In the aftermath of the non-indictment of both Darren Wilson and Daniel Pantaleo, the nation has been in sheer emotional turmoil; and because of it, it has prompted not only protestors, but vexed individuals alike to exasperatingly vocalize their fury. 22-year-old Sacramento artist JustKristofer is no different and is among those expressing said fury. His new Prop the Producer-produced track, “Last Words,” features Prop and LA on the sax and touches on the social injustices we face and the pain brought on by never-ending police brutality.

I’m surrounded by killers, I’m protected by murderers, pledge allegiance to thieves taking lives…

Take a listen to “Last Words” below.

The post New Music: JustKristofer Ft. Prop & LA – “Last Words” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Sean Berrigan

Ryan Hemsworth produces music because, “We all want Canada to be seen as cool someday.” “All” might be a bit extreme, but for those who do want to see Canada as a haven for hip, Hemsworth is taking his home country one step closer. His debut EP Last Words, released through We Did It, drops today and just one year after graduating college, he’s got himself on the map.

The 22-year-old’s music-career began in junior high when Hemsworth picked up a guitar and drums, even dabbling in a bit of singing. Thanks to a hip-hop inclined cousin, he started listening to Wu-Tang, “It kind of just blew my mind. The grittiness of it all,“ he says. Now, however, he refuses to give his music a genre. Not trap (the sub-genre of the moment) and not hip-hop, saying he gets inspiration from a range of musical styles, each track influenced by a different mindset and sound. One day R&B, the next gritty trap, the one unifying factor being a library of samples because, for Hemsworth, “The risk of making five really weird, fairly different tracks [is more worthwhile] then just five tracks that sound identical.”

The soft-spoken producer’s music seems to match his personality. The sound is closest to “chill-trap,” and Hemsworth himself is laidback and airy, but captivating. “I usually put way too much into it so I have to backpedal and delete crap,” it’s that control and understanding that makes each song feel complete and perfectly well-rounded. Listen to “Charly Wingate” and you’ll understand how each song comes full circle. No overwhelming bass or extra samples, it’s the perfect sound to play when you just want to zone out and forget the world.

But Hemsworth won’t settle with chill, when he can get edgy. His ideal musical partners are Danny Brown, Gunplay and Kenrick Lamar aiming to mix that airy feel with some aggressive rappers.“Slurring” from Last Words samples a skit from a Gunplay mixtape, five seconds of Soulja Boy, a freestlye that one of the Main Attrakionz recorded over a cell phone and Hemsworth’s own guitar.  He’s open to everything from Lil B (he made an entire mixtape of Lil B remixes) to sounds from video games to Radiohead. It’s a little bit of everything, but overall that’s Hemsworth, “It’s kind of just like recycling memories and stuff that I grew up on.” Sit, listen and lose yourself in the brain of Ryan Hemsworth.

Last Words out now.

The post “Making Canada Cool” — An Exclusive Interview with Producer Ryan Hemsworth appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Sean Berrigan

Ryan Hemsworth comes from Canada to bring us the best of chill-trap. Check out “Charly Wingate,” the first single to come off his upcoming debut label EP Last Words, out August 21. If you can’t wait till the EP for more Hemsworth jams, hit up his website for some downloads. There’s even a whole mixtape of Lil B remixes. Hemsworth listening spree, here we go.

The post New Music: Ryan Hemsworth — “Charly Wingate” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.