On Saturday, November 23rd, the Red Bull Music Festival in Chicago hosted one hell of an event featuring Smino and his collective, Zero Fatigue. A great pick for the festival, Smino’s blend of future funk and melodic rapping has brought him to the forefront of Chicago’s hip hop and R&B scene, blending warm, organic soul with cutting edge production.

Held at Thalia Hall, the show kicked off with opening acts DJ Nosidam, Schenay Mosley and Monte Booker. Lighting up the room, Smino’s performance lasted about 45 minutes to an hour long. Playing his favorites and top singles, Smino had the crowd lit. The energy was on point and I’m sure everyone that attended could agree. Thumbs up for this night with Smino and his talented set, Zero Fatigue.

The Red Bull Music Festival in Chicago continues until November 30th. Be sure to check out the website for more information.

Enjoy pictures below taken by Pooneh Ghana, brought to you by Red Bull Content Pool.

The post Smino brings Zero Fatigue to Red Bull Music Festival in Chicago appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The Flying Steps are a European-based break dancing crew, consisting of more than 35 dancers. For their latest shows, they’ve decided to partner with Red Bull, announcing a U.S. national tour called The Red Bull Flying Bach tour. In order to bring something special to the American crowd, they have decided to provide a mixture of high class and urban culture. So, they’ve gone as far as dancing to an adaptation of Johann Sebastian Bach’s classical “The Well-Tempered Clavier.” We sat down with three of the Flying Steps’ dancers–Uwe, Benny, and Anna–to talk about their rise to stardom, and the break dancing culture. Read more below.

RESPECT.: How did you get into breakdancing?

Uwe: Well, it depends on the individual. When I saw it for the first time — for me, it was love at first sight pretty much. When I was in elementary school, I saw people in the upper classes dancing, and I got excited and tried to join them. I asked my sister, she brought me in, and that’s how I started dancing actually. That’s how I started B-boying.

Benny: Yeah, for me, I started in 1994. So, a really long time ago. Just saw it in a youth club, saw some women do headspins, and from that day forward, I just started doing it every day.

Anna: I think my first memory is with my brother. Because he was actually doing it a little bit for fun when he was a kid, and then he just put a helmet on me and put me upside down, and made me do a headspin. Then my mom came in and she started yelling “what are you doing?!!” It was funny.

But the first real connection was when I started to work with the Flying Steps in 2013.

RESPECT.: And ever since then it’s been more official?

Anna: I mean, I’m a contemporary dancer also. But now, I’m gaining new influences from them, too.

RESPECT.: How did you guys all come together?

Benny: The Flying Steps started in 1993. And since then, of course, many new people have joined. Now, we have a completely new team than before. We are all friends. Competing in different places, we get to know b-boys from all over the world. So, when we need a dancer we just ask them, “Hey, you wanna join us/work with us?”

Because now, everything is really on a professional level. And not every b-boy is used to working on a professional level. We have to see if they can learn and accept the few rules that exist.

RESPECT.: So, it’s almost like auditions?

Benny: Not really auditions. Because we do it in a more family way. Because in the beginning, the Flying Steps were a crew of friends. And then a few dancers — they stopped. So we took new dancers from younger generations, and we grew slowly. So we’re really like a family. And when everything started getting so big, we had the opportunity to create new shows, bigger shows.

RESPECT.: What type of music do you like breakdancing to the most?

Uwe: Depends. Like, funk music. I started with funk. Funk breaks. Then later on–for energy–some hip hop tracks. The real, like, Eric B and Rakim. Stuff like that.

But everybody has a different type of music that they like to listen to. Whatever motivates them the most.

Benny: I think so, yeah. Most of us — we dance to all kinds of music. Because some of us also produce music, so we’re interested in all different types. And of course, every dancer should, or could dance to every music style. But mostly, of course, we all started with the funk and breakbeats.

Me, specifically, I like to dance to hip hop music. Most of the time I practice to 90s hip hop music. But I like the new style of hip hop, too. So I’m open to everything.

RESPECT.: Is it easier to dance to 90s hip hop, more so than the new generation?

Benny: Like, the trap music?

