As someone who entered the rap game in 1993, back when mixtapes were actual tape cassettes and disc jockeys actually used discs, Del the Funky Homosapien understandably disassociates himself from many MCs who rose to prominence in the internet era of mass distribution. While services like Pandora and Spotify grow increasingly popular and artists churn out mixtapes with ever-increasing frequency, Del has stayed refreshingly attached to hip-hop’s roots and the traditional methods of releasing music.

Back in 2009 and 2010 he put out Automatik Statik and It Ain’t Illegal Yet, respectively, as “digital albums,” allowing customers to pay any amount upwards of $3 to download the tracks. Much like the popular platform Kickstarter, buyers would be incentivized to pay higher amounts in exchange for special gifts including signed gear and opportunities to hang with Del. For an underground legend with undeniable skills and a hardcore fanbase like Del, this is a smart way to remain relevant in today’s free-for-all hip-hop market while simultaneously expressing his disdain for the vast amount of music “piracy” that occurs daily throughout the world.

However, in regards to his latest LP Iller Than Most, Del must be feeling in more of a giving mood. The 11-track free album–not mixtape, free album–was posted up on SoundCloud under the pseudonym Zartan Drednaught COBRA, and it appears that after over 20 years spitting Sir Dzl hasn’t missed a beat. His lyrical prowess is intact, his flow is tight, and the production, handled entirely by the Funky Homosapien himself, is unique and, well, funky. A majority of the tracks address the current state of hip-hop, as is evident from the album’s very first lyrics: “Expose these fools/Supposed dictator of the free world of rap/He about to get tazered.” As an industry, it’s hard to tell how music will continue to be altered by the internet’s all-powerful range. As fans, we can just be happy that Del the Funky Homosapien is on our side. Give the album a listen below.  

The post Album Stream: Del the Funky Homosapien – Iller Than Most appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Deluxe editions, second editions, anniversary editions, and the like, are rarely worthwhile experiences. Try as they might, labels are notoriously bad at hiding the painful reality that re-releasing an album is essentially just a marketing technique that targets a proven audience: the listeners who already have the original album. Given this bitter reality, the news of the upcoming release of the “Butter Edition” of JJ DOOM‘s Key to the Kuffs, was received with more annoyance than excitement. Sure, the artwork was altered, the songs were sequenced differently and there were a few extra songs, but would it really be different? Surprisingly, the answer is yes.

Still centered around DOOM‘s involuntary exile in London, the Butter Edition varies from its predecessor in its perspective on that exile. When we interviewed DOOM last year, he gleefully told us that he felt like Napoleon, but the album itself largely lacked such an amused take on his situation. While DOOM was far from utter depression or rage, other than “Wash Your Hands” and “Borin Convo,”  there was a notable humorlessness to the project, especially in comparison to his previous works. Of course, DOOM‘s appeal goes beyond his ability to be funny and the album actually featured him exploring rather uncharted emotional territories (see: “Winter Blues”), but on the whole, it seemed out of character, as if the insurmountable supervillain had actually been bested by his exile.

The Butter Edition presents solitude much more positively. On the third track, “Bookhead,” which notably replaces the frenetic and pissy “Banished” from the original album, DOOM actually claims that solitude is necessary, restorative. He suggests traveling to the Amazon rainforest if you want the best solitude, “the good stuff,” but he also claims that you can find solitude locally. This could be a sly reference to his ability to mingle with his own fans after shows without being recognized, but less specifically it can be seen as a commentary on the type of celebrity identity he’s fashioned. When DOOM removes his mask, he truly is no longer DOOM. Few rappers have that privilege. In other words, DOOM has been able to successfully find solitude within celebrity without having to live in the shadows. That’s a feat.

Beyond featuring a new perspective on solitude,  the Butter Edition also further showcases Jneiro Jarel‘s rhyming abilities. On “The Pause Tape” and “The Signs” JJ steps up to respectively talk smack and discuss the exploitation of poor blacks in popular media. He’s not quite on DOOM‘s level lyrically, but his presence and his confidence confirm the pair’s rather unanticipated chemistry, especially on “The Pause Tape,” where both emcees interject their flows with crudely poor, yet funny impersonations.

Humor also makes a notable appearance on the intro to “Viberian Son,” which replaces “Viberian Sun Part 2” from the original release and entails DOOM calmly and comically reflecting on contemporary changes in parenthood before being interrupted by Del the Funky Homosapien. Hilariously, this interruption causes DOOM to quickly drop his calm tone and start yelling at his kids a la Homer Simpson. Del then finishes up the track with an engaging off-cadence verse that ends with DOOM humming as the beat fades. The entire track is jarring yet heartwarming, much like DOOM.

In the end, the Butter Edition makes some very interesting and worthwhile modifications to its predecessor. Adding a dash of humor and a minor positive spin, it tells the honest story of an artist finding solace within an unexpected situation. This solace is far from completely satisfying – DOOM still gets “Winter Blues” and fears genetically modified organisms (“GMO”) – but it dually feels more like a more complete DOOM record and a more solid collaborative project. With that in mind, this doesn’t necessarily supplant the original Key to the Kuffs. The image of a DOOM as a despondent castaway is just as interesting as the image of DOOM as grouchy, yet happy and sociable extended vacationer. The latter just feels more familiar.

