Boston Calling Music Festival located in Harvard University’s Athletic Complex May 25-27, 2018. All Photos taken by Miguel Crespo for RESPECT.

Red… Blue… Green… 3 main stages were set for another incredible time at Boston Calling Music Festival. Attendees from all over the country gathered to be apart. The popular event features some of the biggest names in music, comedy, visual arts, concessions, shopping and more. Now in it’s second year being held at Harvard University’s Athletic Complex, the population has comfortably risen and more stages have been placed. At last, the 2018 installment of festival had arrived. The lively city of Boston, Massachusetts was full of energy as the 3-day celebration kicked off. 

Festivals of the highest caliber offer more than just an incredible lineup of music. Games like hacky sack and cornhole were a great way for people to interact with each other and entertain themselves. Popular distributor for CD’s, apparel and figurines, Newbury Comics, held a “spin the wheel” contest where virtually everyone was a winner. Prizes included gift cards, water bottles, beach balls and much more to choose from. Audio company, JBL, also got in on the contest fun. People lined up and took turns throwing a ball at different targets lined up on a wall. You could win headphones, blue tooth speakers or other cool prizes. An exciting new installation created by innovative furniture company, IKEA, was probably the most popular attraction of the festival. Canopies, a rocking club area and samples of “IKEA Food” were given out. It was definitely the place to visit if you wanted to relax until the next artist took the stage.

This year, Boston Calling didn’t hold back. An impressive list of top artists fit the bill. This year’s lineup included Tyler, The Creator, Jack White, The Killers, Khalid, BROCKHAMPTON, Paramore, the legendary, Eminem, and more. Stunning performances played throughout the weekend. A diverse mix of music genres offered a chance to open ears to new artists and sounds you may not have been accustomed to before. Boston native, Cousin Stizz, was easily a highlight of the festival. Stizz was added to replace Stormzy, who couldn’t make the festival due to illness. The crowd participation was unmatched. Another notable performance was BROCKHAMPTON. The modern day boyband played their last performance until they handle some personal issues amongst their group. Fans stood in the crowd for hours just to see them and Tyler, The Creator, who would follow. The only DJ set of the weekend was owned by Mike D, who was a replacement for Bryson Tiller. He would be the final person to hit the stage before Slim Shady.

Multi-platinum selling rapper, Eminem, closed out the festival with an amazing, nearly 2-hour long performance. Marshall was joined by D12 member and super producer, Mr. Porter under a unique Detroit-based stage set up and live band. The surprises didn’t stop as Shady brought out the talented, Skylar Grey, who covered the choruses on songs like “Walk On Water,” which originally features Beyoncé, and “Love The Way You Lie,” which originally features Rihanna. Royce Da 5’9” was another special guest to perform along side Eminem. The entire population of the festival crowded around the stage to watch one of the greatest artists to ever pick up a microphone. Fireworks erupted as fans said goodbye to another successful Boston Calling.

With Boston Calling 2018 in the books, we can come to the conclusion that it was one of the summers best parties to attend. Flashing lights, great food, the Ferris Wheel spinning and great people made for an action packed weekend. We can’t wait to see what next year’s festival will unfold.

Westside Gunn. 

Conway. 

Daniel Caesar.

BROCKHAMPTON.

Tyler, The Creator.

Taylor Bennett.

Cousin Stizz.

Khalid. 

Eminem.

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Jorja Smith. All photos taken by Miguel Crespo for RESPECT.

British songwriter and award-winning singer, Jorja Smith, has won over the hearts of thousands fans in the past few years. In a short time, the soulful beauty has blessed top artists like Kali Uchis and Drake with her angelic voice. With the upcoming release of her debut album approaching, Ms. Smith has been traveling city to city to present us with the Lost & Found tour.

There’s no better way to display the sounds of a song than to have a live band perform it. Strums of the bass guitar and hard hits to the snare drum assisted Jorja throughout the night. The melodies of monster singles like “I Am,” “Blue Lights,” and “Teenage Fantasy,” filled the venue. Fans sang along to every word. Jorja would eventually leave the stage starving fans of more, or so it seemed. “J-Money,” returned to perform one last song. “On My Mind,” Jorja’s biggest song to date, played with its uptempo beat and soulful tune. 

