Photo: Shane Davis

CHEMISTRY (ˈkeməstrē) is defined the complex emotional or psychological interaction between two people. Emcee P-Rawb (New Jersey) and producer Shane Great (Philadelphia), known as hip-hop duo The Jerzadelphians, embody such. Their chemistry is apparent. It’s admirable. It’s hip-hop. Remember the first time hearing Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth? Or, say, Gang Starr? Their connection as producer/emcee packages were precious, and irreplaceable to say the least.

Before meeting Shane Great face to face, he would be spotted at almost every worthy live show in Philadelphia wearing some sort of underground logo t-shirt. A humble, confident aura is inviting – after dealing with weekly bombardment from musicians especially. After five minutes of building for the first time we knew we found a jewel. It’s refreshing to discover raw talent naturally, you know? And maybe rare, considering the digital era we are standing at the peak of.

P-Rawb, Shane’s friend of over a decade and former United States Army Sargent, is the perfect puzzle piece in the equation. The perfect other half in the studio. Having met him shortly after conversing with Shane, we were left with the same conclusion. No frills, no skepticism, no phony smiles – entirely genuine and an overwhelming sense of self.

After streaming these few demo cuts here, you may notice this isn’t for the bubblegum sound admirers. Or the young trap lords. Having grown up under the boom-bap and golden era umbrella, as far as hip-hop, this is what you get from the two chemists. ‘Hard.Soul.Basement.Music‘ (’12) was their first release, which was followed by a generous amount of material. Check the records out. If you’re lazy and don’t, it’s okay! Because their work keeps getting better each time we hear it and wherever you hop in at will be satisfying.

Aside from music, P-Rawb is an incredibly talented self-taught photographer – having shot hundreds of live shows and works directly with musicians. His creative abilities leak just as well into this area, so I would definitely take a look.

We’re going to stray this article away from being a boring song(s) review post that you will skip over. With that being said, please enjoy the streams and draw your own opinions. Peace and love.

SoundCloud | BandCamp | Shane Great FB | P-Rawb FB

The post The Jerzadelphians: The Emcee/Producer Duo To Know appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The smash 8 Mile hit fans have come to love was actually a very different record back in 2002. Recently unearthed for the Shady XV compilation album, the “Lose Yourself” demo features completely different verses from Em, and has a far less anthemic and more rugged feel to it. Gte into it below. Shady XV hits stores Tuesday.

The post Listen to the Demo Version of Eminem’s “Lose Yourself” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Shady XV is days away, and with it fans will get the demo version of Eminem’s classic “Lose Yourself.” If you can’t wait until the leak Tuesday, you can listen to a snippet of it below, with Em talking about his foggy memories of recording the original version.

The post Preview The Demo Version of “Lose Yourself” in This Eminem Interview appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Remember that demo Yeezy talked about on “Last Call?” Well KTT has unearthed the full 15 tracks. There’s no official name to it, but The Prerequisite seems like the popular label. Check out early versions of “Jesus Walks,” “Hey Mama,” “Family Business” and plenty of unheard records, including “Wow!”

The post Listen to Kanye West’s 2001 Demo: The Prerequisite appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.