California rapper Dough The Freshkid is one of the premiere artists coming out of west coast. As he rolled out his latest project Tals Cafe today, It is clear that his talent is unmatched and superb. I had the pleasure of catching up with the hotshot for a quick interview to discuss his new project and inspiration.

Check it out below.

Dough The Freshkid Interview

Respect: What city do you rep?

Dough: I am from Crenshaw District Arlington of California.

Respect: At what point in your life did you decide to pursue a career in music?

Dough: I was around 13 years old when my homeboy asked me to write a rap for him for the school talent show and he ended up winning.

Respect: Has your upbringing played a role in shaping who you are and defining your sound today? If so, how?

Dough: Absolutely. I was born back east and raised a G on the West which, gave me an open range on sounds and culture.

Respect: How would you describe your sound to readers who may not be familiar with you?

Dough: I consider myself a street-conscious MC. I have a classic 90s Hip-Hop sound mixed with some of today’s sound. Most of my music production includes heavy bass instruments, classic pianos and soul samples.

Respect: What ultimately inspired you to dedicate yourself to a music career?

Dough: I live music on a daily, I am music, it’s not a career to me it’s a lifestyle. So, I said, “Why not get paid for it?” and show the whole world how gifted I am.

Respect: What’s one reason you are passionate about music and what inspires you?

Dough: I was born in Gary, Indiana on Jackson street where the great Michael Jackson lived. That played a major part of it. I am inspired by the outcome of the music I create; I love to continue to challenge myself each project. I’m actually a big fan of myself.

Respect: Do you have any hobbies outside of music? What do you do to stay creative?

Dough: I love watching old movies from the ‘60s and ‘70s. I’m a big kid so I’m looking for that PS5 to drop, and I love working out staying healthy.

Respect: Who are some of your main musical influences?

Dough: My influences are some of the veterans like Ice Cube, Nas, Jay-Z , Biggie, Pac, 50 Cent, and Redman. I also pay attention to Kendrick Lamar, J.Cole, the late great Hussle and all my brothers from the Crenshaw District and my brothers in NY.

Respect: What are some of your music career goals for the future?

Dough: Continue to build my brand where I’m respected as a major and hopefully connected with a major on a Distribution partnership.

Respect: Tell us about the latest project that you’ve released? What is it about?

Dough: Tal’s Café is my latest project (album) that is out today. It’s simply about bringing the hustle aspect back into the game. We got way too many people glorifying junkies in Hip-Hop these days. Never get high on yo own supplies.

Respect: What are some projects you’ve done that you are most proud of and why?

Dough: I’m proud of all three of my projects that I’ve released through stores. I have a few mixtapes that are on DatPiff that you can’t sleep on either. Arlington Avenue, Black Rome and Tal’s Café demonstrates and shows my supporters the range I have when it comes to composing albums. Each of these albums speak of times that we currently live in. I write movies!

Respect: What’s next for you?

Dough: I’m writing in my head as we speak. I also have a title idea but, I am going to hold on to it for a while. I don’t want nobody biting my style lol.

Respect: What message do you hope fans take away from your music?

Dough: That I’m original and that I’m not concerned about what people thing about me. I’ll put my message out there regardless if it’s mainstream or not. I don’t play by the rules; I create my own rules. As Frank Sinatra said “I did it my way.”

Respect: Where can we find you on social media?

Dough: You can find me on Instagram @doughthefreshkid, and on twitter @doughfreshkid. You can also find me on Spotify, Youtube and Apple music by typing in Dough The Freshkid.

Be sure to press play below to stream his latest EP Tals Cafe.

The post RESPECT. Interview: Dough The Freshkid Talks New EP “Tals Cafe” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

If you haven’t already, stream/download The Saga Continues here.

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You can enjoy “People Say” (produced by Mathematics) above and check out the full tracklisting for The Saga Continues below. Respect to the late, great ODB.

WU-TANG CLAN – WU-TANG: THE SAGA CONTINUES (TRACKLISTING):
1. “Wu-Tang the Saga Continues Intro” feat. RZA
2. “Lesson Learn’d” Feat. Inspektah Deck and Redman
3. “Fast and Furious” Feat. Hue Hef and Raekwon
4. “Famous Fighters” (Skit)
5. “If Time is Money (Fly Navigation)” Feat. Method Man
6. “Frozen” Feat. Method Man, Killa Priest, and Chris Rivers
7. “Berto and the Fiend” (Skit) Feat. Ghostface Killah
8. “Pearl Harbor” Feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man, RZA, and Sean Price
9. “People Say” Feat. Wu-Tang Clan and Redman
10. “Family” (Skit)
11. “Why Why Why” Feat. RZA and Swnkah
12. “G’d Up” Feat. Method Man, R-Mean, and Mzee Jones
13. “If What You Say is True” Feat. Wu-Tang Clan and Streetlife
14. “Saga” (Skit) feat. RZA
15. “Hood Go Bang!” Feat. Redman, Method Man
16. “My Only One” Feat. Ghostface Killah, RZA, Cappadonna, and Steven Latorre
17. “Message”
18. “The Saga Continues Outro” Feat. RZA

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It’s definitely dope to see the 704 off to a consistent start this year. Enjoy the mixes below and tell us which is your favorite!

https://soundcloud.com/djpaulyguwop/leathers-fur-feat-pusha-t-outkast-redman-camron-curreny

The post Stream 2 new mixes from DJ Pauly Guwop appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

19-year-old, New York MC Que Hampton follows up his well received A Piece Of BLAKK project with a fresh new offering. Freestyling over LL Cool J‘s 1997 cut, “4,3,2,1”, which featured Method Man, Redman, and DMX, Que Hampton continues to showcase his lyrical prowess. You may already be familiar with Que from collaborations with fellow Rockland County native, Bishop Nehru. We can always rely on Que to provide that raw hip-hop sound that is fairly subdued in today’s music. Though this is just a loosie from the young spitter, we should expect more music from him in the near future. Stream Que Hampton’s “IV” below!

The post New Music: Que Hampton – “IV (Freestyle)” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

As he gears up for the August 21st release of his upcoming album, The Meth Lab, hip-hop originator Method Man straight murders the track on the ever so grimy, “Straight Gutta.” Aside from Meth effortlessly ripping the track, Redman, Hanz On and Street Life also hold their own with vivid imagery and cohesive raps over authentic East Coast production. Give it a listen below and download a copy HERE, if you feel the vibe.

The post New Music: Method Man feat. Redman, Hanz On & Street Life – “Straight Gutta” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo Credit: Raven

Photo Credit: Pete Monsanto

Photo Credit: Greenlights

Photo Credit: Raven

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