The Audacity of Dope

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.

You might recall that Slaughterhouse recently dropped by the Sound Session studio, but soon after, Royce Da 5’9″ returned for another show in Seattle and came through solo.  We covered a ton of topics in the 3 part conversation so I decided to put the full video online for y’all to enjoy.

Shout to Royce, easily one of the most down to earth and talented artists that we’ve had on the show.  When I was a high school kid losing my mind to all his verses in the late 90’s, I never would have thought I’d have the opportunity to kick it with him a few times.  Craziness.  Go cop Street Hop immediately and peep below for the interview.

Part 1:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• Reception of the Slaughterhouse project
• Familial relationship of the group
• Future of Slaughterhouse
• Earliest memories of Eminem

Part 2:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• Working with Eminem as part of Bad Meets Evil
• Learning recording techniques from Em
• His favorite MC’s
• Detroit’s knack for producing dope rappers
• His thoughts on J. Cole

Part 3:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• The Charles Hamilton/J Dilla fiasco
• His current relationship with Dr. Dre
• His new Street Hop album
• What he has left to prove in the game
• Future Bar Exam mixtapes

If you would prefer to just listen to the discussion and toss it on your mp3 player, here’s the audio of the full interview:

Royce Da 5’9″ on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?mkjzymhzzj1
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/690590078f4fcc91/)

Enjoy!

As I mentioned last week, we were joined in the studio by the lovely Anjulie on the most recent edition of Sound Session.  It’s always a blast to hang out with talented artists that are also cool people, which isn’t quite as common as you might think.  Anjulie’s self titled album is in stores (and Starbucks) now…be sure you cop it and support one of the dopest up and coming singers around.  If you need more proof, check her out in person when she hits your town for the Raphael Saadiq tour.  Trust me.

Also, if you missed it, peep the video for our full interview with Jay-Z’s first signing to his Roc Nation label, J. Cole.  This kid is destined for huge things, so if you aren’t familiar, catch up right here!

Show #233 (11-15-09)

1. **INTERVIEW WITH ANJULIE, PT. 1**
2. Wale – “Triumph”
3. DJ Crazy Toones ft. Kurupt – “2 Turntables and a Microphone”
4. Timbaland ft. Drake & Lupe Fiasco – “Say Something (DJ Hyphen Edit)”
5. Freeway & Jake One – “All By Myself” (Local Music)
6. Ice The Villain ft. Raheem DeVaughn – “Walk With You”
7. Mike Posner ft. Big Sean & Freddie Gibbs – “Bring Me Down”
8. **INTERVIEW WITH ANJULIE, PT. 2**
9. Anjulie – “Some Dumb Girl”
10. **INTERVIEW WITH ANJULIE, PT. 3**
11. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Otherside” (Local Music)
12. Slum Village – “Dope Man”
13. Focus ft. Crooked I, Jay Rock, Kida, & Marsha Ambrosius – “Homage To Dr. Dre”
14. J. Cole – “World Is Empty”
15. Fashawn – “Stars”
16. Solange – “Stillness Is The Move”
17. Little Dragon – “My Step”
18. **INTERVIEW WITH ANJULIE, PT. 4**
19. EvergreenOne & Todd Sykes – “Girl Song” (Local Music)
20. Joell Ortiz – “Happy Birthday Pun”
21. Black Sheep – “Forever Luvlee”
22. Focus ft. Phonte – “Recession”
23. **INTERVIEW WITH ANJULIE, PT. 5**

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?zmyymwhfryy
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/68576204a0b4681a/)

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.

A few weeks back on Sound Session, we had the pleasure of chopping it up with one of hip-hop’s rising stars, J. Cole, during his first trip to Seattle.  I’ll admit that I wasn’t up on J back when The Come Up dropped, but a few homies recommended it shortly after the release, and I once I checked it out, I was hooked.  Now that The Warm Up has solidified his “got next” status and he’s on tour with Jay-Z, it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a household name.

Peep our 3 part interview with Cole to hear him discuss all sorts of topics:

Part 1:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• His background and influences
• How he found his own voice on the mic
• His first rap names
• The tenacity in his delivery
• How graduating college helped him as an artist and person
• His experiences hustling beats as a producer

Part 2:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• His audition with Jay-Z and when he got signed to Roc Nation
• The Come Up vs. The Warm Up
• The state of his basketball game these days
• The Blueprint 3 tour and Jay’s cosign
• The status of his debut album
• His production influences

Part 3:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• Where he sees himself in 5 years
• What he would change about the music industry
• His 5 favorite foods
• The decline of MySpace

You can also download the entire interview, including some topics that weren’t included in the video segments, right here:

J. Cole on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?amymlnnjndy
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/6849461769676d85/)

“Everyday a star is born…”

(watch in higher quality on HyphenTV)

As I mentioned, Malice and Pusha T recently made their second appearance on Sound Session, dropping by last month to chop it up with yours truly.  We talked extensively about their upcoming Till The Casket Drops album, including breakdowns of their singles with Kanye West, Cam’ron, and Pharrell. They also looked back on their past work, detailed the success of their Play Cloths fashion line, doled out advice to younger artists, and much more.

To listen to the entire interview, including a lot of topics we didn’t include in the video above, peep:

The Clipse on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?yzljyqz0lzl
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/67551505ee1d198a/)

The Thornton brothers are about to drop a 3rd classic album, believe that.  Be sure to cop it on Dec. 8th…

Time is absolutely flying.  It’s about to be Halloween?  WTFFFFFFFFFFF, fail.

Another fun show this week, complete with a great soundtrack from artists like J. Cole, the CunninLynguists, Kidz In The Hall, Skyzoo, Vstylez, Paten Locke, Fashawn, Joss Stone, Wyclef Jean, Extended Famm, and more.  Shout to the homies Clockwork for coming through the studio and also Emilio Rojas for calling in from NYC, fresh off his victory celebration for the Yankees.