The post Album Review: JJ DOOM – Key to the Kuffs (Butter Edition) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

JJ DOOM is back and black. Seriously, the album cover is now black this time for some reason. Key to the Kuffs, the collaborative effort between DOOM and Jneiro Jarel came out a year ago, but the duo has decided to repackage it and include remixes and collaborations that either didn’t initially make the cut or that were recorded after the release. Based on the tracks that have been released so far, it’s probably worth a listen. According to the album’s Amazon page, there will also be songs featuring Clams Casino and Beck. Listen to the new tracks below and tell us which one is your favorite. “Pause Tape” gets our vote.

Also, check out our interview of DOOM.

The post JJ DOOM Releases 3 New Tracks appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

“Any time you come out with some fresh shit, artists have a chance to reinvent themselves. We just try to reinvent ourselves every time out and keep rocking.” — Mibbs

It’s been a long road to this point for BeYoung, Like and Mibbs (left to right), but for them the grind is just starting to heat up. With the first anniversary of their debut album, The Div, quickly approaching, it’s on to bigger things for the Cali-based collective. Drawing influences from both the east and west coasts, (Pete Rock, NWA, J Dilla and Wu Tang to name a few) Pac Div has created a sound that is simultaneously reminiscent of hip-hop’s past and indicative of hip-hop’s future. Pac Div’s trio pens heartfelt bars over soulful beats, and the end product is sure to get people out of their seats. Truth be told, the hip-hop world can’t be mad when people keep it real, but more to the point why do it any other way?

I see you guys are scheduled to play Oct. 14^th in Davis, Calif., at Mfalme Fest 2012 with Curren$y, Ryan Leslie, Wale and many others. What’s the vibe like when there are so many artists performing at one venue, on one stage?

Mibbs: It’s dope to have that many notable artists together to rock a crowd. I’m surprised there aren’t more tours like that because it brings out different crowds and different vibes. Also, people who are fans of Stalley or Curren$y get an opportunity to see Pac Div. The energy of everybody on the stage is definitely something you have to match though.

Keeping with the concert scene, the Club Nokia gig with Black Star, Del the Funky Homosapien and Freestyle Fellowship is also coming up soon. What are you looking forward to from that gig?

Like: We’ve never shared a stage with a Freestyle Fellowship, but they’re at the center of west coast hip-hop. They rock and we’re just going to add to it. With the older artists and similar styles, it should just be awesome performing in front of their fans. The west coast is a very unique thing. LA and NY have their own sound, but LA and Oakland have their distinct sounds too. All said and done, it’s still west coast. We love to pay homage to those guys though.

BeYoung: You see a lot of cats collaborating out here, similar to how some people perceive the South. A lot more people just realize you have to deal in other people’s fan bases.

Tell me a bit about your relationship with Pharrell Williams. You guys opened for N.E.R.D. on a tour last year, so what did you notice about his creative tendencies when it comes to making a record?

M: We worked with Pharell and he’s a real cool dude. It was a great experience to see how he works and how he rocks the house. We dug that. We noticed the way he works really fast, he’s just doing everything at once. Chad definitely does his job too though, coming in behind and making things nice and clean. With Pharell, though, you get a complete record with complete sound.

How important is creative control of the music for you guys? I understand sometimes things can get hung up in “politics,” but what’s the situation with RBC like?

M: They let us do with whatever we want, but obviously we can’t sell a song unless we clear a sample. We always bring the ruckus, so it’s good though.

Let’s talk about the upcoming GMB (Gabe, Michael, Bryan) project. “Gimme What You Got” has an old school vibe for sure, but are there any features and/or guest production to look out for?

M:  First off, “Gimme What You Got” isn’t our beat. I wish it was, but it comes from a Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth joint called “Take You There.” As for production on GMB: Like is on there, DJ Dotty, Chuck Inglish, Theolonius Martin and Swiff D of course. Feature-wise Mac Miller is on a track, Blu, Kendrick Lamar and some other people but that’s all I’m going to say.

How have Pacdivdaily.com and social media helped the brand?

L: Social media helps keep everything afloat as far as creating a community and keeping people up to date with what we’ve got. It’s ever changing though. You see a lot more artists taking the independent route and combining everything in one, that’s becoming a new thing too. Word travels around fast, so if you drop something it’s like a wildfire. People can do all these things now and our phones are practically computers too. Get with it or get lost. Itunes, Spotify, Bandcamp, Wikipedia, the food, the groceries, just everything. People don’t need to be slaves to it, but it’s just a new generation. Instagram and Twitter too, both of those are dope.

Who are y’all listening to nowadays?

M: Ab Soul, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Frank Ocean to name a few. You can even play Frank’s music for your parents, and his visuals are pretty dope. I know he’s not a rapper, but he has a rapper’s skill set. There are a lot of people nowadays. We like what Odd Future has done in the past, A$AP doing his thing too. The internet has so much influence on what people are listening to nowadays, but there’s plenty of good stuff out there that nobody has to force you to listen to you.

How was it teaming up with the guys from the NBA for the Phiten “Still Flexin’” video?

L: Those guys were cool as hell. We come from a basketball background as well, but it made us realize how fun and silly atheletes are. We were cracking jokes with them, just having a good time. Melo actually knew about us because he was a fan of ours. He told Mibbs that and it was definitely ill to hear.

M: Carmelo was the one who called us to come up there. He was like, ‘I got your Church League tape,’ so I guess hoopers keep up with their music as well. LeBron also said he had heard a couple joints of ours too, so that was definitely dope.

The post “Get With It Or Get Lost” — Exclusive Interview With Pac Div appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.