By: Dominique Xavier

Houston rapper Dominique Xavier returns to the scene with a new visual for his “Just Do It” single. As he has been able to maintain a high creative energy throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, this release serves as a reminder to the music industry that Xavier is up next. As he serves up his best bars to date, viewers get a chance to see how much he has grown and matured as a rising Hip Hop phenomenon.

In “Just Do It” you will see Dominique Xavier on camera swagged out rocking his signature gold grill. As grills are something that are still a major staple in the Houston area, his style plays out in his southern banter and rap style. The black history mural of the Obama’s and Martin Luther King Jr. that appears on the screen as Xavier is flowing, is an amazing touch as it is currently Black Music Month.

You will hear the emcee saying things such as “rose gold grill man that shit light, walk around here man she gon get pipped. His catchy delivery and cadence are two things that remain consistent throughout this entire visual. When you pair that with the melodically pleasing beat, you get a bonafide hit record. He appears to have taken a different approach to his creative process, and it is working magically. This new sound can be compared to the likes of Top Dawg Entertainment rapper Isaiah Rashad.

As Dominique Xavier continues his rise to fame, press play below to stream his new “Just Do It” video.

The post Houston Rapper Dominique Xavier Releases New “Just Do It” Video appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

David Banner chatted with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson about entrepreneurship on Scoop B Radio. Photo via Instagram.

Many people know David Banner as a talented lyricist and equally talented producer responsible for hits such as ‘Like A Pimp,’ ‘Get Like Me,’ and ‘Cadillac on ’22s.’ But what’s equally admirable is what he’s done in addition to the hip hop culture that he’s kind of been quiet about.

“What happens with me is I think it is very important, for you to become a success first,” David Banner told me on Scoop B Radio. “I think sometimes that black people in general, we run our mouth before, you know; we seem to put the carriage before the horse. What I wanted to do was, I wanted to be successful in a sector where there were not a lot of black people.”

Check Out David Banner and Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson‘s chat on Scoop B Radio

Banner believes that diversifying portfolios is the only way to get ahead in the economy as an entrepreneur: 

“I own a multimedia company, people don’t know I did the music for Gatorade, for the World Cup, Mercedes Benz. I did like a whole season for Pepsi, all the music for Pepsi for the NFL season besides the Super Bowl. I scored video games, I scored movies, I done 12 major brands and the bad thing about it is, most of that money went from paying back taxes, for not knowing about it, you know, as a rapper. But, I just wanted to gain power, real power. I wanted to get to a point where nobody could stop me, you know. And what people don’t understand, as a leader, as a pan Africanist, one thing that I learned is one of the reasons why children don’t wanna be revolutionaries, because all the ones we loom up to were broke, lonely, crackhead or something. Malcolm died with $300 to his name, that’s what he left his family with.”

Banner broke it down further:

“After all the stuff that he gave, you know to people all over the world; globally, you know people don’t talk about the fact that Harry Belefonte and his friends were funding Martin Luther King. So why do the people who give the most that are black die broke? When you know revolutionaries from other countries and other walks of life they go down in history and their family live good and they live to be 80 and 90 years old and we die at 26 and 34. I just said that I wanted to be sure that I’m able to truly stand for the people and I think the only way you do that is to have success and then make a sacrifice.”

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The post Scoop B: David Banner Says Producing For Brands Like Pepsi, World Cup, Mercedes Benz Diversed His Portfolio appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

With President Obama days away from finishing his two-term presidency, in comes President-elect Donald Trump.

Rapper, T.I. has been pretty vocal. The King of the South penned open letters to both Trump and Obama.

In his letter to Trump, T.I. said:

“Should it ever at times seem as though we are against you, I assure you it’s a result of you defining yourself as the representative for those who are and who always have been against us,” he wrote.“The deck has always been stacked against us in this country. With every generation, there have been strategic steps taken to oppress, imprison and control US. All we’ve ever wanted was equality and empathy as the historically disenfranchised citizens that we are, in a nation that we’ve contributed to just as much as anyone else who calls America their home.”

Additionally, T.I. created video messages via Instagram expressing his displeasure and giving insight to the entertainment industry as to why they should not be taking meetings with President-elect Trump.

In the videos,  the Grammy award winning emcee breaks down why Kanye West and Steve Harvey‘s meetings with Trump are detrimental to the black community as a whole and why he feels they were chosen.

“Trump knew that young people were against him, so who does he get to appeal to them-Kanye West. Why? Not because they buy his shoes or listen to his music, but to sway the young people who are against Trump that he’s ‘not that bad’.”

T.I. also expressed his displeasure with both Steve Harvey and Rev. Martin Luther King III for their meeting with Trump, saying:

“Steve Harvey you should know better and Rev. King he called you in on your daddy’s birthday, you should know better than that. Willie Lynch, read on it.”

Vincent Peters, a technology exec and community organizer who also served as a deputy field organizer for President Obama in 2008 was a bit alarmed. “I cannot help but be confused and a bit disappointed,” Peters told RESPECT-MAG by phone. “In a letter where Mr. Harris speaks of, “creating a healthy dialogue that may hopefully unite US, addressing issues that have not be addressed, and asking the President Elect who are you and who do you want to be?”  I ask myself what better way is there to create a healthy dialogue, address issues that haven’t been addressed, or understand who a person is outside of meeting that person face to face?”

What Peters finds more alarming is that he believes T.I. and others are using rhetoric similar to late civil rights leader Malcolm X as truth.

In his “The Ballot or The Bullet” speech delivered on April 4, 1964, Malcolm X challenged Black leaders saying:

 

“That same white man knowing that your eyes are wide open will send another negro into the community telling you to support him so he could use them to lead us astray…The first thing the [White racist] does when he comes to power, he takes all the Negro leaders and invites them for coffee, to show that he’s alright. And these Uncle Toms can’t pass up the coffee. They come away from the coffee table telling you and me that this man is alright.”

Malcolm X’s speech is said to have subliminally referenced leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his protege John Lewis who were friendly with politicians and were said to have a cup of coffee or two with President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House. 

“To put things into proper perspective if 2017 was the 1960s Mr. Harris would be the person telling Dr. Martin Luther King and John Lewis not to meet with Lyndon B. Johnson,” said Peters.

“If Dr. King and Congressman Lewis would have listened to those who shared the same or similar sentiment as Mr. Harris, some of the most substantial legislation for civil rights and the advancement of African Americans in the US would have never been proposed or passed.”

Lewis, now a Congressman, in Georgia’s 5th congressional district since 1987, made headlines on Friday for questioning the legitimacy of Donald Trump’s standing as the United States’ incoming president. Trump questioned Lewis’ action in his community. “I understand Mr. Harris perspective comes from a world of art and music where in one song you can have contradicting lyrics themes and ideas,” said Peters.

“As long as the beat is the new wave and the hook is nice no one will ask any questions or try to make sense of the song.  In providing a framework in which others should move forward with Mr. Harris is in a very different arena where what you say and do have to actually make sense.”

So where do we go from here?

Well, Peters suggests defining an agenda for people of color to have been met over the first 500 days of Trump’s Presidency. “Putting together a defined agenda with our associated goals is the first step we should take before we accept any more invitations for coffee,” he said.

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The post Technology Exec Vincent Peters On T.I.’s Letter To Trump: “Confused And A Bit Disappointed” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

“I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

The post Happy MLK Jr. Day appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.