Aside for bringing back the Heavy tourism the beach used to hold, Williams might have potentially opened a very special door. We see the festival bringing more attention to Virginia’s long slept on music scene. The scene is considered to be a beautiful mix as you have artists that embrace the normal hip-hop standards then you have the folks with some serious indie street cred. The Virginia music scene doesn’t just produce great music for the industry — it revitalises the industry. Unfortunately, eyes haven’t seemed to gravitate to the state just yet. The music festival is a good start and we’re hoping other VA legends follow behind his creative footsteps. We have to think legacy in the VA. Aside from legacy, lets hope this leads to more venues and nightly shows. Atlanta is the current leader of this as they host dozens of music festivals. Also, It doesn’t hurt that the city has more than 300 recording studios and a wide array of music venues to help indie bands make their mark, including 529, the Drunken Unicorn, the Masquerade and Terminal West, the Westside’s premier indie space in King Plow Arts Center. Dozens of opportunities for the natives to showcase their craft. A music festival without a doubt is a great start and we’re hoping there will be opportunities for locals to open up for these major acts. We’ll keep you posted! There’s just something special about these VA folks and we’re getting closer to letting the world see it.

The post What ‘Something in the Water’ Means for Virginia’s Music Scene appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Kid Cudi has had a roller coaster ride of a 2016. From announcing that he was working on his follow-up project to Speedin Bullet 2 Heaven to entering rehab this past October. It has been a trying year for the “Mr. Rager” artist. Cudi has since been out of rehab and even made it to his scheduled performance at the first annual Complex Con in Long Beach California.

Their the re-energized emcee reunited with his fans after his short hiatus. He then promised the crowd that his new LP, Passion, Pain and Demon Slaying is on it’s way. Today, Cudi took to social media to give us a firm release date for the album.

PASSION, PAIN & DEMON SLAYIN’
DEC 16 digital DEC 23 physical pic.twitter.com/Aje5MXjNUN

— The Chosen One (@KidCudi) December 1, 2016

December 16th is the date, so get ready because the latest singles from Cudi have been excellent. From the Pharrell Williams assisted “Surfin,” –which has a visual out now–to the latest record that cudder dropped today titled “Baptized By Fire.” This latest track features a frequent collaborator , Travis Scott. Scott’s recently released Birds In The Trap Sing McKnight had multiple features from Kid Cudi on the project. So it wasn’t that shocking that the Rodeo artist would be featured on Cudi’s new album.

You can check out Kid Cudi’s new single “Baptized By Fire” on Apple Music here.

For more music news, keep it locked on RESPECT.

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The post Kid Cudi Drops New Single With Travis Scott + Gives More Album Details appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

As part of the production duo The Neptunes, Pharrell Williams has won Grammys, helped to sell millions of albums, and become the face of nerdy cool in hip-hop. More recently, Williams has branched out into fashion and art, designing sunglasses and modeling for Louis Vuitton, working with Paris boutique Colette, as well as launching his own clothing line, Billionaire Boys Club, a footwear line, Ice Cream, and partnering with textile firm Bionic Yarn. Last year he collaborated with artist Takashi Murakami and jewelry house Jacob & Co. to create The Simple Things: a cupcake, a bag of Doritos, a bottle of Heinz ketchup, a Pepsi can, a sneaker, a condom, and a bottle of Johnson’s Baby Lotion—encrusted with 26,000 rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds inside the mouth of a Murakami sculpture—shown at Art Basel in Switzerland. Oh, and he still finds time to make music: Last month, Interscope released the soundtrack to the animated comedy Despicable Me, which Williams co-wrote, and this fall, he will unveil his fourth album with his group N.E.R.D, which includes Shae Haley and Williams’s Neptunes cohort Chad Hugo. As the name of the alt-rock trio suggests, the 37-year-old Williams is a connoisseur of cool, but not a slave to it.

What is less known about Williams is his interest in science—specifically, the brain. He recently became fascinated with the work of Dr. V.S. Ramachandran, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, San Diego. Ramachandran, director of the university’s Center of Brain and Cognition, has been called one of the “hundred most prominent people to watch” in the 21st century by Newsweek magazine. Still, it would be difficult to imagine two less likely collaborators: one is a pop-music icon, the son of a handyman and a schoolteacher from suburban Virginia who now rolls around Miami in an Enzo Ferrari. The other is a neuroscientist, born in India and educated at Cambridge. What could they possibly have in common? A lot, as it turns out. But in the following conversation, it’s easy to see how both men feed off of each other with the thrill of discovery, and take mutual pleasure in zigging while the rest of the world zags.

To read the full interview click HERE

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