Ok, I must admit, it’s a little sad that the site has pretty much been reduced to Sound Session episodes and little else, but I’ll work on that.  Perhaps I’ll bring back Wack Lyric of the Day, I’ve been letting a lot of y’all rappers slide.

Anyway, it’s been pretty hectic lately and like I mentioned last week, I’m completely locked in to the Olympics.  From skicross to hockey, the action has been incredible, though I did finally find an event that completely sucks.  That’s right ice dancing: you…are…awful.

In short, imagine figure skating (sigh) without the athletic tricks and jumps…ok, that’s rough enough, right?  Now…add themes (often offensive to your morality, if not your senses), an obscene amount of make up, music seemingly stolen from John Tesh’s unreleased vaults, and the douchiest overall presentation of any event in the Games, and you’ve got yourself ice dancing.  Even the other figure skaters think it’s “a trifle dramatic.”  It’s painful to watch hockey all day and then see NBC broadcast ballet on ice, minus the aerials, during prime time.  I keep hoping Ovechkin will come out of nowhere to treat Belbin and Agosto like Jagr, but sadly, they seem to use different venues for these events.

The only thing that provides an appropriate recovery after being exposed to ice dancing is, of course, Sound Session.  Enjoy.

Show #247 (2-21-10)

1. Nas & Damian Marley – “Strong Will Continue”
2. Strong Arm Steady ft. Phonte – “Best Of Times”
3. H.O.P.E. – “Me&Her”
4. Jern Eye ft. Spank Pops & J-Billion – “Cali”
5. Freeway & Jake One ft. Young Chris – “Microphone Killa” (Local Music)
6. Statik Selektah ft. Lil’ Fame, Havoc, & Kool G Rap – “Do It 2 Death”
7. Sean Price – “Shut The F*ck Up”
8. Nottz – “Shine So Brite”
9. Spaid – “Love Affair” (Local Music)
10. B.o.B ft. Asher Roth – “F*ck The Money”
11. El Prez – “Burger Time”
12. TiRon – “For Your Smile”
13. Kidz In The Hall ft. Jay Electronica – “Cool, Relax”
14. Kooley High ft. Median – “Solitude”
15. Aloe Blacc – “Dollar”
16. Concise Kilgore – “Alaska”
17. 2 Hungry Bros. ft. Substantial – “Can’t Be That Stupid”
18. Moka Only – “Search” (Local Music)
19. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – “He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper” (Throwback of the Week)
20. Quadron – “Pressure”
21. Janelle Monae – “Cold War”
22. Holy Ghost! – “Hold On”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?zztn1kmymqx
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/729094430911d241/)
(2nd back up – http://usershare.net/xhssbjlzxrma)

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.

Ok, I tried to hold out.  I watched the opening ceremony for the Winter Olympics and aside from a few cool moments, I concluded that it was far inferior to Beijing’s pageantry a few years earlier (though my Canadian friend astutely pointed out, “at least ours was real“).  I thought the lack of an electric superstar that the summer games seem filled with wouldn’t hold my attention.  And while Kanye is probably constructing a blog post about the figure skating outfits as we speak, it’s safe to say us sports lovers don’t usually get too involved with ballet on ice.  Besides, with it being NBA All-Star Weekend, Valentine’s Day, and my birthday all rolled into one, there was no way that I’d get wrapped up in the Olympics, right?

Wrong.

Even if the sports are questionable at times (curling is actually really interesting…for about 20 minutes) and even if the weather isn’t cooperating, there’s still something incredible about the Olympics.  These athletes spend every waking moment of their lives working towards one moment, and to see them either thrive or fail with such high stakes at play is riveting.  Plus, I know a lot of sports fans cringe at the “puff pieces” that NBC packages with the Games, but eff it, I like ‘em.  If you watched the report on Alexandre Bilodeau‘s handicapped brother and didn’t root for him to win Canada’s first gold on home soil, you have no soul.  His run in the moguls was the most exciting, and fulfilling, part of the whole weekend, hands down.  Well, aside from this week’s Sound Session of course.

