The Audacity of Dope

I just finished checking out the new Fitz & The Tantrums album, More Than Just A Dream, and I really enjoyed it.  Check out the video for “Out Of My League” above and if you’re digging the feel good music, you can stream the whole project on Hype Machine here.

Apologies for probably the longest delay we’ve ever had in archiving an episode of SNSS, but I was a bit busy last week on my first ever trip to New York City.  Yes, that’s right, first ever.  You’d think I would have stumbled my way to NYC just by happenstance at some point over the years, but this was it.  My day job kept me super busy and then any time leftover was consumed by catching up with some of my east coast label homies (UMG & WMG, what up!), plus I was just generally overwhelmed by the Big Apple.

I stayed around Times Square, which was equal parts fun and completely absurd, but it came in handy on Friday night when Kanye decided to unveil his “New Slaves” video a few blocks from my hotel on 5th Ave.  I literally ran over to the Prada store at 2am and caught the last live showing of the video in NYC, plus had a surprise pseudo-encounter with Kanye himself.  The full story and video can be viewed right here.  Pretty crazy, but apparently that’s the kind of thing that just happens in NYC.  I shall return.

Anyway, here’s our show from 5/12/13, which officially marked our 8 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF SNSS (our first show was 5/8/05)!  You may recall we celebrated our 400th show not too long ago, but I can’t decide which milestone more impressive: shows vs. years.  400 is a big number and pretty impressive when you think about it, but for me, I think 8 years resonates louder.  That’s longer than middle and high school.  That’s college and (at least some) grad school.  That stretches back to before the world really knew about Barack Obama.  So much has happened over the last 8 years it’s crazy when you sit down and think about it.  And one constant has been that J. Moore and I have been on the air every Sunday night, bringing you SNSS without fail.

Every time we reach one of these milestones, it’s fun for us to reflect, but I just have one overriding feeling: thank YOU for rocking with us.  Thanks to our coworkers at KUBE, our label friends, managers, DJ’s, bloggers, artists, journalists, booking agents, promoters, etc….you guys helped us all immensely.  And most important, thanks to every listener.  Whether you’ve been riding since day one or just found out about the show lately, you’re the reason we’re here.

Here’s to 8 more years!

Show #413 (5-12-13)

1. Common ft. Kanye West & John Mayer – “Go” (Throwback of the Week)
2. Big K.R.I.T. ft. Ashthon Jones – “Good 2getha”
3. Drop City Yacht Club ft. THURZ – “Pipeline”
4. Slaine ft. Kali & REKS – “The F*ckery Hotel”
5. Tyler, The Creator ft. Erykah Badu & Coco Owino – “Treehome95”
6. sayknowledge ft. Cashius Green – “Art Goons”
7. Dariu$ – “Daydreemin’” (Local Music)
8. Substantial ft. Jsoul – “BBQ (Family Reunion Remix)”
9. 8thW1 – “Happy (Dirty Art Club Remix)”
10. Talib Kweli ft. Rubix & Bajah – “High Life”
11. K-Def ft. Blu & Quartermaine – “Fundamentals”
12. Nate Tha Great ft. Fego – “Them Days”
13. GrandeMarshall – “Gotmef*ckedup”
14. Porter Ray – “5 Mics” (Local Music)
15. Bryant Dope ft. ANTHM – “NNY”
16. Shad – “Peace”
17. Logic ft. Jhene Aiko – “Break It Down”
18. Denzil Porter – “Bishop”
19. Marco Polo ft. Lil Fame – “Fame For President”
20. Trek Life ft. Hardwerk & Bishop Lamont – “Rap Time”
21. Mike Champoux ft. Grynch – “The Rain” (Local Music)
22. The Micranots – “Mother’s Day” (Throwback of the Week)
23. J. Cole – “3 Wishes”
24. Kelis – “Jerk Ribs”
25. Major Lazer ft. Amber Coffman (of Dirty Projectors) – “Get Free”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www19.zippyshare.com/v/46832492/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/pnp9wfhujfe8)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/j55j5h)

If there are any problems with the links or if you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

I’ve been in New York this week for some ESPN day job stuff and didn’t really get a chance to do anything music related, as I’ve been so busy working and hanging with some great co-workers.  That changed on Friday when I took the day off to explore the city a bit and visited my people at UMG and WMG.  After a long day, I headed back to my hotel and noticed Twitter was a buzz with Kanye’s amazing rollout of his “New Slaves” video projected on to 66 walls across the world, including one in Brooklyn.  At first, I thought it was the only NYC showing, but after checking their schedule, I noticed the last showing of the night was a few blocks from my hotel but was supposed to start 5 minutes ago.

Having worked in the industry for 13 years, I’m fully aware of hip-hop time, so 5 minutes ago really meant it was going to start in about 15.  Tossed on some clothes and jogged down to the 5th Ave Prada store (right across from Trump Tower) and sure enough, there was a crowd of about 50-75 people waiting for the showing.  Within minutes, a large black truck pulled up and crew dressed all in black hustled to pull off the tarp covering the cargo bay and unveiled the projector and speakers (seriously looked like something a Batman villain would do in Gotham City).  After a quick set up, they showed the piece, which is, of course, just as dope in its style and content as it is in its guerrilla marketing rollout.  Yeezy is back and spitting that real.

