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A couple of days ago I was just talking about one of my favorite labels, Fools Gold Records, and how I miss the glory days that gave us artists like Kid Sister, The Cool Kids, and some rapper named KiD CuDi. With the aforementioned going their separate ways and growing into their own, much bigger entities, the complexion of Fools Gold has certainly changed over the years, including the untimely death of co-founder Dust La Rock, which shook the label to its core.

Continuing to carry the torch for the label have been A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs, who have successfully marketed acts like Danny Brown, Cardo, Run The Jewels and more. We’re very familiar with them, though. Who you might not be hip to, however, is tshawntrusst, a young Toledo artist who is looking to solidify his spot on the Fools Gold roster. He recently released his debut EP SOAR, and after a listen or two, it’s certainly obvious why he was brought on board.

The lead single from SOAR, titled “I’m That Nigga”, sees tshawntrusst narrating the ways of a seemingly elusive lady, but being sure to make it clear that she won’t elude him. Check out the clip above, shot by Austin Vesely.

Shouts to Lauren Dorman for tossing the oop.

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Fool’s Gold Records‘ annual Labor Day show, “DAY OFF,” will be happening yet again at 50 Kent, an outdoor Williamsburg venue (Brooklyn, NY). The event, which was originally exclusive to New York City, has already successfully hit Los Angeles (8/29) and will be taking over Atlanta (9/5). After Labor Day (9/7), they will party it up in Miami (9/13) and Austin (9/19).

The Labor Day show lineup includes Meek Mill, A-Trak, Flatbush Zombies, Skepta, Post Malone, Towkio, Gladiator, Brenmar, D.R.A.M., Falcons, Nick Catchdubs, Bosco, Leaf, Fame School and special guests. The show, co-sponsored by Complex, starts at 4 PM on September 7th and tickets are available online along with dope merch.

In preparation of their sixth annual “DAY OFF” party in Brooklyn, Montreal-bred producer A-Trak stopped by Hot 97’s Ebro in the Morning show to chat with fellow Beats1 radio host Ebro Darden, and co-hosts Peter Rosenberg and Laura Stylez. The topic of conversation spanned from topics such as breaking artists, memorable “DAY OFF” events in the past and the beginnings of his now-successful Fool’s Gold record label that he co-owns with Nick Catchdubs.

In another recent interview with BET, A-Trak shares what people should look forward to this weekend: “You should look forward to a good time. That’s the thing about Day Off, it’s like — knock on wood, but there’s never been fights at our events. We throw a bunch of T-shirts in the audience. There’s good food. There are hosts keeping people in good moods. We try to make sure to have a good time and hear great music. There gonna see some artists that they don’t know yet and in a year [they will be saying], ‘Yo, the first time I saw Leaf was at Fools Gold, now look at where she is.’ There’s a lot of that too.”

Watch A-Trak break it down in the video interview below, and get your tickets for Labor Day here.

The post Fool’s Gold Records’ ‘Day Off’ Returns to Brooklyn with Meek Mill, A-Trak, Skepta & more appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Catching up with UK artist Cadenza, the young producer known for turning classic samples on their heads gave us a deeper look into his versatile world and how he has his hands in a bit of everything. As a producer, DJ, manager and just overall orchestrator of connecting the right people musically, Cadenza is a man of many hats. From working with Busy Signal to Diplo to Ryan Leslie, this music man does not let genres define him nor bound his success.

Let’s talk a little about your musical background.

The first record I did probably would have been around 2011, which was called, “The Darkest Hype.” It was like a dancehall record, like an instrumental, which sampled the Lafayette Afro-Rock Band, which is that famous sample they use in the Wreckx-N-Effect “Rump Shaker” and all that stuff. Jay-Z’s used it. As I put that out, I started doing A&R scouting for that label that put it out called Dummy Magazine; they had a record label called Dummy Records. I worked for them for a while. I was at Universal, as well at the same time [for a publishing deal]. I was busy with my degree work and I liked making records on the side. I would go away for the summer and go to America and work with guys like Diplo over at Mad Decent and so I ended up putting out a record with him on his label. I did some stuff with Fool’s Gold [Records] and MixPak. All through that time, I was still studying; just putting out random singles, or whatever. When I finished University, I was in London and just started working. This year I’ve worked with TALA on her EP and the Kiko Bun stuff, which came through my label. That was the “How Many Times” record, which we did last year. Moving forward with Kiko, I’ve just been involved in his whole album, which he’s signed to Island [Records] now. We went to NY in January to record that and do the first single, “Where I’m From” out there with a band called The Frightnrs and another producer called Ticklah who produces that band, who are like a 5-piece reggae band from Brooklyn. I’ve just been working with loads of people who come through my studio like Stylo G, Busy Signal, other UK club producers…my life’s kind of all over the place so I’m probably not making much sense (laughs).