Uwe, Benny, Anna: It’s different *in unison*

Benny: It’s different, exactly. Personally, I think the dance style has changed a lot. Because we now also practice with the top dancers; Hip hop dancers, house dancers, poppers and stuff. And they use more new music because it has a lot of accents, and you can take that music completely different. Compared to the 90s music — the 90s speed is very easy. It’s the same loop all the time. It’s more easy to dance to  in a way. But it’s just a different style, so we also try to dance to hip hop and house music. We try to be open to everything and combine styles.

Anna: Yeah, I like to dance to everything, too, actually. But I especially like dancing to house music a lot.

RESPECT.: Who inspires you? Whether it’s another breakdancer or someone in a completely different industry.

Benny: Michael Jackson. For sure.

Uwe: For me it’s hard to name just one. Generally it’s everybody I meet. Everything that leaves an impression on me. Even if he or she has only been dancing for one year, everybody can inspire you if you are open to it. So, it’s hard to name just one and say “he was my inspiration or my idol, I wanted to be him.” Personally, I don’t have just one. It’s really every moment.

Benny: I think for us, or for me especially, it’s all the crew members. Because now we’re more than 35 dancers, and really to me they’re all so talented. In their style, and what they do, they’re the best. I’m a fan of everybody, you know? When I see them in the practice room, for me it’s the biggest inspiration every day. Most of them are really young, from 20 to 24 years old. They’re in their prime. Really strong, you know? They have the craziest skills. Since I am older, I still have to keep up with them.

But it’s cool, because you see the mentality of the young [dancers]. Even if you’re older, you have to keep this [young] spirit, so like that you will always be really, really strong.

Uwe: Can’t stop, won’t stop, that body rock! *laughs*

Anna: Yeah, for sure. It’s a mix of both for me. Like, since I’ve joined the crew also, it’s crazy how I’ve switched the way I think about dancing. In many aspects, even the way I’m thinking about life. Like Uwe said, I think travel is a very big inspiration in general. Being able to see so many different cultures and places in such short amount of time, it creates so many new perspectives.

Benny: When I started, I had my people that I looked up to. And today it’s still the same. I’ve always said that I still feel like a student, because the dancing world is so big. I’ve been b-boying for more than 20 years, and I’ve also done a lot of house dancing; And this world for me, it is so big.You have all the different styles within b-boying, you don’t have only the hip hop dancers. Like, you have the house dancers which is a world in and of itself, and then the poppers… And sometimes all the styles come together. And I like it all.  Most of the dancers who inspire me now are at the top.The musicality and how they dance – the way they use the music is really on a different level.

RESPECT.: How would you like to inspire other people?

Benny: I think we’ve always inspired other people in a way. Because they see how we do it. We’ve always believed in ourselves, since we were kids. I mean, how many b-boys can have a good life by only doing b-boying? We just focus and try to give off good energy. Even if sometimes we face problems within the crew. It’s not always “everything is happy,” but still we try to teach the younger generation to be strong and always stay together as a team. Because as a team, we made it. And most of the teams I know, they all split up because everybody tried to make it by themselves. They wanted to make more money than the other crew member, have more fame, more girls…

So you really have to see your goal and work together. This is how we inspire people. Even after so many years, we are still the same crew.

Uwe: Living with the passion…

Benny: Yeah. Living with the passion, and doing it from the heart.

Uwe: I think that’s the most important thing. When you do it with passion and love, the others follow. They see it and they feel it.

Anna: Because then it’s honest. It’s not that you’re doing something just to show off. It’s because this is what you wanted to do.

Uwe: Honest feelings.

RESPECT.: Tell me about the tour and how has it been going so far?

Uwe: Especially touring through the U.S.A, the difference I felt when we did the first few shows was–because it came from here–the people, they know [the breakdancing culture] already. So whatever skills, or signature moves that you do on stage, people notice and react. Other countries, they would be waiting for the end of your solos to start applauding. But here, they go crazy during the solo. If they like it, they go crazy like, “Ohh shit, that’s fresh.” If they don’t, they’ll boo you. You know what I mean? They are honest. The entertainment factor here is so important. So yeah, it’s nice to dance in front of the U.S crowd. People in the U.S. grew up with this artform.

