Meet Yo Trane, also known as Youri M’bolo, a 22 year old singer, songwriter, and recording artist from France who shows great promise in Hip Hop. If you were a fan of TRAPSOUL by Bryson Tiller or PARTYNEXTDOOR, he’s definitely an artist that should be on the radar. As a fan of rap and most ’90s R&B artists like Boyz II Men, Aaliyah, and Donnell Jones, he aptly describes his music as “smooth trap influenced R&B/Soul.”

He dropped his EP Late Night Drive last December and it’s the perfect playlist for late night adventures alone or with company. Not unlike many artists, he was inspired to write this project during a relationship. His new song, “Role Play,” which he recently dropped on his Soundcloud page earlier this week, is about a girl who he likes, but he’s trying to make sure both parties are on the same page.

All of Yo Trane’s music can be found on most streaming sites such as Soundcloud, Spotify, Youtube, Tidal, and Itunes.

Make sure to follow him on social media, as well.

IG: @YoTrane

Twitter: @Yotranemusic

Facebook: YoTrane

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The post [Listen] Yo Trane Releases New Track “Role Play” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Like a breath of fresh air, the DMV’s very own, Nimbus is back with his latest album, Albuterol. The 25 year old rapper describes his album as a refreshing yet humbling experience:

 I was at a low point when I became inspired to get back in the studio and work on Albuterol. My hard-drive had just crashed and I lost like 200 songs,” he says. The process was frustrating but overall, it felt good finishing this project and tapping into my own sound.

Albuterol features appearances from rappers such as GrandeMarshall and Hobbes and flawless production from Renzy Beats, Madbliss, and much more. Checkout Nimbus’ debut album, Albuterol, below:

The post DMV’s Nimbus Fills Prescriptions with ‘Albuterol’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

While everyone’s attention is focused on the hip-hop scene in Atlanta, the DMV remains one of the most underrated areas when it comes to the hip-hop culture. Think about it, what’s the first thing you think of when someone mentions the DMV area? Mumbo Sauce and chicken boxes? The nation’s capital? Gogo music? Allow me to shed some light one of the rising rappers out of the DMV area, Chaz French.

The 21 year old D.C. native first made a buzz after his energetic performance at Broccoli City. Over the summer, the rapper continued to make a name for himself opening up for Flume on the east coast with Virginia’s own, GoldLink. During the short tour, French released his first video for “Came Down”. The Jerome D directed black and white visuals featured a hungry French turning up. The video helped to promote his then upcoming project.

Influenced by his daughter, vices, and a brief stint of homelessness as a teenager, the lyricist finally released his debut project, Happy Belated in October.The 13 track tape is filled with hits. The standouts are “Came Down,” “LMGLML” featuring GoldLink, and “YNN,” which are songs to add your turn up playlist. Chaz French shows extreme promise on his first mixtape. It is clear that Happy Belated is just the start for the DMV representative.

So don’t sleep! Checkout Chaz French’s debut project, Happy Belated below:

The post DON’T SLEEP: Chaz French appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Socially conscious rap is scarce. That is, until an introspective lyricist shows up to remind us that it still exists. When they do, they come with hopes of schooling listeners on the world’s forgotten problems that have been placed on the back burner in favor of redundant lyrics and label gimmicks. As a reminder, though, Common is back. He has always served as a lyricist that can elevate and enlighten the culture and whatever producer he teams up with at the time, seeks to bring superior production to accompany him. When Common releases content, expect to be made consciously aware of an array of topics in the almost forgotten realm of socially conscious rap.

On July 22, Common will release his 10^th studio album Nobody’s Smiling. After a two year hiatus, he is once again teaming up with longtime producer No I.D, who produced the album to its entirety. The news of the album came along with his new deal with Def Jam and No I.D.’s label, Atrium Recordings. Three official singles were released within months of the knowing the title and already Common has noted that he has more to say and more perspective to give, especially when it comes to the extreme violence plaguing his hometown Chicago.

