Image credit: Pro Era

Joey BADA$$ and his Hip-Hop outfit Pro Era have announced their fourth-annual STEEZ Day Festival, which is in honor of their fallen member Capital STEEZ. This go ’round, the event will be returning to NYC’s Central Park and will also features Flatbush Zombies, The Underachievers, STRO and more.

STEEZ Day will reportedly continue the tradition of supporting STEEZ’ family; it will also apparently help expand CityPark’s Summerstage events around the city.

It all goes down July 8th. Tickets go live this Friday.

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Photo Credit: Facebook@ Capital Steez

Steez Day is almost here again and it’s coming to New York City this time. On Tuesday, June 20,  Joey Bada$$ and CJ Fly announced the third annual festival on social media. Both Pro Era members revealed details about the event through a Kid Super designed flyer.

Photo Credit: Instagram @JoeyBada$$

Photo Credit: Twitter @CJFLY

This just in two-and-a-half weeks after Joey spilled some tea about upcoming LPs from both Pro Era album and Steez. Though release dates for the Pro Era project and Steez’s solo effort King Capital have yet to be unveiled.  This year’s Steez Day is set to take place at the PlayStation Theather in New York, NY on July 7. Tickets go on sale on Friday, June 23 right HERE on the PRO ERA site.

Twitter @CJFLY

The Underachievers, Ab-Soul, Saba, J.I.D, Jay IDK, and Jazz Cartier, and returning act A$AP Mob are all slated to take center stage at the festival. Surprise guests are also scheduled to perform. Last year’s Steez Day kicked off in Los Angelos, featuring Raury,  and Danny Brown among others. The celebration will mark what would’ve been Steez’s 24th birthday. The event was first initiated in 2015 as a tribute to the late Pro Era founder and friend. Steez, né Jamal Dewar committed suicide on December 23, 2012, by jumping from the rooftop of Cinematic Group headquarters in Manhattan, NY. He was 19-years-old.

The post Third Annual Steez Day Festival Kicks Off In New York City This July appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

As a producer, you are always the backbone of the song and the song’s success. You are truly the creator of a body of work and each song, begins and ends with you. And at 23 years old, New York native, Powers Pleasant is just that. Powers has already made his stamp in the industry as one of the four founders of the up and coming group, Pro Era, alongside Joey Bada$$, the late Capital Steez, and CJ Fly.

After completing high-school, he attended Berklee College of Music on a full ride scholarship for drums. Due to the success of Pro Era, Powers didn’t complete his degree but that didn’t stop him. Once he left school, he helped Joey Bada$$ produce some of last album B4DA$$. Not only did he produce for Joey, he also joined Joey on tour as his DJ. Since the tour, Powers has been a hot ticket on the producing scene. He has worked with Chris Brown, Wyclef Jean, DJ Envy, and Chevy Woods just to name a few. Not to mention, he has credits on Joey Bada$$ new album, ALL-AMERIKKKAN BADA$$ which is set to release April 7th.

2017 will continue to be a monumental year for Powers as he releases his solo project and starts his monthly DJ set at Baby’s All Right in NYC. He’s performing today for Boilers Room’s “The Remedy” series with Just Blaze and DJ Esco. If you’re in NYC, you should definitely check it out. Also, he just released a mix on his sound cloud, tell us what you think. 

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Pro Era member Aaron Rose delivers a tough-as-nails new heater, ”Swank Corleone,” that also serves as the lead single off his long-awaited EP,Elixir.

While a majority of the EP is produced by fellow Brooklynite, J57, “Swank Corleone” finds Rose collaborating with Boston artist Latrell James. And the result is one of the heaviest tracks the emcee has released to date. He has his own rhymes to thank for that, because he blends ridiculous wordplay with an even crazier flow that he rattles off over massive bass and moody piano keys.

The skittering instrumental is the perfect complement to Rose’s bars, which combine tough-talk bravado (“My ni**a, I’m very clever/ Let me guess, you too?) with some shots aimed at his critics. Just peep these lines: “Step into my ring, get boxed in/ The most diverse, but they sayin’ we boxed in/ So even if you drop a pin, you couldn’t find me.” You may think you know what Rose and his Pro Era cohorts have to offer, but you’d also be dead wrong.