Is it wrong that I don’t even mind that the Evil Empire made it to the World Series this year?  It feels like it’s been so long, I’m almost…*gasp*…rooting for them.  Ok, perhaps I can’t go that far, but I’m fairly apathetic towards this year’s series.  One team that just won and the other team where everyone pretty much has a ring (though I’d like to see CC get one, so he can CC all the girls he see sees around town)?  Eh.

I’ll just root for good baseball and hope it goes 7.  I bet Cleveland is maaaaad salty looking at those Game 1 starters though…

Show #230 (10-25-09)

1. Royce Da 5’9” ft. Phonte – “Something 2 Ride 2”
2. J. Cole – “Welcome”
3. Crooked I ft. Snoop Dogg – “Guess Who’s Back”
4. **INTERVIEW WITH CLOCKWORK**
5. Clockwork – “Accountability” (Local Music)
6. Big Boi ft. Gucci Mane – “Shine Blockas”
7. Camp Lo – “Satin Amnesia”
8. CunninLynguists ft. E-40 & Evidence – “Running Wild”
9. BK-One ft. Black Thought – “Philly Boy”
10. Clipse ft. Cam’ron & Pharrell – “Popular Demand (Popeyes)”
11. Kidz In The Hall – “Jukebox”
12. Skyzoo – “Popularity”
13. **INTERVIEW WITH EMILIO ROJAS**
14. Emilio Rojas – “Bold and Arrogant”
15. Vstylez ft. Royce Da 5’9”, Big Pooh, Elzhi, & Phat Kat – “Clash Of The Titans”
16. Drake ft. Logics, Spaceman, Brainstorm (of Dyme Def), & Grynch – “Forever NW Remix)” (Local Music)
17. Substantial & Burns ft. Extended Famm – “The W.W.K.Y.A. Tour”
18. Paten Locke – “Wadaap!”
19. Fresh Espresso ft. Grynch, Macklemore, & Gatsby – “Something New (Remix)” (Local Music)
20. Fashawn ft. Blu – “Samsonite Man”
21. Wyclef Jean – “Toussaint vs. Bishop”
22. Joss Stone – “4 and 20”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?zn005o5zz5k
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/675511091424ed84/ )

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 heard this video dropped, but I hadn’t had a chance to peep it yet until the homey Todd Angkasuwan alerted me via Twitter:

Yessir!  If you don’t remember, we had Raheem in studio last year for Sound Session and he blessed us with a little a capella preview of “Bulletproof,” peep game:

Todd definitely did the song justice too.  Great record and great visuals!

The Clipse rolled through the Sound Session studio last month and spoke with me all about their upcoming album, Till The Casket Drops.  I’ll be posting up the full interview soon, but in the interim, seeing as how their “Popular Demand (Popeyes)” track with Cam’ron leaked last week and set the net ablaze, I thought I would toss up this part for y’all.

In the clip, Pusha and Malice discuss how the track came together, their motivation behind the record, and how Cam dissed them in 2002 by declining their offer to be on the “Grindin'” remix.  Download the track here:

Clipse ft. Cam’ron and Pharrell – “Popular Demand (Popeyes)”

Full interview coming soon…

In case you want a little video to go with the audio from this week’s SNSS, here’s some footage of the homey Sol sitting in with us.  We talked about his new EP (download here!), his upcoming trip to Brazil, and more.

Thanks to a pretty massive power outage in the Queen Anne/Magnolia area of Seattle on Sunday night, our recorded archive of SNSS had a bit of a malfunction.  While we lost the first 30 minutes of the show when we got knocked off the air, the back up generators kicked in and we still have the final hour for y’all.  The link below picks up right before the brand new track from Big Boi, so you can still hear great music from Kid Cudi, Bilal, Shad, De La Soul, Warren G, Aloe Blacc, and more.

Shout to the homey Skyzoo calling in from Brooklyn as well.  Be sure you cop his official debut album, The Salvation, in stores today!

Show #226 (9-27-09)

1. Crown Royale – “We Gotcha”
2. Royce Da 5’9” – “New Money”
3. Mistah F.A.B. – “Follow Me”
4. Consequence ft. Rick Ross – “The More I Get”
5. Wale ft. K’Naan – “Um Ricka”
6. Brother Ali – “Crown Jewel”
7. Anton Genius ft. Naledge, Dominique Larue, Apollo Cain, Truth, & Pugs Atomz – “Gettin’ Up (Remix)”
8. J. Cole – “Lights Please”
9. Big Boi ft. Too $hort & George Clinton – “Fo’ Yo’ Sorrows”
10. Kid Cudi ft. Chip Tha Ripper – “Hyyerr”
11. Shafiq Husayn ft. Bilal – “Cheeba (Nottz Remix)”
12. They Live – “Meth Heads” (Local Music)
13. **INTERVIEW WITH SKYZOO #03**
14. Skyzoo – “The Beautiful Decay”
15. El Prez ft. Donwill & Von Pea (of Tanya Morgan) – “Victory Lapse”
16. Shad ft. Jermiside & Destruments – “The Calling”
17. De La Soul – “La La La”
18. Warren G ft. Raekwon & Nate Dogg – “100 Miles”
19. Kyle Lucas & Captain Midnite ft. Sol & Grynch – “The New Light” (Local Music)
20. Othello ft. Now On & Mayer Hawthorne – “Active Balanced (Terry Cole Remix)” (Local Music)
21. Kam Moye – “Let’s Be Honest”
22. Aloe Blacc – “Houston”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?z1gymnywiix
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/6627369668e80d1f/ )

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.