Image credit: Westbrook

Seeing the return of Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff should have been amazing, but I’m not so sure with what’s been laid out in front of us. The two Hip-Hop behemoths have once again joined forces for the new single “Get Lit” (?), which delves into the Electronic genre (??) and even comes with a new Will Smith accent (???). It was also officially released on Friday The 13th, so there’s that.

If you dare, check out “Get Lit” below and — if you’re diggin’ it — pick up your copy via iTunes. Hopefully (and despite this song), there’s a lot more where this came from.

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The post Will Smith is Back with new EDM Single “Get Lit” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

RESPECT got a chance to catch up with Mad Skillz to discuss DJing and what makes a great emcee during part one of our interview. Today we are back with part two, discussing his illustrious career, his thoughts on some of the most memorable records in Hip Hop and why “Vinyl Destination” was the ultimate show showcasing the DJ experience.

Out of everything that you have done over the span of your career, what would you say was the most memorable moment?

That is tough because I am one of those people who doesn’t realize what I’ve done until after it’s done because I never set out to do some of the things that I have done. Like Barry Gordy didn’t set out to change Black music, he was just having fun. So when people say, “you put Virginia on the map”, it’s crazy to me, because I wasn’t trying to shit on anywhere else I was just repping where I was from.

Over your career, I know you have met a lot of people. Who is one person that you’ve met that had you a little awestruck?

I would have to say when I met Michael Jackson. I was with Missy and it was when he did the big show in 2001 at Madison Square Garden, matter of fact it was September 10, 2001; the day before 9/11 because I remember after it happened Pharrell and I were stuck in New York and were trying to get a rental car to go back to Virginia.

Ok so let’s switch gears, from time to time I like to ask emcees about classic Hip Hop joints and where they were when they first heard it, so let’s start with “Put Ya Hands Where My Eyes Can See” by Busta Rhymes?

That came out in ‘97, I was in Virginia at the time and I first heard it on a DJ Clue mixtape, but I didn’t understand the impact of it until I was at this party and DJ S&S was mixing. It was cool, you know everyone was chilling and socializing, I think “DeJa Vu” was playing, then all of a sudden the drums came in on Busta’s intro and everyone ran to the dance floor and he pulled it back. [Laughs] Man, I knew then Busta had a certified banger.

How about “Takeover” by Jay Z?

Aww man, I heard that on the bootleg before the joint came out because my homeboy did the intro for The Blueprint, but I remember thinking, “it’s over for Nas, Nas is done”. But then Nas came back with Ether and I was like, “gawt damn!”

That leads to the next joint, “Ether”…

I heard it on a mixtape, because my homeboy was like, “have you heard the new Nas?” Personally, I was like I don’t care what Nas says he ain’t coming back from that; because you know Nas was so laid back and you didn’t expect that from him. But my homeboy was persistent and yo, when I heard that joint and the beat dropped and he started going in; I was like, “yo, this n*gga is back!”

Finally, where were you when you heard “I Used to Love H.E.R” by Common?

Oh that’s easy. It was college radio, WDCE 90.1, Mike Street was DJing when he played it and I remember I was so caught up in the story and when he revealed at the end the whole time he was talking about Hip Hop; I was mind blown. I was like, “hold up, run that shit back”, because that was the first time that someone had “usual suspect” me in a record. I mean that joint had me so intrigued and the way he worded it was dope.

Looking back at Hip Hop back in the day, who do you think had the potential but for whatever reason didn’t blow?

I would definitely say Shawnna (from DTP). She had all the elements, she had sex appeal and she could really rap.

You traveled a lot over the past few years with DJ Jazzy Jeff and the “Vinyl Destination” series. Why was that never brought to TV?

