Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re pretty much aware (and probably still buggin’) over the epic Twitter showdown between Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa Wednesday. The two emcees had the world clutching their phones, hanging on to their every tweet — making sure they missed nothing. However, while one-half of the Internet was trying to figure out when KK stood for weed, the other saw dollar signs and quickly assembled a collection of merchandise to profit off their feud.

Thanks to Etsy, High Kee Tee and yeeezuswaves.com, the deleted rant by ‘your OG’, Yeezy, can live on forever. The typical paraphernalia, from mugs to tees to cigarette lighters, are here to remind us all of one of the most memorable events in 2016 and Hip-hop. Peep the merch below.

WAKE UP WITH KANYE: “Kanye West & Wiz Khalifa ‘Rekt’ Mug,” $15 on Etsy. (Photo: Etsy)

You coppin’?

The post Kanye West/Wiz Khalifa Twitter Beef Merch is Now Available appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In 2015, Justin Beiber & Kendall Jenner became the ambassadors of Calvin Klein’s underwear campaign, reigniting the brand’s youthful and classic appeal. Following this success, CK decided to expand the campaign, adding several familiar faces like Kendrick Lamar, Fetty Wap, and Joey Badass to the mix. The new year often comes with a period of self reflection and redefinition, and who better to express the attitude of rejuvenation than some hip hop heavy-hitters? The commercial asks each of the celebrities to fill in the phrase “I _____ in my Calvins,” drawing answers like “I fight in #mycalvins” and “I write in #mycalvins,” to name a few. I guess the real question is: what do you do in your Calvins? Get an idea from these ads and use the #mycalvins hashtag to let the world know.

The post Calvin Klein 2016 Collection Features Kendrick Lamar, Fetty Wap & More appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

This is not to take focus off of Kanye West‘s recent moves and successes, but to shed light on an old sound he used to offer from 1996 to 2000. If you study Kanye’s production over the years you will certainly notice a development in sound, as expected from any artist with longevity in this hip-hop game. We will be breaking down strictly production in this article, while also take note of his early emceeing days as well. In the summer of 1996 Fat Beats made a big store-front shift, and during their grand opening night Kanye could be found alongside Al Tariq, Butter Lee and Black Attack on some raw, smooth 90’s tip. There is a good chance you will learn something new from at least one or two of these audio clips below. If not, take it as a refreshing reminder or something that you can talk to your brother or co-worker about later on today. Enjoy:

Chicago emcee Grav released his heavily slept on Down To Earth in 1996 under Correct Records. Kanye West produced a total of eight records on this album, making it his debut appearance on wax. Notice the raw boom-bap sound he was rocking here. Aside from Grav’s lyrical debauchery, the album’s production alone was given a lot of credit. “Sick Thoughts” is a standout record. So much so, that all hip-hop heads should have it in their stash.

In 1998 Jermaine Dupri released his debut Life in 1472 LP, with “Turn It Out” featuring Nas serving as the introduction track. This is a straight up party record, really highlighting those early So-So Def days we all remember all too well. Kanye West had some fun with this joint, tastefully utilizing some Willie Hutch and Davy DMX on the samples.

After Foxy Brown‘s successful 1996 Ill Na Na, she returned in 1999 with her sophomore release China Doll. The album is loaded with concrete features and production, with Kanye being the producer on “My Life.” Kick back with this dreamy, relaxing hook while scratching your head in shock if you didn’t already know Ye was on the boards.

Harlem World was a short lived collective, with only one album release titled The Movement, also from 1999. “You Made Me” appears near the beginning of the album, and features Carl Thomas and Nas. Kanye West appeared to keep this one pretty simple, allowing the emcees to do what they do.

Do you remember the voice on the introduction to Biggie‘s “Kick In The Door?” How about Black Rob‘s “Whoa!?” That is producer/emcee D-Dot (The Madd Rapper) who released his debut LP in 2000 titled Tell ‘Em Why U Madd, with Kanye West on the science. This is a real zone-out, mellow cut from Kanye’s super early catalogue.

With all that being said, we hope you learned at least one thing from this article about Ye and his early production. If you didn’t learn anything, maybe this was simply a refreshing reminder for you hip-hop junkies that he has been doing his thing for quite some time, and not just some overnight pop star that the younger generation may view him as.