Anna: Yeah, Americans are very honest. Performing in front of them is also like a sharing thing. For example, if you are having a bad day, but you know that you’re going to go on stage and give something, and the crowd will give you something in return, it’s easier to focus your energy while onstage.

But I think it’s also cool to see cities that we’ve seen on television or in the movies, and you can see how it actually looks. Or if the people are as they’re portrayed.

Benny: Yeah, in general, just to see America and all the different places we wanted to see. Every city is different. Like, we just came from Denver earlier, and we realized–because most of us usually stay in L.A. or other bigger cities–the people in Denver were quite different. Really nice, lowkey…

Uwe: Very chill.

Benny: Yeah. It’s nice to see America from different states.

RESPECT.: What city has been your favorite so far?

Benny: L.A.

Uwe: Chicago was also fresh.

Benny: Yeah, but L.A…. We’ve stayed there many times and we have a lot of friends there. So, we know the city, and we know the people. Plus the weather is amazing. The beaches…

Uwe: Yeah, a little bit more slow.

RESPECT.: You like slower cities? That’s interesting given that you guys are breakdancers.

Uwe: True. That’s also why. So we can balance it out. *laughs*

RESPECT.: You guys have won awards for your performances, how does it feel to be making such a large impact?

Benny: Yeah, it’s crazy. Of course, it’s our dream. It was always our dream to make something big. We just wanted to live by dancing. Only making money, and only doing what we love to do. This was the only thing we wanted to do. We worked hard for it, and everything came together perfectly. And also because of Red Bull and our partners, who have made it all possible. But at the same time, it’s hard to realize how big it is now. We are so focused on each step of the next project, the next show, the next city, the next country. Sometimes, you look back a little bit and you’re like, “Oh shit. Wow. It’s getting really good.” We have to use this opportunity to help our friends. Now we can bring more dancers into the crew. Even on the management side, we are surrounded by friends.

Uwe: Sometimes you need to calm down, kind of like take a break. Just to look at what happened the last month, or the last year. Then you’re like, “Oh shit, okay! This is what happened, this is what we saw.” You realize everything, and you can be appreciative even more. Like, “it’s happening now.”

Anna: Plus for me coming as a contemporary dancer, I think almost every show there’s a moment where I’m just looking at all of us onstage and I’m thinking , “Wow! How did it happen, the opportunity to work here, and share these good moments with these guys?” Like Benny said, it’s amazing to see how something that came from a family environment has grown into something that is so big now. It’s really amazing.

RESPECT.: Do you have a specific performance that has been your most memorable so far?

Uwe: Yeah… Some crazy stuff. *laughs* But it’s hard to name just one. Every location, every crowd is its own crowd so it’s just hard to say.

Anna: I remember this one show in New Zealand. In the last piece, there was a small boy, he didn’t want the show to be finished because he liked the music so much. So, he started dancing in the aisle during the last piece of the show. And I think to see that in a big theater, where normally you’re just sitting formally waiting for the show to end and to give an applause — to see that spontaneous moment mid-performance is an amazing feeling.

Benny: Once during a live TV show, the stage started falling apart. There’s so many stuff that has happened to the point where almost nothing is surprising anymore.

RESPECT.: So the stage was falling apart, and you guys still kept performing?

Benny: Yeah, of course. Always.

Uwe: Show must go on.

RESPECT.: This was in Europe?

Benny: Yeah, there’s been different times that this happened. Once it happened in Turkey, then it was in Germany.

Uwe: Jersey, Denver…

Benny: Oh yeah in Denver, too. The morning show. But that was easy.

Uwe: The premiere in Germany, also.

Anna: Yeah, even TV professionals mess up sometimes. Like, sometimes the music doesn’t even play, or it’s the wrong music…

Uwe: It’s good that we’ve learned to improvise. To freestyle…that way we don’t get stiff when there’s a mistake.

RESPECT.: Is there a difference between performing on a TV set and a larger stage?

Benny: Normally, no. It’s usually easy. But sometimes maybe we’ll get stuck in traffic and there won’t be time to improvise.

Uwe: Or the set is too small and you can’t do most of your moves.