I stopped touring with Jeff a few years ago, but I was saying then that we need to look at taking this to TV because I know they would have a place for it. Also, I have to shout out Chris Schaffer for the phenomenal work he does. Looking at it, you would have thought we had a crew, but it was actually just one guy and that was Chris. He’s so dope though that he made it look like we had several. One thing I noticed is that I didn’t know we were impacting as many DJs as we did, when I arrived today for my show I saw a guy had on the Vinyl Destination t-shirt, it’s crazy.

Being a veteran emcee, DJ and overall music lover, what element of Hip Hop from back in the day would you bring to the current state of Hip Hop if you had your choice?

The rule of no biting. Now you can bite someone and it’s nothing, like you can literally take someone’s whole shit. But people don’t realize that it started when emcees were quoting lines from other rappers and some people you wouldn’t question because you knew that the rapper being quoted was cool with that person; so when Jay quoted Biggie, no one said anything because we knew they were cool. But now people will literally copy your whole swag and try to tell you that it’s theirs and it’s acceptable. Like they don’t even go back far enough to know who did it first.

You have been doing a lot lately with the mashups, namely Michael Jackson and Prince, almost all of your events have sold out; is that something you plan on doing every year?

Honestly, I have been thinking about it because that it the type of music that needs to be heard and I know there are a lot of Prince and MJ fans out there who would love to hear them included in sets. Most of the time when you hear old school sets, especially where I’m from, they all sound the same. They usually start with “Outstanding” (by the Gap Band), then it’s going to go into “Before I Let Go” (by Frankie Beverly and Maze) and then you are going to hear “Poison” (by BBD) and I’m like yo, there’s more music than this and that’s why “The Art of Noise” events work, because we play what everyone else doesn’t play.

Your events are always so packed, when is the next one that fans can see you rocking at?

The next big one I am doing is in VA on September 18th called SBV, Surrounded By Virginia, which is playing all Timbaland and The Neptunes because many people don’t know that Magoo, Timbaland and Pharrell were in a group back in the day called SBI, Surrounded By Idiots, so it’s a play off of that letting people know who Virginia really is.

In the next five years, where do you see yourself?

World domination. My goal is to let the music to speak for itself. I want my music to be so far ahead of anything that I ever thought I could do like I want to have the number one record in the country as Mad Skillz the DJ, but people wouldn’t know that it was me, the rapper.

Let’s touch on your social media game, your Instagram account stays popping, but your Snapchat is so hilarious and cool because it’s you being normal. Are you planning on being on Snapchat more often than just on Snapchat Friday?

[Laughs]  I thought my snaps were corny because I was just doing regular shit. I am such a private person and I honestly like to keep certain parts of my life private, so I try to scale back as much as I can because if it’s done too often it becomes normal. So many people act like that having a lot of followers online is the end all be all of their life. [laughs] Let one of these rappers wake up and all their followers are gone, they will lose their minds.

Do you think that social media has given people a false sense of celebrity?

I think that people confuse followers with support because artists will have 30,000 followers but sell two records, that means they don’t support you. People don’t realize how it was back in the day, like I actually had to go to the show in 1996 and see A Tribe Called Quest, wait at the back door and hope to see them and if you missed it you had to take people’s word for what happened on the play by play; they don’t have to do that anymore.

Last but not least, what is one thing about Skillz that no one knows you can do?

I cook. I love to cook and I can make a mean lasagna.

Keep up with the latest from Mad Skillz online at http://www.gotmadskillz.com/

Twitter/Instagram/Snapchat: @SkillzVA

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The post Mad Skillz: Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself-Part Two appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

You must be living under a rock if you did not know the 9th annual Roots Picnic took place this weekend in Philly. With a massive line-up of hip-hop favorites– past and present– this festival is Philly’s way of kicking off the summer season, and what better way than with a performance from Willow Smith along with her father Will Smith performing “Summertime” with his on stage partner, DJ Jazzy Jeff.

Little Willow Smith putting it down on stage with Will Smith. #lit #summertime #rootspicnic2016 #rootspicnic #epicness

A video posted by Calaya Reid – Grace Octavia (@blackwritergonerogue) on Jun 4, 2016 at 11:37am PDT

Later on in the evening, Future hit the stage to bless the crowd with his hits that are phenomenal for getting everyone going. 