“Swank Corleone” can now be streamed right here courtesy of RESPECT., and is available for download as the first instant grat track off the iTunes pre-order for Elixir, which drops Dec. 16 via Coalmine Records.

Tracklist: 
01. The Root of Sole
02. The Art of Sole
03. Parkside Ave
04. Break It Down (feat. Domo Genesis)
05. Jimmy’s Open Bar (Interlude)
06. The Shift (feat. Dirty Sanchez)
07. Swank Corleone

CD/Vinyl:
08. The Art of Sole (J57 Stay Paid Remix)
09. The Art of Sole (Instrumental)

*All tracks produced by J57, except for “The Shift” which is produced by The Audible Doctor, and “Swank Corleone” which is produced by Latrell James.

Pre-Order Links:
• iTunes: http://bit.ly/iTunesElixir
• Amazon: http://bit.ly/AmazonElixir

CD Pre-Order: 
• Fat Beats: http://bit.ly/FatBeatsElixir
• Amazon: http://bit.ly/AmazonElixirCD

Twitter:
• Aaron Rose: http://twitter.com/TheAaronRose
• Latrell James: https://twitter.com/IamLatrellJames

Aaron Rose Online:
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theaaronrose
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/theaaronrose
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/theaaronrose

The post #MusicMonday: Aaron Rose – “Swank Corleone” (prod. by Latrell James) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Joey Badass maybe ripping stages across the country with SchoolBoy Q on the Blank Face Lp Tour, but it didn’t stop him from dropping new music for fans.

The Brooklyn MC released another preview of his upcoming AABA LP with his latest single “Front and Center” produced by Cookin’ Soul. The hard-hitting track, which features a Spanish-infused sample is indeed inspired by the Netflix hit Narcos and according to Joey via Twitter was made while he was in Mexico last year.

https://twitter.com/joeyBADASS/status/789209861275856896

In addition to dropping heat, in an interview with Shay of 106KMEL, Joey confirmed that he worked on a joint track with Wiz Khalifa, although it’s unknown on whether the track will make the cut.

“I have been in the studio with my brother Wiz [Khalifa] the other night,” Joey said. “We were working on a song, a nice little song.”

Wiz Khalifa also confirmed via Twitter  that there was a collab that took place with the comment that the project “sounded like album material”.

Already donezo & it sounds like album material. https://t.co/IEvFtbE3JH

— Wiz Khalifa (@wizkhalifa) October 14, 2016

Joey also opened up about the concept behind his upcoming album, revealing that he is “nervous” about the album with its heavy focus on the current #BlackLivesMatter movement.

In addition to discussing his album, Joey opened up that his original childhood dream didn’t include the mic but instead was set to be President of the United States.

“It’s crazy because I just realized that I was a rapper three weeks ago,” Joey said. “Because I think of myself as so many different things. Growing I was such a smart kid, I bet if you asked any of my school teachers the last thing they would think is that I would be a rapper, they would have  told you I was going to be President.”

Check out the interview and “Front & Center” below.

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Throughout the history of hip-hop, groups have always been the highlight of genre. A crew of roughnecks from Staten Island named Wu-Tang captivated the nation with their gritty crime raps. A silky smooth duo from Atlanta named Outkast put the South on the map in a big way with their smooth player rhymes. In 2012, a crew of teens from Flatbush, Brooklyn let the world know they would be next in line with their golden aged beats and lyrically dense bars. That crew is Pro Era. Headed by frontman Joey Badass, PE is no one man show. Far from it actually. The crew boats a loaded roster of emcees that range in many styles. The late founding member Capital Steez is a folk legend, producer, Kirk Knight released his debut project to critical acclaim last year, but it’s was the suave storytelling wordsmith CJ Fly who has always caught my eye.

After releasing his debut mixtape, Thee Way Eye See It to critical and fan acclaim, the Brooklyn native took a bit of hiatus from the music game. But now, Master Roshe is back and better than ever, meshing new sounds with fan favorite rhymes to create the self dubbed, Fly Trap style. Though a 3-year hiatus would destroy most, Fly isn’t most rappers. After dropping a few recent singles, The lyrical menace has kept his fans and rap purists on the edge of their seats in anticipation for his next project. RESPECT. got a chance to catch up with the PE Soldier to talk about his new project, Capital Steez, and a potential new Pro Era posse cut.