Wait, here goes that bonus footage from 1996 at Fat Beats, as mentioned in our introduction. You’re welcome:

The post Vintage Kanye West: Pre-College Dropout (1996-2000) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

While promoting their anticipated show “Kourtney & Khloe Take the Hamptons,” Khloe Kardashian was asked about her relationship with French Montana which has now ended. The TV personality responded playfully and respectfully to the journalist’s questions. When asked if it was weird for her to look back at episodes starring the rapper she answered:

No, I had so much fun. We went to South Africa (…) It was just such a cool opportunity to go on a free trip (…) The thing about French, the thing I really admire about him is that (…) if there is 48 hours he wants to be active and do something with all of the hours we had.

 

Check out the rest of the interview below:

The post Khloe Kardashian Talks French Montana appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photograph by Trevor Sage-El. You can see the rest of the photo-shoot by downloading our app: here

By Datwon Thomas

Easy, breezy. That’s the aura you get around one, Karim Kharbouch aka French Montana. The Bronx, NY raised but Moroccan born rap star is about as laid back as it gets. It’s an equally chill out day in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn for DJ Khaled’s video for “They Don’t Love You No More (Remix)”. With Khaled’s crew and the other featured artist, Remy Ma’s hair/make-up/styling/family/friends in attendance, French’s sizable entourage is in tow as well. His seems to be a carefree bunch. The collective rolls under the Coke Boys tag. It’s an take off of French’s long shuttered street DVD series Cocaine City, where he showcased rapper interviews, interspersed with his own music clips as well. Now with Cocaine City Records sitting well in partnership with his artist deal on Rick Ross’ Maybach Music AND Diddy aka Puff’s Bad Boy Records, there’s not much you can tell the money making machine named Montana. Especially since his debut album, 2013’s Excuse My French, spawned the hits “Pop Dat” and “Ain’t Worried Bout Nuttin’”, the frequent feature artist is a mainstay on the collab train…just check his two songs on Jennifer Lopez’s new album, JLo.

Focusing his efforts on releases from his own team in Chicago’s wild cowboy, Lil’ Durk and Far Rockaway, New York’s Chinx, French isn’t phased by the recent rumor mill concerning a certain Kardashian he knows intimately. Still on set, the CBs talk amongst themselves, cracking inside jokes and wait for the director to start the action. Once the clip is done, the close friends roundup and try to figure out where the next spot is to turn up for real: “Hey Chinx, you want to pop some bottles?” says Boss Montana. Before the understudy can respond in full, French announces to all by their rides, “We going to La Marina!” It’s a summertime Sunday in NY, where else would they be going? Haaaan!

New project time, what’s the deal with that energy for the new album? Seems like you are flying around a lot for it, especially to LA.

Yeah, I’m back and forth. Name of the album is Mac With The Cheese. Dropping 4th quarter, like Black Friday or right after. “Don’t Panic” just came out. Working on Lil Durk album, on Chinx album. We got [producer] Harry Fraud, he’s the executive producer on the album.

How’s the approach to this album verses the last?

I just want to do what I was doing as far like the Mac N’ Cheese [mixtape] series. For my fans, my core audience. I feel like when I did the last album, even though it was a classic album, it was my first album. I wanted to touch like everybody. I wanted to do a song for him, a song for him. This one I just want to do what I know how to do.

You seem to have fun on records. It almost sounds like you’re smiling when you rap.

I mean that’s the mood I’m in all the time. It be times when you are going through things in life and you just want to put them out through the music. [But] for the most part, I love making music happy. I love going in there with positive energy.

It’s rare that we see you down or even upset. Like when there were things going down with you and 50, you even kept that light hearted. He’s aggressive to every rapper, it was kind of your turn and you were still upbeat about it.

Definitely, definitely. It’s like a sport. Sometimes you gotta take care of things like you know how. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the music at the same time.

You were a businessman, with selling your Cocaine City DVDs, before you got into the music full time. How did that experience help you when it came time for you to be an artist?

I learned about this game. Putting all the hours in and working on certain parts, but when I realized that the hustle meant 70%…the hustle is the most important part. That has to be in you. When I was coming up, just looking at Master P, looking at Jay, looking at all the entrepreneurs. Even Baby, even Puff, if you look at them it’s like they rap, but they got their business right before anything. That’s what motivated me coming into the game.

Everybody knew you from the DVD business. How hard was it to get them to know you from the music?

I mean, the whole point of me doing DVDs was to do the music. If you look at Cocaine City Vol. 1, I’m right in there right? Then Volumes 2, 3, 4, by the time 5 come on it was like, “Alright, French rapping.” I didn’t do it for no other reason but to get where I want. I had a plan from the start.

During that era, is that when you linked with now incarcerated rapper Max B or was it before that?

