Image Copyright Mike Schreiber

The post RESPECT. Archive: Mike Schreiber on Beanie Sigel & State Property appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Melissa Jay’s first mainstream look came when she was featured on Beanie Sigel’s single titled “Change.” Interestingly enough, the Broad Street Bully is also the father of Melissa’s child. Drawing inspiration from the likes of Lauryn Hill and Mary J. Blige, Melissa unveils the official music video for “KTN, or (Kill That Ni**a).

Peep the visual at the top of the post and feel free to leave us your thoughts in the comments section.

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Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel. Photo Credit: Dailymail

Surfing the internet, Biz Jones of SOHH mentioned that Rocafella’s Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek were spotted at a Roc Nation Sports function this week. If you grew up in the 90s, you know that the Brooklyn and Philadelphia representers collaborated on some hits: “1-900 Hustler,” “4 Da Fam,” “You, Me, Him, Her,” and “Change The Game,” easily come to mind!

Rocafella, like the Chicago Bulls were influential to many Generation-Exers. Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek were to Rocafella what John Paxon,  Bill Cartwright and Steve Kerr were to the Bulls; quality role players that did key things to make the team a winner!

Beanie Sigel was a boss and still is a boss lyrically, “I Don’t Do Much,” “Feel It In The Air,” and his Jadakiss diss track are surely fan favorites. But before he went mainstream, his peers were keyed in on the South Street Bully.

Appearing on a recent episode of Scoop B Radio, Bay Area rapper, Too $hort recalled being in the studio with Beans while taping the hook for Jay-Z’s A Week Ago. Too Short says he and everyone in the studio were impressed with Beanie Sigel’s talent.“Jay told Beans to come in, Dame Dash, somebody had Beans show up and in the middle of the session at some point – I don’t know if they put a beat on, all I know is he just started rapping,” Too Short told me on Scoop B Radio.

“He [Beanie Sigel] captured the attention of the entire room. As far as I knew, some dude just bust a rhyme in and everybody was like ‘Ooooohhhh!’ But actually, what really happened was: Jay-Z was like “Oh shit!” … and the boy got a deal from that moment. So, it happened something like that but it wasn’t the day I mentioned – That wasn’t right.” 

Check out Too $hort and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio

Too $hort’s reaction to Beans after the dropped that verse? “We were like, “ol’ boy ‘bout broke the studio! That shit was dope,” said Too $hort.

“It was just the talk, but that was years before I put two and two together that – that was Beanie Sigel, that was that moment. I had met Beans one day in Atlanta before he was famous and a couple years later, he reminded me, ‘that was me that day.’ It happens like that. “O.G. like me just blow the fuck up and be superstars not too long afterwards.”

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The post Too $hort On The First Time Jay-Z Heard Beanie Sigel Rap: “Jay-Z was like: Oh s***!” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Awww man……

Some say rap beef is wack, but it can be pretty ill if it stays on wax.  The Game is known for delivering lengthy diss records that can become boring after a while.  However, in regards to his back-n-forth feud with Meek Milly, this one definitely wasn’t a bore, lol.  In fact, it was quite entertaining to me.  It sure looks like he got the juice on Meek, and some of these shots are hilarious.  Besides the humorous blows, the bar work is indubitably on point, and the “Ooouuu” in certain spots is rather appropriate.

Peep some notable quotes:

The louder you scream the wacker the verse / I put that D*ckchaser logo on the back of your hearse / They say the meek shall inherit the earth / So I went and dug yo ass up cause Drizzy buried you first

Now tell the world how you got your b*tch / You FaceTimed Nicki while Safari was f**king a chick / 

Ouch!  Listen to the 5 minute remix at the top of the page and holla at us!

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The post The Game Got More Words for Meek Mill & Beanie Sigel on “Pest Control” (Ooouuu) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In the midst of the delay for MC4, French Montana had mercy on his fans, and dropped one of the tracks. “Have Mercy” features Beanie Sigel, Jadakiss & Styles.