Check out the latest episode featuring new music from Cypress Hill, Nas & Damian Marley, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae, Nneka, B.o.B, El Prez, and more, plus a special Throwback for those who may not have had the Valentine’s Day they were after.  Enjoy:

Show #246 (2-14-10)

1. Emilio Rojas ft. Styles P & Asher Roth – “Bold & Arrogant (Remix)”
2. Method Man, Ghostface Killah, & Raekwon – “Our Dreams”
3. Cypress Hill – “It Ain’t Nothin’”
4. Madlib & Guilty Simpson – “American Dream & Future (OJ Simpson Remix)”
5. Kooley High ft. Median – “Solitude”
6. El Prez – “Burger Time”
7. Nas & Damian Marley – “Strong Will Continue”
8. Freeway & Jake One ft. Raekwon – “One Thing” (Local Music)
9. Blue Scholars – “Michelle Malkin” (Local Music)
10. Marv Won – “The Way It Goes”
11. Sean Price – “Figure Four”
12. No Clue – “Ima Mash” (Local Music)
13. Consequence – “Sounds G.O.O.D. 2 Me”
14. B.o.B – “Down For Y’all”
15. Erykah Badu – “Window Seat”
16. AB ft. Black Milk – “Reppin’ For You”
17. Rhymefest ft. Phonte – “Say Wassup”
18. Janelle Monae ft. Big Boi – “Tightrope”
19. D’Angelo – “One Mo’Gin” (Throwback of the Week)
20. H.O.P.E. – “Me&Her”
21. Nneka – “Come With Me”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?mn4ydhkcymt
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/72622761dc9efd99/)
(2nd back up – http://usershare.net/wo3lbiqbi3vb)

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.

Best dunker of all time?  He’s got my vote.

Courtesy of The Smoking Section.

I’m breaking this out at the next opportunity, no question.

Swiped from HHU.

Fireworks over the Bird’s Nest during the Closing Ceremonies

The Big Picture followed up their excellent shots of the Opening Ceremonies with a set of wrap up pictures from the Olympics.  Here are a few of my favorites:

The star of the Games, Usain Bolt, dusting the field in the 200m.

Lolo Jones after her heartbreaking loss in the 100m hurdles.

Australia’s Matthew Mitcham still can’t believe he won gold with a flawless final dive in the 10m platform.

Inside the Bird’s Nest during the Closing Ceremonies.

You can see the rest of the pictures in high quality here.

swagged.

After all his breathtaking performances so far, there was never a doubt that Usain Bolt would win the 200m sprint.  The only question was would he be able to break Michael Johnson’s legendary record?  Well, after smashing the competition yet again, the answer was an emphatic yes.  Bolt ran a 19.30, edging Johnson’s 19.32, and cemented himself as the premier sprinter in the world…and perhaps all-time.

As usual, NBC’s lockdown on the video is obnoxious, but you can watch it on their site here.  International people can check out this bootleg while it’s still up.

O.O.O. (other Olympic observations) from the last few days:

• They did Spearmon and Martina dirty by disqualifying them in that 200m sprint for stepping on the lane lines.  Rules are rules I guess, but Walter Dix summed it up when his private comments got picked up by the cameras after he was awarded a medal…”I still lost.”  What a conflicted feeling.
• Taylor, Clement, and Jackson sweeping the 400m hurdles for America was a great moment.
• Heartbreak for Liu Xiang.  Even more for Lolo Jones.
• I’m glad Shawn Johnson managed to snag a gold on the balance beam.  She deserved one and it would have been a shame if she finished without the top prize.
• Why are you supposed to be 16 in gymnastics, but there are 14 and 15 year old divers?
• Did CBC really tell me that Wang Xin is 4’6″ and weighs 62 pounds?  No wonder she’s a good diver…it’s impossible for her to make a splash.
• Speaking of tiny divers, Haley Ishimatsu missing on her last attempt and failing to qualify for the finals was real sad.  Watching her try to fight tears (at the end of this clip) was damn near heartbreaking.  Andrea Kramer’s interview was cold too…very unfair to put a 15 year old through that.
• He Chong and Alexandre Despatie killed it in diving.  These Chinese gymnasts and divers are unbelievable.
• I respect water polo players, but that sport is awful to watch.  Just brutal.
• Two other sports that absolutely suck are synchronized swimming and speedwalking.  Yeah, those speedwalkers go pretty fast, but you know how they could go even faster?  By running.  GTFOH.  And these events get to stay in the Games while baseball and softball are ending after this year?  Blasphemy.
• The “Redeem Team” is playing better than I expected.  Let’s do this fellas.
• Hey, 2 days since a racist picture has surfaced.  We’re on a roll!
• Misty May-Treanor is a beast and Walsh ain’t so bad herself.  That final was intense.
• LOL @ having whitewater and flatwater rafting be broadcast next to each other.  One looks bad ass, the other looks boring as hell.
• I thought ‘table tennis’ players got all defensive when you called it ‘ping pong’?
• Matthias Steiner winning a gold for his late wife was the most tearjerking moment of the Games so far.  Well done, big man.
• Natalie du Toit competing as an amputee is incredibly inspirational.
• The man appointed the “world’s greatest athlete” by the Wall Street Journal, Roman Sebrle, is struggling in the decathlon.  I guess that title could go to your head kinda easily.  Bryan Clay from the US is killing after 3 events, but we have a ways to go.  Besides, the world’s greatest athlete is Lebron, hands down.
• One more time, say it with me people: “bei” – “jing”

