Photo by @nativepharaoh

Philadelphia is on kind of a winning streak right now. Outside of music, the city just saw the Eagles win their first Super Bowl ever & I’m sure The City of Brotherly Love has no qualms with celebrating Villanova’s recent Natty, while inside the industry artists like PnB Rock & Lil’ Uzi Vert are making major waves. Bulldozing his way up the rankings while enjoying the city’s renaissance is Corey Lee, who returns to the RESPECT. Mag pages with his introspective new cut, “October Intro.”

Unleashing his thoughts over a Cousin Vinny beat that sounds like it could’ve been apart of Drake’s “AM/PM” series, “October Intro” is the perfect release to bridge Lee’s fans into his next project. From giving you an update on how he’s handling success, “Feelin’ like Dave, I got paranoia too,” to flexing his obvious lyrical advantage of certain newcomers, “I ride with niggas that’s like 6’5 but they still gotta keep like six nines cause niggas iffy, uhh,” the Philly native spares no feelings and showcases a polished sound on this track.

Check out, “October Intro” below and get hip to Corey Lee.

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The post Philadelphia Wordsmith Corey Lee Pulls No Punches on, “October Intro” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by @UncleF1icks

When it comes to looking for something to symbolize fierceness, aggression and just pure pandemonium towards an opponent, there’s no better muse than Oklahoma City Thunder point guard, Russell Westbrook. See, it’s not just that he averaged a triple double, or that he’s now the leagues overwhelming MVP. No. It’s the way he dominates opponents that has endeared him to our hearts. While he’s stealing America’s heart, he’s eating the opps’. He’s a killer (not literally) and that controlled (sometimes it’s not) killer instinct is something that literally every wannabe-alpha-dog in these United States of America. He also serves as a fantastic selling point and metaphor when it comes to demonstrating your impending atomic bomb on the game and that’s exactly what Philly native Corey Lee did with the Westbrook-inspired single for, “Why Not?”

Set to the tone of a hard-hitting J.Rach track, Lee absolutely bodies this track. I became a fan of Lee through his, A Shot In The Dark, project last year. On, “Why Not?” Lee keeps his smooth cadence and ups the ante with boastful bars like, “I’m a franchise player you talking practice to me? Your favorite rapper target practice to me,” coupled with generationally conscious lines like, “You can act like you don’t see me nigga/ way to overwhelming, Matt Ox,” and “Make me wanna go grab like the Uzi like they left the nigga off Bad and Boujee.” With tracks like this, it’s not hard to imagine the East Coast rep stamping his mark in the game on a national level sooner rather than later.

Check out the single, “Why Not?” below and get hip to Corey Lee.

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The post Philadelphia Rep Corey Lee Unleashes the Fierce New Single, “Why Not?” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

So last Thursday night, March 23^rd, I celebrated my 22^nd birthday. Now, I live in Las Vegas, Nevada; so me celebrating my birthday may have a different connotation than somebody in let’s say, anywhere else? Anyways, we partied all night, hopping from various bar to bar making our presence felt. As expected, I hardly remember 90% of that night – I was told that I had fun – though it definitely should’ve been 100%. The 10% that I remember? LISTENING TO KING KENDRICK LAMAR’S “The Heart Pt. 4” OVER AND OVER AS I TRIED TO NOT TO LOSE MY SH*T! I mean wow, did you guys hear that? I’ll be honest, at first listen, I thought he sounded a bit lackadaisical and bored, but that must’ve been the gin clouding my ear drums because he’s actually the exact opposite. I won’t sit here and try to figure out who those shots were for in the second verse – Big Sean you’re on notice, “bro” – but whoever it was that Cornrow Kenny had in his Terminator like vision, I’m sorry. I’m sorry that out of all the people to send shots toward Kendrick in the last few years, that you’re the one to potentially “end up like the last n*gga I know” – Drake you’re on notice as well. Though the war declared by Kendrick – 4/7 can’t come any faster – might’ve dominated the headlines last week, some dope, underrated music has been circulating around the net, and these five tracks need not be lost in the Spotify shuffle. Featuring tracks from Supreme Ace, Michael Christmas, Zelly Vibes and more; check out this week’s, With All Due RESPECT.

