Dom Kennedy by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

After a turbulent Day 2 that could’ve been a festival all in its’ own, it was now time for the final day. Prior to the weekend, it was the day that the people were most excited about as it was stacked from top to bottom. Although traffic caused me to arrive after 5, the whole venue was buzzing about a chilling performance by newcomer, Trippie Redd. Like most other people, I’m faintly familiar with the Ohio native from his viral music videos on social media, but it wasn’t a performance I necessarily had pinned to my whiteboard. Talking with festival-goers who were there to witness it, it seems like my priorities need to be reevaluated.

Some artists I DID plan for and were unable to see, though, were NBA Youngboy and Masego. After signing a controversial deal with Atlantic Records, Youngboy’s ‘Never Broke Again’ dropped and instantly flooded my phone with new playlist tracks. As for Masego, I’ve been a big fan since Sego’s jazzy, ‘Pink Polo EP‘. It’s safe to say I was pretty disappointed to miss the two stars in the making.

Daniel Caesar by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

Despite missing out on a few favorites, I arrived just in time to see Daniel Caesar. I’m going to keep my review of Caesar’s performance short, as I plan to cover his tour stop in Las Vegas in full, but to put it plain and simple, he sounds even better live. I’ll let you read that again and allow it to sink in a little bit. The man who’s currently being touted as having the most soulful album out, actually sounds better live. The way he let the guitar bleed right into his captivating vocals was just something that everybody should see at least once in their life. Though it was a great performance, it did feel a little out of place on the line-up. Sure, SZA was able to blend in—but her songs have a certain bounce to them that allows for a good festival set. Caesar, on the other hand, literally had couples chest-to-chest and people on the verge of tears. It was a great showing, but with Vic Mensa & 21 Savage playing in the distance, it just felt foreign.

Photo Credit: Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

After checking out Caesar, I caught a brief moment of 21’s set, which came and went, before heading over to see Dom Kennedy. On the way to the show, Kiari, a couple of friends we were riding with and I had a discussion about Dom’s conflicting set with NY native, and recent XXL Freshman, A Boogie With Da Hoodie. They were playing at the same time and somebody was going to be left out. Kiari’s stance was that, he wanted to support the new school. He felt that photos of A Boogie were more relevant at the moment and although Dom was a High School favorite of his, the times had changed.

BULLSHIT!!!

I told him he was crazy – he wasn’t, that’s actually a very healthy perspective – and that this was Dom’s last hurrah. How could you miss that?! Look, I love Dom; but I’m also a realist. His last two – arguably three – projects were uninspired and lazy….. which is a lot to say about an artist whose best trait was making a lazy flow sound cold as ice. So for me, seeing Dom perform among thousands of people in California was more about nostalgia than it was about who was hot. In a festival that was dominated by newbies, this was the one time throughout the weekend that I was allowed to take a back, and take it back we did. Dom went through a slew of classics, including “This My Type of Party”, “I Love Dom” and a Nipsey Hussle assisted performance of, “Checc Me Out.” But no song, at least to me, rang more than when he played, “Don’t Call Me,” a silky smooth player cut from Dom’s critically acclaimed, ‘Yellow Album’. The crowd went bar for bar with Dom as we all lived out our fondest memories of having our shirts tucked in our jeans… We just thought it looked cool!

Dom Kennedy by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

Though Dom’s performance was over, the West Coast party was just getting started. While everybody came to see King Kunta close out the festival with one of his iconic sets, the crowd was also treated to a party, sermon, political rally and rap show all rolled into one when Compton native YG took the stage. Donned in a blooded-out flannel and a fedora, YG pulled out the whole repertoire, playing crowd pleasers like, “Toot it & Boot it”, “Really Be’”, and “My Nigga” which might’ve been the funniest song of the festival as white folks of all ages were sweating bullets, wondering if they could join along.

YG said they may not.

Isaiah Rashad by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine

At the culmination of what seemed like an hour long party from YG, a chubby white man suddenly walked on the stage and the music stopped. He then gave a supremely racist ran—wait could it be?! Did YG bring out the fucking president of the United States????! No, he didn’t. But the lookalike was going on and on about making America “great” again before YG and co sidelined the bigot and went right into, “FDT” which was without a doubt, for sure the most hyped song performed the whole entire weekend. No exaggeration.

Kendrick Lamar by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

With such a great slate of performers now in the rear-view mirror, it was now time for the main event.

Kung-Fu Kenny. K-Dot. Kendrick Duckworth, aka Kendrick Lamar.

