The Chelsea section of Manhattan was the place to be Wednesday night as stars and influencers were out and about to check out the listening party of Bronx indie artist, Produkt.

The three-room art gallery furnished with a full open bar, special treats and exclusive music provided by the city’s hottest DJ’s featured a full red carpet to Produkt’s  exclusive listening session for “Change The Frequency.”

The session was hosted by Sirius XM Radio’s Torae. The sounds were provided by DJ Tra$e and The Breakfast Club’s DJ Envy.

Photo Credit: The Hip Hop Publicist

During the panel conversation, Produkt revealed a lot about himself including his brain tumor  scare. He also paid respect to his mother who was in attendance.

Additionally, he reminded everyone that this event did not happen overnight; it’s taken years of grinding, hustling, and many lessons to get him to where he is thus far.

Notables in attendance included Love & Hip Hop’s Tahiry Jose and RESPECT Magazine’s Managing Editor Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson who posed on the red carpet.

The event was coordinated by The Hip Hop Publicist’s DeeDee Branch and was sponsored by RESPECT. Mag, Bogart Spirits, Breaktapes, The Produkt and Nikki Luke’s Treats.

Guests enjoyed refreshments that including the signature cocktail of the night “RESPECT. The Produkt.”

The third room was equipped with cocktail tables accessorized with Breaktapes, mini-USB cassette tape players fully-loaded with Produkt’s new album “Change The Frequency” packaged with headphones.

Following the Q&A led by host, Torae, Produkt made sure to properly reintroduce himself and to welcome guests.

The evening ended with DJ Envy making sure to turn the experience into a party with some of your favorite sounds and even mixing  Produkt’s most upbeat tracks.

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The artist/producer collective known as Local-Mu12 let loose another single called “Never Had“. Produced by Local-Mu12 member Real McKoy, (Cormega, Black Rob, Skyzoo).   The track features guest verses from Sadat X, Torae & Fokis, and can be found on the forthcoming album Everyday People, which features Planet Asia, Ras Kass, MC Eiht, Guilty Simpson and more.

Be sure to listen to the track at the very too of the post and feel free to leave us with your thoughts in the comments section.

Pre-Order the album today via Bandcamp and enter for a chance to win an iPad Air.

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The post New Music: Local-Mu12 -“Never Had” (Ft. Sadat X, Torae & Fokis) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Premiered via Mass Appeal, “Play to Win” is the world’s first listen at what’s to come on October 14th with Shabaam Sahdeeq, Edo. G and producer Fokis’ collaborative Recognize Your Power EP. This is basically text book definition of contemporary boom-bap. It almost feels wrong to use the word contemporary, as the single embodies every spec of the traditional recipe from the yesteryears that we love dearly, but it’s here in 2016 and it sounds glorious. Do you mind if we take a moment and cherish hip-hop royalty? Good, because we are anyway. Two heavyweight, seasoned microphone chemists coming together at a time when the questionable is questioned. At a time when your average 30-something year old has turned their attention off to the current state of hip-hop. A time when we need collaborations like this the most. Aesthetics aside, the mere fact of a collaborative effort from any veteran emcees is applaudable and saluted to a high degree.

The single invites Coney Island’s finest Torae for a brolic guest appearance, reminding listeners that he will body a good portion of rappers pound for pound. For assurance, visit his recent ‘Entitled’ LP and report back – it’s up there in hip-hop releases this year. The tip of the four minute iceberg is Dj Eclipse lacing the cuts/hook. Does he ever upset? Nah. The four of them on record makes perfect sense. Aside from the artists here, the EP welcomes the likes of Oh No, Ras Kass, Planet Asia and more. It’s a heavy list.

Boston’s Edo. G needs no introduction. However, if you’re young or were never properly introduced, I’d recommend starting at Edo G & the Bulldogs’ Life of a Kid in the Ghetto and their 1993 Roxbury 02119 record for an early brush up. Fast forwarding to the current, Edo. has been busy. Him and Paris’ production duo Street Wyze (Dj Tren & G.G.) released their Afterwords full length last summer – a sure shot that your collection needs if you haven’t. Also a generous amount of invited guest verses, Reks’ “Plane Gang” being the latest that I caught.

