After dropping the incredible Anderson .Paak assisted single “Dang!” earlier this month, Mac Miller has once again blessed us with a new track “We”, this time featuring the hard-to-find Cee Lo Green. While “We” is certainly a musical departure from the house inspired sound that permeated his previous single, it’s clear that love and all of its complications are still on Mac’s mind. The song opens with a soulful choir of “oohs” before Mac launches into his verse, “Well you ain’t in the mood to argue/Baby don’t you worry, this some s**t to get along to”.

The instrumental is as beautiful as it is wistful and Cee Lo does a fantastic job closing out the track in his signature style.  Considering the scope of just the first two singles, The Divine Feminine is proof that the Pittsburgh-native is nowhere close to exhausting his seemingly boundless creativity.

“We” is set to appear on Mac’s upcoming fourth album, The Divine Feminine, which is slated to drop on September 16th. Mac revealed the entire track list to the project yesterday as well, with big names Ariana Grande and Kendrick Lamar making appearances. Both artists have already collaborated with Mac before, on cuts “My Way” and “Fight The Feeling” respectively. Peep the entire list below.

1. Congratulations (feat. Bilal)
2. Dang! (feat. Anderson .Paak)
3. Stay
4. Skin
5. Cinderella (feat. Ty Dolla $ign)
6. Planet God Damn (feat. Njomza)
7. Soulmate
8. We (feat. CeeLo Green)
9. My Favorite Part (feat. Ariana Grande)
10. God Is Fair, Sexy, Nasty (feat. Kendrick Lamar)

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The post [Listen] Mac Miller Recruits Cee Lo Green For New Single “We”, Releases Tracklist For “The Divine Feminine” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Mac Miller is ready to release his follow-up project to GO:OD AM. On a recent interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Miller announced the name of his latest album, premiered a single, and even gave us a release date in one day.

‘It’s dropping in September. Its called ‘The Divine Feminine’ – @MacMiller is dropping a new album this year. More coming next // @Beats1

— Zane Lowe (@zanelowe) July 28, 2016

Mac’s next LP is titled The Divine Feminine and will be released on September 16. The Pittsburgh rapper says the album will feature Kendrick Lamar and Cee-Lo Green.

Miller also premiered his new single with Malibu artist Anderson .Paak titled “Dang!”

 The groovy lounge music style production really complements Miller’s voice. Miller spits a witty verse while .Paak delivers a soulful hook that makes the song infectious.

YES THIS IS ALREADY JUST SO ?????? @MacMiller @AndersonPaak @zanelowe

— Simba (@BVSEDANGEL) July 28, 2016

Miller is expected to raise the bar on The Divine Feminine. From the sounds of this latest single, Miller seems to be on the right path. Pre-order the album here.

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The post Mac Miller Announces New Album and Drops New Single, “Dang!” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The term “legend” is thrown around far too often. Rihanna tweets a picture of her nearly-naked behind, it’s “legendary”. Justin Bieber takes a leak in a mop bucket, and according to his 41 million Twitter followers, he’s a “legend”. But Stokley Williams has undoubtedly earned his status, worked for his remembrance. He’s one of the few breathing musicians who truly deserve the sobriquet. The Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and front man of multi-platinum R&B group Mint Condition, boasts a massively impressive catalog; he has worked with Prince, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Usher and Luther Vandross.

In fact, he is no stranger to the Billboard Charts. His latest production credits include Wale‘s chart-topping album, The Gifted, on which he co-produced a plethora of tracks. From the ‘70s soul throwbacks to the skilfully constructed hooks, Wale truly delivered one of the most memorable gifts of 2013. In an effort to shed some light on the making of this critically acclaimed LP, RESPECT. spoke with the hitmaker about working with Wale, and the amount of time it takes him to compose a hit.

RESPECT:. I am curious as to how you’ve managed to co-produce one of the biggest hip hop albums of 2013. How does an R&B/Soul veteran put himself into the mind of a 28-year-old rapper?

The common denominator is the word “soul”. That’s what Wale was looking for, he’s from a place that embodies that sensibility. Having said that, it was a natural progression and fit for everybody in the room.

In your wildest dreams, did you ever think The Gifted would sell 151,871 units in its first week and land Wale his first ever number one album?

We just did what we felt was dope! That feeling resonated through all the sessions we did together.

You have long been composing music that almost everyone likes. Do you have a way in knowing if a song is going to be a hit?

You know it gets kind of tricky because yes, you feel something is good but sometimes it will be the opposite song on a CD that everybody is feeling. So you think you know sometimes. Again though, you do what you feel and hope it resonates with everybody the same as you feel it.

I’m assuming you probably had a feeling “LoveHate Thing” was going to be a hit?