#future was awesome but cut short … The crowd went crazy. #atthesamedamntime #rootspicnic2016 #rootspicnic #philadelphia

A photo posted by @scrillmedia on Jun 5, 2016 at 6:39pm PDT

A photo posted by New Jawn (@newjawndotcom) on Jun 5, 2016 at 6:22pm PDT

Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill & Lil Uzivert partaking in the festivities this weekend.

A video posted by UsherMiamiFan? (@gia_teamusher_8701) on Jun 5, 2016 at 8:16pm PDT

Usher blessing the crowd with his extraordinary dance moves!

A photo posted by Sean (@frame_1) on Jun 5, 2016 at 6:34pm PDT

Zoe Kravitz rocking out!

A photo posted by @phobymo on Jun 5, 2016 at 5:22pm PDT

Kehlani also hit the stage.

A photo posted by David Gensler™ (@davidgensler) on Jun 5, 2016 at 4:39pm PDT

All in all a good time was had by the many of festival goers this weekend.  It has also been announced that The Roots Picnic will be taking its talents to New York City for the first time this fall, blessing New Yorkers with the same musical vibe it has provided Philly for the past years!

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The post RESPECT. Recap: The 9th Annual Roots Picnic appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

You may remember this guy from when he used to go by Dosage and was on tour with Lupe Fiasco. Now known as Dayne Jordan, he walks us through his old neighborhood of North Philly in this Mr. Rogers-esque video, directed by Cristopher Schafer. “Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood” gives us a peek into Jordan’s youth and life.  It is also said that everyone in the video, from adults to children, have a real connection to Jordan and his story. Dayne, “didn’t forget where he came from,” in this beautifully reflective piece. This DJ Jazzy Jeff produced track can be found on the, Memoirs of Dayne Jordan LP, which is actually a collaborative between the emcee and producer.

http://daynejordan.com/

The post New Video: Dayne Jordan – “Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

DJ Jazzy Jeff & Mick Boogie bring us the third installment of their Summertime series. This time, a special addition includes Will Smith as Fresh Prince on the intro track. Now, if this is your first exposure to Summertime, then you can expect a very soulful, throwback-reminiscent project with ill scratches and subtle track changes. It’s a gorgeous listen. You can download the mixtape here.

The post New Music: DJ Jazzy Jeff x Mick Boogie – “Summertime Vol. III” [Download] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

DJ Jazzy Jeff is struggling to make sense of it all. When you insist that the man born Jeffrey Townes is a certified hip-hop legend, he seems uncomfortable with such a notion. Yet, the stat sheet doesn’t lie. As one half of the highly influential late ‘80s rap duo Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, the celebrated tandem sold millions of albums as they helped push the rugged boundaries of hip-hop to Middle America. The irony? The kindler, gentler young men from the otherwise two-fisted area of West Philadelphia presented a PG alternative to the hardcore likes of Public Enemy and NWA. Indeed landmark songs like “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble,” “Parents Just Don’t Understand,” and “Summertime” garnered Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince universal acclaim. Still, there were the critics who dismissed the MTV darlings as mere pop fluff.

Never mind that. Jazzy Jeff went on to stake his claim as one of the most celebrated hip-hop turntablist of all time; an underrated talent that made the music industry take notice after forming the successful production crew A Touch of Jazz—an outfit that has hammered out hits for everyone from Jill Scott to Michael Jackson. Jeff’s gregarious partner Will Smith? He conquered Hollywood, becoming one of the biggest box office stars to ever walk God’s green earth. From the Fresh Prince to his own Magnificent album series, Jazzy Jeff looks back at a history-making career that spans more than two decades.—Keith Murphy 

To read Jazzy Jeff’s full commentary click HERE

The post DJ Jazzy Jeff x Vibe Magazine appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.