Dontae iNTeLL Hawkins is dripping with legacy. There’s no doubt about that. The Staten Island-born & raised rapper is the eldest son of U-God – from the iconic, Wu-Tang Clan. As you can imagine, his upbringing was far from normal. And even more so when a young Dontae Hawkins lived through a near-death experience. On March 13, 1994, while being escorted to a birthday party, Hawkins was shot through the abdomen. Caught in the crossfire, a nearby shooting almost took his life.

After several operations & years of physical therapy, Donate learned how to walk again. It was around this time he also decided to pick up a pen – which was right around his high school years. It was then that iNTeLL was born. Filled with determination and a passion for the arts, he went on to graduate from film school around the time he decided to also pursue music.

Perfecting his craft, iNTeLL has established himself as an artist – rightfully so and earning respect based on talent, not because of who his father is. In the midst of a pandemic, heading into Summer 2020, the young god readies his new single, “Legacy Drip.” released via Tommy Boy Records, iNTeLL delivers a solo record produced by KHRIMZ.

Dubbing the sound “backpack trap,” iNTeLL delivers conscious bars over Trap-inspired production.

Peep the visual above and be sure to drop us your thoughts in the comments.

The post #PeepTheVisual: iNTeLL (Son of U-God) Unleashes “Legacy Drip” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

The project was released the day of the second episode to their 4-part documentary series on Showtime of the same name. Wu-Tang certainly does not disappoint. It’s jam-packed with the gritty lyrical genius that made fans fall in love with them.

Wu-Tang. Although it’s missing a few members, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, and U-God, both a documentary and a 7-track EP should be more than enough to satisfy fans. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, Hulu announced that they’re making their own 10-episode Wu-Tang miniseries, so stay tuned for some amazing content and be sure to check out the project, “Of Mics and Men” below.

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Despite taking a hiatus to focus on his acting career, Method Man has released his new single, “Grand Prix”, to prep fans for the release of his new album, Meth Lab II: The Lithium. The single, which features Mef flexing his signature style features a refreshing twist on the beat choice he’s known for.

Serving as the first solo track he’s released in three years, “Grand Prix” showcases Tical’s ability to utilize slick wordplay over a dramatic and characteristic beat, while staying in pocket giving the listener that classic head bob.

The effortless flow and trancelike beat serve as a perfect combination as Mef delivers quotable bars that remind you exactly why he’s considered an exceptional emcee.

“I ain’t a minor teen spirit, ain’t Nirvana/ Call me Pro-Meth, it’s clear this kind of syrup ain’t Jemima/ Baby momma drama, tryna act like she Madonna/ Like a virgin but I’m certain this person a piranah”

During an interview with Billboard, Method Man addressed the disappointment with his 2015 release, that many deemed as a compilation due to only one solo song being on the project.

“People were upset,” Method Man recalls. “Every song on there had somebody else on it with the exception of one song that I did by myself.”

Mef also revealed that an old partnership helped ignite the fire to create new music.

“I can rhyme my ass off, that ain’t nothin’ new,” Mef said. “People already knew that, but they just tend to forget. Every now and then you’ve gotta remind them.”

Meth Lab II: The Lithium features Mef collaborating with former Wu-Tang affiliate Anthony “Hanz On” Messado of Hanz On Music, a partnership that almost didn’t happen according to Mef stating that he was skeptical until a cosign from Streetlife made him a believer.

“It made it fun for me again,” Mef continued.  “I should have done this a long time ago,” he admits, “but everything comes in its due time and this wasn’t my idea. It was Hanz’s project. It’s still Hanz’s project. I do music because I want to now; not because I have to.”

Listen to “Grand Prix” below.

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The post [Listen] Method Man Flexes His Verbal Muscles With New Single ‘Grand Prix’ appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

While you’ve been paying attention to Van Jones and Jay-Z’s interview yesterday, with U.S. President Donald Trump’s follow up on Twitter, here’s a quick hip hop fact for you:

To this day, Big L and Jay-Z’s exclusive 1995 Stretch and Bobbito freestyle is the most viewed hip hop freestyle on YouTube.

That’s pretty significant for hip hop which will be graced by multitudes of hip hop overtures in this evening’s awards show. 

Before the internet, did you ever wonder where some of your favorite lyrical emcees got their huge break?

Stretch and Bobbito introduced the world to a multitude of unsigned artist in the 90s. 

I mean, we’re talking:  Big L, Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang, Big Pun, Jay-Z, Eminem and the Fugees!!

Many of your favorite lyricists rocked the mic on NYC’s Stretch and Bobbito Show, which aired Thursday nights from 1-AM – 4 AM out of a basement studio with an old operating board from the 60’s.

