RESPECT.is presented to you as a smooth, faceless entity, but in reality, it’s operated by over a dozen dedicated and dangerous hip-hop fans and aficionados. With this new feature, RESPECT. Roundtable, we hope to give you a brief glimpse into the minds of the individual voices behind RESPECT.‘s familiar resonant roar.

The first topic is Trillectro, the Washington D.C.-based music festival that explicitly encourages the ever-increasing collisions between hip-hop and what is now known as EDM. Most of the RESPECT. team will not make it to Trillectro, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have interesting thoughts on the festival’s lineup. Read below as we pick apart our hivemind just for you. The specific question everyone responded to was, “What two acts would you HAVE to see at Trillectro?”

Kevin Ahmadi – Writer

“Summer festivals are about two things: food and dancing next to half-naked women. These conditions require a fun party climate that is best achieved with big, hard-hitting beats. DJ Slink and Alex Young both meet that criteria without falling into annoying dubstep territory. While Wale may be the main attraction, the best atmosphere will be at Slink and Young’s shows. You could probably also score some molly if that’s still cool.“

Ali Holdridge -Writer

“It’s the heat of music festival season and Trillectro will no doubt go hard. Travi$ Scott and A$AP FERG top my itinerary list. Scott’s debut mixtape Owl Pharaoh, was extremely well-done. Seeing his new single “Upper Echelon” live would be insane.  Admittedly, I’m a huge fan of A$AP FERG’s remix to “Work.”  With Trap Lord set to drop Aug. 20, I’d jump on the opportunity to see the track performed in person. “

Veronica Slabicki – Writer

“Dave Nada and Matt Nordstrom are Nadastrom, and their DJ set is a living legend. The duo is known for pioneering moombahton, a genre that splices the pulsing rhythms of reggaeton with the energizing kicks of dutch house, for a combination that wreaks havoc on the dancefloor. Nadastrom will have you popping, jumping, and flailing, among other things. I wouldn’t miss that for anything. Venus X is also someone I wouldn’t miss. She came into the public eye through a weekly party called “Ghetto Gothic” which features a range of styles and aims to break the segregation of genres in the New York music scene. Unlike other artists who may premix their sets, Venus X takes a unique approach to deejaying, and she mixes sounds on the spot based on her own emotions, experiences, and the vibe of the crowd. That’s pretty rare these days.”

Sheldon Pearce – Writer

“As a DC native, when the full Trillectro lineup was released, my eyes immediately lit up when I saw Shy Glizzy would be gracing one of the biggest stages in the metropolitan area (figuratively speaking). But all regional biases aside, I’d have to say my two must see acts on a performance basis would be Travi$ Scott and A$AP FERG. I must have a thing for the whole dollar-sign-replacing-the-s shtick. I’m a big rap guy. The EDM/IDM/Dance records don’t really sway me (although they can be great for festivals like *cough* *cough* this one, so I don’t know I guess we’ll see). Hip-hop shows are incredible when done right, though, and I think both Travi$ and Ferg have the charisma and the catalogs necessary to put on a great show. Not to mention, FERG’s Trap Lord is due out a few days later so there’s some huge debut potential there (fingers crossed).”

Alyse Howard – Writer

“I would definitely HAVE TO SEE Nodastrom – I can tell they are very musically savvy.  Those conversational synths and hooky drum rhythms would provide the perfect atmosphere for me to dance and just dream. I would also definitely have to see  Phil Ade.  His rhymes are poignant and the accompanying videos add subtle touches of realness without overdoing it, you know?”

Fatima Johnson – Writer

“For me, music festival is synonymous with dance party, so I am going to Trillectro specifically to shake my tailfeather. Moombahton music is a new fusion of house/hip hop/reggaeton/dancehall that has been leaving divas and dancequeens breathless on the dance floor for the last three years. Moombahton beats are the hottest they’ve ever been right now, and there’s no better stage for the genre to shine than in its birthplace, Washington D.C. If you like to dance, like listening to dance music, like laughing at other people dancing, or all the above, definitely watch the Moombahton originator, Dave Nada, and his producer friend, Matt Nordstrom, performing as their DJ group, Nadastrom.”

