From Snoop Doggy Dog, to Grandmaster Flash, we’re hopping in a time machine as we go through Hip-Hop’s 25 Most Memorable Album Covers.

25. Juvenile, 400 Degreez (1998)

From the diamonds and flames, to the Z in “Degreez” being a dollar sign…There’s just something about the WordArt feel of this album that keeps fans coming back.

24. Wale, Attention Deficit (2009)

The obvious shoutout to a digital world reigns as the focal point for this album cover. A strong, yet simple message burns through the vibrant cool colors, and captures your attention immediately.

23. De La Soul, 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)

You’ve probably seen these flowers before, or maybe even these 3 talented young men. Fun fact, rap group De La Soul actually hates this album cover. They felt that everyone would be associating them with flowers, peace, the whole hippie movement, when that wasn’t them at all!

22. Kanye West, 808s and Heartbreak (2008)

The minimalism in this cover is the beauty of it all. Kanye was hurting, simple as that!

21. 2Pac, Me Against The World (1995)

This album shook the charts, and you couldn’t go anywhere in 1995 without seeing it. 2Pac rocked the world right before his unfortunate passing, and sold hundreds of thousands copies of the album.

20. Run-D.M.C., Run-D.M.C. (1984)

Run-D.M.C.; Pioneers, legends, superstars. This classic cover had to make the list!

19. Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)

Firstly, it’s Lauryn Hill etched into a school desk. This album taught everyone a couple of things. No further explanation needed.

18. Snoop Doggy Dogg, Doggystyle (1993)

From the dogcatcher in the back to the Snoop Dogg lookalike on top of the dog house, this album cover is full of style, steeze, and comedy!

17. Eric B. & Rakim, Paid in Full (1987)

Money. Harlem was all about money. Eric B. and Rakim made it clear that they had it, and there was never any problem getting it! The Dapper Dan Gucci sweatsuits, the huge rope chains… The aesthetic of it all represents a very transitional era in the development of Hip-Hop music.

16. Ice Cube, Death Certificate (1991)

Ice Cube next to Uncle Sam’s corpse. No further explaining to do.

17. Missy Elliott, Supa Dupa Fly (1997)

Missy Elliott has always held more swag than most artists in the music industry, remaining humble and subtly stunting on everyone! This cover embodies exactly who she is; chilling for the moment… but don’t forget that she’s fly.

18. Wu-tang Clan, Enter the Wu-tang: 36 Chambers (1993)

This album cover is actually kind of wild. Firstly, no face, no case. Secondly, does the guy in the front have a finger gun? This album cover is great for its immense mystery.

17. Jay-Z, The Blueprint (2001)

Jay-Z wearing a Rocawear jean jacket smoking a cigar. He won.

16. A Tribe Called Quest, Midnight Marauders (1993)

The various facial expressions in the background, the bulging eyes… What do we look at first?! This album cover is great because it leaves so much space for interpretation, the colors on the cover represent so many things, and everyone would formulate their own meaning.

15. Kendrick Lamar, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015)

We need to take over the White House… and keep it. Bring our culture, our families, our music… make it OUR country. Simply put.

14. Kanye West, The College Dropout (2004)

We all know the bear. This bear costume (that Kanye FOUND, by the way) looks like any college student during the longest finals week ever: TIRED. The album cover is warm, relatable, and not complex; perfect in a sense.

13. Grandmaster Flash, The Source (1986)

Do we start off with the fly guy with this legs crossed, or old boy with the red leather hat to match his shoes? This album cover embodies the true start of Hip-Hop. B-boys, spitting bars in New York City’s uptown train station, even down the pager on homeboy’s hip!

12. Snoop Doggy Dogg, The Doggfather (1996)

The Godfather is a critically acclaimed cult classic, and Snoop Dogg actually might’ve done something, by simply switching 2 letters! This was Snoop’s final album on Death Row Records under his name of Snoop Doggy Dogg, and he was owning the game. The West coast made no moves without you hearing about Snoop, rightfully making him the Doggfather.

11. NWA, Straight Out of Compton (1988)

One of the most controversial groups, with one of the most rebellious albums of all time. These young men all banded together and shook the West coast with words that everyone in Compton couldn’t bring themselves to say.

10. The Fugees, The Score (1996)

Firstly, Lauryn Hill AND Wyclef Jean on ONE album cover… That’s art. The beauty lies in the minimal yet intense typography, and the 3 beautiful black faces.

9. Nas, Illmatic (1994)

This kid is too cute. Too cute for the cover, and too cute for the hood he reigns from. Nas showed that everyone was suffering and surviving, even the young.

