The Audacity of Dope

Like any sane individual, I didn’t watch the BET Awards and I knew that anything worth seeing would pop up online later.  Sure enough, the video that had Twitter going crazy and everyone professing their love for Eminem is here in all its explicit glory.

Em’s verse is bananas and it’s funny to hear him rhyme over East Flatbush Project’s “Tried By 12” beat almost 15 years after he was killing the Rap Olympics over similar records, but like any moment that gets SO much hype…I just instinctively have a little bit of a “meh” reaction.  Don’t get me wrong, every rapper here is dope and spits crazy, but there’s just so many bars upon bars upon bars upon bars for me.  I would have spazzed about this in 2000, but now, it’s cool…plus, it’s a great look for lyrics to actually be highlighted on a network like BET.

Well done 2.0 Boys.

I’ll readily admit that I’ve been sleeping on Allen’s music (unaware, even), which is especially embarrassing because he’s from the NW. In any event, I’m asleep no longer! Check out this live performance of “Unaware” to hear his incredible voice and see his mom’s living room decor.

Mac takes a lot of heat from hip-hop heads, mainly because his fan base is heavily comprised of young white kids. However, as his hype continues to build, he’s been winning over more and more cats, which is sure to continue when his upcoming mixtape with Jazzy Jeff drops.  Plus, if he keeps making appearances like this, spitting a better, legitimate, off the dome freestyle at 2:25 than a TON of these underground lyrical miracle cats I know, he’ll be in great shape.

Go head Mac, killin’ em.

The homies at Fortune Sound Club in Vancouver, BC wanted to make sure our Seattle readers know that MPC wizard and all around dope beatsmith AraabMuzik will be performing on Thursday, September 22nd.  If you’re in the area or can make the trip, it should be a dope show.  Here’s one of my favorite tracks off his newly released instrumental album, Electronic Dream.

Seeing footage like this from the promotional campaign for Frank is bittersweet.  While the challenges she faced a few years later undoubtedly contributed to the classic nature of Back To Black (her pain was our gain), it’s interesting to think what could have been if she never got too deep in to depression and drugs.  Frank is a more upbeat record — emotionally, not necessarily tempo-wise — though “I Heard Love Is Blind” is one of the more caustic songs on the album.  If the lyrics truly depict a situation she went through with her boyfriend at the time, I can’t imagine hearing anything more gut-wrenching coming from your lady.

We shouldn’t be surprised though, she was handing out ether left and right on that record.  Sorry ladies, but she got at a TON of y’all with this one:

RIP Amy.

A few weeks ago, Shad performed at the Capitol Hill Block Party here in Seattle and his super talented DJ, T-Lo, sadly wasn’t able to make the trip. I was honored to step behind the tables and help keep the show moving in his absence, though I don’t think I’ll ever get used to being on stage. Just not for me.

Shad, on the other hand, is a natural. Above is a quick clip of him performing “Compromise,” a great record off his classic The Old Prince album.  If you missed the official video for the track, peep it here.

Every day, another person asks me what I’ve been listening to recently and most of the time, I default with “whatever we’re playing on Sound Session.”  It’s an easy answer since it’s true and there’s just too much music being released to keep everything top of mind.  Recently, I’ve switched it up a bit because there are a few artists killing it to such a degree that I’ve found myself listening to their projects over and over.  One such artist is Los Angeles’ Dom Kennedy, who is quietly writing a blueprint for independent success without a major cosign.

If you haven’t checked out his past few releases, you’re missing out on some of the dopest music around, especially for these west coast summer days.  I can’t recommend The Original Dom Kennedy and the two editions of From the Westside With Love enough.  Cop ’em now!

Dom will be performing in Vancouver on Thursday, August 24th, and thanks to our friends at Fortune Sound Club, we’ve got one pair of tickets to give out here on TAOD.  Whether you live in Van City or you’re a fellow Seattle resident able to make the drive up, if you want to check out the show, just answer the question below by emailing me – DJHyphen@gmail.com – and I’ll pick out a winner on Sunday, the 21st:

Question:  According to one of Dom’s singles, in what year did he write his first rhyme?

If you know the answer and can go to the show, hit me up!  Along with Dom’s performance, they’ll be celebrating the 4 year anniversary of The Freshest, one of the illest DJ collectives around.  It’s gonna be a great night…

Hahahahah…shout to the homey Tone for sending this over. Classic.

Aloe’s given us numerous awesome performances of this record (remember this one?), but it’s so classic that it deserves yet another. Between the suit and the drink, he’s got a sort of Bob Harris, “for relaxing times, make it Suntory time” swag going on.

If you missed the time Aloe came to the Sound Session studios and absolutely demolished a live version of “Politician” for us, enjoy:

If you’ve been coming to this blog for a while, you already know all about Shad. Even if you do, this interview actually gets in to some personal topics that you don’t often hear him talk about. And if you’re curious why folks think Shad is so dope, check the rhyme: