By: Swerzie

Chattanooga, Tennessee rapper Swerzie returns with a fire new album titled B4 I ROT. Being heavily influenced by the likes of 50 Cent, Soulja Boy, Lil B, he has created an authentic sound that destined for greatness. Growing up in the streets of Cali, Columbia he is living out his real dream of becoming a a respected rapper with a rising fanbase. On his latest release, you will hear him spitting some of his most prolific as he proves to the world that he is ready for the big leagues.

On this three track project, Swerzie starts the year off strong with some impressive lyrics and dope melodies. One song that stands out the most on this release is the opening track titled “Magic”. Produced by Downtime, this particular song defines his grungy, rage like sound like never before. Some lyrics that stand out include “You be bout yours I’m about mine, you in your box I’m out mine, Swerzie up next bout time, who made the beat Downtime”. His creative wordplay stands out most on this album, showing how much he is honing in on his craft.

One thing that makes him unique as an emcee is his diverse upbringing. Growing up in Columbia, he listened to a lot of reggaeton and salsa giving him a difference approach to creating music. He may be a millennial rapper, but one thing that is for certain is that he has a talent that is undeniable. Be sure press play below to tap into some news and checkout Swerzie’s B4 I ROT project.

The post Swerzie Releases B4 I ROT Project appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Image credit (including featured image): Lil B

No kidding. For his latest, Bay Area icon (don’t argue) Lil B has decided to put his own special twist on Drake‘s chart-topper “In My Feelings” — it’s now a dedication to Lil B’s cat, Keke. Just thank the Based God and press play below.

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The post Lil B Freestyles Over Drake’s “In My Feelings,” Dedicates It to His Cat, Keke appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Image credit: Basedworld

At this point, I think it’s officially law that Chief Keef, Soulja Boy and Lil B be considered the true Hip-Hop pioneers for the 90’s generation. In the case of the third choice, the Bay Area rapper is back with a new mixtape titled Platinum Flame, which deserves a listen off the cover alone (complete with a double-right-handed Lil B).

So yea…have a listen below.

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Stream Lil B’s New Mixtape ‘Black Ken’

The post Lil B Dropped A New Mixtape Last Week [Listen] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Check it out below…it’s really amazing to see Lil B’s relevance in 2017 (you can’t take away his many past accolades, either, from being a XXL Freshman alum to creating the iconic cooking dance).

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The post Lil B Recruits YG for Remix of “Young N***az” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Image credit: BasedWorld Records

Who knows how long it’s been since Lil B first revealed its cover (years?), but the Bay Area legend has finally liberated his new project Black Ken, a 27-track offering that stays with Lil B’s, erm….unique style of Hip-Hop. ILOVEMAKONNEN acts as the mixtape’s sole feature.

[There was also a premature release at the hands of DatPiff, though issues were quickly sorted out soon after.]

Stream Black Ken below via Soundcloud; supporters can also find the project on all of your favorite streaming platforms. We’ve come quite a long way from “Vans” and “Wonton Soup,” haven’t we?

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The post Stream Lil B’s New Mixtape ‘Black Ken’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Clams Casino has made a career of producing stratospheric head-space beats for artists from ScHoolboy Q to The Weeknd. The sound he originally curated helped elevate the careers of an entire roster of so-called “cloud rap” artists, but Clams’ musical style has hardly remained confined to a single genre, much less a subgenre. Through both direct contribution and indirect influence, he’s helped define much of the sound that hip-hop in general has taken on over the past decade.

As a result, Clams Casino, who goes by Michael Volpe when he’s at the DMV, has always maintained a following apart from the artists he contributes beats to. He’s previously acknowledged as much with the release of an EP and three mixtapes which pieced together odds and ends and offered up instrumental versions of his tracks, but these releases remained secondary to his role as a beat-provider for other artists.

Now, on his debut studio album 32 Levels, Clams Casino has finally moved his name from the liner notes to the album cover, enlisting a whole cadre of collaborators for 12 tracks of entirely new content. 