8. Master P, The Ghettos Tryin To Kill Me! (1994)

The lace bra hanging from Master P’s name, the Boosie fade, my man creeping in the window “Cell Therapy” style… The lo-fi quality wraps it all together, you feel like you’re watching a movie, and you’ve barely even looked at the cover.

7. DMX, Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998)

This album cover is bloody and gory, in every sense. Its beauty lies in the naive state of such a “Ruff” guy, and almost goes to show that the black man is one of the most sensitive species.

6. Redman, Dare Iz a Darkside (1994)

Redman is stuck buried in this Children of the Corn looking field, and its freaking me out. I love it.

5. Outkast, Stankonia (2000)

This album cover is great for 3 reasons: One, Andre 3000 was having an amazing hair day. Two, so was Big Boi. Thirdly, it calls out the entire country, so subtly, being a black and white world. We all knew… But did we really know?

4. Gang Starr, Daily Operation (1992)

Gang Starr is really giving off intellectual and successful vibes, and who doesn’t love that? “The goal is money, and this is how we get it. Don’t ask no questions, I thought this through.” Guys from the hood are smart too!

3. Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Return of the 36 Chambers (1995)

Have you seen the O.D.B tv special, where he took America into the food stamp office in Brooklyn, and got his money right? This man never cared, was never too embarrassed to live his life and let whoever wanted to look come and see. Hoping his unbothered soul is resting in peace.

2. The Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die (1994)

Foreshadowing? This was Biggie’s debut album, and just as his career was being born, he was ready to die. Sadly, he would pass away 2 years after its release. But in those 2 short years, he conquered the world. He started off on top, and he achieved what he needed to; he was truly ready to die.

1. Geto Boys, We Can’t Be Stopped (1991)

This man… Is in a hospital bed. The rap trio is standing in a hospital, posed for an ALBUM COVER. Who was stopping the Geto Boys? NOTHING! They literally cannot be stopped, no matter the circumstance. This cover is full of hustle and desire to reach success, and has to be respected as THE most memorable. Who’s forgetting this?

Do you have any albums you think should’ve been on this list? Leave a comment below and let us know!

Suggested Articles:

PHOTO OF THE DAY: June 15th, 2017

Kelow Latesha Returns With New Single “Yeah”

The post 25 of Hip Hop’s Most Memorable Album Covers appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The second eldest daughter of rapper Rev Run, one of the founding members of rap group Run-D.M.C. took to Instagram to share the news, posting a picture of her baby bump.

‘We are overjoyed and super excited to receive a blessing this big! Starting a family was something that I could have only dreamed of.’

https://www.instagram.com/p/BF7rV5hzUdZ/?taken-by=angelasimmons

Pictures have also emerged of the celeb taking a hike in Los Angeles with her bump on display. Earlier in May, Simmons was asked by TMZ about the rumors as to whether she was expecting a child to which she refused to confirm. Simmons has finally put an end to any speculation.

In April, Simmons surprised us all after announcing her engagement posting a picture of a stunning ring. Simmons has been keeping the identity of her fiancé private. However, she has been seen out and about with her man who is thought to be Sutton Sean Tennyson. Rev Run’s daughter has only ever posted pictures on her IG where we have not directly seen Sutton’s face, referring to him as her ‘man-crush-everyday.’ However Tennyson was spotted with Simmons whilst she hiked in LA with her bump on show.

We definitely cannot wait to see this new addition to the Simmons household. A congratulations is in order for Simmons and Tennyson who have certainly been blessed with double good news in recent months.

Suggested Articles: 

Angela Simmons is Engaged!

New Music: Diggy Simmons- “Can’t Relate” ft. Yo Gotti

The post ‘Overjoyed’ Angela Simmons Is Pregnant With Her First Child appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

2016  marks the first day of the 40th year that we highlight the history and countless number of African-American achievements that have helped to make our nation what it is today through the observance of Black History Month. I have been going through a lot of songs and videos that may give us food for thought, inspire us and reflect what this month should ideally be about…obtaining knowledge of self  and remembering that Black History is World History… It’s also something that occurs everyday, not just limited to the Month of February…

Remember when historian/ scholar Carter G Woodson established the second week in February Negro History Week in 1926,  it was done with the intent of acknowledging the birthday of Fredrick Douglass and providing us with a vehicle to push for Black History to be a foundation to American History…

Negro History Week grew over the years and in 1969 Black students at kent State expanded the week long celebration to a Black History month.. Several years later in 1976, President Gerald Ford acknowledged Black History Month..