The track is produced by Illa Da Producer and the one-and-only DJ Khaled (we the best). The Moroccan-born musician returns to his roots in the exotic album cover for MC4, and the music follows suit.

The instrumental for “Have Mercy” sounds like something out of The Prodigy, an electronic and dub group. The grand sound recalls gangsters, cigar smoke, and exotic destinations. Mr. Montana has quite an image to maintain.

The lyrics contrast against these dangerous vibes, as French dissonantly calls on God to forgive him for his sins. Whether it’s bragging or remorse, French lists his crimes:  “Cause I’ve been robbin’/ I’ve been stealin’/ I’ve been messed up, haah/ For that big gold chain/ Slang cocaine/ Don’t get gassed up, haah.”

French also ends the hook with an “ooh la la la,” that sounds remarkably like an ode to The Fugees infamous “Fu-gee -la.”

Montana’s album has been pushed back, and now has a tentative date of October 14th for release. French credited this delay to issues with sample clearances on Twitter earlier this week.

French added another dash of the international into his recent song “No Shopping” with Drake. The two rappers put on some iffy Spanish accents, and donned fake moustaches for their music video in the Dominican Republic. Who says musicians don’t have a sense of humour? El Drake and French Montaña gave it their best shot…

Listen to “Have Mercy” here.

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“Still Public Enemy” is Sigel’s second in two days

In a scathing new track called “Still Public Enemy,” former Roc-A-Fella soldier Beanie Sigel comments on the wave of racial tensions and violence that plague the country.

Reaching as far back as the bombing in Birmingham and the Amadou Diallo killing, the song adds the death of Michael Brown, the appalling situation in Flint, Michigan, the heart-rending clip where Diamond Reynolds demanded justice for the murder of her boyfriend, Philando Castile, to the overwhelming stress—and, given the many other references exhaustion—and frustration that Sigel feels in the face of recent events.

He goes into as much detail as he can within four minutes about the terror and death that black people experience in America, while also attempting to paint a picture of a system that’s seen a disturbing evolution of lynching.

“Black deaths get paraded in the news/white sheets get traded in for blues,” the OG raps in a register that he, somehow, manages to maintain throughout the track, “the poor righteous get gunned down by po’ license/they terrorize and form ISIS.”

“Still Public Enemy” is the latest expression of outrage in the wake of the killings of Alton Sterling and Castile, who were killed two weeks ago by police officers, in two consecutive days, and follows a nationwide release of music, protest, and calls for action. Sigel joins a collection of celebrities who have taken to social media, organized, and released music in an effort to heal the nation and address racism and police brutality.

The track follows another song, “Dinero,” which Sigel released earlier yesterday.

Check out “Still Public Enemy” below.

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Artwork: Dread Solo

Is it the voice? The piercing “ayo” introducing the record? The staple “doopdoopdoop” gun shot sound effects complementing the appropriate rhyme? The likely-drumless choice of production? Perhaps all of it, and some. Allow us to introduce Buffalo, New York’s Westside Gunn – if you haven’t met already.

Comparing Westside Gunn to another emcee is trivial, but take a moment to reflect on first hearing, say, Styles P. and Beanie Sigel. Okay, now try to recall that feeling. If you had any knowledge of inner city wiring, or street life, you will probably agree that Styles and Beans embody the street’s spirit and damn near record songs from the concrete. They are shatter proof, authentic emcees that’re brutally honest and evidently lived everything they’ve put on record. It’s almost undeniable, right? They have the gift of being able to speak to the average street cat very closely. Some do, some don’t – that’s where Westside Gunn comes in.

Buffalo, New York is no walk in the park. Unfortunately we all know what comes as a byproduct from an impoverished, drug ridden city. Westside Gunn has an innate, rather blunt way of rapping about it. Him and his brother Conway have survived every dark crevice of Buffalo and made it out alive, quite literally. As we hip-hop heads get older and grow up with the music, it gets easier to sift through the gimmicks and lies on record. Like Styles P. and Beans, Westside Gunn and all the whole GxFR squadron are the real deal.