In 1992, Common released his debut album, Can I Borrow A Dollar? His day one fans know that his artistry he has evolved since then. Com’s lyrical content went from being negative to positive,the kid moved by the art of peer pressure to being a better role model, his flow from squeaky scatting to fluid spoken word and the production, handled by No I.D. for five out of his 10 albums, has grown with the times. Switching from making songs like “ Heidi Hoe, “ from Can I Borrow A Dollar? to “I Used to Love H.E.R.” from his 2^nd album, Resurrection, Common has sited that personal growth sparked the change. His lyrical content has ranged from poverty, abortion, religion and spirituality. Releasing albums at a rate of a bout 2 years apart and the fact that he’s teaming up with No I.D. once again has fans wondering what Nobody’s Smiling will entail. What will Common say next and how will the production sound? Before we get into that, though, brush up on Common’s previous work:

Underground fans note 1994’s Resurrection as his best album, but fans that may not have heard of Common until after the name change (from Common Sense to simply Common) and the release of 2000’s Like Water for Chocolate or the Kanye West assisted, Be as his best. Having teamed up with other great producers such as The Roots, J.Dilla and Kanye West, some might argue that those specific producers placed Common on another level when it came to public interest.

Since No I.D. has assisted with half of Common’s records, the last being his 2011 Dreamer/Believer, the official tracks released from Nobody’s Smiling seem stellar in lyricism and production. “Kingdom” was accompanied by a 7-minute Hype William’s produced video that takes us through the perspective of someone trying to survive in the crime ridden Chicago community. “Speak My Piece” uses a classic Biggie sample and Common shows off his lyrical ability on “Diamonds” with  Big Sean. Recently revealing the tracklist for Nobody’s Smiling, artists such as Lil Herb, Cocaine 80’s and Jhene Aiko all make appearances. Get a taste of the album’s singles below:

Anticipation Over Appreciation: The 2014 Hip Hop Fan:

Common may be back to fill our minds and ears with introspective information, but there may be some unfamiliar with Com’s previous works. As our attention spans decrease, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of anticipating rather than appreciating the artist’s work. So, just to help catch the 2014 rap fan up, we’ve provided a Top 5 list of Common’s best albums and a Top 10 list of Common’s best songs and lyrics.

 Top 5 Common Albums 

1. Be (2005)
2. Like Water for Chocolate (2000)
3. One Day It’ll All Make Sense (1997)
4. The Dreamer/The Believer (2011)
5. Finding Forever (2007)

Top 10 Best Common Songs

1. I Used to Love H.E.R. (Resurrection)

On the regular, not a church girl she was secular/ Not about the money, those studs was mic checkin’ her

2. “Retrospect for Life” Featuring Lauryn Hill (One Day It’ll All Make Sense)

To think my homies who did it I used to joke about, from now on/ I’ma use self control instead of birth control/ Cause 315 dollars ain’t worth your soul

3. “G.O.D. (Gaining One’s Definition)” Featuring Cee-Lo ( One Day It’ll All Make Sense)

I fight, with myself in the ring of doubt and fear/ The rain ain’t gone, but I can still see clear

Understanding and wisdom became the rhythm that I played to/ And became a slave to master self/ A rich man is one with knowledge, happiness and his health

4.” Stolen Moments” (Pts 1-3) (One Day It’ll All Make Sense) Part 4 “Payback Is A Grandmother” (Like Water for Chocolate)

But what could get me half way calm was this Donny Hathaway song/The tape that it was on I had wanted while I was gone/ But forgot to pack it, in fact it was in that jacket/This demo, it’s time to track it and lay it down/ Either it’s somebody I know or somebody I stay around

5. “The 6th Sense” (Like Water for Chocolate)

The perseverance of a rebel I drop heavier levels/It’s unseen or heard, a king with words/Can’t knock the hustle, but I’ve seen street dreams deferred/Dark spots in my mind where the scene occured/Some say I’m too deep, I’m in too deep to sleep/Through me, Muhammad will forever speak

6. “The Corner” Featuring The Last Poets and Kanye West (Be)

They shoot the wrong way, cause they ain’t knowin’ they goals/The streets ain’t safe cause they ain’t knowing the code/ By the foes I was told, either focus or fold/ Got cousins with flows, hope they open some doors

7. “Testify” (Be)

