Sen M. Floyd

Is this not what hip-hop heads are yearning for? It has certainly been a long time coming. Unfortunately the current state of over saturated “cursive” rappers may overpower upstart, authentic emcees like A-F-R-O (All Flows Reach Out), but true heads recognize the potency. His craft has done a damn good job reaching millions of people in a rather short amount of time. We feel like it was yesterday when R.A. the Rugged Man introduced us to him on video, demolishing freestyles from the head after a rough car accident. In disbelief, internet trolls weren’t sold at first that he could rhyme this sharp – off the top of his head at that. It was only a matter of time that he smashed those assumptions. Now we meet here with the ‘A-F-R-O Polo’ EP.

We could go on for hours about A-F-R-O’s aesthetic qualifications, but we’ll save you the time. It’s not everyday that a teenager steps on the scene under the wing of a top notch, underground name such as R.A., and actually cares. Do new jacks even care anymore? There’s a concerning level of ignorance towards the culture that we cherish deeply with a lot of young artists today.

Lets talk about his choice of production for the first official release here. Marco Polo – the MPC 2000 virtuoso. Man, Fro has a trained set of ears. Anyone following Marco’s career will agree that this collaboration makes sense. It’s beyond refreshing. It’s fun. It’s quality hip-hop. The two of them almost make it seem too easy. Maybe it’s the cover art? We had the pleasure of speaking with Marco Polo about the EP, which you can check out below. Therefore, we won’t reiterate everything he already told us.

A-F-R-O Polo EP

One of many notable and understood highlights on the EP is the limited amount features. Considering it’s his first official release it only makes sense, right? We want to hear what he brings to be table on wax, that of which is stellar. “Swarm” invites a deadly Pharoahe Monch appearance. Needless to say this was an awesome surprise. Shylow (First Division) handled all of the cuts. Does Shy ever disappoint? Easy answer – no.

The project is a must do. This is just a precursor at what’s to come from A-F-R-O in the future, we’re sure of it. He sounds like a seasoned veteran already. He’s hungry, but still has fun. He’s a giant voice. A giant personality whose passion for the culture is easily detected and admirable. That’s enough of our yap though. Enjoy the EP’s stream and our dialogue with Marco Polo! Peace and love:

RESPECT.: Before we talk about the music, we can’t ignore the incredible cover art! It sets a “don’t take life too serious” tone, which is refreshing. Can you talk about the cover a bit?

Haha, yup. I love the cover. Basically, A-F-R-O posted a picture of him with my cat Mischa on his lap (@catsandcrates on IG lol). Then, somebody flipped their heads on some Photoshop shit and posted it back on Fro’s Facebook page. I saw it and said “THAT’S THE COVER.” We both agreed it was the one.  

RESPECT.: It’s probably safe to say that A-F-R-O is one of the sharpest, young wordsmiths that hip-hop has seen in quite some time. Can you talk about the recording process and how the in-studio chemistry is with the two of you?.

Agreed. Fro is an 18 year old kid who loves golden era Hip Hop. He studies it. He’s a fan of that era and knows the history.  I think the overall chemistry between us is great.  The studio process has never been so simple. I play my beats, he picks one and writes. Then we record it. I did not get in the way of his rhymes or overproduce his vocals on this EP. I wanted him to do this thing and focused on making the music elements & hooks sound tight. Shylow came up with some key hooks too for “Fro Armstrong” & “Long Time Coming“. That really helped turn joints into fully realized bangers. 

RESPECT.: How did the project come about? Did A-F-R-O reach out to you to collaborate, or vise versa? 

R.A. The Rugged man brought Fro to my studio. He wanted me to work with him and called me saying he discovered this young MC. Of course I was down. When Fro came thru with R.A. we chopped it up and Fro said he was a fan of my work. It was dope vibes from the jump.  The very first thing we ever recorded was “Swarm” which later got a bananas second verse from Pharoahe Monch. That was the first joint we recorded for ‘A-F-R-O POLO’.

RESPECT.: Anyone familiar with your catalogue knows that you’ve worked with some of hip-hop’s finest emcees – from old to new school. What differentiates A-F-R-O from others that you’ve worked with?

