Whether at home in a parking lot cypher with his homies in his native San Fransisco, or rocking the stage in front of diehard rap fans, Bay Area-based emcee and activist Equipto is leading the charge by staying true to his roots and honing his lyrical dexterity. Fresh off the release of his latest LP, Few and Far Between which dropped this past March, the Bored Stiff member and Solidarity Records founder has given the visual treatment to the album’s cut, “Godspeed.”

A bonafide homage to his come-up as a rapper finding inspiration in his hometown, the video for the Laird-produced track, features Equipto in his natural environment: showing off his craft and bigging up those around him. Directed by The How, the visual for the track features cameos from members of his Bored Stiff Crew, Stoney Hawk (A-Plus of Souls of Mischief and Sunspot Jonz of Living Legends), as well as Shag Nasty and The Watershed, among others.

In addition to releasing the latest visual in his two-decades deep repertoire, Equipto is gearing up for The Underground Railroad Tour alongside his trustworthy deejay, DJ True Justice, along with Zion I, Vocab Slick, DJ Cavem, High Step Society, and his frequent collaborator, Michael Marshall (the voice of “I Got 5 On It” and theme song for The last Blackman in San Francisco), who has just been added to the tour. Set to kick off today (Wed, June 19) in Sebastopol, CA and conclude in Phoenix on July 7, Equipto promises his fans that he’ll deliver some of the most refreshing and spiritually invigorating Hip-Hop at all 18 tour stops as he represents on behalf of the city and culture that made him!

Check out the video premiere right here courtesy of RESPECT. and click here to follow the official playlist for The Underground Railroad Tour where select winners will be awarded with complimentary tickets to various tour dates: http://sweeps.tweematic.com/turt

Tour Dates:
• 6/19 (Wed): The Hopmonk // Sebastopol, CA
• 6/20 (Thurs): Murphy’s Drum // Anderson, CA
• 6/21 (Fri): WildCraft Ciderworks // Eugene, OR
• 6/22 (Sat): The Haul // Grants Pass, OR
• 6/23 (Sun): Turbulence Music Festival // Hillsboro, OR (with High Step Society)
• 6/24 (Mon): Hawthorne Hideaway // Portland, OR (Equipto, Michael Marshall & Vocab Slick ONLY)
• 6/26 (Wed): Nector Lounge // Seattle, WA  (with High Step Society)
• 6/27 (Thurs): Wild Buffalo // Bellingham, WA (Equipto, Vocab Slick & Michael Marshall ONLY)
• 6/27 (Thurs): The Pig Bar // Olympia, WA (Zion-I & High Step Society ONLY)
• 6/28 (Fri): River City Saloon // Hood River, OR  (with High Step Society)
• 6/29 (Sat): The Seasons Performance Hall // Yakima, WA (with High Step Society)
• 6/30 (Sun): The Filling Station // Bozeman, MT (with High Step Society)
• 7/01 (Mon): The Knotty Pine // Victor, ID (with High Step Society)
• 7/02 (Tues): The Gem // Idaho Falls, ID (with High Step Society)
• 7/03 (Wed): The Reef // Boise, ID  (with High Step Society)
• 7/04 (Thurs): The Cabin // Park City, UT
• 7/05 (Fri): The Moxi Theater // Greeley, CO
• 7/06 (Sat): Tubleroot Brewing // Santa Fe, NM
• 7/07 (Sun): Trill Ship (In-Store) // Phoenix, AZ

Twitter:
• Zion I: https://twitter.com/ZIONI
• Equipto: https://twitter.com/EQUIPTO
• Vocab Slick: https://twitter.com/VocabSlick
• DJ True Justice: https://twitter.com/djtruejustice
• Michael Marshall: https://twitter.com/MikeMeezy
• DJ Cavem: https://twitter.com/IETEF

