Head over to iTunes now to pre-order Durk’s new album and Def Jam debut ‘Remember My Name‘.

The post New Music: Lil Durk Ft. Lil Reese – “Myself” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Stooki Sound was supposed to bless New York City with an hour long set at the Governor’s Ball silent disco on June 9th, but they cancelled the appearance. We’d like to think they had a very good reason for skipping out because it’s a shame- damn near a crime- to hide their new exclusive mix from the public.
East London duo, DJ Lukey and Jelacee are Stooki Sound, a brand new production crew deep into the trap sound. Their new 45 minute cut of remixes should definitely be on the summer playlist of anyone who enjoys a high quality, electronic UK sound with tons of sub-bass and beats that are loaded with grimy, energetic rap lyrics. When listening to this mix, we’re not sure if we want to rave or riot, but either way, Stooki Sound’s new Soundcloud cut is sure to put your speakers through a workout.

Tracklist:

Outkast – SpottieOttieDopaliscious (HugLife Remix)
Hucci x GameFace – The Leaves Are Brown
Shiftkey – Geeky playtime
Ozzie – Flat 15 (Stööki Sound Remix)
Heroes x Villains + Stooki Sound – Today ft Rome Fortune
Lil Reese- Traffic (Feat. Chief Keef)
Stooki Sound x Hucci – BALL SO HARD
Benny St.Claire – Lose It
Kanye West – Mercy (RL Grime & Salva Remix)
Yellow Claw X Timo – Parade de Tittas V3
Hudson Mohawke – Thunder Bay
Flosstradamus x DJ Sliink – Test Me (UZ Remix)
Stooki Sound – UPPERS
Ludacris – Rich & Flexin (High Roller$ Remix)
SALVA & BRENMAR – LET ME BANG (PYRAMID JUKE REMIX)
Stooki Sound – GOLD VICTORY
Gent & Jawns – Turn Up
French Montana – Marble Floors (Thugli Bootleg)
Falcons – Vroom
Hudson Mohawke – CBat
Stooki Sound – Thirsty
Flosstradamus – From the Back (Lunice Remix) [feat. Danny Brown]
DJ Snake – Bird Machine
Mr Carmack – Birth Control

The post New Music: Stooki Sound – Exclusive Mix (ft. Kanye West, Outkast, French Montana, Lil Reese & more) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Lil Reese is a 19 year old Chicago Southside native that appeared on one of the biggest rap records of 2012. “I Don’t Like”, by Chief Keef featured Lil Reese, became a local hit in Chicago on radio stations WGCI and WVAZ this March. The song created a buzz within the area and caught the attention of rapper/hip-hop music producer Kanye West, who is also a native of the same town. West quickly reached out Chief Keef to remix the song, and added rappers Pusha T, Big Sean and Jadakiss to the mix. The song was then labeled, “I Don’t Like (G.O.O.D Music – Remix)”, and included Chief Keef alongside the other rappers, leaving Lil Reese out the mix. The remix gained popularity in the U.S. and rose as high as 73 on the  Billboard Hot 100, 15 on Billboard Rap Songs chart and 20 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In addition, the song collected over 17.5 million views on YouTube. But what many people don’t know is that it was Lil Reese who chose the Chief Keef track, over another Young Chop produced track titled, “Everyday”, to be released as a single.

During the period of Chief Keef”s success, Lil Reese released a track titled, “Us.” The track garnered similar attention within the Chicago area. In July, his DJ Drama and Don Cannon hosted mix-tape titled Don’t Like came out. “Traffic” became a stand out track and was released as a single. The track caught the attention of No I.D., the vice president of A&R at Def Jam Records, who signed the Windy City’s Southside Englewood neighborhood projects native to a record deal with the label. Currently, the Glory Boyz Entertainment crew have three rappers signed to major record labels. Chief Keef is signed to Interscope Records and Lil Reese and Lil Durk are both signed to Def Jam. This shows that the three rappers are bringing Chicago inner city life, back to a mainstream audience. So, keep an ear open for Lil Reese and his 3Hunna/300 Squad crew, because they’re about to change the rap game with their hardcore style. Include these three along with, past and present Chicago natives, Kanye West, R. Kelly, Da Brat, Common, Lupe Fiasco, Twista, Shawnna, Yung Berg, Crucial Conflict, Do Or Die, Jeremih and producer No I.D. who have all made major impacts in the music industry, because they represent Chi-Town to the fullest. “Traffic” does just that by, representing the hard street life that Lil Reese and Chief Keef know and face on a daily base. With lyrics like, “He not bout’ that life man/Catch him in traffic/We ain’t really with that talking/Bitch, we love that action”, you’ll definitely know that dem boys don’t play on the Southside of Chicago. And if you thought that was it, Lil Reese has more in store, with a remix featuring his Def Jam labelmate Young Jeezy coming soon.