Fro is 18 years old. His high skill level at such a young age is what differentiates him from other MC’s.  The potential for what he can do is limitless.  What also needs to be acknowledged about A-F-R-O is the mentorship of R.A. The Rugged Man. This is VERY crucial in his rise and introduction to Hip Hop. Rugged Man is a student, fan and now veteran MC who is guiding Fro in all the right ways. This is invaluable and a lot of young MC’s don’t have that on their side coming into the game. A lot of these young kids feel entitled and lack respect. A-F-R-O is great human as well as dope MC which is why people are so drawn to him.

RESPECT.: Outside of the new EP, what should we expect from Marco Polo moving forward this year? Anything else coming in the foreseeable future? 

I have a lot of projects in the works. Instrumental albums, more collaborations with up and coming MC’s.  Really focusing on working with younger MC’s. A follow up album with Torae is being discussed. A Masta Ace/Marco Polo album is being discussed. Also, internationally I’ve got my hands full with projects in Japan, Portugal, Poland, South America and Italy.  Not to mention sound designing my “Pad Thai” drum kits that have been highly successful and useful for new producers trying to learn and produce beats – www.marcopolobeats.com is where you can find those.

RESPECT.: Do you have any funny or cool stories that you could share with us during the creation of the record?

My favorite story from this album is getting Pharoahe Monch to jump on “Swarm” without telling A-F-R-O. I knew Monch was one of his favorite MC’s of all time and I wanted to surprise him. I called Monch and asked him. He knocked out the verse and then I sent the mp3 to Fro’s email. I called AFRO and said “yo….check your email while I’m on the line….” hahahaha I’ll never forget Fro’s reaction of pure joy and shock.  It felt good to help him achieve a collaboration I knew he always wanted to do and in the process we made a banger I knew heads would love.

Appreciate the interview Dread, much love.

A-F-R-O: Twitter | Instagram

Marco Polo: Twitter | Instagram

A-F-R-O Polo: iTunes | Google Play | Amazon | Spotify

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The post Marco Polo Talks ‘A-F-R-O Polo’ EP, Future Projects & More appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Cover Art: @cepenwhy

You can ride waves in any weather with Hus Kingpin’s bodies of work. Not just ride the wave, but feel the cool breeze and euphoric undertones. They’re rich lyrics – which should leave you with a new found respect for emcees who can handle their wordplay. Did we mention the amount of co-signs and green lights he has received over the years from some of our pioneers and current staples? (see interview below)

Aside from the aesthetics, let’s note his consistency these past few years. On the independent scene, we all know that’s beyond crucial. Hus never leaves his fans to run for dry – always releasing random, sporadic singles with little warning. This is commendable and appreciated. Rookie emcees – take notes.

But forget all the fly words here – listen for yourself and catch up on his previous releases if you haven’t yet. Peace and love:

If someone is just now getting familiar with Hus Kingpin, how would you describe yourself in a few short words?

I’m a Brooklyn born MC representing Hempstead NY – half trini, half Bajan – wavy rhyme lord influenced by Nas, Noreaga, Dj Premier, Roc Marciano, Jay Z, Trap Music (laughs) – strip clubs in Atlanta – warm cognac and LA weed.

You live on the west coast now but still represent your hometown Hempstead in a lot of your records. Can you talk a little bit about your experience on the west coast and how the relocation has improved your craft, if so?

The first person I met when I moved to LA was Planet Asia. He came and scooped me and we copped some jerk chicken. Asia then took me around to meet everyone from Krondon, to Evidence, to Alchemist, to his GCM crew. Planet Asia also introduced me to Raekwon for the first time. I love PA. Everything in LA is glorious. Good weed always helps me with writers block. There are also great shows out here. Shout out to Fashawn as well, he’s a good genuine young shooter.

One thing listeners may notice is your open ended, free flowing content and your ability to allow us to paint our own pictures with your lyrics. What’s your writing process look like?