Benny: And one time one guy was throwing up the whole ride because we were partying so crazy the night before… We have crazy stories about partying. Like, we lost people once somewhere. *laughing* These are like The Hangover stories.

Anna: Yeah we could make films from those stories.

Uwe: Yeah those would be big.

*all laughing*

Benny: Nah I’m joking. In general we’ve been really lucky, that we were able to do all these shows. Now with so many years of experience, we really know how to fix everything. Even the other day, one of the performers broke their arm just a few hours ago before the performance… and he was one of the main dancers, so we had to change everything.

Uwe: Yeah, change the whole show. 70 minutes.

Benny: Yeah. We still changed it, though. Everything is possible.

Anna: Sometimes things happen on stage, as well. Someone can get injured as the show is going on, and you have to get certain dancers to replace them. Usually if it happens, we fix it naturally. We don’t panic on stage and it gets fixed. I think that happens when you have good communication with the other dancers. So it’s not like *tilting head* “umm, I go left, you go right.”

Uwe: Exactly. The crowd shouldn’t notice. One time it was also really nice — I think it was in San Francisco – a blind man came to the show. He just listened to the music, and he sat in the back of the crowd. When you hear that, it’s awesome to see the spectrum of people you can reach. Shows that we had before Flying Bach, we didn’t have have such a wide spectrum of people coming.

Benny: Like, old people, young people, the kids. Even grandfathers and grandmothers who come with their kids – everybody likes it. [Usually] if it’s only hip hop, only the hip hop crowd comes. If it’s only classical music, it’s only the older people who come. But if you combine the two, that draws a larger crowd. And also, the younger generation has started to get in touch with classical culture, which normally never happens. It’s really something special.

Uwe: Which kid from the streets would go to an opera house?

Anna: And also the opposite. The old people who used to see breakdancing as something that’s just from the streets. They can see that it’s actually an artform.

Uwe: Another time, the guy who was selling tickets at a venue since he was 17; He came to us with tears in his eyes, almost crying, saying, “Thank you for making it possible, that I see people from all different ages coming into this place.” He had been there for decades, but he’d never seen kids in the opera houses. So these moments are when you realize, “We’re really doing something.” It’s motivation to keep giving it 100 percent and keep giving off positive vibes.

RESPECT.: Is there anything you do before performing on stage, sort of like a ritual or something?

Benny: Yeah. We do one circle all together. We talk a little bit, just giving each other motivation. Getting hyped up together, to create more energy.

RESPECT.: Being from overseas, how do you guys view American hip hop culture, and how much influence do you think it has overseas?

Benny: I think it influences [Europe] a lot, of course. Because we all saw it start here in America. Especially here in New York, in The Bronx. It was our first inspiration. So I think America influenced Europe a lot. But of course, then Europe created their own style. We always try keep our own style, and create new things to take it to the next level. We have our own style I would say — the Flying Steps. However, today hip hop is worldwide. It’s everywhere. You can go to Korea, Japan, in Arabic countries or everywhere. So today, it’s the whole world inspiring each other. But America is the main place for hip hop culture.

RESPECT.: What comes next for the Flying Steps collective, after this tour?

Benny: We have many ideas for new shows. We want to create new shows. We have so many young dancers in the crew. We also talked about competing and coming back to the battles.

The thing is everybody’s ready, everybody wants to [compete], we really feel like a crew now. We really grew together, we’re ready for battles. But right now we don’t have the time. That’s the only problem. We’re always traveling. Sometimes, we have three or four teams doing shows in different continents. We are touring in America and there’s another team touring in Europe. We really want to come back to the battle scene, though. Then of course, it’s also our dream to get a show in Las Vegas, or here on Broadway.

Making our own movie.. not just appearing in a movie, we’ve done that before. We want to make our own movie, and be involved in the production.

Uwe: Be independent.

Benny: Yeah, exactly.

Uwe: Just a matter of time now…

The post RESPECT. Interview: The Flying Steps appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In a clash of cultures Flying Bach turns the international classical music world upside down as world champion b-boy crew Flying Steps visualizes and revives Johann Sebastian Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier in a creative performance that combines classical music and urban culture. The mind-blowing combination of urban culture and classical music presented by Red Bull, is scheduled to make eight stops across the US.

