With only a little over a month left until Made in America, it’s only right we prepare you for all the greatness you are bound to encounter. This is RESPECT.’s guide to Made in America 2015:

-Be fully prepared to walk. A lot! Benjamin Franklin Parkway is a big location and MIA is making sure they use every inch of it. There will be plenty of artists to check out and most of them will be on different stages. You want to be comfortable but look fly? Get you some Yeezy Boosts (ya’ll like that huh?)

-Bring lots of money with you. You are going to want to drink, eat and then do it all over again. Trust us.

-Come with friends! MIA is an awesome festival and should NOT be enjoyed alone. Plus who is going to take all those fly pics of you?!

-Last but not least, expect to hear music from some of your favorite artists, not so favorites and many that you haven’t discovered yet. MIA is a mash-up of the best artists from all genres and it makes for a good experience. You come in expecting one thing and walk away with some really awesome, unforgettable memories. If you didn’t know, here are some of the artists that will be performing this year:

• Beyonce (YASSSSS)
• The Weeknd *Swoons*
• Meek Mill
• Future (DS2 Live? Umm, yes PLEASE)
• Lola Wolf (Who Doesn’t Love Zoe Kravitz?)
• Nick Jonas
• Mick Jenkins
• Grits & Biscuits (They get LIVE)
• J. Cole (Classic)
• Vic Mensa
• De La Soul (Hip Hop Vets!)
• Any So MANY MORE!

If you haven’t already, buy your tickets here! Let Made in America be the best ending to your summer.

The post Made in America Festival 2015 — What to Expect, Who to Be Excited For & More appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Although Queens collective World’s Fair is out on the Cross Faded Tour, that didn’t stop them from dropping new music. “Snow About 10 Feet” features 4 out of the 6 members: Remy banks, Jeff Donna, Cody B. Ware, and Nasty Nigel letting it loose over smooth Black Noi$e production. Who doesn’t love natural lyricists over a dope beat? Get into it below.

The post New Music: World’s Fair – “Snow About 10 Feet” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Queens emcees World’s Fair show off their skills with their Bastards Of The Party album, released for $free.99 via Fools Gold. The six member crew raps effortlessly on the 13-track project, proving that New York rap is not dead. You may or may not have heard from the collective before but they have been making noise for a while which lead to their deal with Fool’s Gold. The clique has an old-school retro feel complete with skits and plenty of boom-baps, but their energy and their aesthetic are definitely products of this millennium. The press release actually describes it as “futuristic boom-bap.” That should be taken with a grain of salt, but it shouldn’t be entirely dismissed. The only real way to assess the claim is to listen for yourself. Go for it.

Note: though this was released for free, Fools Gold has consistently called it a debut album. Danny Brown‘s XXX and Run the Jewels‘ Run the Jewels were also labeled as albums when they were released for free. This is important to keep in mind because it indicates a confidence in these artists’ presentations of themselves. Although we love mixtapes, we have to admit that a lot of people use the mixtape label as a preemptive shield against possible (and sometimes probable) negative reception. So when artists call their projects albums, in a sense, they are taking full credit for the projects. That should be appreciated.

The post New (Free) Album: World’s Fair – “Bastards Of The Party” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Brock Fetch

You can catch Remy Banks on top of your car spitting bars! He linked up with Green Box for this short freestyle. Although it’s only 38 seconds, he got enough across for you to know that he is a student of lyricism. Remy, along with his collective, World’s Fair, will be dropping a project entitled Bastards Of The Party soon, so if you like what you heard, stay tuned for that. No word on the release date as of yet, but we’ll get that news to you as soon as it breaks.

The post New Video: Remy Banks – The Greenbox Freestyle appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Words by Jeff Lockhart & Ben Sherak

The vibe in Red Hook Tuesday, June 4th was indescribable. The Underachievers and The Flatbush Zombies turned the park into a war zone (complete with thick, blinding “fog” spreading across the field) for the approximate hour they conquered the stage. Moshes, stage dives, reckless activity–if you name it, it probably happened at this concert. Although it was wild, the love and aforementioned friendly fumes were in the air. For the two Brooklyn-bred groups, the concert felt like the most fitting of homecomings, one fraught with the endearing nihilism that composes their quickly-ascending styles.

The Underachievers took the stage around 7 PM, and got the energy rolling, performing tracks from their debut tape Indigoism. They also performed a new track that will be featured on their upcoming project. This show meant a lot to Ak and Issa: it was their first chance to rock in the borough that raised them. To celebrate that, they performed “New New York,” a track they had never done live before. The energy reached its peak, though when the UA performed their hard-hitting weed anthem “Herb Shuttles.”

After a brief intermission, a familiar voice began to screech out an a-capella, and avid fans, recognizing who they were hearing, turned their briefly-lost attention to the still-empty stage. A moment more of buzzing and mild crowd confusion passed before a very animated Zombie Juice stormed the stage, finished his double-time verse and did his signature WWF-esque intro for his fellow Zombies. When Meech and Eric Arc Elliott joined him on stage, the trio wasted no time getting into their set. They started off with “Mraz”, one of their tightest songs, so immediately the crowd was engaged. As they reminded the audience, it is important to note that the Zombies had just gotten back from a 24 hour plane ride from Australia the previous night, and they were still giving the loyal crowd their all. Meech expressed how happy he was to be back home, saying “I could kiss the fucking soil right now,” which led to rabid applause. Towards the end of the show, the Zombies got down with a new track from their upcoming project Better Off Dead which was very well received, and indicated that the upcoming project would not stray from the FBZ formula. (A side note: though he’s easily the least recognizable or celebrated member of the group, Eric Arc Elliott proved to be an extremely energetic, valuable performer, a presence that was easy to connect to.)

The fact that they were blessed with an unreleased joint raised the stakes a bit, but what really gave the night a special feel was that, in the middle of their set, the Zombies brought out Remy Banks, A$AP Ant, and Bodega BAMZ to perform “3Flips6,” “Thrilla,” and “Balth Salt.” Thanks to sound problems, though, the set almost ended with the crowd haphazardly and half-proficiently chanting Meech’s opening bars to the A$AP Mob / Flatbush Zombie collaboration. Luckily, after about ten minutes of fretting and tinkering, “Bath Salts” blared back on, followed by the two other smashes that had been absent from the set: “Thug Waffle,” and “S.C.O.S.A.” The momentous, rollicking night closed with Meech’s infamous saying “Open Your Fucking Mind.” He’s right to repeat it; open minds are what allowed for groups as weird and downright disgusting sounding as the Zombies or as fashion-centric and eclectic as the A$AP Mob to reach the heights they have. Salute to the Zombies, A$AP, and The Underachievers for putting on a great free show.

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The post New Music: Domo Genesis Feat. Remy Banks – “Drugs Got Me Spiritual” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Brock Fetch

World’s Fair rhyme-sayer Remy Banks is one of our favorite up and comers from Queens. With the nice assist from Bodega Bamz, the group comes together with a hilarious visual for “GLDCHN” featuring an incredibe rap fan. Check it out below.

The post New Video: Remy Banks “GLDCHN” (Feat. Bodega Bamz) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.