The Audacity of Dope

Sorry for the delay, but here’s episode #418 of SNSS for y’all.  Dope music from Yonas Michael, Schoolboy Q, Thunderbird Gerard, Hustle Gang, Logic, 7 G.E.M.S., MeLo-X, Shad, and more.  Was planning on writing a lengthy piece on the NBA Finals, but with the delay, that’s moot.  Congrats to the Heat and the greatness who is King James.  He’s still not on MJ’s level though.

This week’s episode, #419, will be coming shortly.

In the interim, you can peep our interviews with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and J. Cole from KUBE 93’s Summer Jam by clicking on their names.

Enjoy!

Show #418 (6-16-13)

1. J. Cole ft. TLC – “Crooked Smile”
2. Yonas Michael – “Volvo”
3. Th3rdz – “Be Yourself” (Local Music)
4. Schoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Collard Greens”
5. Thunderbird Gerard ft. Kenzie May – “Firewurx”
6. Hustle Gang ft. Travis Scott, B.o.B, & T.I. – “Animal”
7. Travis Scott ft. James Fauntleroy – “Drive”
8. Logic – “5AM”
9. Prodigy & Alchemist ft. Havoc & Raekwon – “R.I.P.”
10. 7 G.E.M.S. (Tragic Allies & Tragedy Khadafi) – “I Know I’m Reckless”
11. Tony Touch ft. Action Bronson & Kool G Rap – “It’s A Queens Thing”
12. Statik Selektah ft. Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, & Mike Posner – “The Spark”
13. ScienZe ft. Blu – “Charlie Brown”
14. 2Pac – “If My Homie Calls” (Throwback of the Week)
15. Kanye West ft. Charlie Wilson – “Bound”
16. Mayer Hawthorne – “Reach Out Richard”
17. Ripynt ft. Q-Dot – “Father’s Day” (Local Music)
18. MeLo-X – “The Truth”
19. Shad & Skratch Bastid – “Outta My Head”
20. M.i ft. Blu & Dawni McCray – “Church West Texas”
21. Romaro Franceswa ft. Fearce – “Bounce” (Local Music)
22. Rapper Big Pooh – “Gold Chain”
23. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Is This Love (Jason Bentley Remix)”

Download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/90557701/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/hvkni2yyohuy)
(2nd back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/39eaa42b3b/)

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.

Along with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, we sat down with good friend of SNSS, J. Cole, at our recent Summer Jam concert at the Gorge.  The video of our interview doesn’t fully share how dope a conversation this was, mainly because of the lack of proper equipment we had down there, but there’s still a lot of interesting stuff from Cole.

Of course we spoke all about his new Born Sinner album, including the pressure he felt while making it, why he decided to compete with the other artists dropping 6/18 too, and why the album is his attempt to “beat the system.”  We also spent time talking about his favorite subject, basketball, and what it’s like being friends and playing ball with NBA players, their words of encouragement for him, and if he would trade rap for hoops.  There’s some more random goodness in there too.

Shout to Cole for always being one of the coolest dudes in the industry and always supporting our show.  Be sure you cop Born Sinner in stores now!

J. Moore and I had the chance to catch up with our homies Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Summer Jam recently and as always with these guys, we had a great time.  I wish I could have shared all of the conversations we had with them off camera, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of good stuff in this for you to check out.

We centered the discussion around their meteoric rise to superstar status, which is a bit surreal to witness since we’ve known the fellas for so long and they haven’t changed a bit since all this started.  They’re still great, down to earth, regular guys…who just happen to be REALLY talented…and through an incredible mix of hard work, smart decisions, rabid fan support, and some fortuitous luck, they’re now at the top of the music industry.  It’s an amazing accomplishment, and not one that can really be put in words, but we tried to wrap our heads around it a bit.

We also spoke on their first appearances on Sound Session years ago and looked towards the future with details on their tour, recording, and promotions strategies, including some insight on their next album.  All in all, good times.

Thanks to Mack & Ryan for chopping it up and a special shout to Mack for his sincere appreciation he showed us at the end of the interview.  Having one of our peers talk about the respect he has for SNSS and our work over the years was perhaps a pseudo Full House moment (cue the music), but it’s one I’ll remember.

We appreciate you, fellas.  Keep making the Town proud!

Back in effect for another week, shout to everyone we chopped it up with at Summer Jam over the weekend, especially J. Cole, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Lee (WMG), and Noah (UMG).  Great to catch up with the homies!

Check out this week’s episode of SNSS for new music from artists like Logic, Action Bronson, J. Cole, TLC, Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, Lupe Fiasco, Naledge, Chuck Inglish, Yonas Michael, Tanya Morgan, Wu-Tang Clan, and more.  Plus, we were joined in studio by our long time friends, former KUBE 93 host Eddie Francis and local artist, who has since relocated to Los Angeles, Mr. Xquisit.  