Free P – “Midnight Poetry”

Checking first to this week’s list is buzzing artist Free P with his track, “Midnight Poetry”. Perfectly titled, “Midnight Poetry” sounds exactly like what the title may infer. Self-reflective lines like, “I been drinking so much, it’s like I’m swimming with the fishes,” coupled with generationally — not a word but it sounds right — relevant bars such as, “She telling me to hit it slow and pay attention” create an aesthetic to the track that reminds me fondly of DMV native Goldlink. While the sonic direction of, “Midnight Poetry” differs from damn near all of Goldlink’s work, the two share a similar flow and choice of topic: Make it out the jungle (alive) with a lioness by your side. I came across the hotspitter’s music in the most 2017 way possible. While browsing through Twitter looking for memes, I came across P’s music through a retweet by a colleague on my timeline. The cover art boasted by the track intrigued me, so I asked my colleague’s opinion of him, in which he raved about the promising artist. I proceeded to listen, and instead of finding one track, I found a whole stash; highlighted by the gem that is, “Midnight Poetry”. What a time to be alive, am I right? Join the club and stop snoozing on P, check out the track below.

https://soundcloud.com/freep/midnight-poetry

Corey Lee – “Greedy”

Greed is a tricky word, and in Hip-Hop, it’s tossed around more often than a groupie. How many times have you heard an artist complain and complain about how a label – or supervising artist – is greedy and just trying to shade their shine? Approximately, about how many times has that artist been factually correct, instead of just throwing an warranted temper tantrum? Checking in next on the list, Philadelphia native Corey Lee, is not one of those artists. On his track, “Greedy” off of his new project, A Shot in the Dark, Lee makes it known his time is coming, and it’s coming fast. Lines like, “Make a mill and I’m never coming home” as well as the hook, “You been eating long enough, stop being greedy/ Keep it real, I know you wanna see me,” make this such an authentic aggressive style Philly track. This is the type of song that’ll make you want to go tell your boss, “Give me the raise or I’m out!” right before you go sit right back in your desk and get back to work – don’t forget you’ve got bills. After releasing the project to rave reviews and tearing up SXSW, it seems as though Lee is ready to make that change. I suggest you stop sleeping and ride that change with him. Check out, “Greedy” below.

Zelly Vibes – “We Can Have it All”

Every so often, an artist comes out and you can just see the sauce dripping from their aura. Some artists take YEARS to develop a style that’s accepted by the masses and some artists, pick it up at the drop of a hat. Las Vegas native Zelly Vibes is one of those artists. Though she was originally a Spanish singer exclusively, Vibes reinvented her whole image and sound in a way that not only was more marketable, but more comfortable it seems as well. The result? Her newest track, “We Can Have it All” which carries some serious Kehlani vibes throughout the track. Utilizing her soft voice to accentuate every single note and lyric, the Vegas rep switches seamlessly from angelic to aggressive, essentially capturing the essence of women everywhere – can’t wait to be attacked for this one. Lyrics like “I can be your muse, baby light me I’m the fuse,” highlight her strength as a song writer as well. Personally, I love the message of the chorus as well, as Zelly chooses encouraging lyrics to go with the tropical beat in an attempt to keep spirits high. Check out the new track from the Sin City songstress below, and be sure to be on the lookout for the video, coming soon.

https://soundcloud.com/zelly-883556916/we-can-have-it-all

Moose – “Vegas is a MFKA (Feat. Trade Voorhees, G. Reed + Blair Norf)

Keeping it in the City of Sin, the next artist on the list is the multidimensional rapper/producer Moose and his ode to the 702 with “Vegas is a MFKA“. Produced by Freddie Gibbs‘ secret weapon Blair Norf, “Vegas is a MFKA” really should replace whatever weak melody that’s currently labeled as Nevada’s state song. In an effort to keep the authenticity, Moose recruits local legends Trade Voorhees and G. Reed, who seem like had a friendly competition with the way they spit their rhymes. Voorhees opts for the “Big Homie” lane with bars like, “There’s no better than Veteran Voorhees, zero” while Reed narrows his lyrical bullets toward the fashion lane, stealing the show with lines like, “My pants Australian, my fleece Canadian/ The weed that I’m blowing still louder than the stadium.” In all, the track highlights Moose’s best quality as a musician, which is the ability to bring people together to create magic. Check out the new track below, fresh off of Moose’s City Never Sleeps project, and stop sleeping on Vegas. There’s a movement here.

https://soundcloud.com/moosethecoolest/vegasisamfka

Supreme Ace – “Make a Play (Feat. Michael Christmas)”

