Photo credit: Carmine Martinez

North Carolina’s own Mark Steele is back at it starting off 2018 with a festive new visual.

After making waves with the premiere of the smooth record in August, North Carolina emcee Mark Steele returns with the single’s celebratory music video to close out 2017. Produced by David D’Angelo and Riot, “Good Time” serves as the lead single from Steele’s forthcoming album, It’s Been A Minute.

The David Wept directed video which features Steele telling his story about the grind it took him to reach the level of success he’s at and why it’s a cause for a celebration.

“I just wanted to make a song that commemorated hard work. Let’s enjoy ourselves these moments. Have a good time,” Steele said.

With all of the hard work paying off, Steele definitely has a reason to celebrate. As previously reported, after flexing his muscle on ESPN‘s First Take for quite some time, the Rhapsody collaborator recently visited NYC and appeared on Shade 45 linking up with DJ Enuff and The Heavy Hitters making it his first time in the studio to talk about his journey as an artist, everyday life, his relationship with 9th Wonder and new album as well as spitting his dope and ultra lyrical freestyle.

With Mark Steele barely scratching the surface in his career, we can expect to see and hear a lot more from this multi-faceted MC who is taking us on a journey that is the perfect blend of old soul, pure vibes, and awe-inspiring lyricism.

Check out the video for “Good Time” below.

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The post Mark Steele Releases Festive Visual for “Good Time” [Watch] appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo Credit: Frank Maddocks

Recently, RESPECT. was able to sit down with a one of the most intriguing artists in the industry. This was an emcee from the tarheel state of North Carolina, Deniro Farrar.

Farrar first burst on the scene back in 2014 with his critically acclaimed Rebirth EP. The success of that project brought Farrar respect from many of his peers from Rapsody to Kendrick Lamar.

Now almost three years since the release of Rebirth. Farrar is ready to embark on the next chapter of his career. The Red Book series is an expression of what has become reality for many Black Americans over the past two years.

From the viral nature that police brutality has become in the eyes of the american public, Farrar uses his craft to remain grounded to the roots of  hip-hop. Artists like Tupac and Andre 3000 cross his mind when Farrar speaks of the inspiration of his latest project.  In this interview, Farrar dives into the making of his latest project and the state of the rap game in general.

RESPECT.: The first time I was introduced to you was on WELL$’s “98′ Juvie.” How did that collaboration come about ?

I linked up with WELL$ in 2014 and that’s when we did the remix of “98 Juvie”. So the track that is on his new album that came out was the remix. Really he took  damn near two years to shoot the video. But I recorded that verse around the time that Rebirth Ep release.

RESPECT.: So that’s why you sound like a completely different person on your newer releases.

Yeah my voice has gotten deeper, and my flow and deliver have gotten much tighter since that specfic track dropped.

Red Book, Vol.1 | Available Now @iTunes https://t.co/6CbfCEvZLP@Spotify https://t.co/IjzWEpOOgU pic.twitter.com/jbJE8FbwZA

— Leader of #CultRap (@DeniroFarrar) December 9, 2016

RESPECT.: Obviously on this new project The Red Book Vol.1  you are hitting on a bunch of diffrent topics like police brutality and gentrification. Can you give me some background information about the concept of the Red Book series?

To be honest, the topics that I have been rapping on in Red Book is what I have always been rapping. I think different songs will bring out different energies. “98 Juvie” was a street record, I have a street background so I had to approach it like that. This Red Book project, was my own salvation. This is what I felt people needed to hear, it is really a collection of my thoughts.

RESPECT.: Recently albums like To Pimp a Butterfly have come and introduced a younger generation to this type of politically charged music.Do You feel like the climate of Rap right now was a big part of the inspiration of Red Book? 

Yes and no because everybody who has been talking about this stuff now is just taking inspiration from music’s past. Ozzy Osborne was very political with his lyrics back in the day. Goodie Mob and Andre 3000 were on this movement back in the 90’s rapping about being the original black man. which in turn, was rapping about political injustice as well as corruption within the system. Now of days most rappers try to fit into a demographic just to get their music even played on the radio. The main reason why i don’t get my inspiration from newer artist.

RESPECT.: Finally, one of the standout records from the Vol.1 is the record “Gentrification”. This topic has been brought up a good bit throughout 2016. Artist like Big K.R.I.T and Noname Gypsy have record tracks on multiple projects on the subject. How is your take on gentrification different.

