The same crowd of people who religiously chant that R&B is dead most often times isn’t searching hard enough to find new quality artists that can fill the void they’ve been searching for. If it isn’t on the radio or a part of your favorite music platform algorithm (which is an entire discussion), then it’s as good as a tree falling in the woods, nobody heard it. Yet, people are missing out on their new favorites developing right before their eyes as a new wave of Hip-Hop, R&B, and Neo-Soul is mixing and mastering their skills before the bandwagons begin piling up.

That’s what led me to Blakk Soul‘s debut album, ‘Take Your Time’. Blakk Soul is managed by Rapper Big Pooh of Little Brother, and he’s been credited for his songwriting, background vocals, and co-production on work by industry heavyweights like Playboi Carti, Dr. Dre, Anderson .Paak, and Macklemore, Little Brother, and more. For this album, he was able to recruit features from Joell Ortiz of Slaughterhouse, Amaal, Cocoa Sarai, and Nana. Behind the boards he was able to bring on  Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum producers such as Wyldfyer, J. LBS, DrewsThatDude, and Symbolyc One.

In an exclusive interview for “The Alternative Road Podcast” Blakk Soul and I discussed the time that went into creating his album, how his Mom was a big influence on him singing in the church, and what it was like being in Dr. Dre’s Hot Seat:

This interview has been edited and condensed. You can listen, in totality, via the podcast link below.

Blakk Soul’s ‘Take Your Time’ album

What led you to name the album ‘Take Your Time’?

Blakk Soul: “Take Your Time, it just made the most sense. I actually didn’t name it until the very end, very end. Throughout the process, I was trying to think of a cool name for all the records and I just couldn’t think of one that I liked or that stuck with me. Right at the end, I was having a conversation with a homegirl of mine and she said this is the type of music for people that like to take their time. And I was like aha! It was like that epiphany moment I had, then I thought that’s perfect. It took me about a year to get everything done. You know, living with records for a little bit, getting rid of records, playing with the sequencing of it all, I was very hands-on with the project.”

Tacoma, Washington’s Blakk Soul

How was it for you growing up and singing in the church?

“To be honest, my first time singing in the church was a horrific experience…so my mom man, my mom is one of the most God-fearing women I know. She just loves anything that involves praising the Lord. So we had just moved into a new town and started attending a new church. And obviously the kids up there have rehearsed and know these songs, all she saw was kids singing and said yeah yeah, gone head up there with the kids.

She set you up bro!

Blakk Soul: Right! I said I don’t think this is how this works…mind you, my mom is from Ghana as well, she’s like yeah gone head up there with the kids. I’m like I don’t think this is how this works. So I’m up there kind of looking around confused, and people are looking at me confused, and then you know as a child, I just started to get quiet. I don’t start to say anything, I’m just looking around like why am I here? You know, that was my first introduction to having to get up there. Then eventually, she did the due process thing and they let me into the children’s choir and I learned a few of their songs.

https://tidal.com/browse/album/132707697

Can you talk to the people about what it was like working with Dr. Dre?

Blakk Soul: “…They introduced me as a writer to him and he was like, oh you write? I’m like yeah yeah I do a little writing, he was like cool we’ll see tonight and he just walks off…I had heard of the infamous hot seat from Kendrick interviews and 50 cent interviews and Bilal and what not and they all talk about being thrown into the seat and create something impromptu. Who would’ve thought that would’ve been my same experience that night.”

I’m sure there are some people that don’t understand what you mean, we need to know this story. Let the people know what happened that night!

https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ocscS0S2bScPibf2dmpHH

For more Blakk Soul & #TheAltWithMel news make sure to check RESPECT Magazine!

Suggested Articles:

Blakk Soul Says ‘Take Your Time’ With Debut Album Release | #TheAltWithMel

RESPECT. Interview: DJ V.I.P. of All Money In Discusses His Start in Music, Becoming Nipsey Hussle’s DJ & The Aftermath of Nipsey’s Passing

The post Alternative Road Podcast: Blakk Soul Talks ‘Take Your Time’ Album, Working with Dr. Dre & more! appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

In light of RESPECT’s last discussion, TheHxliday delivered on his promise and has released his “Save Me” video.

In a time of sheltering, this “Save Me” release is perfect timing elating awareness of mental health. Outside of his ability to relate to the masses, the visual sets TheHxliday in a lane of his own, painting a picture of what goes on in his mind. Produced by Wallis Lane x Shndo, the metaphor of his thoughts paralleled with the little men convey the meaning of the single and a cry for help.

From the visual effects & animation to the band performance on the brain, Cole Bennett and TheHxliday have a synergy that can be categorized as a volcano waiting to erupt to the world.

Make sure to keep checking back to RESPECT.Mag for more TheHxliday and #TheAltWithMel news!

