By: Josh Behm

Atlanta artist Young Quael is one of the most slept on emcee’s in the game right now. Having opened up for the likes of French Montana, K. Michelle, Rich Homie Quan, and Wale to name a few, he is ready to take his talent to new heights as an emcee and songwriter. His experience being a finalists in the XXL Rap Battle in 2012, and landing several MTV Jamz  placements, landed him a spot as an official MTV artist.

Driven by conscious lyrics and melodic rap beats, his confidence cadence can be compared to living legend Kendrick Lamar. With a thriving sound and sick pen game Quael is ready to take the music world by storm. What makes him unique as a creative is that his music is just as impressive as his comedic prowess.

When he is not creating music in the studio, he is cracking jokes as the official in game entertainment facilitator of the Nashville Pro-Am. With the ability to cultivate audiences with laughter and musical talent, he prides himself on not being boxed in as a creative.

The post Young Quael: Music’s Next Big Star appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Rich Homie Quan

Fresh off of the release of his highly acclaimed album Rich As In Spirit, Rich Homie Quan has released the visual to his popping single “34”.

Directed by Marc Diamond, this video showcases Quan in his rawest form. As a native of Atlanta, Georgia you will see him pay homage to the Marta train, as he raps about taking the 34 in dirty clothes.

As someone who has overcome a lot in this industry, Quan is reaffirming his presence with this visual. Some lyrics that stand out the most on this release, are “I was Holyfield hustling in the trap, they was Mike Tyson buying on the kid”.

Press play below to view Rich Homie Quan’s “34” Video.

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Photo Credit: @Richhomiequan

Rich Homie Quan‘s latest project Back To The Basics is here. RHQ’s major debut is taking a while to drop but he’s still making music to keep you dancing.

The new Motown Records signee released the new set on Friday after teasing fans with tracks like “Replay,” “Da Streetz,” “Heart Cold,” and “Word Of Mouth,” and the streets are loving it.

Rich Homie Quan/ Twitter

Aptly named, Rich Homie takes it back to square one on the 11-track set with a blend of party music and vivid storytelling which first got the blogosphere buzzing about him in 2013.

This time around, Rich Homie mixes it up and keeps his audience entertained with creative aesthetics. The project title as well as Rich Homie’s look in the visual to “Da Streetz” points to influences from Jamaican dancehall artist, Beenie Man.

And if you listen closely to his delivery on the hook you’ll hear inflections of dancehall reggae as well.

I ain’t know nothing ’bout no drink until the age of 13 I ain’t know nothing’bout no money ’til the age of 14

Do you notice it in the video below?

Though it’s something new coming from Rich Homie, it’s not new to hip-hop.

The trend of hip-hop artists employing dancehall reggae music in their body of work was showcased in the 80s and 90s by various hip-hop artists including KRS-One, and A Tribe Called Quest.

In the last two years, there’s been a resurgence of reggae music in hip-hop with both old-school and new-school artists like Jada Kiss, Tory Lanez, Drake, and Kendrick Lamar.

So it wouldn’t hurt for RHQ to dabble in it a bit. Fans are quite thrilled to have him back either way while they wait for his studio album to drop.

Back To The Basics is all RHQ save one guest appearance from Jamaican-American artist, Cyko. Stream the new project on Spotify and view the Back To The Basics visual below.

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TMZ reports that Rich Homie has reached a settlement with the bouncer and will be paying up a handsome amount of $60,000.

The bouncer’s legal team issued the following statement:

“That’s one expensive punch and hopefully it’ll send a message — to not just celebrities, but regular people — you can’t go around punching people,”

The rapper’s lawyer, Ricardo Corona, insists that his client is innocent and did not assault anyone that night. He boiled the $60,000 payoff down to “simply a business decision.”

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The post Rich Homie Quan Settles Lawsuit for Allegedly Punching Miami Bouncer appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

It’s been approximately four years since the last album from DJ Drama hit the shelves and internet streaming services. On July 22, that all will change when he releases ‘Quality Street Music 2.’ It’s an album that was revealed in 2013, but isn’t an album that has been rush; this is where the quality finds a home.

DJ Drama stopped by Hot 97 to speak on the album, past hits, and much more. They reflect on how much of a hit “My Moment” was. It’s a song that lived on the first Quality Street Music. Here we are four years later, and Drama is still bringing us heat.

That was probably my biggest record here at the station, Drama said. I used to just love coming to the city and hear it all the time. That’s a moment for everybody, to come to Hot 97 and hear your record.

Drama’s forthcoming album will feature Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Rich Homie Quan, Jeezy, Young Thug, T.I., Mac Miller, and many more. The project consist of ten tracks, making for a cohesive listen.

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The post DJ Drama Stops by Hot 97 to Talk About Forthcoming ‘Quality Street Music 2’ Album appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

After being released in February of this year, “Panda” reached #1 in the U.S. which only makes sense for the artist to move forward and perform live in daytime television. Wendy Williams, known for her strong opinions and hot topics, makes a perfect match for the new coming rapper who claims a few, “broads in Atlanta.” The performance featured a Panda mascot, live DJ, hype-man and lets not forget Wendy with her brightly colored and a tad risqué ensemble. One can simply say the performance had more than enough energy, working well for the 18-year old rapper and his entourage.

Recently signed to Kanye West’s  G.O.O.D. Music, the youthful artist is expected to have a promising future in the music industry. The G.O.O.D. Music roster include a variety of artist’s besides Desiigner, including Big Sean, HXLT, Kacy Hill, Pusha-T, Q-Tip, Teyana Taylor, and of course Kanye West. All of these artists have been known for creating new sounds in the hip-hop industry, which is a little ironic for what “Panda” has been known for, but who knows what the future holds.

If you are interested in other products including Desiigner, make sure you check out his new single “Moon People” and his featured joints including: “Danny DeVito” by Phresher (feat. Desiigner and Rowdy Rebel), “On the Low” by Phresher (feat. Desiigner), and “Finesse” by Jim Jones (feat. Rich Homie Quan, A$AP Ferg, and Desiigner).

Make sure you don’t miss Desiigner’s performance for the gawds above!

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The post Desiigner Performs his Hit Song “Panda” on the Wendy Williams Show appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

On this new track by Desiigner, “Moon People,” he seriously sounds like Future still! Since his No.1 hit “Panda,” which surpassed every Future song ever on the Billboard Top 100, hit the streets, everybody thought the rapper from Brooklyn was Future. 

His new joint is no different, he still has that Atlanta-esque sound, but now the cat’s out the bag, we  know that this guy Desiigner is not Future. So the question comes, how will his new song “Moon People” do? Will your judgement  change because you know who it is? Does it make the song bad because it’s Desiigner and not Future?  Who knows? What we do know is that the 19-year-old kid has been receiving major backlash for mimicking the sound and rap pattern of the Atlanta emcee. Some fans of the Future Hive expressed their opinions via Twitter.

Too much unoriginality in #HipHop. Smh #moonpeople

— KHRIS Buck (@KHRISBuck) May 9, 2016

Desiigner Columbus’d TF out of Future’s whole sound #MoonPeople

— Ethan Not Allen (@ethanztill) May 9, 2016

Another thing we know is styles have been copied all throughout the history of Hip-Hop. Remember when Rich Homie Quan first entered the Hip-Hop scene? People thought he too sounded like Future and his career is pretty successful. If you like “Panda,” you’ll like “Moon People.” Take a listen below and let us know what you think of the track.

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