I swear, the right combination of album releases can make some Fridays feel like straight holidays. Today is definitely one of those days:

Ralo – Free Ralo

Image credit: Famerica

Despite his current incarceration, Atlanta’s Ralo continues to push out music to the masses through his Famerica imprint. Following last year’s Conspiracy comes a new release titled Free Ralo, which sees 12 strong cuts and features from Young Dolph, Tee Grizzley, Shy Glizzy, VL Deck, Derez De’shon and more. Press play below.

Valee – Runnin’ Rich

Image credit: G.O.O.D./Def Jam

Having previously dropped this at the top of the month, Chicago’s Valee re-releases his latest EP Runnin’ Rich, which now sees eight tracks over the previous version’s six. Additional features all come from fellow Chicagoans Vic Mensa, King Louie and G Herbo.

Chris Brown – Indigo

Image credit: RCA

Chris Brown is back with a new album (his eighth) titled Indigo, which features enough quality music to last fans for the rest of the decade. The thirty-two track offering also sees a slew of assisting performers, including Drake, Nicki Minaj, Lil Wayne, G-Eazy, Gunna, Trey Songz, H.E.R., Tory Lanez, Tank, Justin Bieber, Tyga and more.

Expect to hear plenty of dope cuts from Indigo and all of your favorite functions this Summer.

Twista – Summer 96

Image credit: GMG Entertainment

The legendary Twista returns with a new project since 2017’s Crook County. Below lies Summer 96, a (presumably) nostalgic release that sees 15 tracks and appearances from Berner, (the equally legendary) Do Or Die, Bandman Kevo and more. The Chicago don is still lyrically healthy as ever.

Daniel Caesar – CASE STUDY 01

Video screenshot

Following his seemingly-random and very ill-advised support of YesJulz (also, whatever the hell happened with Dave Chappelle), Daniel Caesar presumably opted to fall back and focus on creating some quality music for his fanbase. Today, a surprise new album arrives from the Canadian artist titled CASE STUDY 01, which sees 10 new cuts and features from Brandy, Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, John Mayer and more.

If you haven’t cancelled him yet, feel free to press play below.

Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Bandana

Image credit: RCA

Here’s your hard-hitting Rap entry of the day: the Indiana-to-California connection that is Freddie Gibbs and Madlib created more heat rock to follow the criminally slept-on Piñata. Titled Bandana, this Hip-Hop masterpiece sees 15 new tracks from the duo and assists from fellow top-tier emcees Black Thought, Pusha T, Killer Mike, Yasiin Bey and Anderson .Paak. Whew.

Check it out below. Bandana is also the second part of a trilogy — here’s hoping that the third installment, Montana, isn’t too far in the distance.

Mustard – Perfect Ten

Image credit: Interscope

Last but not least, West Coast super-producer Mustard delivers his new project Perfect Ten, which — as the title suggests — sees ten quality cuts and appearances from Migos, Tyga, A$AP Ferg, A$AP Rocky, (10 Summers artist) Ella Mai, Young Thug, Meek Mill, Roddy Ricch, (longtime collaborators) YG and Ty Dolla $ign and more.

Plenty of infectious cuts to choose from below.

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The post NEW ALBUM FRIDAY: Chris Brown, Freddie Gibbs, Mustard & More appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Check out “HER Love” below.

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Image credit: Golden Child Recordings

Daniel Caesar returns. Preceded by an intriguing Craigslist ad comes a new single titled “Who Hurt You?,” which — judging from said ad — is an ode to a stripper from Atlanta who has Danny infatuated. You can check out the track below, which sees production from Jordan Evans and Matthew Burnett and features a vocal assist from T-Pain (extra points for the stripper connection).

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Boston Calling Music Festival located in Harvard University’s Athletic Complex May 25-27, 2018. All Photos taken by Miguel Crespo for RESPECT.

Red… Blue… Green… 3 main stages were set for another incredible time at Boston Calling Music Festival. Attendees from all over the country gathered to be apart. The popular event features some of the biggest names in music, comedy, visual arts, concessions, shopping and more. Now in it’s second year being held at Harvard University’s Athletic Complex, the population has comfortably risen and more stages have been placed. At last, the 2018 installment of festival had arrived. The lively city of Boston, Massachusetts was full of energy as the 3-day celebration kicked off. 

Festivals of the highest caliber offer more than just an incredible lineup of music. Games like hacky sack and cornhole were a great way for people to interact with each other and entertain themselves. Popular distributor for CD’s, apparel and figurines, Newbury Comics, held a “spin the wheel” contest where virtually everyone was a winner. Prizes included gift cards, water bottles, beach balls and much more to choose from. Audio company, JBL, also got in on the contest fun. People lined up and took turns throwing a ball at different targets lined up on a wall. You could win headphones, blue tooth speakers or other cool prizes. An exciting new installation created by innovative furniture company, IKEA, was probably the most popular attraction of the festival. Canopies, a rocking club area and samples of “IKEA Food” were given out. It was definitely the place to visit if you wanted to relax until the next artist took the stage.