Writing process is all about energy for me, the perfect time is usually fresh out of the weed dispensary or when I’m with Rozewood who also lives in LA now. I usually go to the studio and smoke, chill, then I’ll probably fall asleep, I hate writing in the studio, but I’ll do it with the right energy

You really excercise the moniker “Lord Wavy”. It goes beyond the typical rapper’s nickname – so much that your rhymes often feel like we are riding a sonic wave. Was the Lord Wavy stamp a natural development? How did it come to frution?

“Lord Wavy” came from listening to Max B in NYC. I liked his style. It’s unfortunate about his situation. And yes it was pretty natural to form into Lord Wavy after meeting Big Daddy Kane in Queens when I was 18. He told me he’s leaving the torch for me. That was a bugged out moment in time.

The Winners is a powerful team of recording artists with some of the most natural chemistry we’ve heard in a while. Can you discuss how the team operates? And is longevity instores for The Winners?

The Winners is like TDE meets Wu-Tang. We’re all rhyme lords but not mega conscious with it – it’s all about the style and saying things that people have never said before. We have SmooVth from NY, Rozewood from NY, Sean Rosati from Boston, JuneLyfe from Boston, Sage Infinite from New Jersey, Marvelous Mag from NY, Giallo Point from UK, and singer El AY from UK. We’re going to wave up this year. Mega longevity – be on the look out!

To close this out, what does Hus Kingpin have planned for 2016? Any live shows, projects, collaborations etc.?

I’m dropping my debut in-studio full length album finally with some fly guests. Planet Asia is executive producing one of my LP’s coming. Roze and myself are finishing the Snowgoons album. Audible Doctor and myself have a project coming. SmooVth is going to break the Internet with his new ‘SS96J’ release. I got some beats from A$ap Ty from A$ap Mob. I got some new material with Marco Polo and a few other secrets underway.

Do you have any shoutouts? If so, shoot, shooter.

Shoutout Tommy Boy Records, Planet Asia, Evidence, Alchemist, Big Twins, Jazz and anyone else I forgot! Thank you.

Twitter | Instagram | SoundCloud

The post Hus Kingpin – “House of Kingpin: The Revamp Edition” + Interview appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Brooklyn’s promising Saga dropped off his latest visual demonstration for “Eye”. If you’ve been keeping up with our posts or have heard his latest From Out of the Shadows debut release you will notice, in just a handful of cuts, that he’s a flexible emcee. From gritty street tales to brutally honest every-day obstacles, he’s really gaining true hip-hop heads’ trust. Producer Marco Polo wasn’t playing around here either, as expected. Does he ever disappoint? Take a walk through Chinatown with Saga and enjoy yourself.

Don’t forget to grab/stream the Out of the Shadows release here – courtesy of AudioMack. Yeah, it’s free. If this is not apart of your digital collection you must re-evaluate your standards as a hip-hop fan. Just in case you missed the video for “The Strong” we’ve attached it below for you. Peace and love.

The post New: Brooklyn’s Promising Saga Drops Off His Latest Visual For “Eye” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Visual Directed by: Fred Focus

Brooklyn emcee Saga dropped off his second visual demonstration for “The Strong”, off his upcoming Out of the Shadows release. The title is nothing short of what the content holds; strength. From all angles this displays what a respectable true school artist should obtain. He’s far from falling short on the mechanical side, with razor sharp delivery that’s [respectably] reminiscent of an early Terror Squad. The record is produced by himself, as well. Saga takes us through his daily encounters, strongly painting us a vivid scene of how Brooklyn is perceived through his lenses and how he maintains strength. This isn’t one for the weak hearts or closed minds.

Check out the first visual release below for “City Streets”, featuring the ever-promising Roc Marciano. Staple beat smith Marco Polo is on the boards here, as well as the majority of Out of the Shadows – one more thing to be excited about. If this is your introduction to Saga, you can thank us later. Peace and love:

The post New Music: Saga – “The Strong” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Marco Polo generates an atmosphere of mystery, using identifiable sounds from the mystery genre to make the stakes of Invincible‘s investigation more clear. In the end, Detroit’s situation isn’t something that can just be shrugged away. Neither is this song. Listen below.

The post New Music: Marco Polo feat. Invincible – “Drunken Sleuth” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The post New Music: One Dae – “Bang This” (Prod. Marco Polo) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.