By: Ashoka

The post Ashoka Returns To The Scene With “Regular Day” Single appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by @CoachTev

What happens when you put a hungry young cub with little experience against a bitter old Lion with infinite knowledge but no filter? You get moments – and memes – like this, this and this. A couple of days ago, contemporary Hip-Hop punching bag, Lil’ Yachty & established old-head Joe Budden — & I guess DJ(?) Akademiks? – squared off on Complex’s brilliant new daily show, Everyday Struggle. After going back and forth online due to some comments made by Joe on earlier episodes, the two decided it would be not only beneficial but entertaining to meet in person—in front of the cameras. Throughout the episode, we saw the two rappers mostly debate on topics like Yachty’s impact, competition between he and his peers and probably the most meme-worthy, the “Happy Debate.”

Perhaps the most important part of the interview, though, had to be Lil’ Yachty stating that not only was he ignorant to if he was currently in a “360” deal, but that he wasn’t sure what kind of deal that was…. Like at all. This incited a VERY concerned response from Joe – granted it was draped in fury – about how Yachty should be more in tune with how his business is being handled. Entertaining would be the understatement of the century in terms of chronicling the rest of the interview, but beneficial can’t even begin to describe how lucky Yachty was to hear this. YES, I said it. Yachty was lucky that Joe was speaking to him like this, because obviously, nobody else is.

Now, the man is 19-years-old, two years removed from serving Big Macs in Atlanta and currently on top of the world; HE IS GOOD…. For now. As he said, Budden isn’t worried about 19-year-old Yachty, he’s more worried about 35-year-old Yachty and his family—and it’s good that somebody is. Ironically, the only boast that Budden could seem to prod from the ultra-humble – media trained – Yachty was him saying that he does better business than his contemporaries. On the surface, I agree with him. Target and Sprite are ginormous looks, and last I checked they weren’t looking to be endorsed by somebody who will, “pull up on you and tie your kids up.” But that’s all onthe surface. All of the commercials in the world don’t mean anything if you’re not getting your FAIR cut. Remember this Yachty, and every other aspiring rapper who reads this column: Without you, there’s no us. Know your worth.

Check out this week’s With All Due RESPECT. featuring buzzing Private Club rapper Rossi Rock, North Carolina’s Caterpillar Jones, Dave B and more.

Photo by @ashoka_kdm

Ashoka – “No Stress”

Philly native Ashoka checks in and makes his second appearance on the WADR list after last year’s, “For You.” with his infectious new single, “No Stress.” Staying true to the song title, “No Stress” follows Ashoka letting go of a chick who is obviously coming with more baggage than he bargained for. “Okay your dad never call that’s enough to deal with/ now I don’t call either that’s some over kill shit/ that combination can’t make you feel the prettiest,” raps Ashoka on the third and final verse, creating a sense of remorse for the girl he’s letting go. Musically, the song showcases Ashoka’s best qualities; songwriting, vocal transitions and choice of beats. While many other current rappers are opting for the more trap-influenced sound with drugged out melodies and heavy synths; the Philly native instead opts for a looped sample and some sporadic hi-hats that compliment his flow perfectly. In short, the song is the perfect track to decompose to. Check out, “No Stress” below.

Photo by @davebspacebot

Dave B – “Kandi”

Coming in next on the list is Seattle native Dave B and his wavy, almost acidic new single, “Kandi.” Throughout the beginning of the track, Dave sticks true to most of the elements that are popular in today’s landscape. His uber quick rhyme schemes — “Smoke a lil, drink a lil, keep you on the offence/ sniff a lil ‘fore you go and grab a nigga coffee” — set to a synth heavy backdrop highlight what has the potential to make the Soulection affiliate one of the more popular artists in 2018 and beyond. My favorite part of the track, though, has to be how effectively Dave protrays his bitterness. He seamlessly transitions from resentful to remorseful, while simataneously switching from cold blooded lyracist, to somebody with enough vocal range to ingite Bilal flashbacks. Couple that type of indecisive creative artistry with the dusty, Soulquarious–inspired drums on the hook and you have what could be an unsung canditate to blow up this summer. With the backing of Soulection meshed with tracks like this, it’s only a matter of time before the Seattle native gets his due dilligence. Peep, “Kandi” below.