For their upcoming tour, which will include stops in D.C., California and Texas, Flying Bach has pinned their record-breaking history against the historic locations they’ll be performing in and the results are pretty impressive.

Get to know the United States through Flying Bach below and make sure to check out their upcoming tour dates here.

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The post Flying Bach Mixes Bach With Hip Hop On Stages Across The US appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

‘Real Sisters’ – Future (Prod. Zaytoven)

RESPECT.: What keeps you so loyal to Atlanta’s hip-hop scene? Does the city offer something the rest of the country just can’t?

Zaytoven: “What keeps me loyal to the Atlanta Hip-Hop scene is, I think that’s where my sound has formulated, and that’s really the same reason why nowhere else can offer me what Atlanta offers me. Its cause what cultivated my sound is the flavor, and swag, and lingo that comes out of Atlanta. That’s what created my sound. That’s why I’m so loyal to it and that’s why I wouldn’t go anywhere else, cause I couldn’t get that from somewhere else.”

RESPECT.: More than ever, producers in Hip-Hop hold a crucial influence on the popularity of songs and artists. What are your thoughts on the fact that now the right producer can do just as much for your song as a well-known feature in 2016?

Zaytoven: “Ahh I love it man, its bringing it back to the producers. Back when Timbaland and Pharrell or Dr. Dre was popular, with them being your premiere producer on your song, you could be a nobody or somebody, and people are going to be really excited for your song, and want to hear your song because of the producer. So it’s a good thing its back to that right now, cause it gives us more identity, lets us make more money, helps us be in the forefront more, and helps us stick around longer.”

RESPECT.: What does it take to become a super-producer such as yourself? and do you see yourself as a super-producer?

Zaytoven: “I think what it takes to become a super producer is, breaking the unknown artist. The title is thrown around so loosely now, that anybody that makes one big song is a super-producer now. But I think it really takes cultivating the artist and not just doing it one time, but doing it over and over again, with various artists and being successful in that, and that’s what makes you a super-producer.”

RESPECT.: What pushes you towards Trap, more than any other sub-genre of Hip-Hop?

Zaytoven: “Trap to me has more soul and feeling in it. Even though its 808 driven, and its bass driven, and the music is probably talking about selling drugs or hustling a certain way, it still has a feeling to it. It has a certain struggle to it and it has a soul in it. It’s just its own thing and that’s what drives me to it.”

RESPECT.: Working with rising stars and artists on the cusp of major success has become a regular occurrence for you and something your fans have learned to love. What do you specifically look for in an artist before you start building with them?

Zaytoven: “It’s a certain thing that’s called the “it” factor, and with the “it” factor it’s not so much that you can see it, or hear it. It’s not that I look for an artist that raps so good or artists that can do one thing that’s so good, it just a total package. When I see an artist and I hear what they’re saying, they don’t even have to be a great rapper, but if they look the part and it goes with what they’re saying and the way they move and how they carry themselves, to me that’s the “it” factor I’m looking for. It’s hard to say exactly what the It factor is, it’s just when your around that person or you see that person or you hear em, you know they got something special.”

RESPECT.: One of the biggest stories of 2015 was Future’s work ethic. He released 5 mixtapes, including Beast Mode which you produced top to bottom. What do you think of other artists now attempting a similar strategy and work ethic?

Zaytoven: “It goes back to Gucci Mane, maybe in ’08, when Gucci just started putting out a whole lot of mixtapes, just song after song, mixtape after mixtape. And that just shows whatever artist is trying to make it, or somebody that’s trying to stay relevant, you got to work and put out music, cause the fans and the audience now don’t listen to stuff as long as we used to. We’re always looking for something new, I think that with the technology we get bored fast. It’s now to the point where Future showed you got to work, and got to stay consistently putting out good music, just to stay relevant or stay hot.”

RESPECT.: Since your Instagram post last August with Future, there has been a lot of rumors circulating over the possibility of Beast Mode 2, are there any details you can give us?