Additionally, be sure to check out last month’s Cornerstone Mixtape that J. Moore and I did if you haven’t already.  You can download it here.

Enjoy!

Show #417 (6-9-13)

1. Logic – “Nasty”
2. Action Bronson ft. LL Cool J & Action Bronson – “Strictly 4 My Jeeps (Remix)”
3. Romaro Franceswa ft. Fearce – “Bounce” (Local Music)
4. J. Cole ft. TLC – “Crooked Smile”
5. Travis Scott – “Hell Of A Night”
6. Schoolboy Q – “Yay Yay”
7. Wale ft. Rick Ross & Lupe Fiasco – “Poor Decisions”
8. ILLFIGHTYOU ft. JRM – “Fatal” (Local Music)
9. Naledge – “Loving Niece”
10. Chuck Inglish ft. Buddy & Jane Jupiter – “Dangerous”
11. Yonas Michael – “Volvo”
12. 2 Player Co-Op (Trackademicks & 1-O.A.K.) – “Someone Great”
13. Fearce & BeanOne – “Outlandish” (Local Music)
14. Tanya Morgan – “Whatever That’s Mine”
15. J Shiltz ft. Twizzmatic & Jon Moxin – “Switch It Up”
16. Reef The Lost Cauze & Haj (of Dumhi) – “92 Flow”
17. Wu-Tang Clan – “Family Reunion”
18. Kanye West – “Last Call” (Throwback of the Week)
19. Joey Bada$$ – “Word Is Bond”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/72817452/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/zwhtewzj2r2a)
(2nd back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/576b9b8353/)

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.

It’s about that time again!  Loyal Sound Session fans will likely remember that J. and I hosted Cornerstone Mixtape #115 back in May of 2009 with DJ B-Mello on the 1’s and 2’s (click here to check that out if you missed it!), and now we’re happy to report that we’ve been selected again to head up the long-running, historic mixtape series.  We are presenting May’s tape, marking 4 years to the month since our last go-round, and also celebrating our recent 8 year anniversary of SNSS!

Just like last time, it’s an absolute honor to be selected for this tape.  The team at Cornerstone has always been some of the most knowledgeable, respectable, and coolest cats in the industry and they’ve curated this monthly mixtape series for over a decade with care, skill, and consistency that very few can match.  As soon as I started working at my college radio station, I became a fan of their monthly releases, which always featured the dopest DJ’s from around the world presenting their take on the freshest music of the moment.

To say that in this small way, we can compare ourselves to folks like Jazzy Jeff, Pete Rock, Revolution, the Fantastic Four, Sway & King Tech, the Baka Boyz, Premier, Red Alert, Kid Capri, Stretch Armstrong, Bobbito, J. Period, etc….honestly, it’s still an incredible feeling.  We’re just happy we’ve been able to do what we’ve done over the last 8 years and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished.  When cats like Rob Stone, Dru Ha, J, Kid Potential, and the rest of the Cornerstone crew recognize and choose to highlight us with their series (twice!), it’s humbling.  We’re just very grateful.  Thank you, fellas.

For this tape, we decided to recreate what we do with Sound Session each week on KUBE 93.3 FM so it plays almost exactly like our live broadcasts, just without the commercials and with the swear words (even better, right?). We selected some of our favorite records of the moment and tried to highlight those that weren’t getting the credit they deserved.

These include great songs from some bigger names like Black Milk, Tyler, Big K.R.I.T., De La Soul, Blu, and Chance The Rapper, and also guys who are steady on the come up like MeLo-X, Young Roddy, the Smash Brovaz, Phil Beaudreau, Johnny Polygon, and more.  Plus, you know we always rep for the Northwest, and with our scene exploding right now, there were plenty of options to choose from.  In the end, we picked songs from John Crown, Nacho Picasso, Avatar Darko, Jake One, and the Physics.  We even tossed in a few world premieres, one from our homey THURZ and the other a dope record from The Game featuring Jadakiss, Styles P, and AR-16 that the world hasn’t heard before.

Above all, it’s 80 minutes of DOPE music.  This is what we do.  And we’re happy to share it with you.

Download/streaming links below.  Enjoy!