How we linked up…I think a friend of mine knew his family and he would tell me about him and this and that. So he was in the studio one day and ever since me and him met, we just clicked. It goes back to just him being happy in the studio. He a funny nigga. You’ll be with him and laugh all day, just coolin’. We just clicked. Started getting money or whatever. You’ve got to surround yourself with positive people sometimes. You don’t want no fuck boys sitting next to you all day. That’s why I click with most people, cus you got to be a positive dude. Like whatever come out your mouth, your energy and everything.

Akon was in your early career, then Diddy and Ross were fighting over who is going to put your album out. It’s rare for an artist that’s not necessarily considered lyrical, to have them fighting over you like that.

Honestly, if you look at from the beginning I used to be battling and doing all this shit. I used to really be into my pen game. After a while, you know how Hov said, “I dumbed down my flow to triple my salary”? [Ed. Note: It’s “I dumbed down for my audience to double my dollars.”] See my music is always a lifestyle. Like when you hear Rozay or when you hear, whoever it is that lives that kind of lifestyle and they rap about it. That’s the kind of rap I grew up loving. If you really listen to BIG and really listen to Pac, they never really was saying nothing too crazy, but the swag and lifestyle is what made them legends. If you play Biggie and you play Canibus, ain’t no way you gonna be like, “Biggie is killing Canibus.” Cuz that’s what Canibus do. He gonna tell you how big is the Sun, you know? All that crazy shit.

So you make more lifestyle music, by making joints that feel good rather than only sound like the lyrical miracle type shit.

Exactly. I wanted to be that nigga that niggas woke up and wanted to look like.  If you listen to some of these lyrical rappers now that are lyrical and this and that, you never hear anybody say, “I’m wearing this sweater cus this nigga wearing it.” [Laughs]. It’s only music. It stops there. It’s not like a lifestyle with it.

You’ve created a lifestyle with Coke Boys. How’d you come up with that?

I just took Cocaine City and flipped it to Coke Boys and get it as a label. Then put all my niggas on. Rap is just the stepping stool to everything else. Definitely want to spread your wings and get into whatever fits you. I definitely want to get into films. That’s my next thing. I always believed in visuals.

When did you know things were about to change? Was it when you were down with Akon or when “Pop Dat” got busy or when Mac N Cheese [mixtapes] rocked?

When I got my first check.

From the Coke Boys or the rap game?

The rap game, when I got my deal. I was like, “Ok, that’s all I needed.”

I know on the “Hot Nigga” freestyle you say, “Got my first mill’ started tweakin’”.

Ha, I did. When I got up with Puff and he gave me that million dollars, I looked back like, “I’ll see all you niggas later.” God damn it.

What’s the difference in lifestyle with that? You go from coach flights to private strips. It wasn’t always like that. Your Instagram shows the lifestyle.

It’s just growth. When you grind to the top and you come from nothing, no hand out, just build it up…that feeling is more than money. Of course the money makes it better but when you look around at everybody, “you can never make me.” All you can do is help me, help you. That feeling when you do it on your own is a whole other feeling. At the end of the day it’s like, once you elevate, every year you elevate. My thing is as long as I make $10 more than I made last year, I’m good. Ever since I started in the game I’ve gotten better and better every year.

Your associations have jumped up too though. It’s a wild time for you being in People Magazine and TMZ follows you after your relationship with Khloe Kardashian. That’s not rap level attention. What kind of level is that?

It’s just growth. Elevating. Next year is going to be bigger that last and [so on]. Since I dropped my album, that’s my first album, the world started knowing me. After that, everybody been asking me what I’m going to do with the next album. And everything else in between, you know people gossiping and want to know what’s going on in your life…you know, regular industry shit.

How have you dealt with it though. That’s kind of tough for somebody like you who’s been pretty private.

Mad niggas talked about me in the hood all day. I’m used to it. It goes from hood niggas, niggas on the block talking about you, to People Magazine talking about you. There’s no difference. I just keep it moving. I just make sure…you got to make sure your shit is like a motherfucking vault. You don’t let nothing from the outside get in. I mean look, ain’t nothing wrong with making a mistake. You ain’t a boss until you took a loss, but you got to learn how to move sharper. That’s why I keep people like Puff and Ross around me. If it really get crazy I just make that phone call. “Should I do this, should I do that…”, you know what I mean?

Check out the French Montana’s photo-shoot in the Respect Digital app: here.

And be on the look out for the conclusion to the interview shortly.

The post Interview: It Will Take A Nation Of Millions To Hold French Montana Back From Reaching His Proper Shine. appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.