Instagram:
• Zion I: https://www.instagram.com/zion_i_crew
• Equipto: https://www.instagram.com/equipto
• Vocab Slick: https://www.instagram.com/vocabslick
• DJ True Justice: https://www.instagram.com/djtruejustice
• Michael Marshall: https://www.instagram.com/themikemeezy
• High Step Society: https://www.instagram.com/highstepsociety
• DJ Cavem: https://www.instagram.com/ietef

The post #PeepTheVisual: Equipto – “Godspeed” (feat. DJ True Justice) + Ticket Giveaway appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

From California to Arizona to Oregon and everywhere in between, the Underground Railroad Tour visits 18 cities throughout the region and kicks things off on June 19. Each night will feature some of the most refreshing and spiritually invigorating Hip-Hop being recorded these days, with Zion-I and Equipto both proudly carrying the torch for conscious, thought-provoking Boom bap.

The lineup also includes several talented acts who further diversify the sounds and scope of this incredible tour. Oregon’s own High Step City provides their unique blend of electro-meets-swing’n’bass each night while North Bay spitter Vocab Slick brings his jazzy, hypnotic rhymes. And to keep the crowd moving, DJ True Justice of Berkeley and DJ Cavern of Denver hold it down on the turntables.

The Underground Railroad Tour announcement coincides with the release of Zion I’s latest and incredibly stylish new video for “Kali Yuga.” The standout track from their 2018 EP, Ritual Mystik, features guest appearances from Ida The High Priestess of Bali and Boostive (on the horns), who add their own depth and flavor.

The visuals were directed by Joseph Buckley Campbell and produced by January Sixth Production. Their shared talents transform the already-stellar “Kali Yuga” into something bigger, in part due to the effects and scope of what occurs as Zion I emcee Zumbi delivers his rhymes. It may seem simple at first, but the way everything unfolds and envelops him is truly something to watch.

Here’s how Zumbi described the video: “My vision of Kali Yuga is that of a human being walking through life, with the different energies of one’s life personified.”

Check out the visuals and hit the Linktree for tour dates and merch: https://linktr.ee/Theundergroundrailroadtour

Tour Dates: 
• 6/19 (Wed): The Hopmonk // Sebastopol, CA
• 6/20 (Thurs): Murphy’s Drum // Anderson, CA
• 6/21 (Fri): WildCraft Ciderworks // Eugene, OR
• 6/22 (Sat): The Haul // Grants Pass, OR
• 6/23 (Sun): Turbulence Music Festival // Hillsboro, OR
• 6/24 (Mon): Hawthorne Hideaway // Portland, OR
• 6/26 (Wed): Nector Lounge // Seattle, WA
• 6/27 (Thurs): Wild Buffalo // Bellingham, WA
• 6/28 (Fri): River City Saloon // Hood River, OR
• 6/29 (Sat): The Season Performance Hall // Yakima, WA
• 6/30 (Sun): The Filling Station // Bozeman, MT
• 7/01 (Mon): The Knotty Pine // Victor, ID
• 7/02 (Tues): The Gem // Idaho Falls, ID
• 7/03 (Wed): The Reef // Boise, ID
• 7/04 (Thurs): The Cabin // Park City, UT
• 7/05 (Fri): The Moxi Theater // Greeley, CO
• 7/06 (Sat): Tubleroot Brewing // Santa Fe, NM
• 7/07 (Sun): Trill Ship (In-Store) // Phoenix, AZ

Twitter: 
• Zion-I: @ZIONI• Equipto: @EQUIPTO• Vocab Slick: @VocabSlick• DJ True Justice: @djtruejustice

Instagram:
• Zion I: https://www.instagram.com/zion_i_crew
• Equipto: https://www.instagram.com/equipto
• Vocab Slick: https://www.instagram.com/vocabslick
• DJ True: https://www.instagram.com/djtruejustice

The post Zion-I, Equipto, Vocab Slick & More Present The Underground Railroad Tour (Tour Dates/New Video) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.