Emmanuel Wallace – Writer

“This entire lineup looks interesting as hell. The first act I’d check out is King Chip. I’m a bit partial since he’s from my hometown and all, but I’ve been following the guy since he was Chip Tha Ripper and his devoted fanbase always make his shows fun. The second act is Phil Ade, I think he’s been overlooked by many over the past few years but he’s definitely been bubbling under the surface.”

Nina Long – Writer

“The two performances I would have to see at Trillectro would be Nadastrom and A$AP FERG. Nadastrom brings a ton of energy, and definitely knows how to get the party stated. Being that they are performing in their hometown, I’d expect their performance to be epic.  The trap lord himself, A$AP FERG, is definitely a must-see at the festival. His album is dropping in a few weeks so he’s definitely gong to be bringing it. Plus the A$AP Mob is totally unpredictable so you never know what they might have up their sleeve.”

Ryan Lyons – Writer

“I can only expect greater things to come out of Trillectro since I attended the first festival last summer. Beautiful people came out from as far as the West Coast to join in on a localized movement brought forth by the good folks at DC to BC.

Historically, Washington D.C has always had open doors to whatever emcee or group came down for the Howard Homecomings or whatever. Many rappers reference it in song. However, the city possesses it’s own slang and it’s own style that will be embedded in this show featuring emcees like Wale, Phil Ade and Shy Glizzy. I’m hoping Fat Trel makes an appearance as well.I’m most excited to see Wale perform some hits from The Gifted in his hometown because because this latest album sounds so much like D.C. ( i.e. congos, melody, live instrumentation). I’m hoping to see that in person and reminisce on the days when I witnessed him as a young pup covering gogo songs in the same area.

Other than Wale, I’m really looking forward to seeing Fergenstein [A$AP FERG]. His “Work” single and it’s remix are some of those tracks that made this summer more fun. How could we even have Trillectro without one of the main songs people turn up too? After witnessing A$AP FERG tear it down at SOB’s in NYC during the fall, I’m waiting to see how D.C. reacts to him.”

 

Ben Sherak – Online Editor

This festival is going to be an strange experience for everyone involved. From the fan-to-fan interactions, which are sure to be a confused intermingling of ravers, trendy hip-hop fans and diehards for individual acts, to the artists’ ability to engage a crowd that might not have shown up for their genre, let alone their individual music, Trillectro could go one of two ways. It could be an awkward but still energetic gathering, or a straight up amazing party. At good parties, you rock out, regardless of lyrics, regardless of anything. At amazing parties, you experience something new. It should almost offend your tastes at first, and it should be reshaping your tastes by the end. Your world should expand and your head should throb.

Standing in the way of Trillectro‘s ability to do that are a few things. Choosing a particularly organic sounding headliner, Wale, for a majorly electronic festival will probably wind up a bad call. If Salva or Nadastrom fans listen to any un-remixed hip-hop, it’s probably not Wale. Even though that album with the unused Wale Chia pet on the cover premiered at #1, it was a quiet #1. Even more importantly: it’s just uncool to love Wale, probably because of his lack of distinguishing traits and the fact that, according to those unearthed tweets, the rest of the cool kids of rap think (or used to think) he’s a joke. (LINK http://highbrowhiphop.com/old-tweets-of-rappers-talking-reckless-surface/). Regardless, his album is accessible to fans of music in general, so there’s certainly hope.

One rap act who’s far more fit for Trillectro and is more respected by the game’s current cool kids is Casey Veggies. Casey‘s “Everything Wavy” and “Faces” are synthesized and current enough to lure more than a few non-hip-hop heads toward his set. He’s also got the co-signs to backup his almost-man-of-the-hour style. Both ScHoolboy Q and Logic, current XXL Freshmen, named Casey as their pick for the main man missing from this year’s list. Add all of that to Casey‘s clear knack for style and the end result is one of the festival’s likely all-around successes.