Song Link: http://soundcloud.com/defjam/lil-reese-traffic

Music Video Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YfkzzPJuyU0

Mixtape Link: http://www.mixtapetorrent.com/dj-drama-don-cannon-lil-reese-dont-like

The post NEW MUSIC: LIL REESE FT. CHIEF KEEF – “TRAFFIC” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Rick Ross keeps the music coming with his new mixtape The Black Bar Mitzvah. The 18 track project features Rozay and friends spitting over the hottest beats out, including Chief Keef”s “I Don’t Like” and 2 Chainz‘s “Birthday Cake.” The mixtape features appearances from Omarion, Drake, Gunplay, Rockie Fresh, and many others. Listen and stream the album below.

The post New Mixtape: Rick Ross – The Black Bar Mitzvah appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In the viral video for Chief Keef’s street anthem “I Don’t Like,” you get a clear sense of family. The Glory Boyz are brotherly but rough, as gangs tend to be. In Chicago, where twice as many American lives as the war in Afghanistan were lost over the past decade, some are concerned that gangsta rap ain’t exactly the city’s best face. Is Chicago’s resurrected street cred a shot in the dark or a shot heard round the world?

Glory Boyz Entertainment (GBE) rapper Lil Reese stands unwavered and unconcerned with much except for putting on for his side of the map. Best known for his feature verse on “I Don’t Like,” Reese — or Reesey, as his affiliates call him — isn’t much of a talker, letting his music speak for itself. On “Us,” from his debut mixtape, he raps: “My niggas, they’ll deal with ya. / I ain’t even gotta deal with ya.”

Much of his music is fueled by the booming bass and snare assaults that made Lex Luger and Wacka Flocka pop. That ‘trap’ sound, as it’s commonly called, is infectious. For mainstream America, it’s just fun music to dance or ride around to, but for Chicago, the trap isn’t so much an aesthetic as a very real place. For Reese, “It feels real good because a lot of people don’t get that. It’s all love like it’s always been. It’s even more love now.”

Although the moves seem plotted, Reese describes GBE’s recording process as a gathering of friends. “We all be in the studio and I’ll be like, ‘Chop, make a beat for me, man.’ I’ll be right there and he’ll make a beat,” he explains. “I just go on and make the words and we put it together. Chop is my homie. That’s my guy.”

The release of “I Don’t Like” couldn’t have been more spur of the moment. “I leaked it off Young Chop’s YouTube page and it got like 50 views as soon as I leaked it,” says Reese. “I was like, ‘We need to shoot a video for this right now.’ They shot the video the next day and it was history.”

That history includes lucrative major label deals for Young Chop, Chief Keef and Lil Reese. But even though legendary Chicago producer and label exec No I.D. signed Reese to Def Jam, the 19-year-old rapper obviously doesn’t sprout from his branch of hip-hop. Ask Lil Reese what they play in the hood, and he won’t say Kanye West, even though the superstar rapper boosted Reese to stardom by jumping on the “I Don’t Like” remix. “I don’t listen to him,” says Reese nonchalantly. “We’ll listen to him if he comes on, but I don’t think nobody got a Kanye CD.” Instead, “I was listening to a lot of Jeezy and Gucci,” he says.

Recently, the Chicago rapper and political activist Rhymefest offered his two cents about Chief Keef’s recent exponential rise. “Chief Keef is a ‘bomb,’” he wrote, “he represents the senseless savagery that White people see when the news speaks of Chicago violence.” But he wasn’t simply pointing fingers at the signees: “Major record labels always put million dollar life insurance policies on artist of this nature so that they get paid one way or the other.” [sic]

When prodded about this critique, the popular sentiment that Chicago’s youngest rappers perpetuate violent stereotypes that could translate into real damage, Reese waves it away. “I never really even thought about it,” he says. “I don’t even really care about that if you ask me. I’m not focused on it.”

In hip-hop, perceived authenticity is the be-all and end-all that attracts fans for better or worse. Lil Reese’s raw lyrics paired with Young Chop’s undeniable production personify the alarming death rates and turf wars we’ve been hearing about Chicago for ages. That reality, paired with hypnotizing music and visuals, makes it hard to look away.

While trap rap forgoes some of the socially-minded angst that marked gangsta rap in the ‘90s, to chop down and zero in on one facet of the culture would be shortsighted. What about the bombastic boasts of Kanye West and Rick Ross, whose price tag rap dominates the charts today? That ideal of luxury trickles down. It’s refreshing to hear raw, young voices like Lil Reese give us a glimpse into what the reality still is at home.

The post “To 3Hunna, and Beyond!” – An Interview w/ Lil Reese appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.