The day we put it together was just magic! What was funny was when I first met with Wale, he kept talking about Mint Condition and the feel that he wanted playing some of our stuff in the meetings we had. Talking about the sounds, the mixes, the titles, etc…I knew what he was talking about. It all had to do with soul, that organic approach to music you know? It’s no wonder that it has a Marvin Gaye feel to it. That whole era was all about soul.

The song has made a speedy impact on urban radio as the No. 1 most added record to playlists. The 70s-soul throwback vibe you’ve incorporated on there. It sounds like something that wouldn’t work on paper.

Yeah, but we ain’t talking bout paper, we talking bout’ music! Unless you write it down, you can’t see it but when it hits you, you feel it’s infinite power. Now having said that, this song is a vehicle to make some paper!

How did you and Wale hook up?

Through my management, I was in Los Angeles and Wale wanted to have a meeting with me and the team he was putting together. That ended up being me, Sam Dew, and ToneP. There were other folks in the room that contributed in other ways as well.  Again he spoke about old music and the way it has influenced the generations after, played much Mint music as well as others…just conceptual stuff. Then we set the dates for the first sessions in Atlanta.

Does there need to be good chemistry between you and an artist when working together?

Absolutely, it’s all about vibe to me. We all got electricity running through us so we all gotta be connected. As a producer, it’s up to me to try and bring the best out of an artist, or inspire them to want to do better reach higher, dig deeper and wider.

How did you go about finding that gifted atmosphere with Wale?

I believe that something about me resonated with him, and that same thing was in him too. Gift recognized gift!

Is there a range in how long it takes you to produce a song?

It’s different all the time. Some songs take 10 minutes…literally, they kind of write themselves. Others you might want to massage for a while so you don’t miss anything. Generally, in hip-hop, things move pretty quickly. I guess I can say that about a few different genres though. It really depends on the artist.

Were you selective about having exactly the right beats and sounds to work with when you started building, “Gullible” featuring Cee Lo Green?

Absolutely. I listened to Wale‘s earlier stuff. I wanted to hear what worked and what I thought didn’t from a production standpoint. The thing is he was much more on his game than his previous CD’s which really helps my job. The clearer the artist is, the better for me. We just had to have the right sounds and textures for everything.

You provide the background vocals on the introductory song, “The Curse of The Gifted” and “Sunshine”. Does singing and producing come from the same creative place for you?

They are two different lanes for me most times. Sometimes they merge.

Two other standout tracks are “Heaven’s Afternoon” and “Black Heroes / Outro About Nothing”.  Did you already have a master plan in mind for these two tracks?

Well on those songs, the basic parts were already done. What Wale wanted me to do was to help create some dynamics…more peaks and valleys. In a lot of hip-hop, there’s only one section all the way through. We just created different doors for him to walk through and paint the room up.

What song took the longest?

Well overall, we massaged this whole project for about a year and a half. Wale‘s live show dates, my show dates, and  Sam‘s show’s had to all be scheduled. Also, Wale wasn’t gonna’ release it until it was ready. He really wanted to perfect everything, record with other producers and see how everything stacked up.

Based on the success of this album, will you also be working on Wale’s next album, The Album About Nothing?

Not sure, if he wants that then cool. Although I think that may be a more mixtape vibe, something he started out doing in the beginning that was maybe grittier.

Aside from producing, you’re currently on tour, right?

Yes, check the MintConditionMusic.com site to find dates.

The post Exclusive Interview: Stokley Williams Speaks On Producing Wale’s “The Gifted” LP appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

For all those who had concerns about “Hammer Dance” not being radio-friendly, “My Life” should assuage your worries. Featuring Cee Lo Green and a very poppy sound, this new single is clearly an appeal to the masses. Diehard Slaughterhouse fans may be slightly disappointed, but hey, they’re not paying the bills. That being said, despite the poppy vibe, the verses are neither as vapid nor as silly as one might expect. As usual, puns, allusions, references and wordplay reign supreme. Enjoy.

The post New Music: “My Life” – Slaughterhouse ft. Cee Lo Green appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Back in his comfort zone after his appearance on the O’Reilly Factor, Lupe Fiasco showed up on last night’s episode of Cee-Lo‘s new Fuse show “Talking With Strangers“. On the web you can see some clips from the full show, including  a dynamic performance of “Daydreamin’” from the good old days, and Lu explaining what’s wrong with the state of hip-hop and what makes Nas his favorite rapper.

Via Fuse

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Momma always said not to talk to strangers, but Cee-Lo can. Here’s a first look at his new Fuse talk show, Talking To Strangers, which features clips with Keri Hilson, Lupe, Estelle and more. The show premieres June 22 at 11pm.

Via Rap Radar

The post Cee-Lo Talk Show Trailer appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Cee Lo Green sings about lost love’s from high school and years younger while in a 60’s diner. Can this video-song combination get any better?

The post Cee Lo Green “Fuck You” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.