The court awaited as the foreman got the verdict from the bailiff/Emotional outbursts tears and smeared makeup/He stated, he was guilty on all charges/She’s shaking looking like she took it the hardest
A spin artist, she brought her face up laughing/That’s when the prosecutor realized what happened/All that speaking her mind, testifying and crying/When this bitch did the crime, the queenpin

8. “The Dreamer” Featuring Maya Angelou (The Dreamer/The Believer)

Going through the airport with more lye than an opera/Knew crooks who move books like Harry Potter/Get cleaners to get it cleaner/A legend like John, Lennon, I’m a dreamer

Mind trips to Medina to visit the redeemer/A hero, I’ll drop out like Hiroshima
Off sangria with two broads at La Esquina/Still opening roads for Omoye and Amina/I’m a Dreamer

Survival of the fit with hope in they eye/Taking notes from the sky to fly above understanding/They notes from from the most high, so I gotta land them

9. “The People” (Finding Forever)

Scuffle for notes, the rougher I wrote, times were harder/Went from rocky starter to a voice of a martyr/Why white folks focus on dogs and yoga/While people on the low end tryin to ball and get over

10. All of Pop’s raps ( “Pop’s Rap” – Resurrection, “Pop’s Rap Pt 2/Fatherhood” -One Day It’ll All Make Sense, “Pop’s Rap III….All My Children” -Like Water for Chocolate , “It’s Your World” Featuring Bilal and Pops – Be, “Finding Forever” – Finding Forever and “Pop’s Belief”–The Dreamer/The Believer)

The post Common’s Discography and The 2014 Hip-Hop Fan appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Chance The Rapper is beginning to be everywhere. Vic Mensa is, as Hov would put it, one hit away. With every music scout worth their salt looking for the next up, it’s pretty odd that Alex Wiley is being relatively slept on. He and his tape, Club Wiley, have all the right ingredients. He’s distinctive: he’s got a voice that revs up like an engine, sputtering and purring, and a knack for lines and flows that stick in your ear. His commitment to a loose attitude and tightly-written schemes add up to the effortless showmanship that’s normally called star-quality. Also, he’s ugly. Not just regular ugly–Alex‘s looks are at the level of strange that opens the door to their use as a calling card. Biggie once bragged that he was “Black and ugly as ever,” and just like that, it was an asset, a part of the steez. Alex Wiley looks like Andy Milonakis after an all-nighter spent attempting to grow a beard out of dust. The world is going to love him.

Pictured: a face you can’t forget.

Of course, the music will do most of the work. Club Wiley is a loose though consistently fantastic LP, full of a wide range of tones and themes that all fit the kid like a glove. The first truly distinctive note is struck on track two, “Earfucked,” a jagged, rumbling mash of frenzied guitars and re-takes of yesteryear’s famous hooks. Wiley drops in with a perfectly fitting Eric Cartman-like presence: “We don’t give a shit about shit / Broke down, fucked up, now I’m finna face it…My phone got tits on tits.” In the track’s hectic second half, a background-Wiley belts out a bridge with a surprisingly steady singing voice while a slightly more up-close-Wiley lets off a seemingly limitless double time verse, his rhymes becoming more similar to notes than words. Whereas Twista used quick, precise enunciation to morph into a warp-speed percussive force, Wiley makes his mark doing just the opposite, slurring and occasionally barking his way through double times to become a different kind of character and instrument. He’s a perma-chilling Tazmanian Devil; the contrast between how high he raises the bar and how nonchalantly he does it is magnetic.

It’s a welcome surprise that Wiley isn’t just his quick tongue and blunt, funny demeanor. He’s got heart too. In this interview, he talks about his desire for Club Wiley to attain a “bigger” sound, and he absolutely nailed it with the choral, colossal “Suck It (Revolution).” Before reaching the show-stopping verse, the track shines for so many reasons: the sweeping, cinematic instrumental, the invigorating chorus that manages to deliver inspiration without sentimentality–a trait that is spiritually akin to “Lose Yourself.” When Wiley gets to rapping, it’s the tape’s most directly self-identifying moment, done all through his relation to others: I got niggas thats’ in Harvard, I got niggas in the pen / Got niggas resting in peace, I will never see again.” We learn concretely what his style was already telling us: he’s for the slackers and hustlers, the brains and brutes, weirdos and average joes. But is he any one of these things? No. “Then there’s me–Pinch of Swayze / Little bit of fuckboy, pinch of lazy / Little bit of genius, a pinch of crazy.” The fire, the tension and release of it make this moment the album’s peak: it’s biggest offer of emotion, catharsis, and energy. (And he’s still funny–who calls themselves a fuckboy?)