Photo by @CoachTev

Coach Tev – “Flight Change (Feat. Jay Luse & Cambino)”

I’ll go ahead and say it, Dallas native Coach Tev will be the breakout artist of 4th quarter 2017. After releasing some of my favorite Soundcloud music of 2016 in, “Lefty“, “Chrissy’s Interlude” and “Midnight Cruiser“; Coach returns again with the introspective, yet very relatable single, “Flight Change.” Sticking to his pattoned tranquil flow and easy-to-rock-to beat choices, Tev reminds me of a southern Dom Kennedy with more lyrical ability. His smooth cadence on this track about “fly-outs” gone wrong and disappointments is the exact kinda of relavent social commentary that I belive will endear Tev to the masses. If “Chrissy’s Interlude” served as the story of Tev meeting his dream chick and bagging her, and “Midnight Crusier” saw Tev explore the idea of leaving said woman who just wasn’t on his level, then “Flight Change” has to be the beginning of a new chapter. One where he opts for a woman abroad as opposed to one of the locals. In all, the track sets up a solid buzz and excitement for his upcoming project, I Fell In Love With My Mistress, which is sure to be filled with raw, emotionally charged raps with a smooth twist. Check out, “Flight Change” below and get hip to the Texas native.

Photo by Chris Gonzo

Rossi Rock – “Tell Me (Feat. 24hrs)”

If you follow this publication or my writing at all then by now you’re well aware of Rossi Rock, the San Diego native making huge waves in the scene right now. If this is your first time reading about him, well you’re in for a treat, and there’s no better introduction than his new single, “Tell Me” featuring 24hrs. Set to the backdrop of what can only be described as a nostalgic, late 80’s R&B tribute with modern twist; “Tell Me” is one of Rossi best records to date and a complete flex of his lyrical abilities. Mostly known for his melodic bangers like, “That’s My Lady” and his Bodega Bamz assisted, “Suav City II“, Rock opts instead for the more slowed down, drugged out style with a romantic twist. If you’re a new Rossi fan, 24’s auto-tune heavy hook and Rossi’s smooth cadence will intrigue you to dig deeper into his catalog. If you’re a seasoned fan, lyrics like, “drive through the city getting bop on the 8, girl I get around like Tupac in a way,” will arouse, “Never Sure” vibes and nostalgia from his Agassi tape. The track comes off of the TanBoys affliliate’s new EP, Pony, and serves as what could be a springboard to mainstream success for Private Club Record’s newest signee. Check out, “Tell Me” below and be sure to peep Pony, out now.

Photo by @ACreativeLoser

Caterpillar Jones – “Testosterone (Feat. Ali Superb)”

Music is a beautiful thing in this world, let me tell you. The way some of these artists express themselves in ways that I know are probably killing their soul inside, is nothing short of remarkable. I remember one time, leaving this girl’s house at 4:30 in the morning after doing… well whatever you do at somebody’s house at 4:30. During the drive home, I allowed my music to play on shuffle and ironically, Future‘s “My Collection” came on and I instantly felt like the coolest cat this side of the Mississippi. After what had just happened, I knew that I would most likely never see ol’ girl again, so I vibed out as hard as possible to lyrics like, “even if I hit you once you part of my collection.” The strange thing, though, is if you get past the easily-to-relate-to chorus, the verses are filled with sadness, angst and an overall depressive tone that could ruin anybody’s high. That’s the true mark of an artist though, make me feel good even when you aren’t. North Carolina’s Caterpillar Jones showcases that exactly quality on, “Testosterone.” To be frank, if you’ve ever been scummy in a relationship before, it won’t be hard to connect to this track. “Testosterone” is a two-and-a-half minute heartfelt apology to a woman that Jones has obviously pushed to the edge. The crazy thing about it is, he seems to be more shook up about it. While brief, Ali Superb provides maybe the most pivotal part to the song in my opinion. “You wanna lie? Then I can leave you lone/ You wanna fly? Then I can let you go/ You wanna die? Then keep fucking with these hoes,” croons Superb towards the tail end of the track, casted as what I believe to be Caterpillar’s conscience. Between comparisons to Tiger Woods‘ sex addiction and refferrences to STD-fueld pregnancies, “Testosterone” might be the most REAL song that you hear all day. Check it out below.

https://soundcloud.com/caterpillarjones/testosterone-ft-ali-superb-prod-derrickthomasjr

There you have it! Did we miss anything? Did we forget your favorite underground artist? Let us know in the comment section!