With the entire venue packed the tee with what felt about a million people – seriously, there was zero elbow room – Kendrick promptly got on stage and killed it, but not like I had anticipated. What seemed like a show/opportunity of a lifetime for Chance just 24 hours ago, seemed like a tour stop for Kendrick. Now, I’m not saying it was a bad performance. Actually, I’m saying the opposite as it was amazing. But I’m no fool, and I’m not delusional—Kendrick was not as excited for this show as we were. Still, Compton’s favorite son had complete control over the anxious Anaheim crowd and if nothing else, it should be noted that Kendrick is in fact the greatest rapper alive. While Chance’s overall set the night before was more enjoyable, Chance wasn’t the only reason why his set was so great. But Kendrick? That man had nothing but a mic and a martial artist with him as he never missed not one single syllable while reciting some of Hip-Hop’s most complicated lyrics in otherworldly cadences, & he did it with seemingly little to no effort.

While I think it was unfair to compare the two considering it was Chance’s first time headlining a west-coast festival – Life is Beautiful will be his second – Kendrick’s brilliance was apparent in the way that even with his back against the wall, he’s still the greatest rapper alive. You guys just better hope he doesn’t get inspired – again – to prove it.

All photos taken by Kiari Cook for RESPECT. Magazine.

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The post Day N’ Night Recap Day 3: Dom Kennedy, YG & Kendrick Lamar appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

UPDATE: New dates have been added to the tour. In addition, Jay IDK and (fellow TDE artist) Lance Skiiiwalker have been tapped as support acts. Check out the updated schedule below…the new ticket sales begin Friday, November 25th.

TDE’s Isaiah Rashad has seen a pretty big change in his career in the last few months. At the top of the year, fans of 2014’s Cilvia Demo were wondering what had happened to the Chattanooga, Tennessee native that came on the scene as the next to follow the likes of labelmates Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar. Just last month, Rashad answered that question in two different ways: by revealing his own personal demons that forced his hiatus through various interviews, and by releasing his proper debut album, The Sun’s Tirade, to absolute critical acclaim.

Now, after keeping the album’s momentum on high gear thanks to a slew of dope visuals (not to mention a surprise collaboration with fellow rising star — and fellow XXL Freshman alum — Goldlink), Isaiah is ready to kick off the new year with the recently-announced Lil Sunny tour, which will see him hitting up several dates throughout the United States and Canada. It all kicks off January 18th in Lawrence, KS…tickets for the tour officially go live this Friday via Ticketfly (no pre-sale information as of yet).

Check out the full schedule below.

Wednesday – January 18th, 2017 — Granada Theater, Lawrence, KS
Thursday – January 19th, 2017 — 7th St. Entry, Minneapolis, MN
Friday – January 20th, 2017 — Double Door, Chicago, IL [SECOND SHOW ADDED]
Sunday – January 22nd, 2017 — El Club, Detroit, MI
Tuesday – January 24th, 2017 — Studio @ Waiting Room, Buffalo, NY
Thursday – January 26th, 2017 — Mod Club Theatre, Toronto, ON
Friday – January 27th, 2017 — L’Astral, Montreal, QC
Saturday – January 28th, 2017 — Higher Ground, South Burlington, VT
Sunday – January 29th, 2017 — The Met, Providence, RI
Monday – January 30th, 2017 — The Sinclair, Boston, MA [SECOND SHOW ADDED]
Wednesday – February 1st, 2017 — Highline Ballroom, New York, NY [SECOND SHOW ADDED]
Thursday – February 2nd, 2017 — U Street Music Hall, Washington DC
Saturday – February 4th, 2017 — Union Transfer, Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday – February 7th, 2017 — Cat’s Cradle, Carrboro, NC
Wednesday – February 8th, 2017 — Jack Rabbits Live, Jacksonville, FL
Thursday – February 9th, 2017 — The Orpheum, Tampa, FL
Friday – February 10th, 2017 — The Hangar, Miami, FL
Saturday – February 11th, 2017 — Potbelly’s, Tallahassee, FL
Sunday – February 12th, 2017 — The Loft, Atlanta, GA
Tuesday – February 14th, 2017 — Exit/In, Nashville, TN
Wednesday – February 15th, 2017 — The Concourse, Knoxville, TN
Thursday – February 16th, 2017 — The Revelry Room, Chattanooga, TN
Friday – February 17th, 2017 — The Syndicate Lounge, Birmingham, AL
Saturday – February 18th, 2017 — Proud Larry’s, Oxford, MS
Sunday – February 19th, 2017 — Duling Hall, Jackson, MS
Tuesday – February 21st, 2017 — House of Blues, New Orleans, LA
Wednesday – February 22nd, 2017 — The Loft, Dallas, TX
Thursday – February 23rd, 2017 — Grizzly Hall, Austin, TX
Friday – February 24th, 2017 — The Studio at Warehouse Live, Houston, TX
Saturday – February 25th, 2017 — Alamo City Music Club, San Antonio, TX
Sunday – February 26th, 2017 — The Lowbrow Palace, El Paso, TX
Tuesday – February 28th, 2017 — Launchpad, Albuquerque, NM
Wednesday – March 1st, 2017 — Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO
Friday – March 3rd, 2017 — Vinyl at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Saturday – March 4th, 2017 — Pub Rock, Scottsdale, AZ
Sunday – March 5th, 2017 — The Observatory North Park, San Diego, CA
Tuesday – March 7th, 2017 — The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA
Wednesday – March 8th, 2017 — El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Thursday – March 9th, 2017 — The Catalyst, Santa Cruz, CA
Friday – March 10th, 2017 — The New Parish, Oakland, CA
Saturday – March 11th, 2017 — Jub Jub’s, Reno, NV
Sunday – March 12th, 2017 — Harlow’s Restaurant and Nightclub, Sacramento, CA
Sunday – March 19th, 2017 — Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, OR
Monday – March 20th, 2017 — WOW Hall, Eugene, OR
Tuesday – March 21st, 2017 — The Crocodile, Seattle, WA
Wednesday – March 22nd, 2017 — Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, BC
Saturday – March 25th, 2017 — Velvet Jones, Santa Barbara, CA