How about being compared to a modern day Ghostface Killah & Raekwon? We could talk about how polished Westside Gunn and Conway‘s back-to-back flow is for hours.

It’s crucial to note Westside Gunn’s attitude and respect towards art as a whole, which below you will read a bit more about in our interview. Paying homage to all forms of art is necessarily notable, but let’s pull hip-hop from the deck for a second. Is it important to you, as a fan, that they understand and appreciate the culture? That they understand the importance of who came before them? That they’re actual fans of the music themselves? If your answer is no, close this page. One specific refrence from Westside Gunn that had us sold was his praise to J Dilla. This speaks miles and says a lot without saying a lot. There are way too many new jacks that ignore hip-hop’s timeline.

Having released multiple quality projects in the past couple of years, Westside Gunn’s work ethic and consistency is one to learn from. Do these cats ever stop? Will they? We hope not. The scattered loosies via SoundCloud (with very little warning), the full projects, and the features are reassuring. This is quality, gritty, fly, luxurious street rap that the east coast sound has been starving for.

We hope you enjoy the interview below – peace and love:

Artwork: @cepenwhy

RESPECT.: It’s no secret that you’re climbing the charts and gaining a lot of traction these past couple of years. Is it getting more challenging for you to focus? Or does Westside Gunn feel even sharper with a rapidly growing audience?

I never, ever felt challenged. Actually the reason I drop so much material is because I get bored easily. I want the people to witness greatness – a new LEGEND. So, I just drop shit to keep reminding people it’s not a game this shit is legendary, haha.

RESPECT.: Do you mind speaking on your choice of production? (On that note, you and Daringer have undeniable chemistry.)

Yea I mean I’ve reached out to all my favs – Preemo, Alchemist, PeteRock, 9th Wonder, etc. and we’re all about to start cooking. However, nobody will ever get me like Daringer. That’s my producer since day one. When you hear him that’s the Griselda sound. The RAW shit you know? I’m where I am today because of what Daringer brought to the table.

RESPECT.: Visual art and fashion are praised often in your music. It’s refreshing to say the least. If you don’t mind naming a few, who are your favorite painters, visual artists and/or fashion designers?

To be honest I love all art. I like going to art exhibits and peeping raw talent. You can learn a lot and develop a different outlook on life by looking at an artists view. Some designers I mess with are Raf, Virgil, Don (Just Don), and Neil Barrett. Also, I love what Kanye is doing. I feel I’m a grimier Kanye.

RESPECT.: You, Conway and the rest of the crew have quite literally been through it all. With that being said, you guys could be inspiring a lot of young bucks and I’m sure are already. Is this important to you?

That means everything. We’re hood dudes and have been thru it all – I mean all. From prisons, murders, drug sales, and almost losing life. I mean, Conway got shot in the damn head. But yeah, we’ve come a long way and I hope what we’re doing can show the people from the same walks of life that if you grind hard and stay focused anything is possible. Changing lifes is more important to me than music. I’m just glad when I make music I’m able to do both.

RESPECT.: What should the world be expecting from Westside Gunn/GxFR for the rest of 2016?

Nothing but WORK! The best work on the block to be exact. We got Conway’s debut album ‘GOAT (Grimiest of ALL Time)’ coming. I’m going to drop again too, just dont know when. And a whole lot of instant drops, like the “SUMMERSLAM 88” I just dropped today with my daughter. Love is love, thank you.

https://soundcloud.com/user-5212897/summerslam-88-prod-by-your-old-droog

Westside Gunn: Twitter | Instagram | AudioMack | iTunes

Conway: Twitter | Instagram

Daringer: Twitter | Instagram

Griselda Records: Official Site | Instagram | YouTube | SoundCloud

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The post RESPECT. Interview: Westside Gunn Discusses Changing Lives, Art Exhibits & Production appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.