You’re the music man that brings the artists together; you produce the track and link people up. You’re the orchestrator. Do you take any pride in that or do you feel that just comes along with what you’re trying to accomplish?

Yeah, I find the right people, the right producers, the right singers, the right rappers; yeah, I kind of bring the right mix together. Obviously, production was something I started when I was a little bit younger, but it was never the main thing that interested me. I was never strictly just interested in just being a producer. I was as equally interested in A&R, scouting, that kind of stuff, as well as management. I manage this other guy called BMB Space Kid; he’s a guy we have on our label. He’s from Russia. I kind of always wanted to have my fingers in every side of it as I quite enjoy it and that means I never really get bored. Some days I’m in the studio producing or I’m DJing or going to a gig or I’m sorting out some stuff for BMB or whatever. So, everyday is always different. I’m never bored.

How do you juggle all of that?

I find it all kind of falls into one, if I’m honest. Because I’m looking for new stuff by default, either for myself because I want to work with someone new so, I’m always looking for new stuff. That either mean I’ll have the opportunity to sign them to the label or just to work with them on something for me or for something for them. It all kinda just feeds into each other naturally. I’m just constantly looking so there will always be a right reason for me to be in contact with that person. It could be one of three things: to do something for them, something for me, or maybe if I really like it, help them put their record out.

You did production work on Ryan Leslie’s Black Mozart. How did you two link up?

In 2011, I was in NY and my friend was interning for him. I went to go meet my friend by Ryan’s apartment one night and Ryan came into the deli near where he lives and I said, “Hey, I want to send you some tracks.” He was like, “Cool.” I sent them to him and I got a message from him like, “Hey, come to Vienna and work on the album.” I looked up to him for ages. I use to watch all his YouTube videos of him making beats and stuff so, it was pretty cool to link with him and get to work.

What’s the reggae and dancehall scene like in the UK? 

There’s a big reggae and dancehall scene here; always has been. It’ll get played in the club. It’s always there, but these past few years, Stylo G’s probably been the main guy who’s championed UK dancehall. We haven’t really had a UK artist for that in a while. He walks the line perfectly: he can do big radio records and he can do real street, gully Jamaican records, as well. So, I think he’s a good artist. He’s flying the flag definitely…There’s not too many UK artists. Kiko is probably the next one that comes to mind, but there aren’t really a whole heap of UK-based dancehall or reggae artists that are successful or that are well-known, I would say. Unless they’re coming from Jamaica or America…Around where I live, there’s a big West Indian community, just always has been since the 50s when they all came over after the war. It’s strong…I’m half-Jamaican myself.

Your single, “Foundation” is being released in August in time for Carnival. 

Yeah, it’s going to come out internationally. It may even release a little bit earlier so, possibly even the end of July. It’ll be around that time. There was no intention behind it. It was a record I’ve been sitting on for a couple of years actually. I made the actual beat when I was 18. That’s like six or seven years now. I made it when I was in Jamaica and I just never did anything with it. When I finally set up my own studio in London, Stylo came around and voiced it. Straight away he was like, “Yeah, I like this. This will work.” It took ages of back-and-forth and eventually we got Busy on there and it all kind of came together. I feel like sending it out to people especially people in New York like Bobby Konders and Hot 97 is championing it. Even in Europe…because everyone knows that song. It’s the “Real Rock” riddim. Even if you don’t listen to reggae, you’ve probably heard that. It’s probably in the back of your mind somewhere, like in your subconscious. I think people will, hopefully, naturally take to it.

Will you be performing or attending at the Notting Hill Carnival in London this year?

Yeah, I probably will. Probably have a party for the label, which we’re trying to plan now. There’s always tons of stages all around the carnival route. I’ll be showing up, doing stuff with Kiko and Stylo and making sure the record is getting played out loud.

The “Foundation Mix” is a mash-up of hip hop, throwback classics, soulful house, and more. With so many different sounds, what’s the common theme for YOU?