Zaytoven: “Not Really. All I can say is me and Future recorded at least a hundred songs together. We maybe had about fifty songs when we did Beast Mode, so there’s a lot of songs that didn’t go on Beast Mode that I probably liked more. And then we’ve been recording periodically throughout the year, time and time again. We just got so many records, I think when the timing is right or when Future feels like that needs to be presented again, it will come out.”

‘Oooooh’ – Future Ft. Scooter (Prod. Zaytoven)

RESPECT.: Your appearing in BMI’s Producer Battle with Drumma Boy on April 5th. Can you tell us a bit about it and how you got involved?

Zaytoven: “My buddy Byron Wright called and asked me, did I want to headline for a producer battle. Cause last year I went and they had Mannie Fresh, DJ Toomp and KLC. So when he asked me I was like “Yeah i’ll do it, I’d love to do it.” He said V”Cool cause I want to verse you with Drumma Boy cause both of you have been in the game for so long, lasted this long, and are still relevant in the game.” Drumma Boy is a long time friend of mine and with that respect doing the music, so I wouldn’t have it any other way. He’d be the perfect guy I’d want to do this event with. I’m excited about it.”

RESPECT.: On April 30th yourself, Sonny Digital, and Metro-Boomin will be at a round-table discussion in NYC hosted by Red Bull. What is this discussion about? and what do you hope it will achieve?

Zaytoven: “What it’s about, I’m really not sure yet. What I’m hoping that it achieves is, it lets people know that we really come together, and we’re the guys that really make a difference in this music right now. I’m hoping it sheds a light on that, and further sheds a light on that producers mean just as much as these artists now.”

RESPECT.: It’s quite clear your talent and interests exceed simply Hip-Hop production. Can you give us some details on the sequel to your film, Birds of a Feather?

Zaytoven: “I haven’t fully finished the script yet. But it’s really just about somebody like me, that’s been in the game for so long, and how you can fall off or not be as popular as you were at one time, then a new producer comes in. I’ve seen it with my own eyes how the game is. New guys come in and they be the hot guy right now. But at the same time, with somebody like me whose so challenging, and still wants to be on top and competitive, it shows how I can be redeemed and how I [can] come back to work even harder to get back on top. Music is being made different now-a-days, people are using technology a lot more than talent and I just wanted to show how a producer can really fall off or get the life taken away from him, but then come back using really gifted talent and hustling a certain way. That’s what mainly I think Birds of a Feather 2 is going to be about.”

‘I Still Got It’ – Usher Ft. Migos (Prod. Zaytoven)

RESPECT.: Production Ad-libs are quickly becoming an essential element to any producer, thanks in large to Metro-Boomin and DJ Mustard. Do you approve of this new obsession, and can you explain the inspiration for yours?

Zaytoven: “Those are tags that helps out the producer, and shows how closely the artist worked with the producer. But I had those same things back in maybe 2004, 2005 all the way up to when Gucci Mane got locked up. Every track we used to do together was “Zaytoven”, “Zay-T on the track”. It’s the same thing, these are just tags that the artist gives up or uses on this track that we do. It shows that the artist is really rocking with us and that they’re really proud of what we’re doing, they got they’re chest out when they’re saying our name, and money can’t pay for that.”

RESPECT.: You produce for the biggest names in Atlanta, and across the country. Do you prefer working with lesser or more established artists?

Zaytoven: “A lot of times lesser. More established money wise, but what keeps me innovative, and what keeps me coming with something new and fresh is the lesser known artist. It’s cause they come with something new, they come in a different way you never heard of before, that’s why I always continue working with the guys you probably never heard of before they blow up. Then when they blow up you say “ohh Zaytoven been working with em this whole time”. Its cause they bring something different man, they bring something fresh.”

RESPECT.: There are a ton of big producers in Atlanta right now with yourself, Sonny Digital, Metro-Boomin and Mike Will Made It. How would you say your sound differs from other popular producers in Atlanta?

Zaytoven: “I think their sound is more so digital and computer based, I think all the guys you named use the product Fruity Loops to produce on. I’m still a guy that uses analog equipment. I still play the keyboard, the old analog NPC, so a lot of my stuff is really just me playing, and its melody driven with my skills on the piano and producing that way. It’s an old school way of producing but I think that’s what’s kept me in the game, its cause there’s nobody else really doing that. I started the change but I said, if I start changing I’ll just sound like everybody else and loose who I am. Since people love the sound, let me stick to what I’m doing.”

