Photographer Ismail “Calligrafist” Sayeed. Photo Credit: Eric Salvary/Get Fit Radio TV

Photographer, Ismail “Calligrafist” Sayeed checked in with Scoop B Radio podcast’s Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson. Press Play Below To Listen!

If you read articles on the internet then you’ve seen his work. Photographer Ismail “Calligrafist” Sayeed has photographed the latest and greatest.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama, Dwyane Wade, Jay-Z, Fabolous, DJ Khaled, P.Diddy and many more have been photographed under the keen lens of Calligrafist.

His photography is a bridge between fashion, lifestyle, hip hop and culture.

He’s everywhere!  Literally!

Homeboy’s work has appeared in reputable publications such as Billboard, ESPN, Bleacher Report, HBO, CBS Sports, Complex, Catch Restaurant, Reebok, Nike, Adidas, New York Fashion Week, DJ USA, Hot 97, Power 105.1, S.O.B.’s, Tidal, BET, VIBE, Mass Appeal, The Shade Room, Hype Beast, The Source Magazine, REVOLT, RESPECT Magazine, Bleu Magazine and Elliot Wilson and Brian ‘B.Dot” Miller’s Rap Radar.

All of that said…guess what? He’s not comfortable! 

“The kind of person that I am, I just want to do more,” Calligraist told RESPECT Magazine today by phone.

“This is just the beginning.” 

Forever Uptown… it’s a Harlem Thing. | #CalligrafistChronicles | www.CalligrafistPhotography.com

A post shared by Ismail اسما عيل Calligrafist™ (@calligrafist) on Dec 15, 2017 at 7:12pm PST

Harlem, NY bred and globally influenced, Calligrafist actually didn’t aspire to be a photographer. In fact, he fell in love with the art of graffiti and calligraphy; hence the nickname, ‘Calligrafist.’

A man of faith, the devout Muslim is college educated at Jamia Madinatul Uloom University in Trinidad & Tobago, where he studied Quranic Studies and Arabic reading and writing.

Calligrafist acknowledges seasoned hip hop photographers like Johnny Nunez and Jonathan Mannion  who have undoubtedly paved the way for on-the rise photographers such as himself. Calligrafist emphasizes that he’s glad to sit at the table with them and eat, while also gaining their respect for his skin in the game. “It’s genuinely cool to have intimate conversations with them,” he said.

“It’s more humbling that I am able to have direct access to people that I look up to like them and someone like Lenny S., DJ Clark Kent, Emory Jones, that have a name in the industry, people that have a place in the culture, for people to acknowledge me for more my work; that’s an honor. That’s more humbling. But it moves me to want to do more.”

For more information on Calligrafist and his photographic/art movement, visit www.calligrafistphotography.com and scroll up and press play to listen to our chat on Scoop B Radio! 

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The post Scoop B: Photographer Ismail “Calligrafist” Sayeed is a rising star who has stayed true to both his Islamic faith & his craft appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Manhattan’s own ANTHM lets loose some harsh thoughts over the instrumental twang of Eminem’s “Role Model.” The reference-heavy track finds ANTHM snarling the names of upper-echelon acts like Lil Wayne, The Throne, and Rick Ross as well as industry heads Paul Rosenberg and Rap Radar’s Eliot Wilson. In keeping with a growing theme, amidst a sea of apparent shots, ANTHM tosses some high praise Kendrick Lamar’s way. Other than that, it’s all-out assault, riffing on the assertion that ANTHM is “not a Freshman, nigga check my grades in this class. / Battle me? Better off facing Jason Mraz.” If you didn’t know, ANTHM and Los Angeles’ Blu a.k.a. GodLeeBarnes just released a far chiller tape, Handful of Dust, which deserves a spin and a purchase after you listen to ANTHM get grimy below.

The post New Music: ANTHM – “Double Excel” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Lauren Schwartzberg/RESPECT.

Hennessy’s Wild Rabbit represents that voice inside of us, pushing us onward and upward to bigger and greater things, but sometimes that voice can be bit hard to find. In the third part of his “Wild Rabbit” series, Elliott Wilson, founder of Rap Radar and Editor-in-Chief of RESPECT. Magazine, considers the difficulty of finding one’s own voice. Even for him, a man known for his hip-hop opinions and unforgettable laugh, it wasn’t easy. As a young’n Wilson tried to rap, but just couldn’t accomplish those necessary complex internal rhymes. He then saw magazines as the best route for him to document the culture that inspired him so greatly. Wilson advises that the only way for a young writer to find his voice is to keep writing; eventually you’re going to reach real opinions on a topic that’s important to you. Take a trip down the rabbit hole.  Watch more Hennessy videos and learn more about this movement at neverstopneversettle.com.

The post “Finding Your Voice”– Episode 2 Of Hennessy’s “Never Stop. Never Settle” With Elliott Wilson appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Lauren Schwartzberg/RESPECT.

Hennessy’s Wild Rabbit represents that voice inside all of us that endlessly inspires and pushes us onward and upward to bigger and greater achievements. For Elliott Wilson, founder of Rap Radar and Editor-in-Chief of RESPECT. Magazine, the Wild Rabbit inspires him to create fresh and relevant content that will have Wilson recognized as the best hip-hop writer in the game.

In the first video of his Hennessy series, Wilson heads to the barbershop where, he explains, the voice of the street is heard. The man with endless talking points reminds us that, “your opinion is nothing unless you can back it up.” Take a trip down the rabbit hole. Watch more Hennessy videos and learn more about this movement at neverstopneversettle.com.

The post Hennessy Presents: “Never Stop. Never Settle.” Featuring Elliott Wilson appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Carefree Nation, Rocksmith and Rap Radar are giving you a special treat before the holiday festivities begin. Hosted by LowKey of youheardthatnew.com, Pusha T will perform at the Gramercy Theater on December 22. Show starts at 7:00 PM. More importantly, what will the G.O.O.D. music star have in store? Surprise appearances like Big Sean did with Kanye West? A Clipse reunion? While fans keep speculating, Pusha has us counting down the days until showtime. Purchase tickets here.

The post Pusha T At Gramercy Theater On December 22 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Chris Brown is releasing a second collab less than a week after dropping the “Next 2 You” video featuring Justin Bieber. This time, the self-proclaimed princes of Hip Hop and R&B, respectively, have been reunited. Breezy paired up with Bow Wow to put out “I’m Da Man.”

Check it out.

The post New Music: Chris Brown x Bow Wow: “I’m Da Man” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.