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A post shared by Lil Nas X (@lilnasx) on Apr 4, 2019 at 6:57pm PDT

This is how you win at life, no? Last December saw the release of Lil Nas X’s viral single “Old Town Road,” a track that shot up the charts and showed the possible progression of Country music — except that outlets (including Billboard) didn’t think that it was Country music. We wonder why.

“When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is musical composition. While ‘Old Town Road’ incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version.”

Undeterred, Nas X then hit them with the ultimate hee haw by getting motherf***in’ Billy Ray Cyrus on the remix, effectively cementing his stake in an evolving genre. The track bangs like hell, too.

Check it out below.

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The post NEW VIDEO: Billy Ray Cyrus Joins Lil Nas X on “Old Town Road (Remix)” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Mo’Nique was not here for the slander when it comes to her request for the boycott of Netflix based on what she alleges as gender, age, and racial bias.

On Friday (Feb 23), Mo’Nique appeared on Power 105.1’s Breakfast Club to speak on racial and gender inequality in Hollywood, she also took time to speak to Charlamagne Tha God regarding him giving her “Donkey of the Day” for her request.

“I want to address you specifically Lenard because I met you before about ten years ago in an elevator and you were very nice and respectfully so for you to give me donkey of the day, I was confused and wanted to make sure that I spoke to you personally and not through anyone else.”

In regards to her issue with Netflix, Mo’Nique states that she felt that she was overlooked not only because she is a Black woman but also because of her age.

“When we started the negotiations, we started positive and they were praising me letting me know that I was a legend, then suddenly the call dropped and no one bothered to call us back. We received a call asking why we hadn’t responded to an offer that we never received and when we did receive it; it was far less than someone with my resume should be paid.”

Not one to back down, Charlamagne explained why he gave her the hilarious title for the week following her original announcement and continued to inquire as to why she felt her instance with Netflix wasn’t isolated.

“To me, it sounds like an isolated incident because when you have Black women like Ava Duvarney who received millions and deals for multiple projects, maybe it’s just they don’t see the value in paying you that much. What can you provide to show them otherwise? Amy Schumer, although I don’t think she’s funny, has numbers she sold out arenas. Dave Chappelle did 1500 shows all of which sold out and Chris Rock is selling out arenas and you’re still talking about Queens of Comedy from 15 years ago.”

Although Charlamagne was making great points, the Golden Globe awarded comedienne was not impressed and before leaving at the end of the interview compared Charlamagne to the man who led his wife to the slave master in the film Birth of a Nation.

“You know what, brotha? You’re going to hear yourself a lot from me lately. You’re going to hear yourself around the world. We have to explain brothas like you, we do. And, when we watched that movie Birth of a Nation and we saw that man walk his wife into that master’s house, we watched him walk his wife in. Then we watched him go back and get ’em— you’re that brotha.”

Check out the tense interview below.

The post Mo’Nique Claps at Charlamagne Over Donkey of the Day, Explains Netflix Boycott Request [Watch] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

JAY-Z  has added a new video to the collection that supports his thoughts behind the lyrics and videos for his critically acclaimed album 4:44.

In the latest footnote for his recent short for “Kill JAY-Z,” Hov discusses that the entire song is about killing his ego, revealing that the lyrics are a conversation between who he really is and his public persona.

“It’s really about the ego. Killing off the ego so we can have this conversation in a place of vulnerability and honesty.”

The four-minute video also features other famous celebrities including Michael Che, Chris Rock, Trevor Noah, Van Jones and Charlamagne The God discussing the conflict of dealing with the ego but it’s significance in establishing your career.

“The ego is a funny thing because it’s what gets you on the stage,” Chris Rock said. “No one becomes famous thinking ‘hey I am the same as everyone else.'”

Jay also gives his perspective on the topic revealing that he had to have the conversation with himself so that he could have a “real conversation” about life and the things he’s done, both good and bad.

“JAY-Z, the public persona, couldn’t have this conversation, he has to be removed. So it’s really Shawn Carter speaking to JAY-Z, and he has to convince him to move aside.”

But while the rapper wants to kill his ego, he reveals he can’t fully do it.

“Some of the things I’ve done, you needed me. You need a bit of your ego at some point.”

Although Jay has been completely transparent about the majority of the lyrics on his song and album regarding his family, he has yet to discuss his feud with Kanye West. Only mentioning it in song as he spits, “You gave him 20 million without blinkin’ / He gave you 20 minutes on stage, f— was he thinkin’?” many fans are wondering if his take on his former friend will be discussed next.