Over the years lots of artists have stepped to the plate and delivered timeless songs that uplifted our history… I gathered a few for us to peep and reflect on.. Some of this is a mixture of the past and present.. enjoy..

You Must Learn by KRS-One

This is one of my favorites… it was dropped by KRS during what many considered the Golden Era of Hip Hop.. There were two different versions of this song. One used the break beat Supersporm by Captain Sky, the other  depicted in this video uses the popular break ‘Get Up and Dance‘ from Farther Than Imagination

Acknowledge Your History by the Jungle Brothers

This was always a favorite from the Jungle Brothers.. It’s off the album Forces of Nature.. I wish they had done a video because the song is dope.. Also coming out of Hip Hop’s Golden Era..

We Wear the Crown by Gary Byrd & Stevie Wonder

Byrd when he released this song, teams up with Stevie Wonder in 1983 and does a stellar Black History song.. The pairing represented a break in ‘elders supporting rap/Hip Hop when so many at that time were highly critical and against it.. They saw Hip Hop as an embarassing throwback.. Byrd and Wonder saw things a bit differently..They saw the potential ion Hip Hop and wanted to help lead the way…

Freedom Rap by Queen Latifah, Yo-Yo, Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes (of TLC), MC Lyte, Patra, Nefertiti, Da 5 Footaz Salt-N-Pepa, Meshell Ndegeocello

Many people have overlooked or don’t even know this about this song. It was done for a hard to find sound track for 1995 movie Panther..That album had a quite a few songs, but this was a standout in terms of the allstar cast of female emcees and singers who were at the top of the field going for it.. This song will forever be a treasure

Proud to Be Black & Black History Rap by Run DMC

I’m going back to back with Run DMC.. This song is off the landmark album Raising Hell and it speaks for itself.. damn near every song off that album was a banger especially at that time.. and this song hit the mark..Rap was still making its way into the mainstream and it was good to see Run DMC do this song in prominent spaces.. during the mid 80s…

The second song, Black History is a rare and hard to find song that was given away for FREE back in like 1984 and proceeds the Raising Hell lp…The Black Cultural Workshop (BCW) put the actual video together for the song

The post #Respect Celebrates #BlackHistoryMonth with “Timeless” Hip-Hop Classics appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

A few months ago the legendary Brooklyn Museum announced one of the most exciting exhibits for all sneaker connoisseurs alike: “The Rise Of Sneaker Culture” exhibition. Well it’s almost here, starting next weekend on July 10th up until October 4th, don’t miss the visual storyboard of the eminent rise of sneakers and how they’ve woven themselves into every crevice of our lives on a daily basis, especially the hip-hop culture. The extensive exhibition showcases 150 sneakers ranging from the very first running sneaker created by Dutton and Thorowgood in 1860 to the most popular Air Jordan, adidas, and rare Nike collaborations to date.

Along with just showing some rare vintage sneakers, the informational aspect of the exhibit goes in-depth as to how the sneaker culture rose over the years. One of the sneakers on display are the pair of kicks adidas gave Run DMC after their popular hit “My Adidas” took off and rose awareness to the German company. Check out some more of the sneakers that will be part of “The Rise Of Sneaker Culture” exhibition down below. Organized into six time periods with collections from Nike, Puma, Converse, Air Jordan, Reebok, etc. while including personal sneakers from Bobbito Garcia and Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, you can’t miss this. You will, without a doubt, leave the exhibition learning a lot more about some of the most prominent sneaker brands out and get an in-depth learning experience on some of the most rare creations from the companies. Beware hypebeasts: you might get the urge to steal a pair of 1988 Air Jordan III’s or 1997 Nike Foamposites, but don’t.

[via]

The post Brooklyn Museum’s “The Rise Of Sneaker Culture” Exhibit Opens Next Weekend appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Every true hip-hop head will never forget the first time hearing DJ Premier scratching on a record, and Guru throwing lyrical darts through the speakers. Keith “Guru” Elam may have been taken away from us physically in 2010, but his lyrics are eternal and his spirit is with us forever. This piece is a positive look into one record from each Gang Starr album, which are notable for their impact and certainly should not be forgotten. Take a trip down memory lane with us and enjoy:

1. “Manifest” off Gang Starr’s 1989 debut No More Mr. Nice Guy

With help from Big Daddy Kane‘s 1988 Word To The Mother(Land) vocals for the sample and smooth cuts from DJ Premier, Manifest is one of those records where the hook gets stamped in your memory. For this LP being Guru’s debut, he sure displayed some intense confidence without being overly boastful or cocky. If this was the first song you heard off No More Mr. Nice Guy you could surely say to yourself, “Gang Starr is in this for the long haul.”