The two humbly remain grounded and quite simply just do what they know best. In the eyes of people who matter they’re giants. Shabaam Sahdeeq actually doesn’t stop creating. Aside from rhyming and staying planted in music, it’s no secret that he’s a progressive fine artist. Maybe it is a secret if you didn’t know before reading this. His artwork ranges in subject matter, size and medium. It’s bold. Complementary to his music career, his pieces have landed on display throughout different states as well as continue to sell. I’ve had a good relationship with Shabaam through music for the past few years, but since building on the visual art side of the fence my respect for him has grown ever further. He’s a true polymath, remaining teachable and not limited to one craft. It’s something that is lacking in today’s overall rap scene.

We wanted to have some fun with the feature of the single and include a special conversation with Shabaam, mixing in some talk surrounding the EP and studio artwork. We hope you enjoy! Peace and love.

Always good to catch up with you. So the new single and the announced EP with Edo. G. Tell us how the collaboration came to life and how the layers unfolded. It’s a hell of a surprise that we’re excited for.

I’ve known Edo for a while. We always talked about doing a song together, but Fokis really put it together and made it a reality. I did the first 3 songs and left the open verses and Edo laid verses on those. Then Edo laid verses on the next 3 and I followed his lead. For the one where we go back and forth he laid parts and I filled in the blanks. Then the hooks we did after all the verses were laid.

I don’t know much about producer Fokis other than a single or two. His keys are ridiculous and his drums are thick. How did you and Edo end up deciding on his work to canvas the entire release?

Fokis really put this together. He’s known for working with Sadat X, Skyzoo and Torae, amongst other things – engineering, producing and rapping. We didn’t pick him, he picked us actually and made it come together right before I went to Europe on tour. By the time I came back most of the mixes were done.

Hip-Hop needs a collaboration to this degree right now more than ever – two seasoned emcees who’ve quite honestly seen it all. It’s good to see you two in good spirits, healthy and creating music together.

Indeed. Edo is on Tour now after the project is completed and ready to drop and I was on tour before it was finished and was still in the creative stages . So its safe to say we are all working.

Let’s talk art. You’re a machine. We’re convinced you don’t sleep (laughing). How long have you been creating studio art and how long have you been taking studio art seriously?

The post Edo. G & Shabaam Sahdeeq’s Collaborative EP Is Around The Corner (interview) appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Torae‘s been around the hip-hop industry for a long time now. It’s safe to say he’s one of the few contemporary New York rappers who, sonically, isn’t influenced too much by rap of other cultures- the boom bap that’s resident to east coast hip-hop, mainly New York, is alive with a steady pulse in Torae’s work.

Pete Rock, another New York native, and prominent figure in the 90s as a part of Pete Rock & CL Smooth, also sticks close to the east coast roots, but goes even further in his instrumentation to throw down welcome mats at other African-American genres. Jazz played a heavy part in forming hip-hop, and Pete Rock is clearly heavily drawn by it, having elements of it incorporated in plenty of his instrumentals. It’s no surprise that the production on “Get Down,” one of Torae’s tracks off Entitled, has that old school flair to it, along with a little taste of jazz.

A remix was recently released, available to stream above, featuring Freeway of State Property, and Styles P of The LOX. The track takes a time warp and brings back an old school sound many don’t incorporate in their music today. Torae raps:

“Stay true to the sound, adjectives and nouns/
Tell ‘em I get down, repped for the underground”

Freeway and Styles P deliver exciting verses that only add onto the grit of the original track. You can check out more of Torae’s tracks at his SoundCloud and purchase Entitled here.

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[TI-TAN] one that is gigantic in size or power | one that stands out for greatness of achievement

RESPECT.: Before we set it off, thank you for your time. You and Nottz did it again. The good responses have been rolling in already. Are you personally satisfied with the body of work? 

I love this follow up piece. It’s the completion of the series, and to me it turns both EP’s into a hard hitting, classic LP. We actually did much more for this EP but we churned it down to the most action packed jams to properly fit the title, Titans In The Flesh.

