His love for rap-rock fusion has been inspiring him since High School. He was the lead vocalist/rapper in a band called ‘Flint Eastwood’ —the bands ultimate breakup lead to bLAck pARty coming into existence, stylizing it with capital letters to single out “LA” for Los Angeles, where he lives, and “AR” for Arkansas where he was raised. In 2013 he began producing for Kari Faux. The two had met when both were in their mid-teens. Their collaboration, “No Small Talk,” caught the attention of Childish Gambino, who remixed it and featured it on his STN MTN/Kauai mixtape. Which only lead to bLAck pARty inking a deal with the Childish Gambino’s Royalty collective. bLack pARty contributed production to Gambino’s GRAMMY® Award-winning album Awaken, My Love! as well as scores a placement with TV series Dear White People, Insecure, and Atlanta.

His 2019 album Endless Summer is his first release through Wolf + Rothstein and RCA Records. The first single, “No Complaints,” features DMP Jefe, watch it below.

Out of his busy schedule bLack pARty took the time out to catch up with RESPECT MAG about everything from music to his future plans.

RESPECT.: Growing up, what were some of your biggest musical influences?

bLAck pARty: Growing up my biggest influences were Stevie Wonder, India Irie, Nirvana, MF Doom, Kanye West, Bob Marley & The Wailers, Bad Brains, Zro I came across a lot of music being around the different people in my life. I also grew up in the internet age when music became much easier to access.

RESPECT.: So congratulations on signing with Childish Gambino’s label! How did that happen?

bLAck pARty: Thank you! I actually connected to Childish Gambino back in 2014 when I was mostly doing production for Kari Faux, we had made this song & video “No Small Talk” that went viral and through that I ended up connecting with one of Gambino’s business partner’s Fam, Kari allowed Gambino to remix the record and we built a working relationship since.

RESPECT.: How did your first conversation with Childish Gambino go?

bLAck pARty: I don’t remember exactly, but I remember it was the day his Sway interview dropped so it was mostly conversations about that and conversations about rap music in general. I’m a huge supporter of underground rap, so I remember showing him some of the underground rap groups coming out of Atlanta at that time.

RESPECT.: You also produced on his Award-winning album, “Awaken, My Love!” how did that happen? What was that process like?

bLAck pARty: That actually came about because I had moved to Los Angeles around the same time he was working on “Awaken, My Love!” We always talk about music so it started off from me just being in the studio giving feedback to doing background vocals and some drum programming. It was an interesting experience that I feel I learned a lot from. It was actually the first major album I worked on and being able to be around some of the most talented musicians in the business was a blessing.

RESPECT.: So you write, produce, and engineer and do vocals? Which one is your favourite and why?

bLAck pARty: I’d say my favourite is probably producing because it’s the more creative and fun job. It allows you to think outside of the box and make something that resonates without actually using language.What I’ve learned from playing in places outside of the US is even if the people don’t necessarily speak my language they can still get with the rhythm of the beats and even catch on to the lyrics if they’re simple enough.

RESPECT.: Do you play any instruments? Regardless, what is your favourite instrument and why?

bLAck pARty: Yes, I play whatever I can figure out. If i were to pick a favourite I would say guitar. I always find it easy to write songs with just a guitar. Also a large majority of my favourite artists play guitar: Lauryn Hill, D’angelo, Prince, Kurt Cobain, India Irie, Amy Winehouse- all guitarists!

RESPECT.: Tell us about your song “Dancing”. What are some of the themes found in that Track?

bLAck pARty: Dancing for me was a record that originally was up as a demo, over time it was revamped to be more groovy. I wanted to make something that felt like a day party going into the night time. When it came to video the director [Dylan McGale] and I wanted to play off of one of my favourite movies, KIDS, and one of my favourite music videos, “Frontin” by the Neptunes. I’ve been skating since I was young, and skateboarding and music go hand in hand, so I had to show love to the skaters.

RESPECT.: How do you feel after having your music placed on Insecure?

bLAck pARty: Shout out’s to Issa ! It feels incredible. I have a lot of people tell me they found out about my music through watching Insecure. I actually watch the show so it’s kinda wild to hear my music on there.

RESPECT.: Complex described your sound as a retro sound that could fit nicely into rotation if it came out in the ’70s yet still feels fresh for 2019. Do you agree?

bLAck pARty: Yes. I think the 70’s was one of the more interesting times in music. I’m definitely inspired by that era in music and I listen to more older records than I listen to newer music. The thing though is taking that inspiration and bringing into the present or the future.

RESPECT.: What was that moment in your life that you realised you wanted to be a serious musician? Like this was it for you.

bLAck pARty: When I was 13 I knew for certain I was going to make music. I remember watching videos online of Kanye, Alchemist, The Neptunes, Madlib, making beats and rapping and I decided that’s what I wanted to do: make music and have fun.

RESPECT.: Who are you looking forward to working with the most in the industry?

bLAck pARty: It would be dope to work with legends like Al Green, Patrice Rushen, Erykah Badu…

Photo Credit: Manny Singh

RESPECT.: If I was to see your playlist right now what would I find?

bLAck pARty: You would find Fela Kuti, Amy Winehouse, Al Green, Sza, Khruangbin…I just like to hear something with a lil soul or funk in it

RESPECT.: Tell us about your 5 goals in 2020

bLAck pARty: My only goals are to continue to get better as a person and as a creative.

Follow bLAck pARty on instagram to keep up with all his updates.

All Photos by Manny Singh.

The post RESPECT. Interview: Childish Gambino’s signee bLAck pARty talks Future & Past appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Koncept has been an underground staple for years now and a reliable member of the promising Brown Bag AllStars clique. Anyone who follows him or the AllStars can note, and agree, that Awaken and the Malt Disney Ep with J57 are go-to’s. Those projects really left an impression on fans and gave them a taste of what he is capable of with his solo career as well. You could say on this remix of “Drop The Game” Koncept is exploring his own solo sound along side Flume and Chet Faker.

