Mobb Deep performed some of their hit singles that included “Shook Ones” and “Quiet Storm.” Though the festival took place in BK, Queens was definitely representing in the crowd when Mobb Deep hit the stage. Lion Babe brought the smooth, shagadelic sounds to the festival and easily balanced out the hip hop festival with some cool vibes.

Overall the show was entertaining but many couldn’t wait for Common to hit the stage. Though Common didn’t get on stage until about an hour after his expected time, he closed out The BK Hip Hop Festival strong! A combination of his hit tracks and a surprise appearance from BK’s very own, Foxy Brown, the extra hour was worth the wait!

It goes without saying, Brooklyn Bodega knows how to put together an unforgettable show. Already looking forward to next year!

Writer: Jasmina Cuevas

Photographer: Jourdan Ash

The post 11th Annual Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival — Photos appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

I often encounter people who think Lion Babe is one person; Jillian. And I guess it’s because she’s the one you hear singing. She’s the one you see dancing. Do you guys ever get that?

Lucas: I think on a grander scheme, except for the heads, the general public doesn’t really care about that. Me growing up, I was always like “who made this beat? Who made this record?”. But I can’t say everyone else I knew was like that. Sometimes people just care about the other vibes, you know?

Jillian: I think it’s a nice surprise, that someone would see me as a solo act, because there are a lot of amazing women doing things on their own. But we are a duo. We are a band, and eventually we’ll probably be a bigger band. But we always knew when we started, that we wanted to do something where people could think I was the front woman, but then find out we were a duo.

Lucas: You know Blondie? Some people think it’s just Debbie Harry. Same with Jamiroquai, or Sade. But yeah. That’s gonna happen. But it’s good to be up there with Sade *laughs*

Ok, this one is for Jillian. You’re the daughter of Vanessa Williams, so naturally you were likely exposed to all kinds of music growing up. Who are the artists that really inspired you and what you do today?

Jillian: I think I take a lot from what I was listening to on those morning drives to school. My mom would have A Tribe Called Quest on in the car. I knew all the riffs to the Chaka Khan songs because she would be singing them also. There were lots of elements of soul and different styles of music played in both my mom and dad’s house. Also, my grandma was listening to Jazz, and I grew up knowing who Gershwin was, and all this stuff. My family is very, obviously, musical, but I was also influenced by old musicals like Singing In The Rain, and I love Frank Sinatra. Just the old vibes. My mom is actually in the room, so she’s participating in this interview *laughs*. She wanted me to mention that I played trumpet, so we were definitely listening to a lot of Louis Armstrong, as well.

As for you, Lucas. I read where you’re inspired by producers like Timbaland, Dilla and Flying Lotus. And I can hear it in the music. What was it about their production that moved you the most?

Lucas: In terms of like Kanye West, Dilla, and people like Just Blaze, it was the way they flipped samples that I always found interesting. As a kid, I grew up playing guitar, but when I heard those records, the beats and the production was just so trippy. I used to listen like “how’d he even make this song?”, because I didn’t realize how hard it was to flip the samples, or manipulate them or speed them up. It was just a totally new thing for me. Also artists like Pharrell and Timbaland, who really changed the sound of pop music.

Prior to meeting in college and joining forces, how serious did you two take music?

Lucas: Well, for me, I’ve always loved music, and I always wanted to do something in relation to that, for life. Or even just anything creative in general, where you wake up and the main goal of the day is to make something new, that’s really dope. That’s kind of like, the dream.

Jillian: I definitely had music around me, but it wasn’t something I was focused on. I grew up dancing and that was my path and where I wanted to go. Even when I met Lucas, I knew I wanted to go to school for dancing. I wanted to major in it and either make my own work, or be a part of a company that I really loved. I grew liking a bunch of these contemporary modern companies, so that was really my track. I’ve always been a music fan, being that I danced and the art forms are linked, but it wasn’t until I heard Lucas’ beats, that I realized I had to have a sound if I ever wanted to sing or do something like that. I just responded to his vibe. It was really random *laughs*

Thanks to a (now ex) girlfriend, I’ve been hip to Lion Babe since 2012 when you guys dropped “Treat Me Like Fire”. However, I feel like people didn’t really wake up and take notice until you collaborated with Childish Gambino for “Jump Hi”, then released “Wonder Woman”, which Pharrell produced. First, how’d you snag Gambino for a feature?