01. Homeboy Sandman – Sunday Night Sound Session (Exclusive)
02. Black Milk – Sunday’s Best / Monday’s Worst (Computer Ugly)
03. John Crown – Ben Franklin (Phinisey Music Group)
04. Kris Kasanova ft. Skeme and Jarv Dee – Shut Em Down (Exclusive)
05. Nacho Picasso & Avatar Darko – Black Velvet (Moor Gang / Fang Gang)
06. Tyler, The Creator – 48 (Odd Future)
07. Raz Simone – Formula To Life (Exclusive)
08. Young Roddy – This One (Jet Life)
09. MeLo-X – God Magic (Galax Recordings)
10. Quelle Chris ft. Tanya Morgan, Cavalier & Fresh Daily – Greene Eyes (Mello Music Group)
11. THURZ – ThirdEye (WORLD PREMIERE) (TNS)
12. Amp Live ft. James Melo – D.H.E.A. (Plug Research)
13. denitia and sene – trip. fall. (input)
14. Tuxedo – So Good (Exclusive)
15. The Physics – Take A Win (Exclusive)
16. Chance The Rapper – Acid Rain (Exclusive)
17. The Game ft. Jadakiss, Styles P, and AR-16 – Last Supper (WORLD PREMIERE) (Interscope)
18. Smash Brovaz – Whatever (Exclusive)
19. Big K.R.I.T. – Serve This Royalty (Cinematic Music Group / Def Jam)
20. L’Orange ft. Blu – Alone (Jakarta Records)
21. De La Soul – Get Away (A.O.I. Records)
22. Johnny Polygon – Normal (Exclusive)
23. Phil Beaudreau – Take It High (High Renaissance)

Link to download/stream the mixtape - http://www14.zippyshare.com/v/84334272/file.html
(back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/212294eb92/)
(2nd back up – http://linkmixes.com/7eb8nu0rk5my)
(3rd back up - http://www.sendspace.com/file/4ql1yt)

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 radio show we do, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

We’re pretty busy gearing up for our Summer Jam (J. Cole, Wale, Drop City Yacht Club, 2 Chainz, Trey Songz, T.I., and hosted by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis), but here’s this week’s episode of SNSS for y’all.  New music from artists like Joey Badass, Meek Mill, Jadakiss, Logic, Locksmith, DLRN, ScienZe, Tony Touch, ILLFIGHTYOU, Reef The Lost Cauze, M.i, Capital Cities, Shad, and more.

Plus we were joined in studio by up and coming local artist, Rasaan Heist, and his L.O.E. business partner, Tony Wroten, of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.  You can catch Rasaan peforming at our Summer Jam this weekend at the Gorge as well!

Enjoy!

Show #416 (6-2-13)

1. Joey Bada$$ – “Word Is Bond”
2. AZ – “We Movin’”
3. Logic – “Nasty”
4. **INTERVIEW WITH RASAAN HEIST & TONY WROTEN, PT. 1**
5. Jadakiss ft. The-Dream – “Big Boy Dialogue”
6. Meek Mill – “Levels”
7. **INTERVIEW WITH RASAAN HEIST & TONY WROTEN, PT. 2**
8. Rasaan Heist – “Check Chedda” (Local Music)
9. Locksmith ft. Olamide Faison – “Livin’ Loaded”
10. **INTERVIEW WITH RASAAN HEIST & TONY WROTEN, PT. 3**
11. Big K.R.I.T. – “The Bigger Picture”
12. DLRN – “Good Company”
13. Porter Ray – “Checkmate” (Local Music)
14. ScienZe ft. Blu – “Charlie Brown”
15. Tony Touch ft. Raekwon, JD Era, Ghostface Killah, & RZA – “Unorthodox”
16. ILLFIGHTYOU ft. JRM – “Fatal” (Local Music)
17. Marco Polo ft. Tragedy Khadafi, Lil’ Fame, Adrian Younge, & The Delfonics – “Stand Up (Remix)”
18. Shad & Skratch Bastid ft. Cadence Weapon – “Homie”
19. Reef The Lost Cauze & Haj (of Dumhi) – “92 Flow”
20. Hieroglyphics – “You Never Knew” (Throwback of the Week)
21. M.i ft. OnCue – “Write It Down”
22. 2 Player Co-Op (Trackademicks & 1-O.A.K.) – “Someone Great”
23. Wale ft. Sam Drew – “LoveHate Thing”
24. R.A. The Rugged Man ft. Brother Ali & Masta Ace – “The Dangerous Three”
25. Realm Reality ft. Prodigy – “The Realness”
26. Capital Cities ft. Andre 3000 & Frank Tavares – “Farrah Fawcett Hair”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/97604572/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/0lx2qkosug1e)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/d7gkr1)

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.

Hope everyone’s having a great Memorial Day and taking some time out to recognize those who have made sacrifices for the rest of us.  Here’s our most recent episode of SNSS, complete with new songs from AZ, Noreaga, Bryant Dope, Realm Reality, Nate The Great, Chuck Inglish, Mystikal, When Saints Go Machine, Cassow, Porter Ray, Locksmith, Wale, Casey Veggies, The Procussions, Chance The Rapper, and more.