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The post With All Due RESPECT.: 5 Songs You’ve Been Sleeping On (5/4) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Ashoka is a Hip Hop artist from Rockland County, New York, who has been sharing music for just over a year after graduating Philly’s Temple University.  Today, Ashoka returns with the official visual for his Juzicy-produced single, “W.W.Y.D.” The track originally appeared on his Hard To Gain, Easy To Lose project. 

Showing his lyrical prowess, Ashoka remains introspective in the video, asking listeners “What would you do?” as we follow the cinematic storyline. 

Stay tuned for more releases, including a project early 2017, but in the meantime, peep the visual at the top of the page, and feel free to leave us your thoughts in the comments section.

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The post #PeepTheVisual: ASHOKA – “W.W.Y.D.” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With so much music being released these days from major, indie, and bedroom artists at a rapid rate, it’s become increasingly difficult to keep track of what’s actually hot, and what’s being spoon fed to us. Music distribution sites such as SoundCloud and Audiomack have made it easy for just about anybody to release music whenever and wherever they may choose to do so. As you can imagine, this floods the internet with music that would’ve mostly been unheard of, bringing both amazing and underwhelming music to the forefront like never before. One thing it also does, is make it hard on the casual music consumer to find good innovative music, thus placing a higher importance on curators. A lot of good music is being slept on, and it’s our job to fix it. So without further a due, we present: With All Due RESPECT., which is a list of 5 songs that you’ve been sleeping on whether indie or major. Check out these 5 sleepers and let us know what you think in the comment section.

“External Payment” – Wave Mmlz

Utilizing an underrated Temptations sample reminiscent of a young Kanye West, North Las Vegas producer/rapper Wave Mmlz (which stands for Make Music Live Zen) absolutely rips this in to pieces. Lines like, “It’s crazy how they switched because they never f****d with you/ Now they show me love and want collabs but I got stuff to do” and “Now it’s been a couple months since the lights turned on/ and my neurons/ cooking up some work that I can stir on” highlight Wave showing off not only his mental state but his interesting flow pattern. Check out the Sin City native’s track here and pick up his recently released album, Poly on Apple Music, Spotify, and Google Play.

“Bulls**t” – Jay Bel

Over a wavy futuristic synth that repeats throughout the song, Brooklyn native Jay Bel attacks this vicious track off his groovy new EP, Bohmia right from the jump with lyrical darts such as, “Came, came, came with the chillest of the flows/ While I flame lame lames, like I lit another raw/ Ain’t say-saying I’m a ni**a with the war/ But they ain’t really saying what they chilling here for” and “Any ni**a lurking’s a serpent to me/ Get a wave and they surf it for free” showing off his innovative double time flow pattern. Coupling that with a catchy chorus that makes you want to chant to your lungs, “Bulls**t” will most definitely become your new favorite ode to the haters.

“Gettin’ Real” – MaZhe.

“Sharp enough to puncture a lung/ string my vocal chords together/ ya boy is clever the puns” and “Double time like jigga my ni**a” were instantly favorites when I first heard the creative new track by 18-year-old San Diego artist MaZhe. His nasally tone plays in to his favor while he teams that up with intricate flows similar to Pro Era. Though his flow is similar at times, his bars are dense. Putting all of that together on a wavy beat produced by First Letter, MaZhe. shows potential and delivers a track worthy of your time now. Check it out here.

“Jamaican (feat. Haresha & Chief) – Flow Simpson

From the absolute get go, Arizona singer/rapper Haresha completely makes her presence known with bars such as, “Find us stirring in the kitchen/ been cooking up the pot/ everybody with the sh**ts but ain’t nobody got shot” and personal favorite “Wish I had a tissue I could wipe ya tears/ something bout the look on ya face tells me I own ya fears” which sets the tone for the chillingly futuristic track produced 187Beatz. The track, which is off of Flow Simpson‘s Hamsterdam, mixtape is a 4:44 long constant head bobber with lyrical treats from Flow, Chief and Haresha that set the perfect tone to get your rasta on.

“For You” – Ashoka

Easily comparable to a young Drake or Big Sean at first listen, Philadelphia native Ashoka showcases an arsenal of flows and rhymes on this 3:33 long track suited perfectly for riding through the city late at night. Though missing a catchy chorus like other songs, the chilling sample in the background keeps your head ringing while Ashoka feeds you self reflecting bars like, “Did I change?/ Or did life change?/ as the days go/ and the night fades” over hard hitting high hats and roller coaster transitions. Check out this cut off his recently dropped EP, Hard To Gain, Easy To Lose.

Did we get it right? Did we miss some? Let us know in the comment section!

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