I don’t know. Growing up my brother was always into dubstep and drum bass so, he would show me that side of music. He used to take me out to clubs with him…So, that was always like a big influence for me and I always liked the intensity of that music. Then, for me also, production wise I find myself when I was learning how to produce and making tracks, I use to enjoy making club music, but I maybe wasn’t that good at executing it well like how I heard people doing it. I always found I was better at more soulful, hip hop, and R&B edge kind of thing where I could find old samples. I had more of a talent for that type of tempo and that groove than I did for straight up club music. I like to kind of showcase that because I like to play the stuff I make then, I also want to play the more club stuff that I grew up on and still listen to now.

Do you have an album coming out soon? 

It’s not confirmed as of yet. I haven’t really started it as such. I have tracks that I’ve written. Yeah, there will be a longer length project coming out at the end or start of next year.

Have you put out an album before?

No.

Being that this would be your first LP, what exactly would you want it to say about you?

Definitely want it to have a classic, timeless feel to it. I don’t want it to be a snapshot of what’s happening right now because I feel like that can be quite disposable. You can be like, “Oh, this is cool now,” and then, you forget about it next month. I definitely want to draw for some more classic features that people wouldn’t expect. People from eras gone by and just bring them back in and also, people that I’ve grown to work with now that I have a good relationship with. Like Kiko, I would definitely have him on the album. I think that it would just be a case of me taking ideas that I have now, which I probably just made on my computer, but breaking them back down into the raw elements of a song. So, literally working them back to just a piano, writing a song around it, and just building it back up. That’s how I see myself doing it. Breaking ideas down and then, just building them back up again.

Do you feel like it’ll be as mashed up as the “Foundation Mix” or do you feel like you’re going to focus more on the whole reggae, dancehall type of feel?

No, it’ll be all over the place (laughs). I think it’ll make sense.

Yeah, because you’ll basically have no genre.

Exactly. That’s kind of what I want. I don’t really want to be like, “Oh, he makes reggae or he makes this.” I think that if you’re a producer you should be able to, in theory, make pretty much anything. You just have to know the right musicians to get the right people and bring it all together and you can do whatever you want. If you can envision a sound, you should be able to create it…I want to get people on a record that you really just wouldn’t expect. I want to get the most out-there collaborations and have people like, “How did he even get these people on this kind of record?” That’s how I want it to feel like.

What has been the most monumental moment in your career so far and what’s the biggest goal you have that you have yet to achieve?

Working with Ryan was definitely a big moment. Then, I think touring with Major Lazer was pretty special, as well just because it was completely out the blue. There was no preconceived plan, it was like, “Ok, come and do this,” and I went and did it. I never really played that much before. I DJ’ed, yeah. I used to DJ when I was at university, clubs and stuff like that, but only to 300 or 400 people. Then, suddenly I was at Roskilde [Festival] in Denmark and we were closing out the Arctic Monkeys and there were 80,000 people! It was surreal. It was an experience I’ve never had and don’t even know if I ever will again, just as me. So, that was really cool.

To learn more about Cadenza, check out his Instagram and Twitter, and Soundcloud.

Pre-order Cadenza’s new single “Foundation” featuring Stylo G and Busy Signal here.

The post RESPECT. Talks With UK Music Man Cadenza appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Known for assisting on the hit “Run Ricky Run”,  Fame School is back with their new track “Money Machine”. This time around, Manolo Rose is returning the favor as he offers his lyrical skillset to the song. The Fool’s Gold Records duo are definitely an act to watch.

Check out Fame School’s new song “Money Machine” featuring Manolo Rose below:

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This song isn’t about tobacco. Referencing the classic Freak Nasty song as well as “Niggas in Paris,” Danny Brown takes us on another excursion into the murky realm of drug-drenched debauchery. It’s another molly anthem, for sure, but that’s no surprise if you’ve even marginally kept up with Danny Brown.

What makes the track stand out is its unrelenting darkness, courtesy of Skywlkr‘s Nine Inch Nail-esque prog synths and Danny‘s humorless delivery. If you compare this to “Thizzles,” his collaboration with Tech N9ne, the darkness is striking. Watch below. Old arrives on September 30. Grab a water bottle (and a hip?).

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Danny Brown‘s ability to oscillate between a high-pitched nasal voice and a throaty snarl landed him the title of “The Hybrid.” This oscillation appeared to have ceased in the past year or so, with Danny more frequently adopting the nasal approach for debauched dance and drug anthems, but “Side A” brings that old snarl to life, along with the conditions that bred it. Rapping over a weighted and frenetic Paul White instrumental, Danny takes us to his old haunts, reminding us of the  crime, despair and ugly coats of paint that characterized his life merely a few years ago. Listen below. Old will be here on September 30.

There’s also a trailer for the album.

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