Overall, it will prove hard to consolidate the two umbrella terms–trill and electro–that comprise the festival’s name until the music leads it there. Trillectro is doing a great service of creating an inhabitable melting pot, which will guaranteed be a good party. Time, and the direction of the music, will tell if it was great.

Stephen Kearse – Online editor

“The Trillectro lineup is a strange beast for me. On one hand, there are tons of amazing DJs with the proven ability to use largely un-instrumental music as marionette strings. On the other hand, there are rappers, but not rappers that I would necessarily qualify as “trill.” I’m from Atlanta, but I hadn’t heard the term “trill” since a DJ at a party back in 2010 surprised us with a spin of “Some Cut” by Trillville. If “trill” is back, how does Casey Veggies embody it? How does King Chip embody it? I don’t know, but those questions (and a preexisting interest in those specific rappers) alone would draw me out to the festival.

With that in mind, from a slightly less subjective perspective, I’d have to say that the sets to see would be Casey Veggie‘s and DJ Slink‘s. Slink is one of the few DJs out there who spins trap that I find tolerable. I hate to sound lame, but seeing someone twerk to a Rick Ross song about shooting people is just bizarre. I don’t think that would happen during a Slink set. He doesn’t seem to treat all trap equally. He makes a discernible distinction between songs to get rowdy to and songs to get nasty to. I appreciate that. As far as Casey Veggies, I just want to see how he approaches this set. He’s a solid rapper and a cool dude, but can he bring out the inner Miley Cyrus in that quiet girl from your English class? Or will he just play it cool? There’s only one way to find out.”

And there you have it. Expect more RESPECT. Roundtable discussions in the future and check out our review of Trillectro from last year.

The post RESPECT. Roundtable #1: Trillectro appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

I Love The Hype is a rising streetwear brand out of Cleveland, OH, and its clothing has been found on the bodies of some major players in the hip-hop game. The brand has designed multiple mixtape covers for Chip Tha Ripper, while rappers like Wiz Khalifa, Wale, Machine Gun Kelly and Big Sean have all been spotted rocking ILTHYs threads. As it prepares to drop its spring line, ILTHY drops off a visual lookbook featuring Chip himself, as well as DJ EV, who RESPECT. had a chance to interview a while back. You can peep more ILTHY over at their website.

The post Video: Chip Tha Ripper, DJ EV in ILTHY’s Spring 2012 Lookbook appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Touting yourself as the DJ Drama of Cleveland is a big statement. DJ E-V deserves it though. Yes, he is a radio DJ at a top 40 station, but don’t doubt this man’s hip-hop credentials. He’s been pushing the Cleveland hip-hop culture forward for more than a few years now, and he’s not stopping any time soon. 

RESPECT. : Some might kn0w you as the DJ from the top 40 station in Cleveland, can you explain why is DJ E-V hip-hip?

E-V: I come from hip-hop. My roots: hip-hop.  That’s how I got into DJing back in middle school. I got into the DJ world, then I took it international with pop music, house music, dubstep, but I still have everything based out of hip-hop.

RESPECT. : You are kind of like the pipeline for hip-hop in Cleveland. How would you describe your role in Cleveland hip-hop?

E-V: I like to take unknown artists from the east, west, everywhere and put ‘em in the speakers of everyone’s cars. It started in ’06 with Chip The Ripper. No one really knew these people. Then as far as my reach goes, I would promote them and then, boom, the songs would blow up, etc.  Right now, it’s just on a bigger scale.  But, even just in Cleveland, if a local artist wants us to host a mixtape, we have the outlets for them. It’s kind of like a DJ Drama thing in Atlanta.

RESPECT. : You’ve hosted quite a few mixtapes over the years. How has the mixtape landscape changed? Any saturation?

E-V: It’s definitely way different than 3, you know, 6 years ago. But, the real fans find what they want, and they find their genre, their style- the good stuff.  It is saturated.  There’s a lot of websites out there that have a ton of artists on there. Like Datpiff has way too much. There’s just way too much on there. When you go on there you’re overwhelmed.  How do you know what’s good? Livemixtapes, a competitor of Datpiff, filters out for quality. There’s quality control.  So, yeah, it’s saturated, but at the end of the day, the good stuff gets out.