The album is essentially split into two parts, with the first half focusing on hip-hop while the second takes on a more melodic feel. To that end, the first six tracks are built around contributions from rappers Lil B, A$AP Rocky, and Vince Staples, all of whom he’s provided beats for in the past.

Staples takes the lead on “All Nite,” a glitch-addled track which could have been right at home on the LBC rapper’s Summertime ‘06 album, alongside the Clams-produced “Norf Norf.” It’s not quite as at home on 32 Levels, but it’s a welcome addition all the same since Staples shows up in his signature style, serving up more of the rapid-fire tales of Long Beach gang culture that made his own albums hits.

But it’s Lil B who gets the lion’s share of feature time on 32 Levels, racking up four separate guest spots on the album. This should come as no surprise considering the long-term collaborative relationship that the Based God has shared with Clams Casino, but it’s ultimately disappointing if you’ve come to grips with the fact that Lil B just isn’t a good rapper.

He fails to keep up with Rocky on “Be Somebody” and he squanders two good beats with his listless anti-flow on “32 Levels” and “Witness,” turning in rhymes like, “Big boss, call me big boss, call me Rick Ross/ Fredo Santana, yeah I got the hammer/ Yeah I’m army strong with that pink bandana/ I’m a Navy SEAL so you know I get scanners/ Call me a Marine cause my money come faster.”

As the late Capital STEEZ once rapped, “They say hard work pays off, well tell the Based God don’t quit his day job.”

But I digress. Part of the thrill of being a Clams Casino fan is getting to have your pick of which vocal tracks make the cut on your playlist, while getting instrumental versions of everything else. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure, and everybody wins. Volpe’s production can stand on it’s own musically–as evidenced by “Skull” and “Blast,” the only two tracks on the album not to feature guest appearances–or it can be augmented by artists from a range of different genres.

By the time the sixth track is over, so is the focus on hip-hop, shifting toward a more indie pop and R&B tone. Unlike much of Volpe’s previous work, which leaned heavily on vocal samples from artists such as Imogen Heap, 32 Levels features more original instrumentation and direct vocal contributions, particularly on the second half of the album.

Kelly Zutrau of the band Wet, Samuel Herring from Future Islands, and solo artist Kelela stand out in particular, with Herring sounding like some strung-out, robotic approximation of Nick Cave on “Ghost in a Kiss,” and Kelela sounding every bit as urgent on “A Breath Away” as she did on her excellent Hallucinogen EP last year. Some fans might not be as charmed by Mikky Ekko‘s poppy crooning, but again, pick your poison, it’s all here for the taking.

The end result is an album that certainly showcases Volpe’s versatility, if not his ability to stand on his own as a headlining artist. Volpe seems to have forgotten from the start that he’s the headliner here, relegating himself back into liner note territory and allowing his guest artists to command the mix. Ironically, it’s still his Rainforest EP and Instrumentals mixtapes that provide the best evidence for his competence as a solo artist. 

Still, he makes a strong case that Clams Casino is a name you should know, negotiating through multiple genres while maintaining his signature sound from start to finish. So if ethereal synths and somnambulant vocals imposed onto 808s with a gritty Southern cadence sounds like something you’d get down with, then you’re bound to find something to like on 32 Levels.

Download 32 Levels on iTunes.

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The post RESPECT. Review: Clams Casino’s ’32 Levels’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Durant’s curse has been the longest drawn out and received the most media attention, especially after he and the Thunder lost to the Golden State Warriors recently. However, all of Lil’ B’s  beef and mystical forces have been put to the side after the former Oklahoma City star made his move to the Bay Area earlier today! Lil’ B even welcomed KD home in a tweet!

KD’s move to the Warriors has seriously broken the internet since the news was revealed. It seems like people are totally for it or completely against it. There is no middle ground. This might be an even bigger upset than LeBron James taking his talent’s to South Beach!

Regardless of all of the controversy swirling around social media, I say let the man live! Lil’B has, why can’t you!? Next basketball season will be here in a few months and after all the switching up of players, it is guaranteed to be an interesting set of events. Shut up and wait until these new team dynamics show us what they can and can’t do.

Congrats to Kevin Durant for the awesome trade and for finally being curse free!

*Cooks*

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