The Audacity of Dope

Watch this immediately.  There’s really nothing else that needs to be said.  RIP Dilla.

My strategy is to keep the circle to a minimum.  That way, I never even have to worry about cutting you off.  But in case you get too close and I need theme music, Kendrick provides it nicely.

Yeah, the vocal tone, vocabulary, and delivery are perhaps a little too close to Ghostface, but I don’t care one bit.  This dude is dope!

Long time friend of SNSS, Lupe Fiasco returned to Seattle to speak with J. Moore and I on 1-14-11. We broadcast live on KUBE93.com and talked all about his long awaited Lasers project, his rabid fan base, his life away from the stage/studio, and much more.  In the first half of the interview, Lu discussed how his lyrics impact listeners, how he’s often misinterpreted in the media, his hobbies when relaxing at home, and more.

In the second half of the interview, Lu discussed his car collection, his favorite albums of 2010, his plans to become an author, Lasers, and he even spit an acapella verse from the project.

Lastly, we opened up the floor to questions from viewers who were logged in, watching it live.

Hopefully you enjoy this candid conversation with one of our favorite MC’s in the industry and just an all around good guy.  I wish we recorded footage of the meet & greet we held right before this (remember when we gave out tickets?) so you could all see how Lu’s lyrics have really impacted the lives of his fans.

Support Lasers when it drops March 8th!

Wow.  Great video and great record.  Shout to the homey Sol for passing this on.

We may be interviewing Saadiq next week…any questions?

A few days ago, we all watched in agony as the Black Eyed Peas performed during half time of the Super Bowl and following that debacle, I had numerous debates with friends centered upon the notion of authenticity and “selling out.”  Without rehashing those conversations and instead to take it another direction, it’s safe to say that Shad represents everything that I look for in a MC in 2011.  Obviously, the skills are there, but lots of people can rhyme.  It’s another thing to not just speak on “real” issues, but to do so in an intelligent, thought provoking, and positive manner.

“Be the change you want to see in the world,” and take pride in the music you create, consume, and generally identify with.  Would you be comfortable playing the music you listen to for kids in your neighborhood?  Your parents?  Your coworkers?  If not, you should reevaluate your consumption.  This isn’t to say that you have to listen to nothing but positive music, but you must be able to explain why you appreciate the art you associate yourself with, at least on some level.  Assuming, of course, you consider yourself a music lover.  If you’re just a listener and not a lover, carry on.

These two kids from the town are dope.  Learn more about and download their new EP over at their site.  SNSS listeners will recognize the records with Vitamin D, Sol, and JusMoni that we played on the air.  Cop that!

If you think Ghost is hilarious in his songs and on TV, just multiply that by about 25x for the “in person” effect.  Definition of a legend.

New visuals for the track Bilal performed live on SNSS a few months back.  Missed it?  Peep below:

Really looking forward to Lykke’s Wounded Rhymes album.  Sometimes you just get a little rapped out.