Sam Rubik calls up Western Tink for “HURT U”, produced by Lytesho!, off of his tape Survival Tactics, released by CUTTINGPRACTICE.COM back in late May. In this video, the two Texas representatives spend their time engulfed by a piercing darkness, interrupted only by blistering expulsions of light from unfathomable distances. Rubik‘s seven-track EP follows his work through a host of dedicated attempts at various sub-genres and textures in rap. “HURT U” is an example of his experiment into the psychoactive fluctuations that can rattle and broadside an audience, instilling a sense of unease into his work.

Lytesho!‘s instrumental ties quivering ropes around this piece, loosely and slowly twisting together a funereal procession. Organs whimper a raspy solvent throughout the piece, slowly wearing away at the edges of the instrumental. Pushing this decay further, Lyte! includes a rolling synth to round the brim of the instrumental to a critical curve. But he does give listeners moments of release. A distant crack, a silenced cymbal and a kick drum provide instances of unwavering relief. These are the only sounds whose presence is restricted; all others shift around, masticating one another, and bristling against the others. Together, these elements play into a disorienting trounce around an ever-deepening pit of static discomfort.

Props to Sam Rubik and Western Tink for deciding to go all in on such an intimidating sound. Very few artists have the dexterity to stare this instrumental down, commanding it into place. Resting atop drum fluctuations, Rubik cracks bars on riding dirty with the 90s swag, disregarding scripted scenarios, and trusting yourself. With a hint of empowering words for his listeners, he focuses on his personal journey to rap’s center stage. And what the fuck is a chorus? Tink has no concerns, heading in face first, speaking on stepping outside of the norm, feeling comfortable at all times, gettin’ it to finessin’ it, and being buried a legend. Following Rubik‘s lead, Tink presents himself as a man unhinged and unafraid. Together, with Sam Rubik at the helm, these lyricists reach new depths of sound experimentation, empowering themselves to grow as artists, and their fans to grow as individuals.

GET HURT :

This video is the first part of a two-part video series, with the second video dropping next week. So sit back and wait for what’s next from Sam Rubik and you’ll finally tie this carefully loosened knot together.

The post Video Premiere : Sam Rubik ft. Western Tink – “HURT U” (prod. Lytesho!) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Lil B and Joey Bada$$ are the two latest contenders to enter the land of hip-hop beef. The beef actually stems from a verse from the late Capital STEEZ on the track “Survival Tactics” that went at Lil B

” They say hard work pays off, Well tell the Based God don’t quit his day job”.

Yesterday Joey Bada$$ tweeted that line and sent out the first shot. Lil B wasn’t having it and decided to hit the studio and put it all in a track. Listen to “I’m The Bada$$” below.

Well Joey was touched that Lil B took the time to make a track about him so he hit the booth to record ironically “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” in hopes of ethering the Based God. Listen to the track below.

Both emcees have put their feelings on wax, so who do you think came the hardest? This beef will probably be gone tomorrow, but for now we can cook, and enjoy it.

The post New Music: Lil B – “I’m The Bada$$” vs. Joey Bada$$ – “Don’t Quit Your Day Job” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Nick Harwood/RESPECT.

Joey Bada$$ is definitely a standout emcee, but Pro Era has much more talent than most people acknowledge. The video for “Free the Robots,” a track from STEEZ’s overlooked mixtape AMERIKKKAN KORRUPTION, definitely forces you to recognize the skill that Joey’s comrades are bringing to the game. Covering STEEZ’s various political and social concerns, the lyrical content of “Free the Robots” is cut from the same cloth as STEEZ’s verse from “Survival Tactics.” The video follows suit, bringing these concerns to life with various clips. It’s tempting to draw parallels between STEEZ and Ab-Soul, but STEEZ is less paranoid-sounding, more focused. AMERIKKKAN KORRUPTION will be re-released on October 10 with 6 bonus tracks. Don’t miss it.

The post New Video: Capital STEEZ – “Free the Robots” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Photo by Nick Harwood/RESPECT.

After waiting about 15 minutes for Joey Bada$$ and friends to get a nice buzz going, we were invited out onto the roof. A roof that just happened to be the perfect setting to speak with New York’s crew of the moment on a summer eve. The Empire State Building stood over us as a symbolic reminder of the Progressive Era’s quick and high rise in the birthplace of hip-hop. Joey Bada$$, Chuck Strangers, CJ Fly, Dyemond Lewis and  Nyck Caution – one-fifth of the Era— spoke through the haze and heat about the positives of being a collective, their reaction to critics and the breakthrough female artist T’nah Apex. The only thing Joey still managed to avoid telling us was his real name…

On my way over here I heard someone playing your song on the train.

Joey Bada$$: Oh my god. Word? What song? Was it “Survival Tactics?”

No, it wasn’t “Survival Tactics.”

JB: Yes!

So you’re called the Progressive Era, but the album is 1999. How do you keep this forward thinking approach while still appreciating the past?