The post RESPECT. Interview: Blu On New ‘Titans in the Flesh’, Working With Nottz & More appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

RESPECT: You have fans from all around because you’re multifaceted. You’re a host, you’ve created the theme song for the Brooklyn Nets, you were in VH1’s The Breaks, and you also have your own radio show. How were you able to transition into so many different career paths?

Torae: I think the transition was natural because all of these things go hand-in-hand. I’m naturally a personable person. I feel like figuring out ways to have my personality shine through outside of just a three minute song helped. I have layers, there are many different sides to Torae.

So me figuring out ways to showcase that and in addition to it all going hand-in-hand… If you can stand on stage and perform a record, you should be able to stand on stage and captivate the audience without the rhyme. You should be a master of ceremonies. So hosting came natural.

Acting is something I’ve always wanted to get into— you memorize lines when you write your rhymes.  You’re in front of the camera all the time, you’re shooting videos and doing interviews. So putting those things together and really trying to hone that acting part of it is where I’m at now. IT was all just like a natural transition —everything growing into each other all stemming from my love of the music.

RESPECT: Would you want to do more acting?

Absoluetly, that was always in the plan. When The Breaks came about it was dope because it just thrusted right to the forefront. I came up watching a lot of great MCs transition into acting. That’s what a lot of 2016 is focused on. Its about me getting into these acting classes and workshops and hone the skills and continue to move forward. I have some dope things on the horizon.

RESPECT: You’re a Knicks fan, but how did you end up working with the Brooklyn Nets and creating their theme song for the 2015 – 2016 season?

Torae: That came from having dope relationships just like a lot of opportunities. They say it’s not what you know, it’s who you know— then you combine that with what you know and that makes for a great marriage. Shoutout to Marco Polo, the producer who actually did the theme’s beat. When they [the Brooklyn Nets] turned around and were looking for not only just music but an actual theme song, they reached out to Marco and he reached out to me to jump on it. Even though I’m a Knicks fan, I’m a Brooklyn guy. So, everything I do is all Brooklyn everything. It came out really dope, it was fun working on that.

RESPECT: On Entitled you got to work with Saul Williams, Phonte, Mack Wilds and more. Is there anyone who you haven’t worked with that you would want to work with in the future? 

Torae: As a lover of music, you listen to everything from Jazz to Classical to Soul to Funk to Disco. I like it all so there’s so many different people I’d like to work with. Off the rip, I would say Mary J. Blige, she’s the queen— I think that would make my mom and my wife really happy. Raphael Saadiq, I think he’s amazing. I’m a big fan of No Doubt and Gwen Stefani.

I definitely listen to a lot of different music and I would definitely love to work with a lot of different artists across different platforms and genres. I’ve been here 8 years so far, hopefully I have a few more years in the chamber where I can crank out some of these dream collabs.

RESPECT: Yeah, a Torae and Mary J. Blige collab sounds like something that needs to happen real soon!

Torae: I may have to retire after that to be completely honest. If I get one with Mary, there’s really nothing else I have to do or say. [Laughs]

Entitled is currently available on iTunes.

The post Torae Speaks on Dream Collabs and Newfound Love for Acting appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

He’s a jack of all trades who just so happens to have a way with words. Coney Island born and bred rapper — and radio show host, actor, Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Master of Ceremonies and even former teacher— Torae chopped it up with RESPECT to speak about his latest album, Entitled, hopping on tour with Stalley, working with legends, and newfound love for acting. Check part one of our interview below:

RESPECT Mag: How was your show last night (2/9) at Webster Hall?

Torae: It was good. It was a fun time. You know, it was an intimate crowd. It wasn’t grand packed out. A little disheartening because you love to sell out New York as a New York artist. But you know, I definitely love the people who were in attendance. We rocked out and had a good time. Stalley had a dope set as well. It was a fun time, it was a good way to spend a Tuesday night in New York.

RESPECT: That’s dope. How did you and Stalley end up working together on this tour?

Torae: It was actually his tour and I was looking for a tour to jump on real quick once the album came out while I prepared to put my own one together. Once I saw it, I reached out to some of the people that I knew in his camp. And of course, Stalley and I, we have a relationship that extends back a number of years.