Check out the trailer below.

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The post JAY-Z Talks About Letting His Ego Die in “Kill Jay Z” Footnotes [Watch] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

According to published reports on Monday (Jun 12th), Gambino and Chappelle will take to the stage at the famous Radio City Music Hall. Despite Gambino — real name: Donald Glover — also being a stand-up comedian, the quadruple threat will be lending his musical talents to the show as he prepares for the retirement of his stage name.

The joint show follows the release of two out of three of Chappelle’s highly successful Netflix specials, The Age of Spin and Deep in the Heart of Texas, as well as Gambino’s remarkable year in both music and television after winning a Golden Globe (‘Best Actor in a TV Comedy’) for his FX hit Atlanta, along with the release of his critically-acclaimed album Awaken, My Love!.

Gambino isn’t the only one joining Chappelle at the legendary venue: Erykah Badu, The Roots, Chris Rock, Trevor Noah, Ali Wong, and more are set to hit the stage during his residency at Radio City. Ten shows have been added and they will go on sale Friday (Jun 16th) at 10 AM via Ticketmaster.

The Chappelle/Gambino event is scheduled to take place on August 19. See the full lineup below:

Dave Chappelle and Friends at Radio City Music Hall

August 1-4 with The Roots

August 5 with Chris Rock

August 9 with Erykah Badu

August 15 with Very Special Guest

August 18 with Trevor Noah

August 19 with Childish Gambino

August 24 with Ali Wong & Special Guests

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The post Dave Chappelle and Childish Gambino to Team Up for One Night in NYC appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If you know anything about Alicia Keys then you should know that she’s not only passionate about her music but she’s also very passionate if not more about the conditions of the world and black culture. The “This Girl is on Fire” songstress has gathered together a few actors, comedians and music industry’s brightest and golden stars to convey a message of  “What gets you killed, if you’re black in America.”  Some of the stars include: Kevin Hart, Beyonce, Taraji P. Henson, Rihanna, Common, Chris Rock, Queen Latifah, Chance the Rapper and many more. You can even see P!nk and Maroon 5’s front man, Adam Levine in the video– which goes to show that the “Black Lives Matter” movement is not only affecting black communities but other races as well.

According to Identities.Mic Keys stated that Philando Castile was not a martyr. He was an ordinary 32-year-old black man whom fed children for a living and had hoped to make it home after work on Wednesday but he never made it there. Keys stated:

“That’s what I kept thinking last Thursday when I woke up and logged onto Facebook, where a Facebook Live video showing Castile dying in the driver’s seat of a car had started going viral. Castile was with his girlfriend, Diamond Reynolds, and her 4-year-old daughter when Minnesota police officers stopped them.

What struck me was that this was just the beginning. Castile’s name would become a hashtag. His image would appear on posters. His story would be picked apart, his family paraded in front of cameras. His loved ones would be forced to make the case in public that Castile should not have been murdered.”

Due to these unforeseen events, Keys began to compile her list of black only involved police altercations that turned deadly. Keys stated that she did it to prove a point:

“There is a tax on black life in America, and we are better than this.”

That’s when Keys decided it was time to take action and get other “powerful voices” to stand along-side her and fight for justice. In the video each star states a sentence of  “normal” actions done by everyday individuals that could ultimately get you killed if you’re black and living in this society. The video is powerful and shows stars at their most vulnerable state; some even looking emotional as they say their sentence. After each statement a photo and name of the individual in whom the sentence is reflecting graces the screen.

At the end of the video Keys stresses the point of contacting President Barack Obama & congress to tell them that the time for change is NOW! And she couldn’t be more on point with that.

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Somehow, regardless of all the hype surrounding the event, ABC reported a 7 year low in ratings for the awards show. 34.3 million viewers may be a lot for other TV stations but I’m sure ABC had much higher expectations. Overall the show traveled at a decent pace, there were no long speeches or anything that would slow the tempo.

The big winner of the night was Mad Max: Fury Road; an amazing movie that deserved to win all 6 awards!  Spotlight was the biggest surprise of the night winning the Best Picture Award over the remarkable film The Revenant and another award for Best Screenplay.