If you missed it in our last blast, here’s the link to watch our recent interview with A$AP Rocky as well – https://www.theaudacityofdope.com/2013/05/27/asap-rocky-on-sound-session-video/

Enjoy the show!

Show #415 (5-26-13)

1. AZ – “We Movin’”
2. Noreaga – “Student Of The Game”
3. Bryant Dope – “Champion Sound”
4. Realm Reality ft. The Kid Daytona – “Cayman Island Getaway”
5. Wu-Tang Clan – “Execution In Autumn”
6. Method Man – “Bring The Pain” (Throwback of the Week)
7. French Montana ft. Raekwon & Ne-Yo – “We Go Wherever We Want”
8. Nate The Great – “Be Cool”
9. Big K.R.I.T. – “Talkin’ Bout Nothing”
10. Rittz ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “Wastin’ Time”
11. Mayer Hawthorne ft. Jessie Ware – “Her Favorite Song”
12. Chuck Inglish ft. Asher Roth – “For The Love”
13. TiRon & Ayomari – “PRTY N BLSHT”
14. Mystikal – “Hit Me”
15. When Saints Go Machine ft. Killer Mike – “Love and Respect”
16. Gilbere Forte ft. Active Child – “Nolita”
17. Cassow – “Her Poison” (Local Music)
18. Porter Ray – “Checkmate” (Local Music)
19. Locksmith ft. Anesha – “Stand It”
20. Substantial – “Bedda At Home (U Ain’t Fly)”
21. Wale ft. Sam Drew – “LoveHate Thing”
22. Casey Veggies – “Money Don’t Buy Time”
23. Chance The Rapper ft. Childish Gambino – “Favorite Song”
24. Fleeta Partee ft. Jarrard Anthony, Yirim Seck, & John Crown – “This Is Hip-Hop” (Local Music)
25. The Procussions – “Moon and Back”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www9.zippyshare.com/v/91192088/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/loymtplouisn)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/56b83b)

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.

Little behind on archiving SNSS, but thanks to today’s holiday, I’ll be able to catch up for y’all.  Here’s our show from 5/19/13, where we were joined in studio by Cam The Mac and French Montana called in to talk about his new album, Excuse My French.  HAAAAAAAAHN.

We also posted up our interview with A$AP Rocky, which you can watch right here.

Enjoy!

Show #414 (5-19-13)

1. Slaughterhouse – “House Gang”
2. Statik Selektah ft. Sean Price & Mac Miller – “21 & Over”
3. Slaine ft. Kali & REKS – “The F*ckery Hotel”
4. Talib Kweli ft. Rubix & Bajah – “High Life”
5. Mystikal – “Hit Me”
6. Bridget Kelly ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Street Dreamin’”
7. Big K.R.I.T. – “Banana Clip Theory”
8. Wu-Tang Clan – “Execution In Autumn”
9. Young Roddy – “Freedom Of Speech, Pt. 2”
10. J. Cole – “Cole Summer”
11. **INTERVIEW WITH CAM THE MAC, PT. 1**
12. Cam The Mac – “I’m On” (Local Music)
13. Nate The Great ft. Fego – “Them Days”
14. **INTERVIEW WITH CAM THE MAC, PT. 2**
15. Porter Ray – “5 Mics” (Local Music)
16. Bryant Dope – “Come Kick It”
17. **INTERVIEW WITH FRENCH MONTANA**
18. French Montana ft. Raekwon & Ne-Yo – “We Go Wherever We Want”
19. Gilbere Forte ft. Active Child – “Nolita”
20. The Black Opera ft. Mayer Hawthorne – “Queen Of Hearts (Oddisee Remix)”
21. Mayer Hawthorne ft. Jessie Ware – “Her Favorite Song”
22. A Tribe Called Quest – “Steve Biko (Stir It Up)”
23. A Tribe Called Quest ft. Dave (of De La Soul) – “Award Tour”
24. Brothers From Another ft. Asher Roth – “Groov” (Local Music)

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www21.zippyshare.com/v/74288685/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/81hxzzpzr00m)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/4rxujd)

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.

Recently, J. Moore and I were joined on SNSS by A$AP Rocky for an interview in our KUBE 93 studio.  Rocky talked in depth about his background, including how his brother first got him into hip-hop, his first rhyme, his influences locally (Big L, D.I.T.C., McGruff, Children Of The Corn, etc.) and around the country, and his early relationships with the A$AP Mob.  He also spoke on how “Long Live A$AP” has been well received, even with the early leak, and about his collaboration with Skrillex for “Wild For The Night.”  In discussing that song and video, Rocky mentioned his appreciation of the women in the Dominican Republic, especially his favorite group, cougars.

Shout to A$AP for coming through and our Detooz Films friends for hooking up the video.

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.