Lamar’s debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d. city and the specifics of its engineering, but because the conversation is between audio junkies, the conversation has dozens of audio terms that may be unfamiliar. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful thing to see Ali discussing his craft which helped give way to everyone’s favorite artist.

The post Video: MixedByAli talks Sound, Recording and Mixing with Audio Experts appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Fresh off the release of his impressive album, good kid, m.A.A.d city, Kendrick Lamar shows out in both Compton, CA and Paris, France for “Backseat Freestyle”, directed by Jerome D, Dave Free and Lamar himself.  Both Sherane and Lamar‘s dad, characters on good kid, m.A.Ad city, make appearances in the black and white visual as well as Top Dawg Engineer, Ali.

The post New Video: Kendrick Lamar “Backseat Freestyle” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.