Photo Credit: 4th Disciple – “The Algorythm”

Wu-Tang producer, 4th Disciple’s studio session with Sean Price sparked new album, The Algorythm.

Platinum producer of the Wu-Tang Clan, 4th Disciple strikes with his debut cinematic Lp, featuring artists such as: Sadat X, L.a Darkman, Solomon Childs, Peedi Crakk, Vinnie Paz, Rah Digga, Shabazz The Disciple, Planet Asia, Jisiri X, Boaz and, Brooklyn legend, Sean Price.

August 5, 2015, 4th Disciple, Sean Price, Rhasun (Sonny Ganzo) Lounga Lo, Rim and Inspectah Deck met at Code Red studio Staten Island, New York, and started creating the magic.

4th and Sean P. collaborated to record several singles, including the track, “Bagua.”

The sound design for the album is consistent with 4th Disciple’s classic production on various Wu-Tang hits such as, GZA “B.I.B.L.E“, Wu-Tang Clan “Impossible“,and Method Man’s “Judgement Day.”

The Algorythm limited edition album is available now. Order by clicking the link below!

https://spark.adobe.com/page/0rAfE7iLyVVyR/

THE|ALGORYTHM (By 4th Disciple) from Sonic Ministry LLC. on Vimeo.

Follow 4th Disciple |
Instagram: @realdisciple

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Collaboration is key for the rap game. Last week these two female emcees came through with an uptempo offering from producer 14KT, and the end result definitely has a commanding presence. Another East Coast joint is enough to get animated over, but what makes this record stand out is the balance found between their distinct styles. Rah Diggity and Rapsody play off one another quite nicely on this cut, so be sure to check out their final product below.

The post New Music: Rah Digga ft. Rapsody – “And Another One” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Since her appearance on the 2011 BET Cypher, and long before, Nitty Scott, MC has been busy. Within a two year span, she’s released two mixtapes, done scores of interviews, opened for big names like Odd Future and Rah Digga, and became increasingly more visible in the hip-hop world. One day before her trip to perform at the Royal Arena Festival in Switzerland and two weeks before the release of her commercial debut, The Boombox Diaries, Vol. 1, the ambitious independent emcee sat down with us to discuss the EP, compare iPods and boomboxes and clarify the words from her “Monster” freestyle.

RESPECT: You recently performed at Peter Rosenberg’s “A Night of Real hip-hop.” Do you agree that that was a night of “real hip-hop?” 

Nitty Scott, MC: Yes. I most definitely do. I think Peter reached into the scene that’s really buzzing right now – the New York scene and beyond that – with the headliner [Odd Future] and that’s hip-hop. Everything that night was in the spirit of hip-hop: kids were moshing, people were throwing…Action Bronson was throwing weed nuggets into the crowd, there were stages dives. It was a hip-hop show. I was just really glad to be apart of it. And I felt really embraced by the crowd. It was definitely dope and I think it was a night that everybody there is going to remember.

How do you feel about the phrase “real hip-hop?”

I go back and forth with that. While I do understand why the phrase itself generalizes a lot, I think it’s more about being clear about that definition of real hip-hop and what people are actually trying to say. I don’t think it’s as black and white or basic as “real hip-hop” and “fake hip-hop.” There’s a lot of different things that go into it. Are you talking about things musically? Are you talking about the sound? Are you talking about the subject matter? I think you just have to be more specific when you say that anything is real hip-hop to you. As long as you’re able to back that up with whatever you mean – the term itself is just so vague and subjective. So it’s more about the term. But I think if you’re comparing eras…you just have to be specific.

Your EP comes out in two weeks. What kind of progression can we expect to see on it?

The EP, I think, just represents growth in every way. On a business end, being an artist that is officially active in this hip-hop industry, everything I’ve put out to date has been free. It’s been mixtapes, freestyles, hopping on other people’s beats and displaying skill and showing people what I’m about. This is my first commercial release. It’s going to be available on iTunes and other music retailers. That’s a big step for me. Musically, I think I’m moving in a certain direction. There’s more of a cohesive sound: it’s one body of work. The records themselves are solid records. They’re not just long, “beast mode” freestyles. A lot of them are conceptual. I played with different types of song structure and things like that, so it’s progressive in that way. Also, the way that I align myself with both producers and artists that I think are like-minded to my cause – getting together with Kendrick Lamar, working with Soul Khan, working with AraabMuzik, Ill Mind. It was all me finally taking that step to just show people who I’m feeling. I made it a point to stand on my own two these past two years and I really didn’t want to be affiliated with anybody to the point that it overshadowed my own talent or my own situation. On this one I wasn’t afraid to link up with people who I think are dope and bring their own element.

So you really crafted this EP?