Lucas: We played SXSW two years ago, and he was also into “Treat Me Like Fire”. We were playing down there, and he asked if we wanted to open up for him. He had The Cool Kids also opening, and we met up for the first time backstage. He and his crew were all pretty cool, chill people and we felt like we hit it off. Then one day they were in New York, they came through and we were just playing some music. I played an unfinished version of that. They were really vibing and Donald was feeling it. He said he really liked the record and wanted to get on it. Next thing you know, we sent it to him, he sent back his verse a week later, and that was really it.

And Pharrell? That’s pretty major.

Jillian: Well with that… We spoke to our label head about dream collaborations and we were just shooting for the stars like “Oh yeah! It would be amazing to make a song with Pharrell!”, and she just happened to have his phone number. We were at dinner, she texted him, and within five minutes he called and spoke to me, and was like “Yo, you guys are great! Let’s make something happen!” And this was prior to him taking over the world with Daft Punk, and “Happy”. All that stuff hadn’t come out yet. While I’m sure there are a lot of A-List artists who want to work with him, he really goes for stuff that he’s honestly into and I think that was the most flattering thing. Definitely one for the history books.

You’re slated to perform at this year’s Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. What does it mean to you, to be a part of something that has become so essential to hip-hop culture in New York?

Lucas: It’s awesome! I remember seeing ads in the Village Voice and all that. It’s so dope to be playing here. Mobb Deep and Common are headlining. It’s so sick to be playing a show with them, where we get to link with them backstage. It’s amazing. This whole year has just been amazing.

Jillian: Also, we’re New Yorkers. So whenever we have an opportunity to do a show at home, there’s nothing, in my eyes, that can really trump that. We’ve played great shows in London and stuff, but when you’re home, you can look out in the crowd and see your family and your friends supporting you and that gets me so hype, already.

How does Lion Babe typically prepare for a performance?

Jillian: It varies. I go into a bit of my dance prep, making sure I’m stretched and calm, and know what I’m wearing and all that stuff. I don’t think either of us really get nervous. We just kind of get excited, focus and try to do our best. There might be a glass of whiskey or something before the show. That usually makes things a little bit better. We’ll also check with each other about timing and transitions. The greatest thing about Lion Babe is that we’re pretty in-sync and we know how we want the show to be dynamic-wise. We just try to make sure we have a good time.

The lineup for the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival looks promising. You’ll be sharing the stage with the likes of Pusha T and Dizzy Wright, as well as legends like Redman, EPMD, and the aforementioned Common and Mobb Deep. Is there anyone on the bill that you’re looking forward to seeing?

Lucas: Definitely Mobb Deep. Common of course. There’s a lot of good people playing.

Jillian: I’ve never seen Common live. And the thing about festivals is you always get those people that bring out people, so I’m like “Who’s gonna come out? Who’s gonna be there checking it out?”, and stuff like that. I’m excited to see who shows up.

Lucas: I hope Common plays “The Light” and Mobb Deep performs a bunch of songs off their first record.

As always, it’s to be expected that there will be a crazy turnout at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. What can a person who has never been to a Lion Babe show expect to see from you two?

Jillian: We try to create each show as a special experience. It’s not a traditional show. I’m not just standing out there and singing the whole time. Obviously, because I’m a dancer, there’s a lot of dancing, and I’m into making things theatrical. It’s unique. I can’t tell you exactly what’s going to happen. I’m like “Oh shoot! I didn’t realize I was gonna crawl out on stage”. It just happens. I think we might weird people out a little bit, but definitely in a good way.

You guys do a pretty good job of keeping the details about your music under lock and key, but can we have even the slightest hint about the upcoming LP?

Lucas: Uhh, I don’t know. I think soon.

Jillian: This year! *laughs*

Lucas: We don’t even really know ourselves, you know? We’re still working on it.