After playing it, the crew said they would run it back in about 15 minutes. They left and came back like clockwork, but after setting it up, waited a good 10 minutes before showing it a 2nd time.

Turns out, Kanye himself was on the way to watch this showing as he is in NYC for Saturday Night Live later tonight. He stood behind us with a phone up, as if he was filming like everyone else. Right after it ended, he hopped in his Maybach and drove off. And then he made us pancakes (…Chappelle Show reference).

Shout to everyone in the crowd that night. Real cool atmosphere as all us Yeezy fans were excited to see his new work and be a part of the rollout. Shout to Global Grind and XXL for picking up my video and tweets, and any other sites that have posted it.

And shout to Kanye for the realness. #YeezySeason

We’re celebrating our 8 year anniversary of SNSS tonight.  That’s a lot of shows.  Lots of numbers on the boards.

Getting this week’s SNSS out to y’all right away since I’m headed down to LA in a few hours.  If you’re in SoCal, holler at me and let’s link!  I’ll be there all week.

In the meantime, enjoy this week’s show, featuring new music from Havoc, REKS, Chance The Rapper, GrandeMarshall, Big K.R.I.T., Andre 3000, Jay-Z, Quasimoto, J. Cole, Kid Cudi, Bridget Kelly, Stacy Barthe, Rittz, Tyler, The Creator, and more.  Shout to Neema for swinging by the studio to debut his new single with Crooked I, Grynch, Ra Scion, and Aquino, and a special shout to longtime friend of the show, Talib Kweli, for calling in to talk about his new album.  Be sure to go cop Prisoner of Conscious when it drops on Tuesday!

8 year anniversary of SNSS on the next episode…

Show #412 (5-5-13)

1. Havoc ft. Lloyd Banks – “Life We Chose”
2. REKS ft. EzDread – “Caged Bird”
3. Chance The Rapper ft. Ab-Soul – “Smoke Again”
4. GrandeMarshall – “Gotmef*ckedup”
5. Big K.R.I.T. – “The Bigger Picture”
6. Beyonce ft. Andre 3000 – “Back To Black”
7. Jay-Z – “$100 Bill”
8. Wu-Tang Clan – “C.R.E.A.M.” (Throwback of the Week)
9. Czarface (7L, Esoteric, & Inspectah Deck) ft. Action Bronson – “Czardi Gras (It’s Raw Again)”
10. Action Bronson ft. Lauriana Mae – “Compliments 2 The Chef”
11. Jarv Dee – “High Expectations” (Local Music)
12. J Shiltz ft. Junia-T – “From The Soul”
13. Quasimoto – “Planned Attack”
14. De La Soul – “Get Away”
15. **INTERVIEW WITH TALIB KWELI**
16. Talib Kweli ft. Busta Rhymes – “Rocket Ships”
17. J. Cole – “3 Wishes”
18. Kid Cudi ft. King Chip & ASAP Rocky – “Brothers”
19. Bridget Kelly ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Street Dreamin’”
20. Stacy Barthe ft. Rick Ross – “Hell Yeah”
21. Rittz ft. Mike Posner – “Switch Lanes”
22. Scribes – “Hop On The Ride” (Local Music)
23. Tyler, The Creator ft. Erykah Badu & Coco Owino (of Quadron) – “Treehome95”
24. **INTERVIEW WITH NEEMA**
25. Neema ft. Crooked I, Grynch, Ra Scion, & Aquino – “Lex Luthor” (Local Music)

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www27.zippyshare.com/v/63895172/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/jsjmwt5llcsk)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/afyy2s)

If there are any problems with the links or if you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and download links after every show, just shoot me an email,DJHyphen@gmail.com.

I’m definitely feeling pretty much anything associated with the Smash Brovaz right now. Junia-T helps out J Shiltz on this Relic produced gem, talking about the realness.

Download the song (and clean/instrumental for my DJ friends) here – http://www.hulkshare.com/8yg5rb7kzj0g

Sorry for the delay on this week’s SNSS archive.  We have been busy preparing next month’s Cornerstone Mixtape and getting ready for our 8 year anniversary.  Longtime listeners may remember we did Cornerstone #115 four years ago (to the month!) and we’re happy to be back with #160 now.  We’ll spread the word when it’s released so everyone can check it out.

Speaking of things to check out, make sure you peep the video of our recent interview with Joey Bada$$ and the rest of the Pro Era crew right here:

Then go ahead and rock with us on episode 411, featuring new music from artists like Pac Div, Trek Life, REKS, James Blake, JON MCXRO, 8thW1, Jarv Dee, Rapsody, The-Dream, De La Soul, Mac Miller, and more.  Enjoy!