In a recent verbal exchange with RESPECT. Mag‘s Dread Solo, Koncept mentions “..I strive to grow as both a person and an artist every day. I’m inspired by all different kinds of music, and I wanted to show people a different style of mine before stepping into all the new releases as Koncept & J57..”

Flume, Chet Faker and Koncept dropped off their new visual for “Drop The Game” remix for your viewing pleasure. Digging the record? Download it here for free.

The post Video Premiere: Flume & Chet Faker “Drop The Game” Remix Ft. Koncept appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

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RESPECT: So [J57] you rap as well as produce, but for this project you’re just producing. Why’d you make that decision?

J57: We were already gonna do an album where I produced the whole thing anyway and I kind of just brought the idea that we could it make it a little different from regular Koncept albums if we set it aside and just do Koncept and J57 and he was like, “I’m with that.” And then when we were in L.A., I remember we were going to do a show and we get to the venue and we were chillin’ because we didn’t want to go into the venue and talk to people and lose our voices. So we’re chillin’ outside still and he’s like, “Yo, I don’t think I want anybody else to do my beats.” And I was like, “Done!” So we were just like from here on out we’re gonna do this as a group. So now it’s a group dynamic. It’s always been fifty-fifty when we work on stuff anyway, but now it’s like official.

Koncept: And the sound is different as well from the previous stuff that we’ve done –

J57:  – Yeah and that’s why I thought it would be cool to separate it from all the other shit because it doesn’t sound like Awaken – and those are incredible records – but it just doesn’t sound like the other shit. It’s just bigger sounding.

Koncept: It’s the best music we’ve ever made. I feel and he feels and we feel like everything else – I’m proud of all my previous work – was learning. At this point I feel like I’ve really found my sound and my delivery and how to use my voice. And just how to make better music. Again, all that stuff, I’m proud of it, but it was just all to learn, to get us to where we are now. So with this new music it’s just bigger and better. So being a group will just make it stand out a bit more and make people see, before they even hear it, that that’s different from what they’ve done previously because now it’s actually a group dynamic.

Did you two come with a name for the group?

Koncept: Well the name is just gonna be Koncept and J57. The album is gonna be called Flight. And we have an EP we’re gonna drop before that called The Fuel.

You said that it’s always fifty-fifty when you two work together. Is there ever any overlap between your roles as producer and rapper?

J57: Oh yeah! Totally, totally! When we’re in the studio, he’ll come up with ideas for beats as well. It’s not like it’s all me. Or even just a creative idea in general. It’s not like a hundred percent half and half.

Koncept: It’s fifty-fifty in the sense that we do everything together. He may be like, “Yo, I love that verse, but what if we switch it up and have you do a bridge here instead of that?” Or, “What if you flip this line a little bit?” And I’ll be the same way. I’ll be like, “Yo this beat is crazy but what if we have this change-up here.” So it’s fifty-fifty in the sense that we’re both involved in everything.

J57: Like a real group! [laughs] It’s more than a rapper and a producer linking up for a real quick project. It really is like a group, like all the classic duos like Gang Starr. It wasn’t just like Premier made the beats and he was like, “Guru, go do some raps!” [laughs]. [Guru] was in the lab next to him. That dynamic is dire. There are people who are doing it, but they’re doing like one-and-off albums. We wanted to bring more to the table than that. That’s why we’re keeping it kind of old school with just “Koncept and J57.” It’s modern, but it’s old school at the same time because cats aren’t really doing that anymore, where there’s just two names together…well they are, but it’s just for those one-and-off projects, not for a real group.

Yeah like for an EP.

J57: Yeah, like me and some random dude link up for an EP, which we do all the time because that’s dope, but we’re not trying to do that anymore. We’re not trying to just make some shit. We’re trying to bring it to the next level.

Do you feel like that interaction that you have is possible only because of your previous relationship?

Koncept: Yeah, we’ve been close friends for years now, so our relationship in general just allows us to work together. And we both have the same goals and the same place that we both want to reach. So that forms the chemistry right there.

 So before we started the interview you mentioned labels that you’re possibly working with for this album. Is Fat Beats one of them? You two both used to work at the store.

Koncept: Yeah, we worked there together for awhile. For these projects, we’ve been talking to some majors and just different outlets. We recorded the album with Red Bull, so we’ve obviously been in contact with them to figure out some different options. And we’ve been in contact with Interscope and some other majors. And right now everything’s looking good. We’re just trying to find the best place for us to go.

Why did you name it Flight?

Koncept: So the album is my autobiography and it starts with me and J in Brooklyn, getting into a cab to go to L.A. and record the album. And I wrote the album like a movie, so then throughout the whole album, I talk about my childhood and my dad passing and growing up with a single mom, then high school, then moving out of the city to live in Vermont for a little bit and then moving back to the city. So I talk about everything in my life and the album ends with me and J recording the album in LA.

So it’s like a journey.

 Koncept: Yeah, exactly.

J57: And we recorded a lot of sound-bites, when we’re on our phones, when we’re taking the actual flight, when we’re at the airport, getting into the cab, the whole nine, from beginning to end while we were traveling. And we chopped them out and sprinkled throughout the whole album so it’s really cohesive. It has a real story.

So before you two even flew out to L.A., you two already had a very coherent idea of what this would be.

Koncept: Yeah yeah, exactly.

Koncept, you mentioned your dad passing. On “Awaken,” you said that his death scared you straight. What did you mean by that?

Because my dad died of drugs, so basically his death sent me in the direction of not going down the path.

The post Interview: Koncept and J57 Prepare For Departure appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.