RESPECT. : In one of your videos, you were breaking MGK’s “Wildboy” record and it actually started a mosh pit and borderline riot. You did the “lost tapes” feel mixtape with some exclusive Cudi tracks a few years back. Is breaking a record your favorite part of DJing?

E-V: It’s got to be one of them. The reaction from the crowd when you play the right song- that’s big. I love new music. I love new sounds.  I love new voices. I love to take that and just let people hear it and let them decide if they like it or not.  As a DJ, I’m on the radio,  you won’t always get opportunities so  you have to force it.  I will always, no matter what, play a new song. Wherever I’m at, it could be a super corporate event, but you know what? I’m going to play one of the new records. I’m going to force it. If they like it, they like it.  I remember DJ AM played “Day ‘n’ Nite” way back when it was just being broke. He was mixing it just enough for people to say “Whoa, what’s that? I like that!” Then he’d go onto to something like “Big Pimpin’,” you know? Something everybody knows. I get to do that for a job. Break new records.  I love new music, so it’s still just fun.

RESPECT. : How much power do you think a DJ carries now, especially with the outlets available to artists?

E-V: I feel like we have enough, but there’s so many other variables, the web, labels, radio. I think it is pretty well acknowledged that to make or break it you don’t have to have a DJ host your CD. Shout out to the DJs who are going to hate me for saying that. We don’t have to host some of these projects. I put out a Kid Cudi mixtape a while back, then I put out a MGK mixtape so the people who liked the first mixtape are like “Ok, I trust this guy’s opinion.” Drama put out Jeezy and all these dope artists, so the fans trust him.  They trust the DJ, so when they see a new CD and they don’t know it, but they know the DJ’s name next to it, then, boom, they give it a chance. That’s a marketing and branding thing. That’s the DJ’s power. Artist’s want to give the bigger DJs the music. Drama, Mick Boogie, Cinton Sparks, all those guys bigger than me, they get the stuff before I get it.  I work with what I can though. The MGK’s, the (Mike) Posner’s, etc.

RESPECT. : How did you link with MGK? When did you first hear about the kid in Cleveland?

E-V: He was just everywhere. He wasn’t popular by any means, but he was the person that would be at every rap battle. He was just always around. I think the first time I had a conversation with him was at this airbrush shop. He would sell my mixtapes. I would bring all my mixtapes there, and we would do that on consignment. I’d go pick up the money, and he would always be around there. That was one of his first jobs. The guy who owned the spot would always point him out to me and I’d tell him to send me some music, but his manager would never send me music. So, things could have happened. We could have started working together before we did. We finally started working together later down the road once he found his little realm.

RESPECT. : I know Mike Posner’s show is crazy. It is a little bit of pop. R&B and hip-hop mixed into one.  MGK’s show is even crazier. You have been a part of both, opening up for MGK and DJing Posner’s show. How do you handle each crowd?

E-V: At a Posner show, I would probably focus on the club atmosphere as a show DJ, but for a Kels show, there’s a lot more guys obviously, but it’s crazy because I can almost play the same sets for both their shows. Both crowds love the hip-hip. I’ll give them some electro. Obviously, the ragers at Kels’ show are hardcore and they’re going to have fun no matter what. Even if they don’t know the song, they’re still going to go hard to the beat. Same with Posner’s crowd. DJing for Posner is different because he did Europe, so when we did those shows that was amazing. It was just different. They loved uptempo, house music. I didn’t play much hip-hop when I was over there, but when I did, they went extra hard too.

RESPECT. : Was that the only different between an American audience and a European audience?

E-V: In Europe they seemed like they knew some house songs a lot faster, but for radio singles it’s backwards there.  At the end of the day, people just like to party. I don’t want to say it’s the same, but it’s good music and good music translates all over the world.

RESPECT. : You got to DJ in front of 70,000 with Posner last summer. With that said, do you prefer the stadium shows or club gigs?