Nearly everyone thought Sylvester Stallone was going to win the award for Best Supporting Actor but Mark Rylance walked away with it for his role in Bridge of Spies. The Oscar for Best Actor in a leading role went to Leonardo DiCaprio as most people assumed; it is his first one but I’m sure it’s far from his last! On the female side, Brie Larson won Best Actress in a leading role while Alicia Vikander snatched the award for Best Supporting Actress. Hopefully next year we can have all of the actors we love in attendance!

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The post Why The 88th Academy Awards Wont Be Forgotten appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Cole World: The Sideline Story introduced the [commercial] world to an artist who had frustratingly watched his career remain stagnant from the periphery of a major label. It was not an awful debut, but compared to his previous projects, especially Friday Night Lights,  Sideline Story was characterized by some very frustrating internal tensions. While J was supposed to be recounting how he made it into the game from the sidelines, he too frequently looked back at the bench, nearly convincing the listener that that was where he actually belonged. In fact, at the album’s lowest points, he would rap as if he actually was on that bench (See: “Can’t Get Enough”). Born Sinner bring us a J. Cole who has exorcised that specific self-doubt and is now playing the game, skills on full display.

This new found confidence should propel Cole to dizzying heights, but he rarely soars, even when his home-brewed instrumentals give him quite the lift. For instance, on “Trouble,” he dwells on his problems with the ladies while a choir and anxious synths triumphantly blare in the background. It’s a powerful instrumental, but Cole seems scared to match its demands; he languidly alludes to “Set it Off” on the chorus and he raps with clear hesitation in the verses. Why is he holding back? The answer is unclear, but it almost seems as if he doesn’t believe he can do better.

On “Let Nas Down,” one of the most self-deprecating rap songs of the past decade, Cole laments over Nas’ negative reaction to his song “Workout.” Rapping, “Long live the idols, may they never be your rivals,” he works himself up over having disappointed Nas. It’s a strange song, not only because Cole seems genuinely distraught, but because he alludes to Kanye‘s relationship with Jay-Z in the chorus. It’s well-known that Kanye earnestly tried to impress Jay-Z for years, but Kanye used Jay-Z’s indifference as fuel; for Cole, Nas‘ reaction is a solid defeat. Of course, Kanye has a bigger ego than J. Cole, but at one point Cole endorses the adage, “Play the game to change the game.” If that’s the case, letting Nas down is something he should have always been ready for: since it comes with playing the game it should result in overtime, not forfeit.

Cole‘s battle with confidence isn’t always a setback. On “Rich Niggaz” and “Mo Money,” he uses his self-doubts to contextualize his wealth relative to “old money.” This contrast  isn’t new for rap or even rich blacks (Chris Rock has a funny bit on the racial dynamics of his neighborhood), but Cole occupies new ground when he is even willing to contextualize the dizzying wealth of Jay-Z, his label overlord. Cole is a millionaire and Jay-Z is a multi-millionaire, but there are people with even more money than Jay-Z! It’s an obvious point, but Jay-Z is the rap elite, so Cole‘s attention to the elite above the rap elite is refreshing. In the words of Saul Williams, “It’s bigger than rap.”

Interestingly, Cole is at his best when he reaches out beyond rap. On “She Knows,” which features Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors, Cole transforms her soft voice into an ectoplasmic yet soulful whimper. Similar wonders are worked on “Forbidden Fruit,” which features Kendrick Lamar. On paper, this collaboration looks like either a rap blogger’s wet dream or a label’s obvious attempt to make a radio song, but the prodigious pair elects to swim in uncharted waters. Drinking from the same “Mystic Brew” that fueled A Tribe Called Quest‘s “Electric Relaxation,” they produced a whisper of a track that features Kendrick  “lyrically humming.” It’s a brave choice that is only bested by “Power Trip,” an airy track that reunites Cole and Miguel for another reflection on love and its whims.

In the end, Born Sinner is an album that beats the sophomore slump, but it still showcases a J. Cole who is haunted by his own doubts, albeit new ones. Without a doubt, self-doubt can be a useful muse: Joe Budden‘s Mood Muzik series is all about transforming his self-doubt into music that expresses his demons in ways that his actions can’t. J. Cole’s wrestles with his doubts just aren’t quite as productive, at least not lyrically. His production work is top tier, but his lyrics and even the earnestness with which he delivers them, frequently fall short, almost as if he’s giving into his doubts. Given his progression since Sideline Story, for his next go-round, he should be able to either overcome or undermine his doubts. In other words, a three-peat is doubtful.

The post Album Review: J. Cole – Born Sinner appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.