Jillian: I mean obviously there’s reasons that we wanna keep things on lock, but at the same time we don’t wanna make anyone bank on something that’s not happening. You don’t wanna speak too soon. But I definitely feel for the people like you who have been around since “Treat Me Like Fire”; when it first came out. I feel for you guys and we love you so much. We will definitely get you guys some new material very soon *laughs*
+++

The post RESPECT. Interview: Into The Wild with Lion Babe appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The good folks at Brooklyn Bodega and the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival have added no other than the infamous Mobb Deep to its lineup. The group will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their classic, “The Infamous.” Also just added to the BK Hip Hop Fest is our favorite comeback kid, Charles Hamilton.

Chicago rapper Common is headlining the festival while New York based R&B duo, Lion Babe is also set to hit the stage.

The festival is set to take place in the heart of Brooklyn on July 11th and will be hosted by Torae and Uncle Ralph Mc Daniels. More acts for the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival will be announced soon. Tickets are available here.

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Jay Electronica at the Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. Photo by Julia Schur.

With all of this against-all-odds hype building around the mighty, mystical Jay Electramadan, we figured now was as good a time as any to delve into the man’s scattered, brilliant catalog and give some extra special shine to one of his finest moments. It’s rarely brought up in discussions of the voodoo man’s greatest wonders on wax, but “Posers,” which is actually a feature verse for a track by The New Royals, is one of Jay’s poetic peaks. Every line is a highlight; every moment is the epitome of rap that’s both a healthy departure from the norm and one that goes down easy.

What becomes a layered and witty breakdown of the presence of falsehood in modern society begins simply: “Question, how does one go from chosen to posin’?” With that, we know the journey we’re embarking on, which makes leaping into metaphors like the next line, “Trapped in a box for years, like Han Solo frozen,” easier to follow and connect into the larger scheme. Jay never passes on the opportunity to attack corporations, especially ones known for imposing their values on society, so it makes sense that he goes after famous diamond company De Biers, but the fact that he flipped the oft-referenced third eye to include the way diamonds attract–“[they] keep your mental eyelids closed and your eyeballs bulgin'” is a cut above the rest.

Next, Jay ironically drops a jewel of his own, one that’s all-applicable enough to be a tattoo, a twitter bio, a mantra, anything: “Fear: it can kill a man, turn a real man to a realer man / or package you as a Bathing Ape wearing gorilla Stan.” Not only does the line work masterfully on its own as a breakdown of the three outcomes of fear (destruction, strengthening, paralysis) that is so spot-on it seems inherently obvious, but if you listen to the way Jay pauses after “Fear,” you can tell that this is meant as an answer to the original “Question.” How do you become a poser? Fear. Now, where does the fear come from?

Jealousy. “Don’t let the green grass across the picket fence / turn you into Mr. Smith without a purpose or a home / underneath he is a Jedi, on the surface he’s a clone,” Jay raps, as if extending a hand to his fallen, envious brother. It’s a piercing comparison, but one made with sympathy: he laments the lost potential in the man who became just another poser. The fact that this is the second Star Wars reference in the song is certainly deliberate, if only because Jay loves mysticism and prophecies, but it could mean even more than that. Yoda once said “Fear is the path to the dark side,” before listing a sequence of emotions not unlike the ones Jay’s put on display. Either Jay Electronica is such an evil genius/nerd that he intended for us to realize that similarity, or he missed out on another opportunity to reference Star Wars. Whatever the case, it’s curious.

We’ve noted before that Jay makes a lot of reference to crying in his rhymes, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that this 16 is no exception. He describes the posing man crying “until he dries up all his tear ducts / and he cool with that, as long as he got a haircut and his gear up” showing how the very chase for “nice things” that paralyzed this man’s individuality offers a sort of numbing solace when he realizes what it is he’s lost. It’s a complete picture of a character who’s never named, perhaps because he exists in too many places, and a complete breakdown of a problem that persists in the human psyche; this verse would and will be just as relevant 20 years before and after it was written. Take a moment to bask in the timeless greatness of Jay Electronica.