According to Bobbito their underground rap show “put the street corner in a box.” The impact of that show was the subject of “Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives.”

So how did that come about?

“This is actually my second film, my first was titled Walk In The Park: Pick Up Basketball in NYC,” Bobbito Garcia told me on Scoop B Radio.

“I co-directed and co-produced that project which aired on PBS in January of 2014. A young producer by the name of Omar Costas was blown away by it and reached out to me by way of mutual contact and asked me about my next film. I told him that I just had a child and that my first film had aired on public television, so I wasn’t even trying to think about another film. He told me that he used to listen to me and Stretch and a lightbulb went off in my head. So I looked up his reel and knew that we needed to explore and literally three days later we were filming.”

The rest was like logical clockwork.

“I met Omar on Wednesday and on Saturday we were shooting. Riggs Morales who is the former editor of The Source Magazine and Noah Callahan, the Editor In Chief of Complex. 18 months later is when we started getting the big names like Jay-Z, Nas and Eminem because it took a long time to get them on camera. They were all willing and happy to be apart of it because they all premiered on our show as unsigned up and coming artists and that list runs long.”

The long list included Nas, Biggie, Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, Eminem, Big Pun, Mase, Cam, Big L and more. As a matter of fact, total record sales for all the artists that premiered on their show exceed 300 million. The late-night program had a cult following in the art/fashion world and prison population.

Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives from Saboteur Media on Vimeo.

As to the infamous Jay-Z and Big L freestyle, Bobbito says folks are still in awe. “I actually mentor a couple of kids in Harlem and they’ll talk about the freestyle,” said Bobbito.

“And I’ll tell them you know that’s me saying “ooh wee” on the freestyle right and they don’t believe me at first, but they go back and listen to it and tell me: ‘yo that’s crazy, I heard you on the freestyle.’”

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The post Scoop B: Before the Grammy Awards, did you know Jay-Z’s big break came from a 90s NYC radio freestyle with Big L? appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Wu-Tang Clan. Photo Credit: Hip Hop Golden Age

Being aroung RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, UGod, Masta Killa and Cappadonna has its perks and life lessons. Just ask Chris McKee.

McKee has been a booking agent for 20 years and has represented some of the biggest names in music. His soon to be released book focuses on his time as the booking agent and tour manager for one of the most influential hip-hop groups of all-time; The Wu-Tang Clan.  

A Staten Island hip-hop group, since 1992, The Wu-Tang Clan has released seven gold and platinum albums with worldwide sales of more than 40 million. Their 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), is considered to be one of the greatest albums in hip-hop history.   

Rolling Stone Magazine called Wu-Tang Clan “the best rap group ever.”

There are very few outsiders who have been allowed access into the world of the Wu-Tang Clan until now.  

McKee worked with various members of the Wu-Tang for over 10 years and is ready to let people see what really goes on behind the curtain while on tour with members of the Wu-Tang Clan.  

The book is both a window into the world of the Wu-Tang Clan as well as a teaching tool to understanding the ins and outs of the music business. The book will feature stories about sex, drugs, rock n’ roll (or hip-hop) and murder.

McKee has released excerpts from his book which include the story of how of how a concert promoter (Matt ‘Dutch’ Garner) who was involved with producing a concert for Ghostface Killah in Montreal was murdered a week before the show.

“The thing about Montreal is that the line is blurred between certain parts of the entertainment industry and criminals and gangsters; more so than any other city in Canada.  In Montreal you have to tread very carefully when you go about your business if you want to stay out of trouble.

I guess Dutch missed that memo.

Dutch was murdered two weeks before the Ghostface show in Montreal.

According to various news reports, assailants broke into his apartment on St. Henri and taped Dutch and an associate to their chairs and set to the two of them on fire. Dutch was found dead in his apartment on the chair but the second victim had tried to escape and made his way down a flight of stairs onto the street while still ablaze where he eventually succumb to his injuries and died on a neighboring lawn.

Chris McKee. Photo Credit: Herosports

They have yet to arrest any suspects in the murder and the case remains open.”

The book also features a window into the absurdity of having to do business with various members of Wu-Tang. McKee tells the story of a breakfast meeting with Ghostface in Montreal the morning after a concert.

“Before our breakfast meeting ended, Ghost had one other interesting request to ask of me.

He said, “Don’t be putting me in any more hotels with French TV channels.”

He continued, “I was trying to watch some TV last night and relax and whatever and every channel was in French.”

Ghostface added, “I can’t have that in any of these other cities, so no more hotels with these French TVs.”

I stared back blank not knowing how to answer.