RESPECT.: What’s going on CJ? How have you been?

CJ: Just been working, honing in on my craft, and figuring it all out, so I can’t complain.

RESPECT.: What’s your day to day life like nowadays?

CJ:  My day to day life is pretty chill. I don’t have a crazy schedule yet so I try to take advantage of not being the busiest. For the most part, I’m usually listening or working on music when I wake up. When I’m not doing that, I chill with my 2 pitbulls, maybe put something in the air, and watch movies for inspiration.

RESPECT.: Talk about growing up in Brooklyn & how that was?

CJ: Growing up in Brooklyn had its positives and negatives but I wouldn’t wanna grow up anywhere else. My parents both came from two different islands in the West Indies to Brooklyn, then met and made me. This city raised me and taught me all I know. Brooklyn schooled me on life.

RESPECT.: You tell the wildest stories on your music, (i.e. Eyetalian Frenchip) are those just rhymes or is your life really that interesting? Lol

CJ: (Laughs) Funny you asked. The story and girl are real minus the part where I’m being questioned and threatened. The second verse was all personification about a gun. Few years ago, I was briefly involved with this Italian girl and both of her parents were cops, which scared the hell out of me at the time, so I never really pursued her. As I would think about her, my imagination would be messing with me and making me think all of these things could have potentially occurred so I just put all that energy into the song.

RESPECT.: On the B-side of “Loco Motives” you have “Do it For the Love” I first heard this track at the Smoker’s Club Tour in Phoenix in 2013, & it took me forever to find the track lol what made you keep that one hidden?

CJ: It wasn’t on purpose, I never meant to make it hidden. It was honestly a dumb decision. That was me trying to squeeze 21 tracks on a 18 song mixtape. It deserved its own track for sure, but definitely a personal and fan favorite. Gonna re-release it soon.

RESPECT.: You’ve got a D’angelo sample on the tape! Was that something chosen by the producer or are you a fan? Brown Sugar changed my life!

CJ: I heard the bet and fell in love with it instantly. It was all Chuck Strangers idea and production. I was a huge D’angelo fan prior to hearing it so when I found out it was him I wanted to use it even more. My favorite songs of his are “Devils Pie” and “Brown Sugar”

RESPECT.: Same question about the “Friend or Foe” sample, also, how much of an influence did somebody like Jay play for you growing up in Brooklyn?

CJ: At first, I was scared to use the sample because I didn’t want any legal issues but I eventually got over it. Growing up in Brooklyn, I was familiar with the name Jay Z and knew his songs that were on the radio but I didn’t fully get it yet. As I got older, I became aware of his talent and true identity, then it all made sense. He became one of my biggest role models. He showed me the blueprint to being a lyricist and a God emcee. If anybody showed you how to be a Brooklynite, it was him.

RESPECT.: What’s going on with Pro Era? Has the success made it harder for everybody to come together or do you guys still keep in contact often?

CJ: Whole squad just been working. We all still live in Brooklyn so it wouldn’t make sense for us to not stay in touch. We link up as often as possible and when we’re not together everyone is perfecting their art til it’s right. So much growth personally, physically and musically. I could honestly say all my Pros are progressing in some way shape or form.

RESPECT.: Any crew projects in the works?

CJ:  YES, we’ve started it and have the title.

RESPECT.: Last year, we heard Dizzy Wright & Funk Volume issue a 500K Rap Battle Challenge to any crew out there. Obviously their label is done now, but be honest.. That would’ve been a W for Pro Era, what 3 would you guys have put up against Hopsin, Dizzy, & Jarren Benton?

CJ: Dizzy is family but we would have had to eat their food. It would have been me, Joey and Dirty Sanchez.

RESPECT.: I went to Steez Day in L.A. This past month, and it was wild. Talk about the impact Steez had on you & your music? What’s one thing he told you that still rings in your head to this day?