Most definitely! It’s been something that we’ve been working on for about two years. It’s a real cohesive project. I wanted it to be an experience. I didn’t want it to just be a bunch of tracks thrown together. It’s all very strategic in the way that it flows. I wanted to show people that artistry beyond the bars and being able to craft a nice freestyle. I wanted to really present myself to the world with this EP.

In your interview with Special Sundays, you said that this EP is everything. What exactly do you mean by that?

I feel like I have been trying to put this out for my entire life. I conceptualized the whole idea of the Boombox Family and the movement and the kind of music that I wanted to make. And it really hasn’t come to fruition until now. Everything up until now has been a lot of groundwork and a lot of developing and just answering to the demand. The Cassette Chronicles was originally thrown out there to feed this growing fanbase that came out of nowhere. When we uploaded the “Monster” freestyle it just went crazy viral. I started to gain this fanbase, so I put those projects out there to just remain relevant and show people I’m out here. But at the same time, we don’t microwave anything. We slow cook, we take our time: it’s about quality. I’m always growing as an artist. I can look at material I wrote two months from now and want to change it or improve it because I’ve gotten better. There was a lot of that with this EP, just getting progressively better and wanting to show that. I would readdress the EP a lot, to the point that sometimes Jules (Nitty’s manager) would have to stop me and go, “It’s fine.” And I’d be like, “No. I want to tweak this one little thing.” I was just very meticulous about it.

You mentioned your “Monster” freestyle earlier. In that you said that were “made in 1990 but you bring the 90’s back.” On “Express Yourself” you said, “This ain’t the 90’s. I ain’t trying to bring it back.” Aren’t those lines are at odds? Were you just rapping?

I was. Okay: peep game. I got frustrated with some of the lines like that [made in 1990 but I bring the 90’s back] and it was just me making my 90’s kid statement. But then when some people started to think that I was like stuck in a certain era that all I had to offer was like me on “Deep Cover,” I was like, “Oh no, y’all have no clue what I have in the fault.” Like I said, we dish it out in a way that we plan out. So I guess that line [“This ain’t the 90’s. I ain’t trying to bring it back”] just came out of frustration and feeling like I’m not just a 90’s boom-bap girl. I think I most definitely embrace the spirit of the 90’s and remind people of that, but we’re about progressing the culture as well as preserving it. It’s more about balance than it is about saying, “We have to resurrect the golden era.” It’s just about having respect and not forgetting the roots and the artists themselves who are still alive and well and creating and touring and contributing to the culture today; it’s just trying to be a part of that generational gap, just trying to bridge and show people that it doesn’t have to be “us vs them.” We can move forward with these people as mentors, as partners.

I think calling your fans the “Boombox Family” might add to the confusion.

Why?

The boombox is a 90’s thing, so people might be confused about whether you’re progressing or preserving.

I think the boombox does have a 90’s connotation, but at the same time it’s also a universal symbol. It’s something that you can show to someone in a remote village in India and they will associate it with music. Beyond being something that Radio Raheem carried on his shoulder, it’s also a way to play your music. So it’s just as universal as a record player or a CD, but even more. I think people just associate it with music. Also, I just have a strong affinity with boomboxes. So I think the boombox transcends the 90’s.

I know that in general as an artist, you want to make good music that reflects your skills and your beliefs, but what are your specific goals as an artist? Two years from now, what do you want to have accomplished for yourself and for hip-hop?

I want to have broken barriers, first of all. I want to be a barrier breaker. I feel that I’m already in the process of doing that. My presence at the BET Cypher, being an artist that is independent, not co-signed or affiliated with anyone, a minority, a female, with two mixtapes out and being able to still be on the same platform as people who are very well-versed in the industry… I was representing many different types of people at that exact moment and it just proved the stages that pure talent and organic buzz can get you to. I feel like I’ve already started to prove my point of just being very resourceful within our own community. We don’t have to rely so much on a system or corporation to progress our culture. We already know that these corporations are money-driven. Not that there’s no place for a label – we’re not anti-label– we’re just pro-us. I want to be the female face of that. I feel like that’s lacking right now. Even just in my approach, being the homegirl, the around-the-way girl, being relatable. It’s not to say that you can’t be the vixen or the diva– it’s just about balance. It’s about being able to fill that void for people who feel like they can’t relate to what’s going on in the scope of women in hip-hop. It’s a lot of things. It’s what we’re trying to contribute culturally, but also through this indie venture. We’re not chasing these labels, looking for them to give me an opportunity to share my music with people. We’re very DIY. We’re a part of this generation that says, “Why break bread with someone who’s not necessarily concerned with my art when I can do a lot of these things myself?” We’re just trying to show people that it’s possible.

