Image credit: Coach Q

Durham, NC artist Danny Blaze is building up quite the momentum: he’s already made waves with the J Dilla tribute “Thank You Mr. Yancey” and his appearance at April’s Art Of Cool Festival. Now, he connects with fellow North Carolinian Well$ on the Austin Taylor-produced cut “Keep It Player,” which can be streamed below and purchased/download via iTunes (Spotify users can also rejoice).

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The post Danny Blaze & Well$ Represent North Carolina Well with “Keep It Player” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Looking for a way out of a gang affiliated lifestyle that almost cost him his life several times, his escape route was found upon discovering he could rap – well.  So the very idea of being better than you were yesterday and living out your dreams is a reality.  Forming a group known as The Koolest, he toted his southern energy and added flare from his soul and west coast influences that garnered him the opportunity to open up for Big K.R.I.T., Juicy J, A$AP FERG, Joey Fatts, Key!, Smoke DZA, and radio play at Raleigh K97.5 FM.

Danny is currently on tour to promote his new music. Check the flyer below and follow him on Twitter to see if he’s stopping in a city near you!

The post New Music: Danny Blaze – “California Dreaming” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Durham, North Carolina rapper, Danny Blaze releases his cinematic visual “Pus(her)” based on his experience of dating a woman who sold drugs and the message behind this story.

Directed by HeadGraphix, Danny Blaze walks you through their time spent together and his lady hustling.  You can expect to hear this lead single produced by Hak and more storytelling rhymes on his upcoming ‘Punk Ass Dan’ EP releasing the end of 2016.

The weight keep moving and the loot is getting better/
But in the back of her mind she thinks “I can’t do this shit forever/
Say she wanna have some kids, be a mother/
And we both gon have a Benz, different colors/
Every night we in the bed under covers/
Talking bout all the time we gon spend with each other/

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The post #PeepTheVisual: Danny Blaze – “Pus(her)” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With everyone buzzing about the late & great producer + emcee extraordinaire J. Dilla due to the recent 10-year anniversary of his popular album, Donuts, North Carolina bred rapper Danny Blaze saw it as the perfect opportunity to make a tribute to record to one of his biggest influences. Taking a bit of a different approach, Danny named the record after Dilla, but used his real name.

“I wanted to thank J Dilla, who’s birth name is James Dewitt Yancey, for inspiring me to be the artist I am today,” says Danny Blaze. The record happens to also be produced by the late producer J. Dilla himself.

On the dedication cut, Danny rhymes:

“I never got to meet you in person / I think it would’ve been awesome if we could sit and just talk about your beats and your verses / I used to dream I could work with / You but now the closest I’ll get to that comin’ true is to listen to what you do on this CD I purchased”.

Danny also calls on the help of his partner in rhyme, Tab One, to help pay homage to Mr. Yancey.

Check out the dedication cut below and keep it locked on RESPECT for the North Carolina talent’s next release!

If you missed Danny’s latest, make sure to listen here on RESPECT. Paying tribute to people who are great at their respective crafts is not a new theme in Danny’s music. When the NFL season was heating up, Danny seized the opportunity to honor the quarterback on his home team, the Carolina Panthers, dropping the upbeat “Cam Newton” record which you can listen to here.

When things were getting real and it was announced that the Carolina Panthers were going to play in Super Bowl 50, Danny struck once again, this time relying on some help from fellow NC rappers, Will Wildfire and Drique London, for a well-deserved remix to “Cam Newton,” also available to stream here on RESPECT.

The post Danny Blaze & Tab One Pay Homage To J. Dilla On “Thank You Mr. Yancey” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With the Panthers going to Superbowl 50, it was only right for North Carolina rapper, Danny Blaze, to keep the momentum going on his last single, “Cam Newton.” What better way to do so than by calling on fellow emerging North Carolina artists, Drique London and Will Wildfire for the remix? The upbeat track features charismatic verses from all 3 artists, whose sounds blend seamlessly.

Take a listen here and get some feel good vibes running through your system.

The post New Music: Danny Blaze – “Cam Newton (Remix)” ft. Drique London & Will Wildfire appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

North Carolina rapper Kid Infamous joins fellow hometown artist Danny Blaze in “I Got” about things only industry artists could validate. Since Kid Infamous and Danny Blaze haven’t reached that point of their careers yet, they trade verses based on what they think the industry is like. Money, women, fancy cars and things most rappers could dream about. “I’m looking like a million bucks / What the f– / I don’t really mean to stunt / That’s just how I came up,” raps Kid Infamous.

Kid Infamous shares, “Growing up, my father was a hustler (drug dealer). He always had something new on, such as jewelry, money, cars, etc. If I become successful, I fear that I might inherit those same habits.” Next year the rapper plans to release his upcoming project “The Infamous Life” which explains his battle of staying at the top.

The post New Music: Kid Infamous featuring Danny Blaze – “I Got” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Durham, North Carolina rapper Danny Blaze releases his newest record entitled “Cam Newton” in honor of Carolina Panther quarterback.  With a record of 10-0 and taking the title as the best team in the NFL league, it’s understandable for Danny Blaze to have a winner’s mentality considering what life throws at you. “Being the best isn’t easy my n– but someone must do it / I’m tryna be number one up in the game like I’m f– Cam Newton”, raps Danny.  Produced by Mr. Bootleg, he includes a snippet of Cam’s infamous quote on dabbing in the line of naysayers and doubters.

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