CJ: Steez taught me a lot of what I know about rap, lyricism and spirituality. I understood punchlines and lyrics to a certain extent but was oblivious of what double entendres were until I met him. He’s my motivation to go hard, I know how much he believed in me and the Pros. His birthday is the day after mine and I still always looked up to him like he was older by a few years. Most vivid thing he told me was, “you’re the nicest”, I’m still trine figure out if he meant with rap or as a person, I think rap haha.

RESPECT.: What’s your favorite Steez song?

CJ:  Either “Herban Legend“, “47 Elements” or “Budderscotch”

RESPECT.: What’s your favorite Pro Era track?

CJ:  So many, either “Last Cypher“, “Like Water” or “Suspect”

RESPECT.: How did it feel to have Phife Dawg & Buckshot on your debut project?? That’s gotta be huge for a kid from New York!

CJ: That was a complete honor and very legendary. I still can’t believe I did that. Very thankful that Phife Dawg blessed the song with a classic verse, God rest his soul. He’s one of the main reasons I started rapping, had so much style and character. And Buckshot is a Brooklyn OG and a legend, so to get that stamp of approval made me feel very accomplished for the first project.

RESPECT.: Who’s one artist or producer that you’ve yet to work with, that you’re looking to come together with?

CJ: I wanna work with D’angelo one day and co-produce a song with Kanye soon.

RESPECT.: What can we expect on the new project? On “Raising the Bar” you sounded a bit more modern as opposed to the grimy style that was on the way eye see it. Are you going for a more trap direction?

CJ: Expect some great beats, quality vibrations and lyrical clarity. It kind of sums up my life experiences in the past few years. As time passed, I’ve gotten a better understanding of how to make music and how to say what I feel. I think with this next project, I didn’t compromise my sound but more or less took the trap elements and combined it with my sound. I don’t think I’ve even established a sound for myself yet so this should show how universal I am.

RESPECT.: The Way Eye See it came out in 2013! You’ve been holding out on us! Why the hiatus in releasing music?

CJ: I actually rushed putting out TWESI at 19/20 years old, I was very eager to be heard and get my music out to the world. Being that I’m 23 years old now, I’ve assessed my previous moves and learned to not make the same mistake made before. Now, I’ve just been taking my time with the art, putting my best foot forward. I’d rather give people something timeless and enjoyable than something I threw together. I think it will be appreciated.

RESPECT.: You have a lot of movie references on the tape, most notably the Bronx Tale bit, what’s your favorite movie ever?

CJ: I don’t know if I have a favorite movie ever. I love action movies, my favorite actor is Bruce Willis and favorite director is Tarantino, so anything they’ve done is my shit.

RESPECT.: Last question: I remember back in the day you called yourself master roshe, design your ideal Roshe!

CJ: I’m still Master Roshi/Roshe and that’s because of my love for the DragonBall Z series first then my love for the sneaker. They need to stop fronting and let me design my own shoe already.

Check out CJ’s newest track, “Raising The Bar” below and keep an eye out for his next project.

The post Too Fly to be Trapped: Pro Era’s CJ Fly Talks New Project, Capital Steez + More.. appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If you’ve been following the Pro Era or Beastcoast Movement you may have seen Caution’s name come up on the collaborative mixtapes, features and on his debut mixtape The Pursuit, Vol. 1. Nyck picked up rapping as a hobby growing up in Brooklyn’s Basin neighborhood citing Eminem and 8 Mile as he’s main influence. It wasn’t until Caution was in high school where he met Joey [Bada$$], and began recording with the late Capital Steez, that he started taking rapping seriously. For the people who are unfamiliar, Nyck also has a background in acting. In 2013 he starred in the indie movie, It Felt Like Love, that premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.

During some downtime at this year’s SXSW Nyck’s manager was able to link me with the 22-year-old emcee. We chopped it up about everything from Pro Era, to his album Disguise the Limit and his favorite movies. Check out what Nyck and I talked about in further detail below.

RESPECT.: What’s up man how are you?

Nyck: Chillin’ I’m at SXSW.

RESPECT.: How is it out there and who are you out there with?

Nyck: Joey comes later today but I’m with the pros and sh*t chillin’.