Rounding out the list this week is Denver, Colorado native Supreme Ace with his dusty new track, “Make a Play“. Featuring Boston rhymeslinger Michael Christmas, it would be easy to assume without listen that the wordsmith Christmas may have the upper hand on the track, but the decision is harder than you may think. Having never heard of Ace before this track, he instantly made me a fan with his laid back cadences and suave demeanor. “You just storytelling about sh*t you never had, sh*t that could’ve happened now it’s in the bag,” rhymes Ace over the soulful, sample driven production that sounds straight from the Just Blaze vault. Never the one to be outdone, Christmas still delivers that heat, though, spewing off bars like, “I’m on a boat wylin’, too close to home so the Coast Guard profilin’/ I need a different island, I’m in the part where you become a legend/ They start a movie, I’m looking goofy in a rusty hooptie.” Check out the ode to rooftop parties in Miami and L.A. below and be on the lookout for Ace’s Layovers in NYC, slated to be released later this year.

There you have it! Let us know how we did, did we get it right? Are we still sleeping on your favorite local artist? Let us know in the comment section below!

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This project has a little something for everyone — bangers include “Carlton Banks” and “Greedy,” and the laid back tracks include “Remember” and “How Many.” Philadelphia rap artist Corey Lee isn’t missing any shots. Even when he is preparing for the worst he is still praying for the best.

After all the hype, the project is now here for your listening pleasure. Lee has finally released his debut album A Shot In The Dark and it is available on his Sound Cloud platform. The 27-year-old Norristown native has been on the grind and moving with a full head of steam since the end of 2015 building the anticipation for his first album. During that time he was able to earn major co-signs from super producers Sonny Digital,  Cardo Got Wings, and rising social figures like YesJulz.

Now, the artist is taking the next step in his career as he shines in his debut album. Just in time for his performance at the legendary SXSW festival this year, Corey Lee comes through with A Shot In The Dark which is laced with 11 enjoyable tracks and no features. In the album, Corey Lee comes to grips with his new life in the music industry. With the ups and downs of the tracks in the album, it is presented as a diary of the rappers encounters with new faces and an ode to his homies. With the help of multiple producers, Lee was able to craft a coherent and pleasing album. “A Shot In The Dark is what I am, the person you’d never think of. That one nothing that turned into something, that last person you’d think of. Also it was my way of showing people what a person can do when given the opportunity,” Corey says when describing his album.  You can be a part of the thrilling listening experience by streaming A Shot In The Dark below.

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1989 was a very big year for Philadelphia hip hop. Will Smith aka “The Fresh Prince” was coming of an amazing run with not only the historic sitcom but music as well. Coincidentally that was the year Philly artist Corey Lee was born. Will and his Bestfriend and Dj Jeff “Jazzy” took home a Grammy for “Parents just don’t understand” 26 years ago to this date.

In 2016 the Philadelphia music scene is starting to create a wave again with young upstart artists such as Lil Uzi Vert and PNB Rock along with now veteran figures such as The Roots & Meek Mill to name a few. The latest artist to receive national recognition goes by the name of Corey Lee. A relatively unknown artist outside of the city gained major attention towards the end of 2015 when super producer Sonny Digital got ear of his music and gave him a co-sign. Corey took full advantage of the co-sign & released an instant hit record ‘Cam Newton‘ produced by Yung Trel a few days later. Since then the record has gained national attention with the help of Cam Newton’s name, major producers like Cardo Got Wings & Sap co-signs as well as rising figure YesJulz (Julz Goddard) placing the record on her famous “New Music Monday‘s” playlist.

Sunday, February 21st Corey Lee was featured in HipHopDX‘s “DXUpNeXt”, an outlet that placed more national attention on the rising star. It was fitting for the follow up to his ‘Cam Newton’ record be an anthem that represents Philadelphia to the fullest & endorses what’s to come for the city.

Now, Corey taps producer Yung Trel for new record ‘Carlton Banks’. This record takes you on a ride, a bouncy southern style beat with east coast rhythm & a swagger that you can only find in the city of Philadelphia. Consistent lyrics and an undeniable flow as well as a few name drops in reference to the show that helped put a Philadelphia kid into the history books.

Check out the new track ‘Carlton Banks’ which has already accumulated over 11,000 plays via SoundCloud.

Jiggin’ on em’, Carlton Banks!

The post Corey Lee Is Jiggin’ On Em’ Like ‘Carlton Banks’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Corey Lee drops his first single after receiving a big co-sign from super producer Sonny Digital. The rising artist flows over a Yung Trel-produced record entitled “Cam Newton”. This song is filled with tricky one-liners as well as decisive flows.

The post New Music: Corey Lee – “Cam Newton” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.