E-V: I walked out to do Posner’s set and I couldn’t even take it in and understand I was in front of 70,000 people. This is where the best of the best come to perform and play.  How could you say no to the stadium/ arena? At the same time, the club events are more intimate. A thousand people. You can see the people’s faces. You hear other musicians talk on interviews about how different it is to play in a stadium. You can’t see people’s faces. You don’t feel individuals reacting to the music. It’s a different feeling, and they’re both great.  I don’t want to take one or the other ever.

RESPECT. : You have toured with big pop acts like Posner, but you also do solo DJ tours. How do they differ?

E-V: Well for one, I don’t have a tour bus. You get a couple friends together. Grab the big truck and the trailer and go.  I got my equipment guy. That’s about it. It’s less budgeted, but you get more in tune with the fans. We would just show up at the dorms and just hang out. It was all college shows, so it was cool. It is a lot more nitty gitty like a Warped Tour for my tour. It’s awesome. I love it.

RESPECT. : You might drawn comparisons to the Skrillex’s and Deadmau5’s and the other touring DJ acts. Being based in hip-hop whereas they are based in other genres, do you mind those comparisons?

E-V: I don’t mind being compared to anybody as long as they’re a good DJ. There’s so many good DJs. A lot of artists don’t like to be compared to other artists, but I don’t care as long as they’re good. I love comparisons, but at the end of the day I’m different because a lot of DJs stay in one genre. If they do break out, it’s not really that big.  I feel like I’m a little bit of everything. No one really does that. I’m at pop radio station, but I have a huge hand in hip-hop as far as mixtapes. At the same time, my shows are electro driven. Even if it’s at a hip-hop show, I’ll play dubstep. I’ll mix it in with the hip-hop, and people still like it.

RESPECT. : How did your music sharing website, Leakjones.com, come about?

E-V: When I was first working with Chip (Tha Ripper) back in the day we would put out mixtapes, and I’d always leak a song. When I was selling the first mixtape I did with all the local artists, I would leak a lot of the songs so one day Chip was like, “ Ahh man, you’re Leak Jones.” So like two years later, all the blogs would never put my stuff up. I was doing these mixtapes with thousands of hits and the blogs still wouldn’t show me any love, so I decided to start my own blog. The name was already there so the rest is history.

RESPECT. : What do you have coming up?

E-V: Right now we have the tape Reckless Wobbles (a remix mixtape hosted by Drama beats and Benzi), we have a party at SXSW, the Winter Music Conference. I’m trying to make a lot of noise down there. As far as mixtapes go, I’m doing my own original CD. I’ve got some house and hip-hop mixtapes coming. I got Ray Jr.’s (Def Jam’s latest signee) mixtape that just dropped. I’ve got a tour this Spring, and I’m doing a lot of festivals.

RESPECT. : What’s the story behind the album?

E-V: My style is so unique, and I play so many different genres. I don’t want people to be like, “Oh, he’s a radio DJ, he’s a hip-hop DJ, he’s a dubstep DJ.” The reason why I do all those different genes is because I love all of them. I only play what I like. With the album, I want to put something out that’s all original material. I’m going to get all the artists I know, then bring some new artists in and just put something that mixes all those genres in one. That’s exclusive, too. Just got the go ahead to start talking about it.

twitter: @djEV

The post Exclusive Interview: DJ E-V Talks Hosting Mixtapes, The Power of the DJ and Playing in front 70,000 People appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Cleveland’s own Chip Tha Ripper, along with his management team, announced a new mysterious project on Twitter, “Tell Ya Friends,” which will be hosted by MTV.

Since then, they have been tightly-lipped about the announcement, but one could imagine it being another reality show (perhaps documenting his talent?) in MTV’s evening rotation, or comparing Chip‘s run with the Family Guy-based artwork in his mixtapes – The Cleveland Show, Independence Day and Gift Raps. A show of that caliber would definitely be more entertaining. What do you think?

The post Chip Tha Ripper Announces “Tell Ya Friends” Television Show appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.