California rapper Dough The Freshkid is one of the premiere artists coming out of west coast. As he rolled out his latest project Tals Cafe today, It is clear that his talent is unmatched and superb. I had the pleasure of catching up with the hotshot for a quick interview to discuss his new project and inspiration.

Check it out below.

Dough The Freshkid Interview

Respect: What city do you rep?

Dough: I am from Crenshaw District Arlington of California.

Respect: At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music?

Dough: I was around 13 years old when my homeboy asked me to write a rap for him for the school talent show and he ended up winning.

Respect: Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?

Dough: Absolutely. I was born back east and raised a G on the West which, gave me an open range on sounds and culture.

Respect: How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?

Dough: I consider myself a street-conscious MC. I have a classic 90s Hip-Hop sound mixed with some of today’s sound. Most of my music production includes heavy bass instruments, classic pianos and soul samples.

Respect: What ultimately inspired you to dedicate yourself to a music career?

Dough: I live music on a daily, I am music, it’s not a career to me it’s a lifestyle. So, I said, “Why not get paid for it?” and show the whole world how gifted I am.

Respect: What’s one reason you are passionate about music and what inspires you?

Dough: I was born in Gary, Indiana on Jackson street where the great Michael Jackson lived. That played a major part of it. I am inspired by the outcome of the music I create; I love to continue to challenge myself each project. I’m actually a big fan of myself.

Respect: Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

Dough: I love watching old movies from the ‘60s and ‘70s. I’m a big kid so I’m looking for that PS5 to drop, and I love working out staying healthy.

Respect: Who are some of your main musical influences?

Dough: My influences are some of the veterans like Ice Cube, Nas, Jay-Z , Biggie, Pac, 50 Cent, and Redman. I also pay attention to Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, the late great Hussle and all my brothers from the Crenshaw District and my brothers in NY.

Respect: What are some of your music career goals for the future?

Dough: Continue to build my brand where I’m respected as a major and hopefully connected with a major on a Distribution partnership.

Respect: Tell us about the latest project that you’ve released? What is it about?

Dough: Tal’s Café is my latest project (album) that is out today. It’s simply about bringing the hustle aspect back into the game. We got way too many people glorifying junkies in Hip-Hop these days. Never get high on yo own supplies.

Respect: What are some projects you’ve done that you are most proud of and why?

Dough: I’m proud of all three of my projects that I’ve released through stores. I have a few mixtapes that are on DatPiff that you can’t sleep on either. Arlington Avenue, Black Rome and Tal’s Café demonstrates and shows my supporters the range I have when it comes to composing albums. Each of these albums speak of times that we currently live in. I write movies!

Respect: What’s next for you?

Dough: I’m writing in my head as we speak. I also have a title idea but, I am going to hold on to it for a while. I don’t want nobody biting my style lol.

Respect: What message do you hope fans take away from your music?

Dough: That I’m original and that I’m not concerned about what people thing about me. I’ll put my message out there regardless if it’s mainstream or not. I don’t play by the rules; I create my own rules. As Frank Sinatra said “I did it my way.”

Respect: Where can we find you on social media?

Dough: You can find me on Instagram @doughthefreshkid, and on twitter @doughfreshkid. You can also find me on Spotify, Youtube and Apple music by typing in Dough The Freshkid.

Be sure to press play below to stream his latest EP Tals Cafe.

The post RESPECT. Interview: Dough The Freshkid Talks New EP “Tals Cafe” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

UTK, being from the same neighborhood as Nipsey, frequently crossed paths with Nip growing up but it wasn’t until 2018 when UTK won the Craft Syndicate / Dutch Masters Music competition in Atlanta, Ga. that the two actually got in the studio together.

The contest provided an opportunity for him to work closely with Nipsey and Zaytoven where the song “Hierarchy” was created. For the next few months after, up until the untimely death of Nipsey Hussle, UTK would soak up the “marathon mindset” which would set him in motion to create his most recent project, FGTBD2 (an acronym for Feels Great To Be Dope 2).