But also I want to occupy that lane as a female. You have your Mac Miller and your Curren$y and your Kendrick Lamar, artists who can dwell in this middle ground of staying true to their core audience and also break barriers for the underground while still having the same opportunities as mainstream artists. You get to have your cake and eat it too. Within these two years it’s going to take a lot of work on the business end as far as releasing projects via Boombox Family Entertainment and releasing more projects of my own so I can get a nice, healthy catalogue under my belt. That’s pretty much the vision.

When it comes to wardrobe decisions at shows and public appearances and videos, what do you do to ensure that your physical features don’t interfere with the image that you want to present as an artist?

Honestly, I don’t put too much thought into it. It’s more about being comfortable than anything else. The message isn’t that everybody should look and dress like Nitty Scott. I want people to feel that you can be yourself. If that’s a chick that likes to rock red bottoms and mini-skirts, that’s cool. If that’s a chick that wants to rock rocksmith tees with sweatpants and some kicks, then that’s cool too. I keep it feminine because I am girly, but I definitely don’t exploit the physical. I don’t go out of my way to gain attention in that way. I never want that to overshadow what I’m bringing to the table. I never want people to be easier on me because I’m a girl. I never want them to be like, “Yo, that joint was whack. She was looking bangin’ in that video though!” I don’t want to be amongst artists – which is male-dominated – and nobody is concerned with what I have to say. So yeah, that’s definitely what that line was referring to. I wanted to be like, “Thank you.” I wanted to acknowledge being attractive; I’m not going to act oblivious. But at the end of the day I want you to listen and not look.

In a lot of interviews you’ve done, the “Monster” freestyle came up a lot. The most common question was, “Were you dissing Nicki Minaj?” You said no, and I believe you, but some of the content was pointed toward her. Would you say that you didn’t sit down and say, “I’m going to diss Nicki Minaj,” but when you were writing, since she’s the biggest icon in rap as far as female rappers – her image is overrepresented – her image is just inadvertently what was referred to?

I feel like I was describing what I saw and was observing in the current hip-hop scene and I was just giving my take on that. If at the end of that freestyle, I’m saying all these things, general things,about how I feel about what’s going on and at the end of that you gather that I was talking about Nicki Minaj, the only conclusion that I can draw is that that’s how you feel about her. If I say, “Eff bad rappers!” and you’re like, “Why are you talking about Nicki Minaj?” then you think Nicki Minaj is a bad rapper. I didn’t say that. I said what I don’t support, what I’m not feeling. The other thing is that when you really break it down, the things that she represents, I feel like there are several women now and before in hip-hop that represent the same thing. I understand that at that time and currently she was the biggest and the most relevant, but why would you automatically hop to that when I could have been talking about Trina or Foxy or Lil’ Kim? I was talking about an over-representation of one facet of women and me having an issue with that. That’s really what it was all about. I definitely never sat down to write anything directed at anyone specifically. I was actually inspired to write that verse after I heard Kendrick Lamar’s “Monster” freestyle. I don’t listen to the radio, so I’m very into my own playlist. I was aware via the blogs and everything that there was a record out called “Monster” with Kanye and Ross and Jay and Nicki, but I had not listened to it, to be honest. I heard Kendrick Lamar’s freestyle before anything and I was like “this is so dope.” And that’s when I began writing. There are some coincidences; it’s a beat that she was on, but that was the furthest thing from my mind when I wrote it. I was really not aiming for that at all.

If you could join a contemporary rap group, which one would you join and why?

I wouldn’t.

You wouldn’t? Not even hypothetically?

No. I don’t want to be anybody’s first lady. I don’t want anybody to put their arm around me and say “She’s dope. Listen to her.” I’m not against a co-sign, but I want to stand on my own two feet. I want to be the face of my own movement.

Okay, so how about this: what if you could form a rap group?

Okay! Me, Action Bronson, Slaughterhouse – all of them – and…that’s it.

The post Exclusive Interview: Nitty Scott, MC Discusses Upcoming EP, Plans for the Future, Boomboxes and Nicki Minaj appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Hip-hop was born in the Bronx, but it was raised in Brooklyn. That probably isn’t how the story goes, but that’s how it felt at Celebrate Brooklyn’s latest show. Filling Prospect Park’s Bandshell to capacity, New Yorkers came out en masse to celebrate both Brooklyn and hip-hop in the form of Ghostface Killah. Though Ghostface hails from Staten Island, Brooklyn treated him like one of their own, happily chanting lyrics, enjoying jokes and swaying without prompt.

Of course, Tony Starks wasn’t the only emcee to get some Brooklyn love. Before the appearance of the Shaolin’s finest, the stage was occupied by a host of hip-hop legends and legends-to-be.

The show started with a brief set from Farrah Burns, a young and laidback emcee from Brooklyn. She performed merely two songs, but the crowd was receptive and energized. That energy was a bit diffused when Astro, a prodigious kid from Brooklyn and former X-Factor contestant, rocked the stage. Lean and fifteen, the crowd was immediately skeptical of his ability to perform. Diving right into a lyrical landslide that left the crowd stunned, Astro immediately confronted that skepticism and ended all speculation. There was no doubt about it: this kid could spit.

