Death Row Records released the Murder Was The Case soundtrack on October 14, 1994

Today we pay RESPECT. to one of Hip-Hop’s greatest soundtracks — Murder Was the Case — based on a short film starring Snoop Doggy Dogg. Looking back 18 years, the 18-minute film was a collaboration between the one and only, Dr. Dre and Hip-Hop originator, Fab Five Freddy. The film is a fictional depiction of the death of Snoop Dogg and his deal with the Devil. The Calvin Broadus story is one of the most well produced rap records of all time.

Signifying Snoops continual evolution as a artist and businessman, we picked this gem from the RESPECT. archive by esteemed photographer, Piotr Sikora that was several years later in 1998.

The post Murder Was The Case: Looking Back 18 Years at the Legendary Soundtrack starring SNOOP DOGGIE DOGG. appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The same crowd of people who religiously chant that R&B is dead most often times isn’t searching hard enough to find new quality artists that can fill the void they’ve been searching for. If it isn’t on the radio or a part of your favorite music platform algorithm (which is an entire discussion), then it’s as good as a tree falling in the woods, nobody heard it. Yet, people are missing out on their new favorites developing right before their eyes as a new wave of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Neo-Soul is mixing and mastering their skills before the bandwagons begin piling up.

That’s what led me to Blakk Soul‘s debut album, ‘Take Your Time’. Blakk Soul is managed by Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother, and he’s been credited for his songwriting, background vocals, and co-production on work by industry heavyweights like Playboi Carti, Dr. Dre, Anderson .Paak, and Macklemore, Little Brother, and more. For this album, he was able to recruit features from Joell Ortiz of Slaughterhouse, Amaal, Cocoa Sarai, and Nana. Behind the boards he was able to bring on  Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producers such as Wyldfyer, J. LBS, DrewsThatDude, and Symbolyc One.

In an exclusive interview for “The Alternative Road Podcast” Blakk Soul and I discussed the time that went into creating his album, how his Mom was a big influence on him singing in the church, and what it was like being in Dr. Dre’s Hot Seat:

This interview has been edited and condensed. You can listen, in totality, via the podcast link below.

Blakk Soul’s ‘Take Your Time’ album

What led you to name the album ‘Take Your Time’?

Blakk Soul: “Take Your Time, it just made the most sense. I actually didn’t name it until the very end, very end. Throughout the process, I was trying to think of a cool name for all the records and I just couldn’t think of one that I liked or that stuck with me. Right at the end, I was having a conversation with a homegirl of mine and she said this is the type of music for people that like to take their time. And I was like aha! It was like that epiphany moment I had, then I thought that’s perfect. It took me about a year to get everything done. You know, living with records for a little bit, getting rid of records, playing with the sequencing of it all, I was very hands-on with the project.”

Tacoma, Washington’s Blakk Soul

How was it for you growing up and singing in the church?

“To be honest, my first time singing in the church was a horrific experience…so my mom man, my mom is one of the most God-fearing women I know. She just loves anything that involves praising the Lord. So we had just moved into a new town and started attending a new church. And obviously the kids up there have rehearsed and know these songs, all she saw was kids singing and said yeah yeah, gone head up there with the kids.

She set you up bro!

Blakk Soul: Right! I said I don’t think this is how this works…mind you, my mom is from Ghana as well, she’s like yeah gone head up there with the kids. I’m like I don’t think this is how this works. So I’m up there kind of looking around confused, and people are looking at me confused, and then you know as a child, I just started to get quiet. I don’t start to say anything, I’m just looking around like why am I here? You know, that was my first introduction to having to get up there. Then eventually, she did the due process thing and they let me into the children’s choir and I learned a few of their songs.

https://tidal.com/browse/album/132707697

Can you talk to the people about what it was like working with Dr. Dre?

Blakk Soul: “…They introduced me as a writer to him and he was like, oh you write? I’m like yeah yeah I do a little writing, he was like cool we’ll see tonight and he just walks off…I had heard of the infamous hot seat from Kendrick interviews and 50 cent interviews and Bilal and what not and they all talk about being thrown into the seat and create something impromptu. Who would’ve thought that would’ve been my same experience that night.”

I’m sure there are some people that don’t understand what you mean, we need to know this story. Let the people know what happened that night!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ocscS0S2bScPibf2dmpHH

For more Blakk Soul & #TheAltWithMel news make sure to check RESPECT Magazine!

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The post Alternative Road Podcast: Blakk Soul Talks ‘Take Your Time’ Album, Working with Dr. Dre & more! appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With parts of the world still settled into their quarantine and many having the urge to rush back into some sense of normal, Blakk Soul is encouraging everyone to ‘Take Your Time’ with the release of his debut album.