RESPECT.: 2015 was of course a big year for you, is there any moment or project that stood out above the rest?

Zaytoven: “Beast Mode, definitely.”

RESPECT.: Looking to the future, what is one specific goal you hope to achieve in 2016?

Zaytoven: “Not really, there’s not just one goal I have this year man. A lot of doors have opened up for me and of course I want to finish my third movie and have that on Netflix. I have a thing I’m doing now that’s called “Zaytoven’s Producer Camp” and I just want to see that grow more and more. And of course this year you’re going to see me producing for a lot of guys you probably never seen me producer for.”

RESPECT.: Any advice for young producers putting in work and trying make a name?

Zaytoven: “Yes and its creating their own sound. I always tell producers, what helps create your own sound is finding a new artist that’s on the come up or, you know that they’re serious about trying to make it in the music industry, or that y’all gel together and got chemistry. Then work with that guy to help him make it in the game. Cause to me, most producers where they get they’re sound or name from, is from an artist. With me its Gucci Mane, with Snoop Dogg its Dr. Dre, that’s what brings the sound in and makes it stick for so long. I always encourage producers to team up with an artist that they gel with, and that can definitely get them a spot in the game.”

RESPECT.: Who have you been working with in the studio recently? can you share any details?

Zaytoven: “Man I’m just working with so many people I don’t even want to just start naming one, and then forget the rest of them. I’m just working with so many people now, it’s almost everybody you can think of in the Rap/Hip-Hop game.

‘Conceited’ – Gucci Mane (Zaytoven)

As Atlanta’s Hip-Hop scene continues to grow and flourish, Zaytoven is sculpting it in a way only a true visionary can. His continuous cultivation of new and exciting artists and they’re sound, is one of the reasons why his city and his fans just can’t seem to get enough. When it comes to reliability, hit-making and authenticity, Zaytoven effortlessly rises above the rest. It’s impossible to know who the next Hip-Hop sensation will be however, there’s a pretty good chance Zaytoven is already with them cooking up their first big hit.

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The post RESPECT. Interview: Zaytoven talks Atlanta & Upcoming Projects appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Maturity seems to be the necessary word to open this up with. The Fuel EP is a bit more than your standard EP release. It’s rather a fully developed, potent body of work from Koncept and J57. You may just create a bucket list, make amends to those you’ve harmed, dance, snap your neck, and hug your parents after all eight tracks.

J57‘s soundscapes are carefully fearless. Koncept‘s content is transparent. Together you get a magical, explorative dish of honesty. Aesthetically, we give credit to Red Bull Studios for the fine tuning and beautiful finalization of the record. What fuels the two to keep going in this bitter sweet thing we call music? After your first spin you should have the response.

Guest artists include Dice Raw (The Roots), frequent family Akie Bermiss, Hollis, 11-year old Nevaeh and more – not making the record what it is, but adding to its foundation as it should be. They’re meaningful slots.

The amount of work that went into EP is incredible. If you were following their moves, you get it. If not, it’s okay. Welcome to the world of Koncept and J57. These two do not sleep, and as you will read in the interview segment below, they have much more in stores heading into the new year. Grab The Fuel EP now via iTunes after streaming it.

What is the most memorable moment during the recording of The Fuel EP?

J57:  There were a ton of memorable moments; at least one per song, but I think the biggest stand out moment for me was while we were working on the song “Excitement”.  We were at Room17 Studio and we had the song finalized and Joe Rogers was giving it a rough mix when he was like, “Wait a minute… let me try something.”  He disappeared for a few minutes and comes back in holding a ton of analog equipment.  He spent a solid 5 to 8 minutes setting everything up / plugging everything in.  He then started to revamp the main melody that I played and distorted the living shit out of it — even more than I did already, to begin with.  Koncept and I jump up from our seats and walk over in amazement.   I’ll put it this way — that full day/night studio session we just spent on ”Excitement” didn’t end till approx 4 or 5am!  We left knowing that we just brought the song and the direction of the EP to a new level.