The single “NH” is by far one of the most emotional songs on the entire project where he uses his lyrical and storytelling abilities to convey a message of positivity and truth. The songs’ stand out hook cries “Pray For My Neighborhood” and was written as a double-entendre highlighting parallels to the life of Neighborhood Nip Hussle and the “hustles” we have to perform just to survive in our neighborhood.

Peep the visual below and stay connected with UTK for upcoming announcements and releases here.

The post Peep The Visual: UTK – “NH” (Official Nipsey Hussle Tribute Music Video) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo Credit: Trillest Entertainment Logo

Please introduce yourself and your company:

“We’ve been in the game 10 plus years, every year we’ve increased our clients and revenue. We project to hit well over 6 figures in 2020, that’s without spending a dime to market our services. In this industry, reputation is everything and if you do good business people will naturally come back and talk about you. We are top ranked on Google and have other PR companies calling us the best. That’s when you know you’re winning.”

Photo Credit: Trillest Entertainment

The post Exclusive Interview: Anthony, CEO of Trillest Entertainment Discusses How He Created A Six Figure Global Digital Marketing Firm & How The Internet Is Revolutionizing The Music Industry appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

By: D Hill

Rising rapper D. Hill returns to the scene with a new single titled “No Interviews”. With an upbringing in south central Crenshaw (Crenshaw and Slauson) like the late great Nipsey Hussle, this release is a direct reflection of the type of artist and person Hill is.

On “No Interviews” you will hear the California native making fun of “rappers” as he never fits in with them. When asked why he doesn’t fit in, he responded “I was always “too aggressive” but the irony is that they are the ones portraying the roles of killers. As I have developed and grown in this industry, the more I do for myself the less I care about “playing by industry rules” if I’m paying for this myself as a true independent artist why not make my own rules?”

Some notable lyrics from this new single includes “I’m going to say this s**t once I hope you got the message, don’t come around my section acting like you with the extras”. His aggressive demeanor and tone of voice is credited to his west coast roots, like hitmakers YG, and Schoolboy Q. His street credibility mixed with his raw lyricism, are two reasons why this emcee is up next to blow in Los Angeles. His refreshing sound reminds listeners of how prevalent west coaster gangster music is.

Press play below to stream D Hill’s “No Interviews” single and tap in!

The post D. Hill Releases New “No Interviews” Single appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo Credit: All Money In Records

The long awaited album from All Money In artist J Stone, The Definition of Loyalty has officially arrived. Since untimely passing of Nipsey Hussle, J Stone has been doing his due diligence to perfect the project as he emphasizes his aims to make this classic project while carrying the torch passes to him by the martyred South Central emcee.

The 21 track album features the late Nipsey Hussle, YG, Snoop Dogg, Mozzy, Curren$y, Casanova, Wale, Pacman Da Gunman, Bino Rideaux, Jeremih, Dom Kennedy, and James Fauntleroy. 

Stream the ‘The Definition of Loyalty’ below and leave us a comment.

The post J Stone Continues The Marathon With ‘The Definition of Loyalty’ (Album Stream) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Yung Wise’s official debut single “Hate on Me” featuring the late Nipsey Hussle is ready for the world. With the cadence of Yung Wise and the lyrical approach of Nipsey Hussle, “Hate on Me” is a bonafide hit!

Check it out below.

The post Rapper Yung Wise Drops “Hate On Me” Featuring Nipsey Hussle appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

This weekend, Trae decided to release a powerful new single and visual titled “Nipsey,” which in turn will benefit the fallen rapper’s family:

“I understand that everything that happens in life ain’t meant for us to always agree with or understand, so I’ma finally speak to lil bro. All proceeds from purchasing or streaming the record will go to the trust fund set up by his family and team. Stream as much as you feel, it will al go to where it belongs. I’m only here to do my part like I know he would.”

Press play on “Nipsey” below. R.I.P. to one of the greatest of our generation.

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The post Trae Tha Truth Pays Tribute to Nipsey Hussle in New Visual appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.