This year, Boston Calling didn’t hold back. An impressive list of top artists fit the bill. This year’s lineup included Tyler, The Creator, Jack White, The Killers, Khalid, BROCKHAMPTON, Paramore, the legendary, Eminem, and more. Stunning performances played throughout the weekend. A diverse mix of music genres offered a chance to open ears to new artists and sounds you may not have been accustomed to before. Boston native, Cousin Stizz, was easily a highlight of the festival. Stizz was added to replace Stormzy, who couldn’t make the festival due to illness. The crowd participation was unmatched. Another notable performance was BROCKHAMPTON. The modern day boyband played their last performance until they handle some personal issues amongst their group. Fans stood in the crowd for hours just to see them and Tyler, The Creator, who would follow. The only DJ set of the weekend was owned by Mike D, who was a replacement for Bryson Tiller. He would be the final person to hit the stage before Slim Shady.

Multi-platinum selling rapper, Eminem, closed out the festival with an amazing, nearly 2-hour long performance. Marshall was joined by D12 member and super producer, Mr. Porter under a unique Detroit-based stage set up and live band. The surprises didn’t stop as Shady brought out the talented, Skylar Grey, who covered the choruses on songs like “Walk On Water,” which originally features Beyoncé, and “Love The Way You Lie,” which originally features Rihanna. Royce Da 5’9” was another special guest to perform along side Eminem. The entire population of the festival crowded around the stage to watch one of the greatest artists to ever pick up a microphone. Fireworks erupted as fans said goodbye to another successful Boston Calling.

With Boston Calling 2018 in the books, we can come to the conclusion that it was one of the summers best parties to attend. Flashing lights, great food, the Ferris Wheel spinning and great people made for an action packed weekend. We can’t wait to see what next year’s festival will unfold.

Westside Gunn. 

Conway. 

Daniel Caesar.

BROCKHAMPTON.

Tyler, The Creator.

Taylor Bennett.

Cousin Stizz.

Khalid. 

Eminem.

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Keavan Yazdani — who directed “Freudian” alongside Sean Brown — explains (source):

It’s an introspective look into why Daniel is the way he is, and the relationships in his life that are responsible for such… The second half of the video was inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Danny instructing the drill line as the sergeant is him finally taking control of all the relationships he’s experienced. Leading, as opposed to being lead. At the end of the day, the reason the visual is so obscure, is so the viewer can interpret it as feels right to them. Subjective shit.

Check it all out above…if you’re late to the party, Caesar’s new album of the same name can also be stream in full below, via iTunes/Apple Music (or any other streaming network).

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Dom Kennedy by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

After a turbulent Day 2 that could’ve been a festival all in its’ own, it was now time for the final day. Prior to the weekend, it was the day that the people were most excited about as it was stacked from top to bottom. Although traffic caused me to arrive after 5, the whole venue was buzzing about a chilling performance by newcomer, Trippie Redd. Like most other people, I’m faintly familiar with the Ohio native from his viral music videos on social media, but it wasn’t a performance I necessarily had pinned to my whiteboard. Talking with festival-goers who were there to witness it, it seems like my priorities need to be reevaluated.

Some artists I DID plan for and were unable to see, though, were NBA Youngboy and Masego. After signing a controversial deal with Atlantic Records, Youngboy’s ‘Never Broke Again’ dropped and instantly flooded my phone with new playlist tracks. As for Masego, I’ve been a big fan since Sego’s jazzy, ‘Pink Polo EP‘. It’s safe to say I was pretty disappointed to miss the two stars in the making.

Daniel Caesar by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

Despite missing out on a few favorites, I arrived just in time to see Daniel Caesar. I’m going to keep my review of Caesar’s performance short, as I plan to cover his tour stop in Las Vegas in full, but to put it plain and simple, he sounds even better live. I’ll let you read that again and allow it to sink in a little bit. The man who’s currently being touted as having the most soulful album out, actually sounds better live. The way he let the guitar bleed right into his captivating vocals was just something that everybody should see at least once in their life. Though it was a great performance, it did feel a little out of place on the line-up. Sure, SZA was able to blend in—but her songs have a certain bounce to them that allows for a good festival set. Caesar, on the other hand, literally had couples chest-to-chest and people on the verge of tears. It was a great showing, but with Vic Mensa & 21 Savage playing in the distance, it just felt foreign.