So, I thought it would be a no brainer. I think that although we do have a similar audience, we definitely have two different audiences coming out. That’s always good when you can bring out two sets of fans and supporters and then kinda cross them in between. Some of them will be in the middle and of course some of them will be soley on the left or soley on the right. So I think that always makes for a better show just because thats the objective.

For me, when I do a show is to make sure that I gain some new people. You know, people who didn’t come to see me; people who aren’t familiar with me. At the end of the night when they leave, I want the to be like “Yo I came for Stalley, but that Torae kid gets busy.” [Laughs] That’s always the mission when I perform.

RESPECT Magazine: Now, you’ve done collaborations in the past with Skyzoo. Is Stalley someone you’d see yourself doing a collaboration project with?

Torae: It’s definitely about chemistry for me. Stalley and me, we’ve always had this cool rapport with one another. We’ve definitely spoke about doing records. One time, the scheduling just didn’t work out but I think a record is something that’s definitely in the works. Once you get a couple of records in, you kinda vibe out then you see what a full length is. But, I definitely want to get one or two, if we can, with the homie because I think he’s dope.

RESPECT: It sounds like it would be dope. I was watching your interview on your radio show and you guys seem like you have a good connection. And it seems like you would make dope stuff together.

Torae: Yeah, because we go back a few years. Prior to him getting with MMG or prior to me being at Sirius or any of these other things that have come about, he was on the grind and I was on the grind. We’ve crossed paths together, we’ve done shows. We’ve rocked festivals together. That initial rapport with one another is there and then you build it into a full fledged friendship. I think the collaboration started to happen after that.

RESPECT: I was listening to your album and every single track has fire production! You’ve worked with everyone from Large Professor and DJ Premier to Jahlil Beats and Pete Rock. How do you choose the perfect beat?

Torae: I’m really picky, a lot of producers will tell you that. It’s not because I’m a dick. It’s just that I like to feel comfortable in the beat. Even if I like a beat and I think it’s dope, it’s about what I can add to it. Sometimes I listen to a beat and I think its so dope and I don’t know what to bring to that. And some beats I listen to and I just love them as instrumentals and I listen to them when I’m riding around.

My thing is: 9 times out of 10, lines are going to start coming to me. I’m going to come with four, Im going to come with six; then I’m like “Yeah, that’s a keeper.” Most of the time, that’s the way it works. Rarely, I’ll come back to a beat and catch a spark on it from there. But, most of the time, I like to jump right on the production that I think stands out and grabs me.

Picking beats with me is very important because you can be a dope MC. You can have a lot of dope things to say but if the production doesn’t stand out and if the beat doesn’t draw people in… You know, people listen to the beat first. So if that doesn’t draw people in especially with the audience I cater to, they’re definitely about that production. They’re definitely about those head nodding joints and they really feel it. That’s what I go for when I’m creating a project.

RESPECT: One of my favorites on Entitled was “Saturday”. Even though you’ve previously done multiple tracks with DJ Premier, what’s it like working with him?

Torae: Preme, that’s the big homie. Coming up in New York and being a fan in Hip-Hop, growing up loving Gangstarr, and you know he went on to work with other groups… Preme is a legend. He definitely lays a lot of the foundation of what the core New York sound is— even though he migrated here from Texas.

Working with Preme is always a dream come true. It’s never like “I’m here and I’m comfortable.” It’s always like that very first time. It’s a lot of jokes being cracked and we have a lot of fun. But then we get down to the work and I’m always looking to impress DJ Premier. I never want it to be a point where I’m so comfortable that I’m slacking.  Every time we do something, I want him to be excited about it. I want him to be look up and be like “Oh shit, you said that?” or “Wow, you came from this point of view?”. That’s what I like about “Saturday”.

It’s not the typical Torae/ Dj Premier song. I wanted to do something different, I wanted to do a story record. When I heard the beat I thought, “Not only can I make it a story record, but I can make it comical as well.” That’s a side that people haven’t seen from me. It’s something that me and Preme have never done before so it was a win-win.