Rah Digga followed with a set that resuscitated the slightly weary crowd. Spitting classics as well as songs from her album Classic, Digga showed her experience. Swaying, sweating and even jumping, Brooklyn showed her immense love and respect. Old school hip-hop definitely still has an audience.

This audience was enthralled when Kid Capri hit the stage during an intermission and asked, “Do y’all want me to play that new shit? Or do y’all want that old shit?” The crowd unequivocally demanded the latter. Kid Capri obliged, packing 15 years of legendary hip-hop into a 15 minute jam session that had the crowd damn near ready to swag surf.

Prodigy followed Kid Capri, but his performance was mired by a lack of energy and a crowd that wanted nothing less than Ghostface. After about 45 minutes, Prodigy and his stage cronies exited rather uneventfully.

Ten minutes later, the crowd got what it came for: Tony Starks in the flesh. Accompanied by fellow Wu affiliate Cappadonna, Ghostface waltzed onto the stage with his typical, avuncular facial expression: a strange mixture of confusion, swagger, mockery and distrust. The set began with “Ice Cream,” Raekwon’s classic song featuring Ghost and Cappadonna. Though the song choice was slightly mocking considering the heat of the night, the crowd didn’t care. Wu-Tang ice cream beats real ice cream any day. The crowd’s enthusiasm reached unprecedented levels as Ghost started to run through his extensive catalog. From his own joints “We Made It” and “Assassination Day” to Wu classics like “C.R.E.A.M.” and “Protect Ya Neck,” Pretty Tone rocked the mic and thrilled the crowd. Thirty minutes into the set, Sheek Louch made a brief cameo and performed his verse from “We Are the Streets.” He also endorsed the much-anticipated Wu Block album, due out sometime before the end of the year.

Ghostface ended the set with “Cherchez LaGhost,” one of his more recent tracks. He seemed reluctant to end the set, but apparently his performance was capped at 45 minutes. The crowd was a bit surprised, but there were no riots or boos. It was a free concert, after all. Before bidding the crowd adieu, Ghost asked everyone to throw up a peace sign and shout “Peace!” in unison. It was a strange request, but Brooklyn obliged, ending the event and exiting the park without incident.  The celebration was over, for now.

Photos by Stephen Kearse

The post Concert Review: Ghostface Killah, Prodigy and More at Celebrate Brooklyn appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

So last Friday, Rah Digga dropped this record called “The Nigga In Me”. It’s aimed at D.C. mixtape-rapper Fat Trel and Tyler, the Creator.

Both artists, Trel and Tyler, had previously made fun of Digga for behaving like a man. Trel on record, “The bitch might be a nigga, for reala, she Rah Digga.” And Tyler on his Twitter account. Apparently the Odd Future chief had wished Rah Digga a happy Father’s Day multiple times on Twitter.

Digga felt compelled to shoot back, getting in touch with her masculine side. She rhymes on “The Nigga In Me”: “This guy, you barely got a meal short of fish fry/Think of letting this slide?/Fat Trel could kiss my global rap ass/He barely out of D.C., tried to look him up, he ain’t even got a Wiki.” Then she moves on to Tyler, not overtly mentioning his name though, “I was trying to support this young black man/It’s too bad, you probably lost your only black fan.”

A day later, Rah Digga spoke to the media about the track. “I didn’t make this record for press purposes or for hype ’cause that’s not my thing,” she told AllHipHop. “I got wind of various artists referencing me in a negative fashion. They poked fun at me I’m just poking back. It’s all sport to me. I wish ’em all the best, they just need to understand who is off limits. MC Lyte is off limits. Rah Digga is off limits. Respect those who kept hip-hip raw so that we could still have a culture, or get a firsthand lesson in a lyrical ass whooping. Love is love.”

Regardless of how you want to interpret the diss, for hype purposes or mere ‘sport’, it’s safe to say beef in hip-hop is getting old. It timestamps your appeal. Just like it’s not cool to wear a single strap in 21 Jump Street. It’s not necessarily cool to start beef in hip-hop anymore. It’s not even really cool to be a rapper. Being a celebrity chef is way cooler. So if you’re an old cat shooting back at a young cat (*cough* Common), know what you’re getting into.

The post Op-Ed: Rah Digga Shots Backfire? appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

As part of her new Round Table series, Dee Vasquez sits down with Karen Civil, B.Dot, Lady Luck and Nina B to discuss femcees, Lauryn Hill, turntable hits and if you have to be sexually appealing to be a successful female MC. Rah Digga also calls in to give some input. itstheBino.com was there to cover it.

The post The Women of Hip-Hop appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.