Photo Credit: Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

After checking out Caesar, I caught a brief moment of 21’s set, which came and went, before heading over to see Dom Kennedy. On the way to the show, Kiari, a couple of friends we were riding with and I had a discussion about Dom’s conflicting set with NY native, and recent XXL Freshman, A Boogie With Da Hoodie. They were playing at the same time and somebody was going to be left out. Kiari’s stance was that, he wanted to support the new school. He felt that photos of A Boogie were more relevant at the moment and although Dom was a High School favorite of his, the times had changed.

BULLSHIT!!!

I told him he was crazy – he wasn’t, that’s actually a very healthy perspective – and that this was Dom’s last hurrah. How could you miss that?! Look, I love Dom; but I’m also a realist. His last two – arguably three – projects were uninspired and lazy….. which is a lot to say about an artist whose best trait was making a lazy flow sound cold as ice. So for me, seeing Dom perform among thousands of people in California was more about nostalgia than it was about who was hot. In a festival that was dominated by newbies, this was the one time throughout the weekend that I was allowed to take a back, and take it back we did. Dom went through a slew of classics, including “This My Type of Party”, “I Love Dom” and a Nipsey Hussle assisted performance of, “Checc Me Out.” But no song, at least to me, rang more than when he played, “Don’t Call Me,” a silky smooth player cut from Dom’s critically acclaimed, ‘Yellow Album’. The crowd went bar for bar with Dom as we all lived out our fondest memories of having our shirts tucked in our jeans… We just thought it looked cool!

Dom Kennedy by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

Though Dom’s performance was over, the West Coast party was just getting started. While everybody came to see King Kunta close out the festival with one of his iconic sets, the crowd was also treated to a party, sermon, political rally and rap show all rolled into one when Compton native YG took the stage. Donned in a blooded-out flannel and a fedora, YG pulled out the whole repertoire, playing crowd pleasers like, “Toot it & Boot it”, “Really Be’”, and “My Nigga” which might’ve been the funniest song of the festival as white folks of all ages were sweating bullets, wondering if they could join along.

YG said they may not.

Isaiah Rashad by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine

At the culmination of what seemed like an hour long party from YG, a chubby white man suddenly walked on the stage and the music stopped. He then gave a supremely racist ran—wait could it be?! Did YG bring out the fucking president of the United States????! No, he didn’t. But the lookalike was going on and on about making America “great” again before YG and co sidelined the bigot and went right into, “FDT” which was without a doubt, for sure the most hyped song performed the whole entire weekend. No exaggeration.

Kendrick Lamar by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

With such a great slate of performers now in the rear-view mirror, it was now time for the main event.

Kung-Fu Kenny. K-Dot. Kendrick Duckworth, aka Kendrick Lamar.

With the entire venue packed the tee with what felt about a million people – seriously, there was zero elbow room – Kendrick promptly got on stage and killed it, but not like I had anticipated. What seemed like a show/opportunity of a lifetime for Chance just 24 hours ago, seemed like a tour stop for Kendrick. Now, I’m not saying it was a bad performance. Actually, I’m saying the opposite as it was amazing. But I’m no fool, and I’m not delusional—Kendrick was not as excited for this show as we were. Still, Compton’s favorite son had complete control over the anxious Anaheim crowd and if nothing else, it should be noted that Kendrick is in fact the greatest rapper alive. While Chance’s overall set the night before was more enjoyable, Chance wasn’t the only reason why his set was so great. But Kendrick? That man had nothing but a mic and a martial artist with him as he never missed not one single syllable while reciting some of Hip-Hop’s most complicated lyrics in otherworldly cadences, & he did it with seemingly little to no effort.

While I think it was unfair to compare the two considering it was Chance’s first time headlining a west-coast festival – Life is Beautiful will be his second – Kendrick’s brilliance was apparent in the way that even with his back against the wall, he’s still the greatest rapper alive. You guys just better hope he doesn’t get inspired – again – to prove it.

All photos taken by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

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This week has been a long one… You deserve to kick your feet back and chill. Thank god it’s FINALLY FRIDAY!

1. Kendrick Lamar (ft. Zacari), LOVE.

2. GoldLink (ft. Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy), Crew

3. Kendrick Lamar, Members Only

4. Jhene Aiko, While We’re Young

5. Frank Ocean (ft. Jay-Z & Tyler, The Creator), Biking (Solo)

6. Sabrina Claudio, Unravel Me

7. H.E.R., Every Kind of Way

8. PartyNextDoor, Freak In You

9. Daniel Caesar, We Find Love

10. 6LACK & Jhene Aiko, First F**k

11. Bruno Mars, Chunky

12. T-Pain (Freaknik the Ghost), Save You

13. Miguel, the valley

14. SZA, The Weekend

15. Stwo (ft. Amir Obe & Daniel Caesar), Fill The Void

Listen and comment what you think below. Relax, it’s finally Friday readers!

[Listen to the playlist on Apple Music here]

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