RESPECT: On your track “R.E.A.L”, you said you’re surprised there’s a role for rappers like K. Dot and J. Cole. Do you feel like rap is taking on a new wave in which we’re not so much thinking about the “conscious things” or things that are affecting our community, but instead focusing on the party?

Torae: I think there’s still a lot of content out there focusing on those topics. But, I feel like what’s being pushed through in the masses and in the mainstream is definitely more of a party vibe. I don’t like to use the conscious term but definitely not talking about the social issues and things going on in the world.

Look around now and you see that Beyonce’s getting all of this backlash from “Formation” being performed at the Super Bowl. As artists, part of our responsibility is defiently to entertain but its also to talk about whats going on and to bring light to some of these issues and topics. Kinda to be the reporters of the neighborhoods that we come from and be the voice of the voiceless.

I know how much the mainstream likes to cater to the party, drug use, overly sexual… you know that continued aesthetic. When you have a guy like Kendrick Lamar or you have a guy like J. Cole talking about some other things or being a little bit more lyrical and coming with some more lyrical content; it’s very refreshing to hear that on that platform. The line was definitely to pay homage to those guys but also to show that there’s a room and audience for that sound. That sound, concept, and that conversation. There should be more.

Respect: Speaking about your album, what made you want to use Kickstarter as a way to not only raise money for your project but to also create a deeper connection with your fans? That’s a rare way to use Kickstarter.

Torae: It was something that people had presented to me for a number of years. But I always looked at it as I don’t want it to look like we can’t get a deal or we don’t have the money. You know, Hip-Hop is very image driven. Anytime you don’t fit that stasis-quo is frowned upon. I’m good, it wasn’t about money for me. It was about me trying to figure out new ways to reach the audience, new ways to market a project, and I wanted people to feel like they were apart of it.

As much as I make my music for me, I make it for the people who rock with me and follow me. They’re the inspiration behind it. My music is just as much me as it is everybody else. So I wanted people coming into the album feeling like they’re apart of it. I thought “How else can I make people feel apart of this creative process?” I thought a Kickstarter would be dope to help get the word out. I met a lot of dope people either through the Skype sessions or the in-house listening session.

RESPECT: How many of your fans did you get to meet?

Torae: From the Kickstarter, I’ve done about six or seven Skypes at this point. There’s been about maybe two dozen or so. For them its a big deal, but for me its just as big because I love to encounter the people that my music is effecting. Those are the people I want to meet. Those are the people I want to build a relationship with because those are the people who have been there since day one.

RESPECT: It’s refreshing to see an artist build those kinds of connections with their audience because that’s something that’s often missing. We look at and support some of our favorite rappers and think that they’re unattainable to even speak to. So to make that connection is how you make and keep a loyal fan.

Torae: Yeah, I want to build an audience and that connection for years to come. I don’t want that fickle fan. I want people who are going to rock out for the duration. I feel like that’s what we’re building and the Kickstarter helped to do that as well.

Respect: You have fans from all around because you’re multifaceted. You’re a host, you’ve created the theme song for the Brooklyn Nets, you were in VH1’s The Breaks, and you also have your own radio show. How were you able to transition into so many different career paths?

Torae: I think the transition was natural because all of these things go hand-in-hand. I’m naturally a personable person. I feel like figuring out ways to have my personality shine through outside of just a three minute song helped. I have layers, there are many different sides to Torae.

So me figuring out ways to showcase that and in addition to it all going hand-in-hand… If you can stand on stage and perform a record, you should be able to stand on stage and captivate the audience without the rhyme. You should be a master of ceremonies. So hosting came natural.

Acting is something I’ve always wanted to get into— you memorize lines when you write your rhymes.  You’re in front of the camera all the time, you’re shooting videos and doing interviews. So putting those things together and really trying to hone that acting part of it is where I’m at now. IT was all just like a natural transition —everything growing into each other all stemming from my love of the music.

RELATED: Torae Claps Sh*t Up in Latest Visuals with Phonte http://respect-mag.com/2016/02/torae-claps-shit-up-in-latest-visuals-featuring-phonte/

The post Torae Speaks on ‘Entitled’ & Connecting with His Fans appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.