I believe that this track leaves the listener with no question of what gentrification is. So many artist, I feel dance around the topic which leaves the listener confused. What I do is break it down so by the end of the track you know what it is and how to combat it. I pride myself on taking knowledge and making it easy for my audience to understand what I am trying to educate them on.

Deniro’s Red Book Vol.1 is now available on Apple Music and Spotify. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram.

For more news on Deniro Farrar, keep it locked on RESPECT.

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The post RESPECT. Interview: Deniro Farrar Talks ‘Red Book Vol.1’ + Channeling His Inner Tupac & Andre 3000 appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Last weekend, RESPECT was in full effect at the 11th annual Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival. The event was held from July 13-16th, at different locations throughout Brooklyn. Photo Journalist, Calligrafist, was able to get some outstanding shots from the weekend for us.

The event was headlined by queens bridge representer, Nas. The venue had tons of talent across the board which included, Talib Kweli, Rapsody, Fabolous and The Soul Rebels. Fans who attended the concert took to social media express their satisfaction with the festival.

Bk hip hop fest was serious ! S/o Talib, Fabolous, & Nas ! #Brooklyn

— Patrick Spag-Lo (@Spag_LO) July 17, 2016

Shoutout to @Nas, @myfabolouslife, @TalibKweli, @rapsody, @DJROBSWIFT & everyone else who tore down the stage today at BK Hip-Hop Fest.

— James St. Patrick (@SilkHenn) July 17, 2016

Fabolous also performed some hits from his ever growing catalogue and DJ Rob Swift put on an electric set as soon as he hopped on the stage.

.@DJROBSWIFT said it best.

Head over to https://t.co/MWIElULfSM for a full recap of the #BHF16 finale concert! pic.twitter.com/RgcktLvcp4

— BKHipHopFest (@BKHipHopFest) July 18, 2016

One of the highlights of the evening was when NC rapper, Rapsody, announced that she had signed with Jay-z’s ROCNATIO. label.It was definitely an emotional moment for an emcee who has been grinding so hard for the culture.

All in all, the BK Hip-Hop Festival is one of the top events in the New York area each and every summer. We highly recommend you all attend next year.

For more events, keep it locked on RESPECT.

Photo credit: Calligrafist

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The post RESPECT. Photo Recap: BK Hip-Hop Festival appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

North Carolina emcee, Rapsody, has come a long way since breaking out from the rap collective Kooley High.

Since then Rapsody has been featured on some the biggest rap albums in the past five years. From Big K.R.I.T to Kendrick Lamar, the Raleigh rapper has been able to bring her legendary wordplay to a larger audience. Add this to the success of her own projects

Add this to the success of her own projects She Got Game and Beauty and The Beast, Rapsody was destined to earn that major label deal with Jay-Z‘s outfit ROCNATION. Rapsody announced the news during the Brooklyn Hip-Hop festival.

Rapsody rocking through “The Man.”#Jamla#RocNation#BeautyAndTheBeast ##BKHipHopFestpic.twitter.com/4TT46dhmOU

— darryl robertson (@darry_robertson) July 16, 2016

This is a huge move considering that the Roc has been aquiring some of  Hip-Hop’s most promising young acts which include BELLY and Vic Mensa.

Welcome to JamRoc. #Jamla #Rocnation

A photo posted by R A P S O D Y (@rapsody) on Jul 16, 2016 at 1:53pm PDT

The Hip-Hop community has come out in full effect to support Rapsody’s new deal.

Watching big sis @rapsody perform at the @bkhiphopfest and she announces her @rocnation deal!!!… https://t.co/t7RHVPapFc

— Mark Steele (@whoismarksteele) July 16, 2016

Rapsody.Jamla.RocNation

— Sinopsis (@TheSinopsis) July 16, 2016

Even though Rapsody has inked a deal with ROCNATION, it still looks like she will still be associated with her current label Jamla records for now. The only thing to expect now is her major label debut, which she has been working on according to her July 4th tweet.

Album II | 2016 © Jamla Records

— Rapsody (@rapsody) July 4, 2016

Hey, maybe we will even get a J.Cole and Hov feature on the album. That would be the stuff of dreams.

For more news on Rapsody and all of the ROCNATION artists keep it locked on RESPECT.

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The post Rapsody Inks Deal with Roc Nation appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.