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.

After serving a 2-year-prison stint in the “feds”, Southern legend Gucci Mane has been on a tare since his release in late May. We’ve seen the TrapGod collaborate with artists such as Kodak Black, Drake and Kanye West, while reestablishing himself as the king of the south with tracks like, “All My Children“.

Celebrating his release from prison, as well the release of his first post prison album, Everybody Looking, Gucci has decided to throw a “Homecoming” concert in his hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. The show has been billed as “Gucci Mane and Friends” so you know the guest list will be on fire, but unfortunately, those of us not in the “A” won’t be able to find out until the shows end…… or so we thought. Gucci has decided to partner with REVOLT TV to bring you an exclusive stream of the concert so that everybody can celebrate the release of La Flare.

The show starts at 8 PM ET, but the coverage has already started. REVOLT’s coverage of this event began with a 24-Hour-Countdown, followed by a special episode of the show The Gate which will feature interviews with Gucci inspired artists and producers such as Mike WILL Made-It. Following a special edition of REVOLT Live, the coverage will  culminate in the concert which is sure to be full of surprises.

Be sure to stream the coverage of the monumental event here, as you will not want to miss this moment in Hip-Hop.

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The post Stream Gucci Mane’s “Homecoming” Concert Live appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

We’re used to Timbaland staying behind the scenes, but in this candid interview with REVOLT, the esteemed producer came to the forefront to speak on falling out with Jay-Z, later reconciling and the making of Jay-Z‘s latest album, Magna Carta Holy Grail, which Timbaland heavily produced. He then speaks at length about how a Timbaland and Kanye West album would sound.

The highlight of the interview is when Timbo discusses the benefits of independently distributing music. It’s very refreshing to hear a giant of rap endorse selling albums for $2 or $3. Nevertheless, it’s important to remember his net worth: not everyone is sitting on or remotely near $80 million. In other words, not everyone can afford to completely circumnavigate the label system. Still, it’s nice to see a giant of the game finally acknowledge the DIY ethos that the peons have been endorsing for ages. Watch the full interview below.

The post Video: Timbaland Speaks on the Making of Magna Carta Holy Grail and Possibly Making an Album with Kanye appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.