Blakk Soul’s ‘Take Your Time’ album

Led by the two singles “Help” and “Smoke N Chill”, the 12-song album features guests such as Joell Ortiz of Slaughterhouse, Amaal, Cocoa Sarai, and Nana. Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producers such as Wyldfyer, J. LBS, DrewsThatDude, and Symbolyc One contribute to the colorful backdrop that combines R&B, Neo-Soul, and Hip-Hop to perfection on the album’s first half; while much of the project’s second half slows things down for the bedroom with a sultry fusion of ’90s R&B and Trap/Soul.

‘Take Your Time’ debuts shortly after Blakk Soul was awarded his first platinum plaque for his contribution to Playboi Carti‘s “Kelly K“.

https://tidal.com/browse/album/132707697

For context, Blakk Soul is managed by Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother,  and he’s been credited for his songwriting, background vocals, and co-production on work by industry heavyweights like Playboi Carti, Dr. Dre, Anderson .Paak, and Macklemore, Little Brother, and more.

For more Blakk Soul & #TheAltWithMel news make sure to check RESPECT Magazine!

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The post Blakk Soul Says ‘Take Your Time’ With Debut Album Release | #TheAltWithMel appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Check out “Who R U?” below.

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Dr. Dre is back with new music and is seemingly preparing for a new album.

The legendary hitmaker dropped his new single “Gunfiyah” is featured in Dre’s new documentary Defiant Ones, a new HBO documentary series chronicling the rise of Dre and Jimmy Iovine from Interscope Records to Apple execs, after premiering on Dre’s Beats1 radio show The Pharmacy. The staccato-paced track features  Dr. Dre dropping heat as he drops jewels while flexing on his peers.

“Who got a hit just like this? And got heart and rich like this?/Never failed, 20 years and he still got grip like this/And got kids with a super hot bitch like this/You spending time tryna get like this.”

In addition to dropping new music, the documentary has also brought up old wounds as Dre discussed the infamous 1991 incident between himself and veteran journalist Dee Barnes. During the second part of the four-part documentary, Dre recalls the event calling a “blemish on who he is as a man.”

“Any man that puts his hands on a female is a fucking idiot,” Dre says in the documentary. “He’s out of his fucking mind, and I was out of my fucking mind at the time. I fucked up, I paid for it, I’m sorry for it, I apologize for it.”

In regards to his reputation following the attack, Dre says, “I have this dark cloud that follows me, it’s attached to me forever. It’s a major blemish on who I am as a man.”

Part three of the documentary is scheduled to debut on HBO on Tuesday at 9 pm est.

Check out the single below.

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The post Dr. Dre Talks Dee Barnes, Drops First Song in Two Years, “Gunfiyah” [Listen] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Dr. Dre is threatening a lawsuit against Sony Pictures if they continue on with the release of Michel’le’s Lifetime biopic.

Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le is Sony’s new made-for-TV movie based on the R&B songstress’ life and portrays the hip-hop mogul as a woman beater. The pair dated for 6 years and have a son together.

Dre’s legal team sent Sony Pictures a cease and desist letter threatening legal action if it’s released.

TMZ reports that in the letter he denies abusing Michel’le. It also references to their relationship and states that since it ended Michel’le has never mentioned any kind of abuse or violent behavior on his part.

Dr. Dre’s depiction in the film is hinted at in the film’s trailer which was released last month. The trailer shows a scene where Dre (played by Curtis Hamilton) grabbed Michel’le ( Rhyon Nicole Brown) by the neck after she messed up a take.

The trailer is just a snippet of Dre’s violent behavior toward Michel’le which also includes pulling her hair, pulling a gun on her and punching her in the face.

This is not the first time that Michel’le has alluded to a violent relationship. After the release of Straight Outta Compton, she conducted an interview with DJ Vlad where she referred to herself as “a quiet girlfriend who got beat up and told to sit down and shut up.”

Dre’s abusive past also came to light after the 2015 film was released when it was reported that a scene of him assaulting hip-hop writer Dee Barnes was cut from the original script.  He later issued an apology for his past actions but did not specifically address any one woman.

Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge & Michel’le is set to be released on October 15^th.

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The post Dr. Dre Threatens to Sue Sony Pictures Over Michel’le Biopic appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Lifetime released the trailer for the new movie, Surviving Compton: Dre, Suge, and Michel’le yesterday. Rhyon Nicole Brown will be playing the lead, Michel’le and from the trailer, it’s looking like an amazing portrayal with this great story to back it.

The movie is supposed to be about Michel’le, the unspoken woman behind the men in the Straight Outta Compton story. Straight Outta Compton was about the story of NWA, and the feuds that followed after between NWA and Jerry Heller, Ice Cube and NWA, and eventually Dr. Dre and Suge Knight. However, the movie lacked one major point of view and like the trailer states, “Behind the men who changed hip hop is the woman who knows the truth.”

Watch the trailer here:

The movie will premiere on October 15th, 2016.

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The post Trailer for ‘Surviving Compton’ Has Been Released appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.