2. “Check The Technique” off Gang Starr’s 1991 sophomore release Step In The Arena

Two years later came Step In The Arena. Though we all love Marlena Shaw‘s 1969 “California Soul,” DJ Premier flipped it something serious on “Check the Technique.” This record seemed less about content and more just a smack in the face with Guru’s effortless lyrical exercises. While checking him and Premier’s technique, you knew they were just getting warmed up in 1991.

3. “Take It Personal” off Gang Starr’s 1992 third studio album Daily Operation

Now it’s one year later and Gang Starr drops Daily Operation on us in ’92. With subject matter addressing old friends and backstabbers, Take It Personal is a calm, smirk-on-your-face diss to all you who fronted on the G-U-R-U. DJ Premier brought it with his classic consistent, higher pitched scratches and venomous drums.

4. “Comin’ For Datazz” off Gang Starr’s 1994 LP Hard To Earn

Hard To Earn was one of the hardest albums to choose just one record to highlight in this piece, as the whole album is top-shelf and timeless. “Comin’ For Datazz” was a bit more under the radar on the track list, but heavily notable for its head-nodding, jazzy rawness. Guru really gives you a taste of what he was living like at the time, and they both sounded beyond focused here. DJ Premier properly flips Run DMC‘s 1983 “Here We Go (Live At The Funhouse)” on the hook, making it that much more enjoyable.

5. “My Advice 2 You” off Gang Starr’s 1998 release Moment Of Truth

Four years after Hard To Earn comes the brutally honest, refreshing Moment Of Truth LP, which many say is their favorite Gang Starr album. Aside from the obvious fan favorites and bangers on the album, “My Advice 2 You” is a notable record for many reasons, one being its message. At this point Guru has been through a lot on and off the music scene, with about a decade under his belt as a recording artist. So any honest life advice given from the rap god is going to be honest and heart felt. 1976’s “I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know” by Lydia Pense & Cold Blood is a wholesome, honest record as well, which DJ Premier gracefully flipped here.

6. “Put Up Or Shut Up” off Gang Starr’s 2003 sixth and final release The Ownerz

With a little help from Gang Starr Foundation’s Krumb Snatcha and DJ Premier’s thick production, Guru addresses all the loud mouth, fake gangsters in the game at the time. The early 2000’s was a gift and a curse, and definitely bred an abundance of funk fakers in the music industry, while the true school weren’t getting as much shine as they should have. Guru was letting us know he was still very much present and beating down all frauds, with assistance from DJ Premier’s flip of Queen Latifah‘s Wrath Of My Madness. Though this was their last album together, their force will live on forever.

Rest in Paradise Keith Edward Elam aka Guru (Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal).

July 17, 1961 to Eternity.

The post Gang Starr Is Forever: 6 Notable Guru Moments appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Floyd and Jeremy Daniels are the blood brother duo that make up Weapons Of Audio. Their new EP, Girl Crazy is set to be released on May 6th. We had the chance to talk with them about their journey from Charlotte, North Carolina all the way to California, their influences and more.

“Weapons of Audio.”  I like the name. It’s a bold sounding name. Is there any deeper meaning to the name or is it just a cool name that you two picked?

Jeremy: Well, there’s not really any deep meaning to it. We used to be called Future Shock, but we changed our name to Weapons of Audio. We just looked up the meaning behind the thunderbolt, which was our logo and “weapons of gods” came up. We don’t really talk about God or nothing like that, so we just put “Audio” instead of “God” because we do music.

Floyd: Right, we didn’t want to come off as a religious band, so we just dropped the “God” and put the “Audio.” It does kinda have a meaning to it at the same time because music is a weapon. Music is a way of talking to people and setting the mood for somebody’s day or the mood for somebody’s life. So we think music can be a weapon if it’s taken the right way. Like with our music, for instance. We try to keep the good vibes going and try to make somebody’s day better.

Who are some of your biggest influences?

Floyd: When we first started our band, our major influence was Run DMC. Just for the simple fact that that they were “hip-hop, rockin’ without a band.” We really liked that because we kind of grew up on Led Zepplin, Jimi Hendrix…we listened to a lot of punk rock. Then we ventured off into a lot of indie music like MGMT, DOM, Twin Shadow…stuff like that.

I listened to some of your older material like “Boulevard,” which had a rock edge to it and “Life Goes,” which had more of a hip-hop feel to it. With your new material like “Night Light” and “Mr. Wolfe,” it gives off more of a new wave kind of vibe. Would it be accurate to say that your sound is always evolving? Or is your sound simply a mixture of everything?