The undeniable beauty of Jorja Smith’s music will surely propel her to one of music’s biggest names. Fans, as well as myself, are anticipating new music and thankfully we’ll be getting some soon. Her upcoming album, Lost & Found, is slated to release June 8th. 

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One of Boston, Massachusetts most prominent lables, Hitmakerz Ent, has been dominant on the New England music scene for the last decade, bringing you multiple Classic Hitmakerz and LouArmstrong Mixtapes. This year, they start fresh with a new artist who is destined to take that regional buzz to the masses; introducing Smoogie “The flex god”.

Listen to his latest single titled “The Basement” below and let us know if you rock with it.

The post New Music: Smoogie – ‘The Basement’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

“I think Supreme Aftermath is our best work yet, production-wise. It’s soulful music with a good message.”

This is nothing new to Boston’s venomous duo Blak Madeen – who dropped off the second release, “Guerrilla Soliders” from their forthcoming Supreme Aftermath LP. The song features Planet Asia on the introduction verse, with his usual wizard-like braggadocio and signature left coast sound. The production credit is given to The Arcitype, offering a brutal hospital trip. Get your insurance cards out.

If you’re just now hearing about Blak Madeen, it’s okay – we will let you slide this time. Consider taking a look at Islamic hatred in our country for a moment, and how we may not hear enough about the issue on this side of the fence. This is one of many reasons to explore their music. They fearlessly, and openly, discuss issues of this type, with pride and chins up. You will hear a lot this and related content throughout their forthcoming Supreme Aftermath LP, set for a January 15th release.

Just trust us here and save the date. You won’t regret the decision.

Enjoy the new single and check out the track list below! Peace and love:

01. Supreme Aftermath (prod. by Skin Ced)
02. Mic Divine (feat. Blacastan) [prod. by Teddy Roxpin]
03. Main Attraction (prod. by Sicknature)
04. Long Way To Go (feat. Gift of Gab and Cyrus Deshield) [prod. by The Arcitype]
05. Devil’s Shadow (feat. Divine Styler and Rite Hook) [prod. by Skin Ced]
06. Guerrilla Soldiers (feat. Planet Asia) [prod. by The Arcitype]
07. Energetic Darts (prod. by Skin Ced)
08. The Procedure (feat. G. Dot & Born) [prod. by Divine Styler]
09. Blood Of Our Brothers (prod. by Skin Ced)
10. Words In Red (feat. Shabazz the Disciple) [prod. by Skin Ced]
11. The Worst Part (feat. Red Baren) [prod. by Skin Ced]
12. No Surrender (prod. by Skin Ced)
13. Experience the Struggle (prod. by Skin Ced)
14. Where’s Justice? (feat. Krumbsnatcha) [prod. by Skin Ced]

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Boston emcee G.O. releases his debut video in “Dreamin’,” a follow up to the Oddisee and Fashawn assisted “I Wish.” The video for the Phenom-produced track was shot out in California by Brian Beckwith and directed/edited by Matt Arnold. The artist had this to say about the treatment for the visual:

The storyline of “Dreamin’” revolves around the journey of an illegal immigrant to America. Being Hispanic, G.O. shows the contrast between a dream that many immigrants like his parents had or have, visually, and his own dream, lyrically; but at the same time, shows the similarity of the two through the magnitude of struggle and importance based off of what these two completely different dreams represent to two completely different people. 

“Dreamin'” will appear on G.O.’s forthcoming debut project, The Hope. Watch the video below and stay tuned for future releases from the talented lyricist.

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Since releasing promotional single “Do Somethin’,” Boston’s G.O. has stayed relatively quiet. That won’t be the case for the next few months. With his official debut project The Hope near complete, the skilled lyricist plans to unleash a boatload of music throughout the summer and fall, leading up to its release. For the project’s first offering “I Wish,” the 22-year-old grabs veterans Oddisee and Fashawn for guest verses. Over production by fellow Boston representative Phenom, the trio of emcees put their lyrical ability on display and deliver rhymes about their wishes in life.

Take a listen to “ I Wish” below and stay tuned for more music from G.O. in the near future.

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