The post RESPECT. The Verse: Jay Electronica – “Posers” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Rae enjoyed himself without ever letting the energy or grit diminish. He put together a rugged set of classics from his and the Wu‘s catalogs (“Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nothin’ To Fuck With,” “C.R.E.A.M.,” “Ice Cream,” “Incarcerated Scarfaces,”) and performed them all with polish, only occasionally stumbling over a word and cutting the track. Whenever he took a moment out to speak to the crowd, it was to say something genuine and genuinely confusing, if only because Rae seemed too overjoyed and lost in his work to really worry about making sense. “Tonight…even if it’s today, it’s tonight,” he said at one point, getting a good laugh out of everyone left wondering what he initially was going to say. Later, he said “You know, you go to the South, they party, they have fun, but New York…New York we more like we-we-we visual. It’s a lot of shit going on, life is in front of us! We talk about struggle man, this is real struggle on wax! Pay attention!” It’s that kind of narrow focus that it takes to think that there’s more “life” in NY than other places that has kept Raekwon so detail oriented and sharp for over 20 years. It’s the trapped-in-the-’90s mindset it takes to think the South is all parties that has kept Raekwon Raekwon.

Raekwon thinking, “This beat is disgusting.”

Rae rapped nearly ever classic joint with the urgency that they packed 20 years ago. Scram called the crowd’s attention to Rae’s performance of “Triumph” in particular–“This man just did 8 rappers’ verses!” 20 years ago, however, not everyone in the crowd knew just about every bar; Rae was lucky enough to catch a breath every few rhymes as the crowd was well-initiated and served as a strong hypeman for most of the show. The only other help The Chef enlisted was a handful of alley-oop guest verses and less spectacular guest performances. Masta Killa notably came out for “Glaciers Of Ice,” keeping all of the Wu songs from being all-Rae affairs. With all the trouble going on in Shaolin, it’s good to know Rae and the Killa are still cool. AZ came out the verse from Illmatic. The crowd nearly lost their voices rapping the iconic bars along with the Brooklyn-born old timer. “Life’s A Bitch” was particularly special to hear live, to hear chanted with such ferocity, because it is remembered and loved above all else for its wisdom. There’s very little slick talk and no punch lines; it is simply a verse of tenacious intellect, and AZ certainly did it justice.When Raekwon brought Lil Fame out on stage, it was initially just to show due respect to another “Brooklyn real one” and M.O.P. in general. However, the sly DJ Scram Jones let loose those iconic opening horns of “Ante Up” just as Fame was waddling away from the stage, and, as Raekwon noted, you can tell Fame is a true MC, because at that sound, he jumped into gear. After a momentary delay to laugh, Fame ripped into “Ante Up,” and the crowd lost their collective shit. There hadn’t been much recklessness during the day before this, but something about the “Oh! Oh!” chant of the hook jolted everyone alive. True to the grit this year’s festival was based off of, it seemed that in that moment, everyone was more excited to see Lil Fame than they were to see Jay Z. (It should be noted that this is the 2nd year in a row Fame has made a surprise “Ante Up” appearance at the festival).
Troy Ave got a medium-strong welcome, performing the extremely appropriate “New York City,” featuring a Raekwon making an always-valid claim at continued relevance and ability. That momentum was lost, however, when Troy performed “Your Style.” The song was introduced as a “radio hit” but no one in the crowd knew the words or seemed interested in them. Due even more so to the weak and quietly played beat, this might have been the worst-received moment of the day.
Unfortunately, the show closed with Papoose. Even though “Current Events” was just about the least currently popping song to take the BHFX crowd home with, they did have the consolation of knowing they’d seen one of the most consistent rappers of all time rock (with incredible consistently), as well as seeing him cosign a song so extremely of-the-moment that it was surreal to see it performed on such a big stage: Bobby Shmurda‘s “Hot Nigga.” It was a strange link, but one that showed that even the most tooth-and-nail spitters of his and all generations knows how to just have a good time.

Photos by RESPECT.’s Julia Schur.

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Photos by Robert Adam Mayer aka Photo Rob
www.robertadammayer.com

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