Jeremy: I feel like  if you’re a true artist, your music is always going to evolve because you evolve as a human. Just like with everyday life. If you have more success, your music may change. If you’re going through a breakup, that may inspire your music. I think real artistry is inspired through real life situations. So, yeah, I think our music is constantly evolving like we’re constantly evolving as people.

You two are from originally from Charlotte, North Carolina and you eventually made your way out to Los Angeles. Could you tell me a bit about the journey from Charlotte to LA? How you ended up out there.

Floyd: We were originally born in Charlotte, North Carolina but we moved to Atlanta around the year 2005. We stayed down there and that’s pretty much when we started our band. So we were there for awhile and then we moved to California from there.  So the difference is definitely the beaches, hella good weather out here, ladies runnin’ around–

Jeremy: Weed is legal.

Floyd: Weed is legal and it’s more of a freedom kind of thing. I basically changed my whole eating habits, like the way I used to eat and all kinds of stuff. It’s definitely different from being in the south. The only other thing I see that’s different is the people. The people in the south have southern hospitality. You can be out and you’ll just be meeting friends left and right, but in LA it’s a little bit more reserved. The people here are still groovy though, but it’s just a difference.

I saw you two had a chance to play at the Vestal Village during Coachella this year. How was that experience?

Jeremy: It was awesome, man. It was a lot of people on drugs, so it made it easy for them to like our music. But it was dope. People were really feeling the music. It was a really good party atmosphere. Everybody came to dance. People came to party. They didn’t come to stand around. When we got on stage, everybody was just into it.

Floyd: And we also camped out. That was our first real camping experience, besides when we were kids. So, that was cool to go out there and camp and be with the people and just hang out. We actually got in to see Coachella and saw Wu-Tang perform and that was pretty dope.

You mentioned people being on drugs and the video for “Night Light” had a real psychedelic feel to it and the song as a whole was stuck in my head for awhile. 

So Girl Crazy is the project…

Both: Yeah.

What can the listeners expect to hear from that? What kind of vibe?

Floyd: It’s definitely a fun, feel-good vibe. Just inspired off of beautiful women and having fun and just livin’ your life, man. That’s pretty much the whole thing around the EP and just the whole project is like getting your mind out of your normal day to day. You might’ve had a hard day at work or you’re dealing with other issues you’ve got going on, you can just pop this record in and unwind. You can go to the dance floor and just hang out with your girl.

Jeremy: It’s carefree

Floyd: Whatever you wanna do. It’s just carefree, man. Carefree music.

Do you all have any other projects or collaborations in the works already? Or are you working to get this EP out first?

Jeremy: We’re just putting this one out first. We’ve got a couple of bands that we’re thinking about doing some collabs with, but it won’t be on this EP. It’ll probably be just like a little single or something like that.

Floyd: We’re kinda keeping that under wraps right now, but we definitely are brewing up stuff. We’re still working and being creative everyday.

What’s something that you want the people to take away from the project?

Jeremy: Just live life, man. Have fun and just enjoy being young.

Floyd: Enjoy your time here.

Anything else you’d like to add?

Jeremy: Of course the EP Girl Crazy is coming out on May 6th. WeaponsOfAudio.com is where everybody can find videos, music, show dates and whatever. We appreciate the opportunity to have a voice.

Floyd: Exactly, we definitely respect the magazine. The publication is pretty dope. We’re definitely big fans of that, so we appreciate y’all taking the time to chop it up with us. We’ve got a new video for our “Mr. Wolfe” record that we just dropped, it’s coming out soon.

More information at http://www.weaponsofaudio.com
Follow @WeaponsOfAudio on Twitter & Like them on Facebook

The post Interview: Weapons Of Audio Are Going Girl Crazy With Their New EP appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Japanese painter Sayori Wada used traditional Japanese calligraphy pens to hand drawn each card individually. The cards feature iconic faces from the golden age of hip-hop like Biz Markie, Busta Rhymes, Big L, and J Dilla, and are remarkable for their keen sense of detail. Trios like Run DMC,  and The Beastie Boys embellish the three of hearts and three of diamonds, while royalty like Queen Latifah and 45King hold it down for the face cards. The back of the hands are also skillfully illustrated with Wada’s own collection of Japanese brush pens in the ressemblance of 90’s cassette tapes.

Bringing back classic hip-hop, tapes and games? Well played MC, we see what you did there.

The post Fresh Out the Box: Hip-Hop Playing Cards appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.