Club Wiley has a seemingly endless offering of tones: “Creepin’,” featuring Freddie Gibbs, finds Wiley inhabiting a bit more of an in-control, ultra-cool angle; “Thug Angel” and “Mo Purp” take a more aggressive, drugged out approach; “G-Unit Spinner Chain” is nearly a pop song; “K Swiss” is syrupy sweet parody. Then there’s “The Woods,” which occupies a unique pocket of being simultaneously eerie, somber, parade-level triumphant, and irreverent. Among the influences are country-rock, hallucinogenics, Teebs, and his fellow Chicago sing-rappers. It’s a substantially catchy trip, and a testament to Wiley‘s artistic range and magnetic pull: not many could make “Now we know where I’m going, get the fuck out my way, nigga” sound so definitive.

Not that we do really know exactly where Alex Wiley is going. The fact that he was able to land features from Gibbs and Bronson is a good sign, but those guys are feature machines anyways. His versatility could hold him back; he can’t be pigeon-held as a funny rapper, drug rapper, fast rapper, etc. It will be his personality–and knack for hooks–that will carry him to greater conquests. He’s a spectacle, but only in the way that your weird(est) friend is: he’s prone to dick jokes, bizarre twists, and turns of phrase and tune that you won’t soon forget. Club Wiley is an exciting, mesmerizing start to a promising career as the rap game’s weird, talented friend.

The post Don’t Sleep: Alex Wiley – Club Wiley appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If The Doppelgangaz were to be depicted in animated form, the only people capable of rendering properly them would be the folks at Augenblick Studios, the studio behind Superjail! and Ugly Americans. That isn’t an insult. From the content to the production to the raspy delivery, Hark! is a grimy, seedy affair. In the world that Matter Ov Fact and EP describe and create, distortion, depravity and general bizarreness reign supreme: nothing is left uncovered by dust, dirt or muck.

This sounds bleak, but the appeal of this smutty world is how committed The Doppelgangaz are to its absurdity. On the first verse of the album, Matter Ov Fact unflinchingly says, “When he’s not engaged with Fem Dom with his friend’s mom/He’s trying to get this nigga E to drop some ‘n’ bombs.” Right after this he continues rapping; there is no pause or jokey ad-lib or emphasis on the last words to tell you to laugh. This is just a fact of the world, nothing special. This is a feature of Hark! as a whole. On “Oh Well” EP discusses a woman’s response to his phalloplasty; on “Smang Life” Matter Ov Fact hooks up with a woman who has “Roe vs. Wade” tattooed on her back. The examples are endless. But this is more than The Doppelgangaz “just being cool.”

The general atmosphere of  Hark! is far from accidental. From the crackly “Skin Yamulke” to the wispy “Sun Shine,” Hark! commits to this sooty universe even in the production. It’s as if the world itself is just as enlivened as its zany inhabitants. The best example is the aptly-named “Barbiturates,” which features a yawning sample that rocks between the winding piano and the softened drums like the pendulum of a hypnotist. The track itself is on barbiturates.

Clocking in at about 38 minutes and containing 3 interludes, Hark! is a bit on the brief side, but it’s worth a listen nonetheless. Though punchline rappers are far from an extinct species, Hark! shows us why their numbers are dwindling. Rapping well (and also being funny while doing it) isn’t about constantly notifying the listener of your skill through “vocal winks” – pauses, ad-libs, emphasis on the last word, etc. Rather, it’s about having the confidence to rap well and have faith in the listeners’ ability to acknowledge your skill. This is what The Doppelgangaz bring to the table. Their dizzying internal rhymes and multisyllabic rhyme patterns don’t need to be capitalized or highlighted; they’re perfectly legible as is. In the end, even though the title basically means “Listen!” it’s more of a declaration than a command. EP and Matter Ov Fact don’t demand our attention: they deserve it. Don’t sleep.

The post Don’t Sleep: The Doppelgangaz – Hark appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.