The thought occurred to me that this was a man who has travelled the world over at least a dozen times. He has performed concerts as Ghostface and as a member of the Wu-Tang Clan on probably every continent on the planet.  Yet he hasn’t figured out that when you’re in a city or country that speaks a different language that it is highly likely that the TV channels will probably be in that very same language. “

The yet to be titled book is set to be released in early 2018.

Some of the artists that McKee has produced concerts for include: Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, The Roots, Akon, Busta Rhymes, 50 Cent and G-Unit, Slaughterhouse, Flo-Rida, D12 and hundreds more.  

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The post Scoop B Selects: Former Wu-Tang Clan Booking Agent, Chris McKee To Release Book Chronicling Life On The Road appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Actress Reagan Gomez. Photo Provided By: VIBE

Reagan Gomez has come a long way since playing Zaria on Robert Townsend’s The Parent Hood.

Gomez has appeared in any and everything from Jerry Maguire, Carmen: A Hipopera, the music video to The Young Gunz’s “No Better Love,” and all the way up to The Cleveland Show and Family Guy.

To paraphase the Wu Tang Clan’s GZA while appearing on “The Chappelle Show,” Gomez has truly ‘diversified her bonds!’

She didn’t even have to go to Wu Tang Financial to get that advice either!!

She’s eclectic. 

The voice of Roberta Tubbs can also add an additional trait to her repertoire: a savvy crowd-funding marketer.

Back in 2013, Gomez used top crowd-funding site indiegogo to fund her independent sci-fi web series, called “Surviving the Dead.” It was successful. With a strong social media following via Twitter, you’d think the process would be easy for folks to latch on and give give give.

To the contrary, it takes much work. “It’s always hard because even though people know me from The Parent Hood or another film or The Cleveland Show or Steven Universe or whatever I’m still not Jada Pinkett I’m not Will Smith,” Reagan Gomez told me on Scoop B Radio.

“Even when I look at Spike Lee and how he raised over a million dollars and whatever it was I wouldn’t even feel confident giving on Indie Go-Go, Kick Start , or whatever trying to raise money even for our budgets for the web series it’s not easy and I remember when we did Indie Go-Go the first time it was in  2012 or 2013 and this was before anyone had a Go Fund Me.”

 Check out Reagan Gomez’s Chat with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson on Scoop B Radio

Gomez broke it down further:

“Crowd funding was still very new so for me to get out there and put videos like: ‘hey I know you seen me on whatever TV show but can you loan me $5?’ It was like very like what the f**k is this? Everybody thought it was a scam and I really had to explain like: ‘no it’s not a scam. I’m not a millionaire and I really want to start creating original content and be able to tell our story.’ And once people started knowing what it was I wanted to do and hearing about the project and hearing about the cast I wanted to have, then we had a successful Indie Go-Go campaign.”

According to Gomez, the project has had ups and downs, but she’s become consistent:

“Our first season I think our goal was $25k and we raised just under $14k,” she said. “We didn’t reach our goal, but raised a nice chunk of change. I mean for the second season we only raised five grand so it’s up and down each crowd funding campaign that you do is totally different. Just because you were successful in the last one doesn’t mean you’re going to be successful in your next one. So we raised a nice chunk of change for Surviving as well but for Surviving I had to take a huge chunk out of our savings in order to make the show be what I wanted it to be, because I knew because of the genre and the type of show I wanted it to be the production value had to be there. It had to look like a show you would see on TV. I had the cast, I had the story, but I just wanted to make sure that I had the crew and the EP and everyone else to help bring my vision to life. And make sure that it looked great because that’s the first thing you’re going to see, you’re going to see how it looks, what kind of camera did we use, the color; you know what I’m saying? I didn’t want it to look janky! So for Surviving, even though we did the Indie Go-Go campaign we had to take a huge chunk out of our savings.” 

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The post Scoop B: Reagan Gomez Is A Crowd-Funding Marketing Genius appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.

Surpassing the expectations of a standard “remix” in 2016, Brooklyn’s Dj Skizz offers an oversized fixing for all hip-hop heads with this one. Let’s take a moment and reflect on how potent Cormega & Large Professor‘s ‘Mega Philosophy’ LP was in 2014. If you missed it, we highly recommend you getting your hands on it today. Anyway, “Industry” was a stand out record for many off of the album.

With a healthy list of commendable production credits, rock solid releases and an evident, pure work ethic, it’s no surprise Skizz would go above and beyond with this one – or anything he touches for that matter. As you can see above, he brought along some seasoned veterans and staples to paint his refined canvas. Could we ask for a better line-up of emcees to discuss such a heavy topic? Probably not.

That’s enough out of us. Enjoy the record – we are sure you will. Peace and love!

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