Members of Argentina’s women’s soccer team have become the latest group of athletes to be caught striking this racist pose. The picture, apparently taken in preparation for the Beijing Games, just leaked and you can read the details here. It’s not even surprising at this point, just disappointing that ignorance is so common. Luckily, this team lost all their games and crashed out of the tournament quickly. Hopefully they’ll learn a lesson from the off the field controversy too.

Ever since I took up crossfit, I’ve had a new found respect for gymnastics.  Growing up, I always played every team sport out there and, quite frankly, made fun of those dudes jumping around in tights during the Olympics.  While I still think the men’s floor exercise is a biiiit strange (bad ass triple flip combo…followed by an effeminate prance and leap?  umm, ok), I’ve been in awe of the bar and rings routines at the Games.

Yesterday, Chen Yibing won gold on the rings, beating out his teammate Yang Wei by a slim margin.  Both their routines were incredible, but Chen’s was on another level.  He just looked effortless out there.  I highly suggest you watch it here (apologies if you’re outside of the States…NBC hates y’all).

My crossfit inspired goal is to be able to hold an iron cross for 5 seconds someday.  Dru, let’s get it.

If you missed Usain’s incredible 100m sprint, here’s the video. Even though it’s taken from the BBC feed, it probably won’t be online for long because NBC is being run by a bunch of morons. Enjoy the swag while you can.

I’m in the middle of a real busy weekend, but I had to take a second to post about Usain Bolt’s electrifying (yes pun) performance in the men’s 100m sprint yesterday.  It wasn’t even that he broke his own world record (from 9.72 down to 9.69), but it was how effortlessly he ran all throughout the competition.  He won every qualifying heat so easily that he actually let up with 30 meters left each time.  When the final came, everyone anticipated that he’d finally have to run the full race at top speed.

[Charlie Murphy] wrong…WRONG. [/Charlie Murphy]

From the start of the race, it was clear that Bolt was surpremely confident.  He bounced around and struck poses before getting in the blocks.  While everyone else wore hi-tech singlets, hoping to shave every possible split second off their time, Usain rocked some shorts and a normal little tank top.  Oh, and his left shoe was untied:

(are you kidding me?)

After a decent start and first 40 meters, Bolt turned it on and absolutely blew out his competition.  So much so that he let up again, this time throwing his arms out and beating his chest in celebration, a good 20 meters before the finish line:

As the 7 other fastest people on the planet strained towards the line, Bolt glided past it and continued on into his victory lap.  In between talking with his family and grabbing a Jamaican flag to show off to the world, he danced and broke out the classic ‘airplane’ move:

Again, it wasn’t just that he ran 100 meters faster than any human in history.  It’s that he did it so easily and so relaxed, almost as if it was a mere formality.  Apparently, it was.  Truly, a display for the ages and one worthy of instant inauguration to the Swag Hall of Fame.

Looking at the pictures doesn’t do it justice, but thanks to NBC’s draconian restrictions on archived video from the Games, you’ll have to watch it on their site here.  If you’re outside the US, NBC hates you and you’ll have to find it on your local Olympics carrier instead.  Their coverage has been pretty good (aside from Bob Costas repeatedly mispronouncing Beijing), but the lack of archived video is killing me.  In any case, find a way to watch the race and look out for Bolt running his real specialty in the 200m.  This dude is unreal.

Also, some guy named Michael Phelps won his 8th gold medal over the weekend.  Yeah…that was kind of cool too.  The Olympics are incredible!