Show #411 (4-28-13)

1. Big K.R.I.T. – “King Without A Crown”
2. Marco Polo ft. Tragedy, Lil Fame, Adrian Younge & The Delfonics – “Stand Up (Remix)”
3. Action Bronson ft. Lauriana Mae – “Compliments 2 The Chef”
4. Pac Div ft. Elway 7 & Edbone – “It’s All Love”
5. Trek Life – “Hometown Foreigner”
6. Dave B – “Illectric” (Local Music)
7. Mac Miller – “S.D.S.”
8. J Shiltz ft. Junia-T – “From The Soul”
9. REKS ft. EzDread – “Caged Bird”
10. De La Soul – “Get Away”
11. James Blake ft. RZA – “Take A Fall For Me”
12. Tyler, The Creator – “Awkward”
13. Major Lazer ft. Ezra Koenig (of Vampire Weekend) – “Jessica”
14. JON MCXRO ft. Miguel – “Give It Up”
15. Kelis – “Jerk Ribs”
16. Janelle Monae ft. Erykah Badu – “Q.U.E.E.N.”
17. 8thW1 – “Happy (Dirty Art Club Remix)”
18. Jarv Dee – “High Expectations” (Local Music)
19. Tito Lopez – “DGAF”
20. Statik Selektah ft. Raekwon, Joey Badass, & Black Thought – “Bird’s Eye View”
21. Beatnuts ft. Big Pun & Cuban Link – “Off The Books” (Throwback of the Week)
22. Rapsody – “Everlasting”
23. Shelton Harris x Tyler Dopps – “24k Dreams” (Local Music)
24. Young Roddy – “This One”
25. Johnny Polygon – “Normal”
26. The-Dream – “IV Play”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www70.zippyshare.com/v/58269764/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/8idg03l4gt0g)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/kcrkd7)

If there are any problems with the links or if you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and download links after every show, just shoot me an email,DJHyphen@gmail.com.

With the release of his new video, the lil’ homey Dave B is continuing to impress.  Download the entire Coffee EP right here!

J. Moore and I recently had a chance to chop it up with Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era crew at the Sound Session studio.  We touched on a bunch of topics, including how they originally came together,; how they were put on to golden hip-hop by their families, their ambitions outside of hip-hop, and what life is like on tour with the whole crew.  We also discussed their upcoming projects, including solos from Joey and CJ Fly, and they spoke on how artists like Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and the TDE camp are inspiring them as artists and businessmen.

I’m hoping more younger cats in the game follow the same general path as Pro Era.  There’s just something naturally ill about that classic boom-bap sound, and as long as artists are being genuine and providing their own twist on it, I’ll never get tired of hearing it.

Shout to Statik Selektah and Jake One for coming through as well, plus the Detooz Films homies for filming!

We’re happy to announce that SNSS has been given 15 more minutes of airtime here on KUBE 93, so we now officially run from 10pm – midnight every Sunday.  Thanks to all our supporters at the station, throughout the industry, and most importantly, our listeners.  Keep spreading the word!

On this week’s episode, we were joined by good friend of the show, dream hampton, who always brings great insight and discussion to SNSS.  We discussed Rick Ross’ rape raps and the ensuing fallout with Reebok, the pseudo “controversy” over Jay-Z’s trip to Cuba, and dream shared some classic stories of Jay and Biggie.  On top of all that, we ran new records from Statik Selektah, Raekwon, Black Thought, Joell Ortiz, Big K.R.I.T., Tyler, Drake, De La Soul, RZA, Chali 2na, Common, Marco Polo, and more.

Enjoy!

Show #410 (4-21-13)

1. Pusha T – “Numbers On The Boards”
2. Statik Selektah ft. Raekwon, Joey Badass, & Black Thought – “Bird’s Eye View”
3. Joell Ortiz – “Roll Deep”
4. Dave B ft. Gift Uh Gab – “Mr. Chow” (Local Music)
5. Nitty Scott, MC – “Language Arts”
6. Big K.R.I.T. – “Serve This Royalty”
7. Young Roddy – “This One”
8. Tyler, The Creator – “Awkward”
9. DJ Khaled ft. Drake, Rick Ross, & Lil Wayne – “No New Friends (SFTB Remix)”
10. Jay-Z – “Open Letter”
11. **INTERVIEW WITH DREAM HAMPTON, PT. 1**
12. Jay-Z ft. The Notorious B.I.G. – “Brooklyn’s Finest” (Throwback of the Week)
13. **INTERVIEW WITH DREAM HAMPTON, PT. 2**
14. De La Soul – “Get Away”
15. Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge – “Beware Of The Stare”
16. Kid Cudi ft. RZA – “Beez”
17. Thunderbird Gerard – “Trouble”
18. Chali 2na ft. Ming Xia – “Against The Current”
19. Daft Punk ft. Pharrell & Nile Rodgers – “Get Lucky”
20. Pigeon Hole ft. Zoe Lauckner – “June” (Local Music)
21. Common ft. Cocaine 80s – “Congratulations”
22. Call Me Ladro – “L.A.D.A.” (Local Music)
23. Marco Polo ft. Talib Kweli & DJ Premier – “G.U.R.U.”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www53.zippyshare.com/v/55769920/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/8c54vzjpqiq1)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/jh0iui)

If there are any problems with the links or if you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and download links after every show, just shoot me an email,DJHyphen@gmail.com.