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The post Isaiah Rashad Announces Lil Sunny Tour; Additional Dates Added (Update) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The accompanying artwork stylistically matches the aforementioned Kendrick project, and melancholic bluesy jazz sonics in the background, done artistically by The Antydote, has become somewhat of a trademark of the artists in TDE, with retro jazz influences littering ScHoolboy Q‘s and Kendrick Lamar’s most recents projects. On the other side of the spectrum, GoldLink’s “future bounce” sound combines elements of funk and jazz, with And After That, We Didn’t Talk feeling like a record that very well could’ve been an avant-garde work released in the latter years of the 20th century.

Rashad talks consumerism and expectations of lower income black boys in his verse:

“Mama why you got me rockin’ Sketchers?
I’m a product of the product
And the product bought a Lexus ”

“Get your rest and get your money
Preacher preacher started rappin’ just to reach us”

The niched nostalgia ballads Rashad puts forth have become the mark of his lyricism, separating his lyrics, which very much embody an adolescent minority’s state of mind, from the rest of his crew, and from the rest of artists in his genre. GoldLink reinforces the nostalgia factor with a tale of a past romance with a girl who enthralled herself with gangbangers, and thoughts on the human conditions of love and mortality:

“Heard that she got a man
He a Blood and we ain’t trippin’ ‘cuh
Got some killers that just don’t believe, but they believe in love”

Stream the track above, and be sure to look out for future “Untitled” tracks from either artist.

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The post Isaiah Rashad & GoldLink Drop “Untitled” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

Ever since Isaiah Rashad stepped onto the music scene with bits from Pieces of a Kid, it’s very transparent that his life’s been a consistent struggle, received from a variety of sources. The subjects of depression, suicidal thoughts, and self-medication are commonplace in the lyrics Rashad puts on display- he’s long been an advocate for showing emotions in his raps.

They be calling doctors for my health
And “no” is kinda hard to say to drugs
I been having problems with myself

– “Heavenly Father,” Cilvia Demo

Kid Cudi, who’s also famously embraced his despondent thoughts in his music, just recently announced that he checked himself into rehab for the aforementioned issues, apologizing to his fans and promising his music will still be coming out soon. This sparked plenty of conversations concerning mental illness and the thoughts of denial that may run through those affected by it. Isaiah Rashad took to Twitter to speak a bit on these:

Don’t go through the problems in your head alone. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. The worst thing to do is think ur alone in it

— young lack sleep (@isaiahrashad) October 9, 2016

everybody’s somebody’s everything. nobody’s nothing.

— young lack sleep (@isaiahrashad) October 9, 2016

Little Boys, Dressed Like Rappers.

— young lack sleep (@isaiahrashad) October 9, 2016

give that nigga a hug before u can’t dawg. forreal.

— young lack sleep (@isaiahrashad) October 9, 2016

Rashad brought upon one of the most pervasive issues surrounding mental health in his small rant- the shunning and denial around it. The environment where many rappers, and many artists in general, come from is suffused with occurrences that make topics of self-medication and depression a popular subject in many songs- it’s relatable. Some of hip-hop’s most influential artists have come out with blatant admissions of suicidal thoughts and depression in their music. “When I die, f**k it, I wanna go to hell/Cause I’m a piece of s**t, it ain’t hard to f**king tell,” raps Biggie Smalls in his “Suicidal Thoughts” track off Ready to Die.