RESPECT.: When did you start rapping or what made you want to rap?

Nyck: I can’t even give you an age… but I started recording when I was in the 10^th grade with my friend that I record with still ‘til this day. I just always had that passion and once I had the tools to get it done I started doing it every day.

RESPECT.: What drives you and what is the message you try to deliver with your music?

Nyck: The main theory behind the whole sh*t that I came up with is to inspire the escape. The whole idea is to relate to all of these people in whatever situation they are in… And to inspire them no matter what it is weather is drugs or poverty or whatever the situation may be I would like them to get out of that situation.

RESPECT.: Your debut album, why did you choose the name Disguise the Limit?

Nyck: Well I used it because of Capital Steez rest in peace to one of the founders of Pro Era… The studio we use to go to and the line “The sky is the limit, that’s what they told the f*cking fool. The sky is the limit now I’m aiming for the sun and moon.” When I heard that line that was the first line I heard from a peer that really impressed and stuck with me. “Disguise the limit” is such a cool play on words too and when he [Steez] passed away we were trying to figure out this Pro Era thing I feel like it fit the message and my project really well. I just wanted to use some of his ideas and spread the message he already stared with my project.

RESPECT.: What was your favorite track to record/write on Disguise the Limit?

Nyck: I had a lot of favorites but I really liked recording “Inspire the Escape.” We just did that whole song in a day or two. We had the singer [Madison Iman] come in and there just was really good vibes in the room and afterwards I added production to it. The whole process of the song was seamless and it was one of the first songs finished on the project.

RESPECT.: I saw that on “What’s Understood” Metro Boomin produced it. How was it working with him?

Nyck: Actually I was in a Joey session with Metro and he was just making beats with Joey. Joey had some beats that he didn’t end up doing and I was in the session like, “Yo I want this beat.” Joey sent it to me as soon as I got home from L.A. and I did my verse on it and sent it to Joey and got it done. Being in the studio with Metro: he’s very consistent and efficient he just made beats one after another and they were all fire. That was very inspiring.

RESPECT.: I just saw your video for “Basin” it was really dope, I can’t lie man. Where were you trying to go with that? It reminds me of a movie.

Nyck: The idea behind that sh*t was like–in the song I used the Fight Club sample– which is saying everything is a copy and you don’t know if you are asleep or awake. If you are listening to the beat and the switch up it captures the mind of someone who can’t sleep and has insomnia. To me it’s like you are waking up in this club atmosphere and all of these places where you don’t know where you’re really at… When you’re asleep you kind of feel drugged out and what’s fake. The whole concept was trying to distinguish what’s real and what isn’t real. I’m trying to give my videos a broad idea and have the cinematography look really dope. I have to watch it to establish what it means as a viewer.

RESPECT.: You sampled Fight Club. Are you heavy into movies. What are your top 3 movies?

Nyck: Well I love the “Pursuit of Happiness” for sure… My three favorite are different than 3 that inspire me. I can’t think of two other ones off the top.

RESPECT.: How do you feel about the direction of Pro Era as the future? I see Obama’s daughters rocking your shirts and that says a lot.

Nyck: It’s kind of like Joey had projects out and we all just had features here and there. Now you are getting full projects from us as individual artist. It’s showing how Pro Era is diverse as a group. When you hear a Kirk Knight Verse and hear a Nyck Caution verse it’s not going to sound the same because it has different sounds and vibes. The more we grow with Pro Era the more the range we are going to have as a full group.

RESPECT.: Who is the craziest person you met and who do you want to work with?

Nyck: Being on tour with Wiz [Wiz Khalifa] and seeing him every day was surreal. He’s such a down to earth cool dude. To actually see him chill with him and smoke with him it was just surreal, but you got to play it like it’s normal because you do that sh*t every day. The person I would want to work with is Quentin Tarantino all of his sh*t is just ridiculous.

RESPECT.: Who do you listen to that’s aside from Pro Era or Beastcoast?

Nyck: Denzel Curry. I f**k with Travis [$cott] and went back to old school with a lot of Lil’ Wayne at the moment.

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The post RESPECT. Interview: Nyck Caution Talks Pro Era, New Album & Favorite Movies appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.