Koncept: Well, J nailed that one, so I can’t really beat that.

But, one thing that people don’t know is that “Live Forever” was originally meant to be on the full length LP, “Flight” that’s dropping in 2016. I recorded my vocals in Brooklyn sometime in the Spring still having no idea when we were going to be in LA recording the album. In the song I say the date, “May 7th”. It just so happened with absolutely no intention or know how whatsoever that we were mixing that record in Red Bull Studio on May 7th. Our engineer, James Musshorn turns to me and says, “how did you know that we were going to be working on this record today!?” That was crazy. haha

The record is executed and pushed as if it were a full length studio album, but I know it’s just a taste at what’s to come. What are listeners in store for moving forward?

J57:  “The Fuel” is the pre-cursor / set up for “Flight”, which drops summer of next year.  The vibes are similar but “Flight” is like a big brother to “The Fuel”.  That statement will make a lot of sense a year from today — you’ll see.  But, in the time being, enjoy “The Fuel” and please listen to the entire thing knowing that something way bigger and way better is coming in a short 6-8 months.

Koncept: I just finished a full album with Madonna.

Any funny moments, or the funniest moment, during the recording of the EP?

J57:  There were a ton of funny moments but my favorite one was:

“Crazy Is Beautiful” feat. Nevaeh: 

We featured Nevaeh, an 11 year old singer from Portland, Oregon, that is the daughter of our good friend and incredible photographer, Jessica Keaveny (http://jessicakeaveny.com/).  The chorus for this song was written by my new artist Mike Two, who’s background was writing for Atlantic Records till he left recently to pursue his own solo music under the Five Seven Music umbrella.  Mike recorded the chorus for “Crazy Is Beautiful” at our brother Optiks’ studio in Brooklyn, with hopes that we would get a female singer on that track.  A week later, we went to Portland to shoot the “Porcelain” video and decided to record Nevaeh’s chorus – in which we did.  We recorded her on my laptop and had Mike Two on Koncept’s laptop on Skype, coaching her how to deliver it, since he wrote it and envisioned a certain delivery — which she nailed.

The funny part about this is, Mike Two wanted Nevaeh to sound sad and somber, and being that she’s 11 years old, he had to give her specific motivation to really bring her there.  So, before we started, Mike said, “Ok, pretend your mom promised to get you ice cream and you’re really happy about it, you get to the ice cream parlor, then changes her mind and says you can’t have it.  How would you feel?”   Nevaeh quickly looks and sounds sad and says, “…sad.”  Mike says, “Ok, great, let’s record that last take again with that feeling.”  She ended up absolutely NAILING it.  It was honestly hilarious and dope at the same time.  I bet you didn’t expect to hear that story from the one and only sober session we had during the making of the entire EP haha! This was my favorite funny moment.

Koncept: We were recording vocals at Room17 Studio in Brooklyn with Joe Rogers one day while it was snowing outside. I think we were working on “Plane Ticket” that day. We were in the zone and didn’t even leave the room for almost 12 hours having no idea what it looked like outside. We actually forgot it was even snowing. We decided to take a step outside to get some fresh air before the next stretch, and when we opened the door there was over 2 feet of snow, AND a state of emergency through the city. haha

We all bundled up and went outside and were jumping off of things into piles of snow. I filmed it all on my GOPro. I think we’ll have to release the footage at some point.

The post Koncept & J57 “The Fuel EP” + Interview appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

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There were a lot of happy fans when D’Angelo announced his new album “Black Messiah“(2015) recently. D’Angelo has been on a roll with many performances around the world. From hitting the stage this past summer at the 2014 AfroPunk Festival in Brooklyn, NYC and even stages in London, UK. Sugah Daddy still has that famous neo-soul sound we all love about D’Angelo. The track is being released as part of the Red Bull‘s 20Before15 series. D’Angelo is set to release the album this weekend at a listening party in NYC. Stay tuned for more information and releases in regards to “Black Messiah“, in the meantime check out “Sugah Daddy“:

The post NEW MUSIC: D’ANGELO MAKES STRONG COMEBACK “SUGAH DADDY” SHORTLY AFTER ANNOUNCING NEW ALBUM! appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.