JB: The past—it’s balance. I just stay level-headed, on level 9 [laughs]. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Can you repeat the question?

How do you keep it fresh while still using old MFDOOM beats?

Just the whole idea that it’s being released today. It’s not anything from the past and the stuff I talk it’s present. I mean, it’s not even that I try to bring the ’90s era of hip-hop back in any way, it’s just that’s the type of beats I wanna rap over. That’s just the type of music I like to make. It has nothing to do with me bringing anything back. Yo, that’s my style.

You said in a recent interview that you don’t need to be critiqued by Odd Future or any other artists. Is there anyone producing music now that you appreciate or would perhaps like to receive some constructive criticism from? 

JB: We fuck with Underacheivers, so definitely them cuz those are our homies. [Flatbush] Zombies, those are our homies too. The Village. Kembe X and Alex Wiley.

CJ Fly: 2 Chainzzzz!

Chuck Strangers: I’m still saving up for that [2 Chainz] verse. About 100k. If you hear me, I’m out here my nigga.

What do you think of the fact that a lot of people on the come-up now are crews, the collective?

JB: That’s dope, I actually think that that’s dope. The whole thing with people coming out now in crews, that’s definitely dope. Cuz you know, like, what’s doper than a crew of artists? You can just have one artist and after a couple of years you get tired of him, but if you got a crew it’s just like nonstop talent, but we gonna build off each other and things like that, so it’s like we’re always gonna be getting better as long as we’re together.

Do you each bring something different to the table?

JB: Definitely.

CJ: There are different elements and all that, so we try to do our own thing. We try to do our own things, bring what we can to the table, what interests us. And we all don’t have the same interests. We’re different people, so we try to bring different things to the table to make sure it’s all one cool collective.

Photo by Nick Harwood/RESPECT.

Is it all rapping? 

Dyemond Lewis: I sing.

JB: He’s a frontin’ singer. I’m only saying it cuz I want him to sing more.

DL: Why you gotta play me like that man?

CJ: We have an actor in the group.

Nyck Caution: I act too and rap.

JB: He’s gonna put Pro Era in the Sundance films. He’s going straight to movies. The next thing you do that involves acting is gonna be a movie. Just think about that.

NC: I know, hell yeah.

CS: Or an adult film. [Laughs.] You never know, nigga.

NC: I’m 18, I’m 18. [Laughs.]

I was at your SOBS show the other night. Did you guys read any of the reviews?

JB: Uh, yeah. [Laughs.]

What do you think about them? Do you care?

JB: No, they could, like, suck my dick [all laugh]. I mean, it was just like mad people hate. It’s like, yo, you shoulda just said that to us while you was at the show. Be straight. You gonna be straight on your website, be straight to our face.

CS: You see the crowd is thumpin’, nigga, how you gonna say some fuckin’…?

JB: Yeah, that didn’t matter, like, we had that place crazy. We had it crazy. We were crowd surfing.

CS: “I didn’t like when they sat down and shit.”

JB: “I didn’t like how many people were onstage.” It’s Pro Era, the movement.

Are you coming out with a collective album?

JB: Yeah, that’s definitely in the works right now.

Who else has individual albums coming out soon?

JB: STEEZ is re-releasing AK 47. And then CJ’s working on a little sumchin, I’m working on a little sumchin. We all are.

At the show CJ and T’Nah mostly performed together. Are they a duo?

JB: Yeah, you know what? I’m just gonna leak the information just because we’re that great. They’re actually working on a project together. It’s gonna be really dope.

What do you think about T’nah as a female MC? Because she’s something different than I’ve seen…

JB: She’s gonna cancel out so many people in the game when she comes out. It’s over. It’s nobody like her. It’s nobody like her. Like, yo, she’s never even released a solo track. Do y’all realize that? I just thought about that. Like imagine when she just releases a solo track.

NC: She only has one verse out.

JB: Word. And she killed the game with that.

CJ: Before Pro Era even existed, it was Capital STEEZ, T’nah and I. We did a show [together]. It was like a fundraiser…so boom we did that show and then it started right there. I heard T’nah sing and she was just amazing off the bat. I never listened to anyone sing and got cold chills, you know? I said to her, “One day I’m gonna make my own label and I’m gonna sign you to it.” And she was like, “ok.” We started writing each other and stuff like that. It started like that. I told her to rap. She didn’t rap at all either. She said, “I can’t do it.” [Then] she wrote something and it’s been amazing ever since. And we just decided to do a tape together.

So you two have a tape out together?

CJ: We’re working on it. I gave you a little drop by accident.

JB: [Laughs.] I said the same thing.

What do you think of her compared to other female rappers out now?

CJ: She’s nice. It’s just a whole nother level. Like, she’s not even at her full capacity with what she can do. She just started rapping. Imagine when she actually grasps all the elements of rapping like lyricism, its gonna be amazing. Her voice is only getting better.

The post Catching Up with Brooklyn’s Latest Sensation: Joey Bada$$ and The Pro Era appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.