Suggested Articles:

#TheAltWithMel: Birdd Luciano Discusses Writing In Quarantine & Releases Video for “Toxic Love”

#TheAltWithMel: TheHxliday Talks “Save Me” Video, Dead Life Album, songs with Lil Baby & more!

The post TheHxliday & Cole Bennett Team Up On His Latest Video “SAVE ME” | #TheAltWithMel appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

We all have our own ways of coping with the quarantine that our world is currently facing. For some people, it’s working out on a daily basis, it may be comfort cooking or trying a new hobby such as quilting. Others have turned to the latest dance craze on Tik Tok or finally putting together that business idea that’s been waiting in the wings.

For the creatives of the world, this has become an unprecedented time to work on their craft. Normally, we’d be deep into social events, album releases, day parties, studio sessions, filming, editing processes and so on but as of now, everything is on pause. Using this time to foster those creative ambitions for a new flow or to connect with other artists to work on features while getting the business side of things handled can all be taken care of now that everyone has the time.

To be more specific all of those things hold true for a bright young star that goes by the name TheHxliday. Born in PerryHall, Maryland, the Hip Hop crooner has garnered over 10 million streams following his latest release ‘Broken Halls’ and has worked with producers Twice As Nice, Danny Wolf, Internet Money, Sledgren and Young Kio.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-fZhyzlK40/

Currently quarantining in Chicago, I was able to catch up with him on “The Alternative Road Podcast” and discuss a swarm of topics starting off with his quarantine and what he’s been doing during this time:

Really I’ve just been listening to all my music…it’s just been a lot of music tho, I’m not even gonna lie to you it’s about like 500 songs in the vault I’ve been listening to.

Aside from listening to his 2pac vault level of music he’s been staying on top of keeping the essentials needed to last him the oncoming weeks inside:

I’m set (with Ramen Noodles) for the next couple of months…I’ve got some chiken, some chili, and some shrimp.

With enough Ramen to last him the entirety of quarantine, it seems TheHxliday’s fans may be in for a treat if and when he decides to release more songs from his vault. A song most of his fans may be familiar with now “Save Me”, had its own video snippet appear on his Instagram page not too long ago.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B9m041wFa25/

The question was posed and TheHxliday was pretty tight-lipped as to not give away any of the details. Yet, we were able to pull from him a couple of things that pinpointed the inspiration behind the song, the same ex-girlfriend from his viral hit “Enemy”:

That was actually around the same time (as “Enemy”). Look, I promise you half the songs you’ll ever hear from is about the stories from us. I have about 3 main exes that I talk about in my music but she is most of them. Almost all of them. And “Save Me” was around that time where I felt like, I didn’t want to talk to anybody or trust anybody or anything. It just had me really isolated. So at that time I made that song I was sitting in my room and I was just in the moment. I wasn’t expecting it to be such a pop sounding song though which is crazy.

When pushed a tad more, I was able to get a time frame for when this video will be released:

Not a certain date yet but certainly in the next week, week in a half. Or possibly two, two because I have a Lyrical Lemonade interview coming out right before. Once that interview comes out, it’ll be right around the corner.

Again this quarantine time is ripe for artists to be able to connect with fans and specifically other artists to make collaborations that may have been impossible due to their busy schedules. In speaking about a few features he’ll release for his fans during 2020, TheHxliday had this to say about future collabs he has Cowboy and Lil Baby:

It’s definitely going to be for the summer. I promose you that. It’s gonna heat up the summer.

While it may seem as if TheHxliday has already given so much, and has even more stored away in his vault, he also touched upon ideas on a ‘Dead Life’ album that he’ll chip away at:

It’s funny in how I just explained, you know the problems of my ex I told you about and eveyrhting and this first album is gonna be like, that whole story and summing it up so that I can move on and talk about the next siuation. This album is like a story all together. I’m calling it ‘Dead Life’ it’s like a play on words…it’s funny because I dyed my hair specifically for the meaning behind it. I had like green and red dreads. I have one green dread and one red dread and the green dread symolizes life and the red dread symbolozies death and everything. What that means is a part inside of me is kinda dead and green symblizses a part of life coming back inside of me. I feel like I’m finally moving on and coming out of that situaion. But it’s going to be that one bit of memory and everything. So that’s what I’m feeling right now. I’m putting a lot of thought into it and I don’t really have a release date or anything for it. It’s funny because a lot of fans and eveyrhting they catch onto that without me even telling them, it’s crazy.

The Alternative Road Podcast

Make sure to keep checking back to RESPECT.Mag for more TheHxliday and #TheAltWithMel news!

Suggested Articles:

#TheAltWithMel: Birdd Luciano Discusses Writing In Quarantine & Releases Video for “Toxic Love”

RESPECT. Interview: DJ V.I.P. of All Money In Discusses His Start in Music, Becoming Nipsey Hussle’s DJ & The Aftermath of Nipsey’s Passing

The post #TheAltWithMel: TheHxliday Talks “Save Me” Video, Dead Life Album, songs with Lil Baby & more! appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.