There’s an innumerable amount of triggers that could set off a person with no previous record of mental illness within themselves or their families. Even then, oftentimes, an event isn’t even needed to trigger mental illness. It’s an epidemic that continues to be ignored to feed some sort of hyper-masculine agenda, whose mantra reads: “men don’t feel emotions,” and “boys don’t cry.” Or, an epidemic that gets ignored because mental illness is often perceived as a weakness, instead of a chemical imbalance in the brain.

Pop music has even become a lot more somber than it previously was; songs like “Here” by Alessia Cara, or “7 Years” by Lukas Graham talk about alcoholism and social aloofness as normal issues. Both songs, while melancholic in lyrics and sound, received plenty of attention and airplay. It’s about time the general consensus of mental illness changes to a more compassionate one, and not one that shuns. It’d also be cool, for a change, if it were treated with as much precision and consideration as physical illnesses.

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The post Isaiah Rashad, Kid Cudi, and the Problem of Mental Illness appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Isaiah Rashad via TDE, and his own niched style of nonchalant, heavily emotional music, is putting Chattanooga on the map. A few weeks ago, Rashad released The Sun’s Tirade, a compilation of heartfelt ballads very redolent of Cilvia Demo, a collection of memories and emotions dedicated to Isaiah Rashad adolescent years.

The same mellow feelings are with The Sun’s Tirade, thought more prevalent and more current- all in all, the EP feels like Cilvia Demo 2.0- an anecdotal selection of his innermost feelings and environmental influences.

On September 15h, Rashad released his visual for “Park,” one of the most intense songs on The Sun’s Tirade, from the back of a vintage vehicle. The entire visual is extremely grainy, and overall very organic- a very fitting concept considering Rashad’s unapologetic storytelling is littered with ideas and symbols that could be described as bare, scanty, and raw.

Buy The Sun’s Tirade here, and follow Isaiah Rashad on Twitter here.

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The post Isaiah Rashad Drops Visual for “Park” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Chattanooga’s finest Isaiah Rashad has made a triumphant return with the release of his debut LP The Sun’s Tirade. Rashad’s new album will be the follow-up to his Cilvia Demo EP which was released back in 2014.

The LP consists of 17 tracks with features from Rashad’s fellow TDE label mates Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar and SZA. Rashad also recruited Kari Faux, SiR Zacari, Deacon Blues and Syd for features on the highly anticipated project. For production, Mike Will Made IT, Steve Lacy, Cam Obi, Dave Free and a few others were chosen.

Rashad recently revealed to Billboard that his two-year hiatus from music stemmed from his struggles with substance abuse.

“My mom seen me faded,” Rashad told Billboard. “Then, [I struggled with] a lapsing memory. I don’t be remembering a lot of shit between them two years. It’s like gaps in time. So I was like, ‘I don’t really want that no more.’ That was the worst, not remembering shit. There’s a lot of shit I don’t remember.”

Rashad has definitely redeemed himself with the drop of The Sun’s Tirade which is now available on Spotify and iTunes.

Check out Isaiah Rashad’s music videos for singles “Free Lunch” and “4r Da Squaw” below.

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The post Isaiah Rashad Drops Debut Album ‘The Sun’s Tirade’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Isaiah Rashad officially named his album The Sun’s Tirade, and unpacked some artwork, seen above, to go along with it. Thus far, “Free Lunch” and “Smile” have been the singles for the project, said, by Isaiah himself, to be due September 2nd.

“Park” is the latest single off the album. With a playful beat, Isaiah raps about his accumulated success and his perspective of other rappers. The contrast between Cilvia Demo and what we’ve heard so far from The Sun’s Tirade is stark in defining states in Rashad’s life. Whereas Cilvia Demo touches upon suicidal thoughts, an absent father, and alcoholism- vices and shortcomings Rashad has experienced in depth- The Sun’s Tirade is sounding much more braggadocio and confident (unless “Nelly” is a single as well. That one definitely pulls down the positivity into more struggle territory).

It’s very likely Isaiah Rashad will drop more confessional tracks that are redolent of his past, alongside the more peppy ones. Either way, it’s great to see him embracing the positivity in his life, and using music as reflection to it. As aforementioned, you can expect the album to drop on September 2nd.

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The post Isaiah Rashad Shares New Song “Park” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.