The Audacity of Dope

(watch on HyphenTV)

While in town for our abridged version of Rock The Bells on the 14th, Slaughterhouse came through the Sound Session studio to kick it with J. Moore and myself.  Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5’9″ talked all about their Slaughterhouse project, while Crooked I was in another studio recording a verse for a Seattle artist. They also discussed the differences recording solo vs. as a group, if they felt any competition in the booth, who they’d pick in their own super groups, why real lyricists need to be back on the radio, and more.

To listen to the full interview, check the audio below:

Slaughterhouse on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?loylvmqrwyh
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/645664522cc5c5da/)

Go cop the album and support 4 of the hardest working and dopest MC’s in the game, period.

Another fun show this weekend (and another goal and assist for the big homey Didier Drogba, but y’all don’t know about that) with new joints from artists like Wale, Saigon, Drake, Pac Div, Brother Ali, 14KT, Rashid Hadee, Donnis, Kev Brown, K’Naan, Apathy, Phonte, and more.  We were also joined live in studio by “the voice of Sunday Night Sound Session” and one of the nicest MC’s in the town, D. Black.  Since lacing us with the vocals in our sweepers 4 years ago, D and his Sportn’ Life family have established themselves as a force to be reckoned with and when D’s new Ali’Yah project drops, the entire country is sure to take notice.

Be sure to check out the full version of the Slaughterhouse interview below, and you can even watch some highlights on HyphenTV as well.  We chopped it up with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, and Royce Da 5’9″ (Crooked I was recording a verse for another artist from Seattle) about everything from the new album, competition within the group, their writing styles, who would be in their own super groups, and much more.  Peep it:

(watch on HyphenTV)

Show #221 (8-23-09)

1. Wale – “Pretty Girls”
2. Saigon – “Aye, Aye, Aye”
3. Drake ft. Nipsey Hussle – “Killer”
4. Pac Div – “Young Black Male”
5. Chali 2na ft. Ming Xia – “4 Be Be”
6. **INTERVIEW WITH D. BLACK, PT. 1**
7. D. Black ft. Marissa – “Yesterday” (Local Music)
8. Lushlife – “Until The Sun Dies”
9. **INTERVIEW WITH D. BLACK, PT. 2**
10. Brother Ali – “Fresh Air”
11. **INTERVIEW WITH SLAUGHTERHOUSE (SNIPPET)**
12. Slaughterhouse – “Cut You Loose”
13. 14KT – “Black N Gold”
14. Rashid Hadee – “The Wrong Thangs”
15. Apathy ft. Phonte – “True Love”
16. Marc Mac ft. Phonte – “Take A Trip”
17. Fresh Espresso – “Big Or Small” (Local Music)
18. Donnis – “Sexytime”
19. Khingz – “Blaq Han Solo” (Local Music)
20. K’Naan & J. Period ft. Kardinal Offishall, Steele, & Bajah – “Belly Full”
21. Kev Brown ft. Kenn Starr, Wayna, Raheem DeVaughn, and Eric Roberson – “The Hennessy Joint”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?kjxzz5z5jzj
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/64621704b3bfcbde/)

Link to download the full interview with Slaughterhouse – http://www.mediafire.com/?loylvmqrwyh
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/645664522cc5c5da/)

Link to watch part of the Slaughterhouse interview – http://vimeo.com/6256723

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.

In the time it just took you to read this, Usain Bolt just ran 100m faster than anyone in history.  Wow.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who looks forward to every Saturday and Sunday for all the sporting events and this past weekend was another great one.  We had some important baseball games down the stretch, preseason NFL action, Usain dominating in Berlin, and…*drumroll*…the return of the English Premier League.  Perhaps it’s due in part to my British pops, but I definitely look forward to this time of year where the temperature begins to drop and the European clubs take the pitch.  Props to Arsenal for dropping 6 on Everton (wow) and the homey Didier Drogba for scoring a double in Chelsea’s win.  Season’s just getting started!

On the music tip, we had Slaughterhouse, Slum Village, Supernatural, Pete Rock, and Reflection Eternal in town for an abridged version of Rock The Bells on Friday, and we were joined by local artists Yirim Seck and Larue in the studio on Sunday night.  Lookout for our Slaughterhouse interview coming soon, but in the meantime, we ran a snippet of an interview we taped with Asher Roth a few weeks ago.  Even in the brief clip we aired, Asher dropped some serious knowledge.  Full interview & video will be up soon (sooner if we get a SNSS intern in the works…).

Show #220 (8-16-09)

1. Slaughterhouse ft. Fatman Scoop – “Onslaught 2”
2. Lushlife ft. Camp Lo – “Another Word For Paradise”
3. Rashid Hadee – “The Wrong Thangs”
4. Saukrates ft. Rich Kidd – “Salt N Pepper”
5. A.R.M. ft. Supastition – “I Shine”
6. Blue Scholars – “HI-808” (Local Music)
7. Wale – “Pretty Girls”
8. **INTERVIEW WITH YIRIM SECK & LARUE**
9. Mr. Hudson ft. Kanye West – “Supernova”
10. Matt & Kim ft. De La Soul – “Daylight (Remix)”
11. Fresh Espresso – “Vader Rap” (Local Music)
12. Raekwon ft. Inspectah Deck, Method Man, & Ghostface Killah – “House Of Flying Daggers”
13. **INTERVIEW WITH ASHER ROTH #02 (SNIPPET)**
14. Asher Roth – “Fallin’”
15. Pac Div – “Young Black Male”
16. Co$$ & Fonetik Simbol ft. Shawn Jackson – “L.A.’s Best”
17. Kev Brown – “The Random Joint”
18. Khingz – “Ponyboy” (Local Music)
19. Mayer Hawthorne – “A Strange Arrangement”
20. Little Dragon – “Never Never”
21. Drake – “Sooner Or Later”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?1wbadnvminm
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/64281029a06fce99/)

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.

Back to business as usual this week, nothing but good music and good times.  Check out this week’s Sound Session for new songs from artists like Chali 2Na, the Kidz In The Hall, Raekwon, Kev Brown, Pac Div, Anjulie, Lushlife, Seattle’s own Blue Scholars, and more.  Speaking of the town, huge shout to the Massive Monkees for killing it in the first round of “America’s Best Dance Crew” on MTV.  Not only are they repping the 206 to the fullest, but they’re also representing true b-boy culture on one of the biggest stages in the world.  Keep up the great work fellas, we’re all proud of you.

Be sure to check out our full interview with the elusive and legendary Bilal too.  We had a great discussion about his classic 1st Born Second album, what he’s been up to since its release almost a decade ago, his upcoming Air Tight’s Revenge project, and much more.  It’s a great one.

Show #219 (8-9-09)

1. Blue Scholars – “HI-808” (Local Music)
2. Nas ft. Choklate – “Film”
3. Chali 2Na ft. Anthony Hamilton – “Don’t Stop”
4. Kidz In The Hall – “Flickin’”
5. Lushlife – “The Kindness”
6. Khingz – “Blaq Han Solo” (Local Music)
7. Slaughterhouse ft. M.O.P. – “Woodstock (Hood Hop)”
8. Raekwon ft. Inspectah Deck, Method Man, & Ghostface Killah – “House Of Flying Daggers”
9. The Roots – “How I Got Over”
10. **INTERVIEW WITH BILAL (SNIPPET)**
11. Bilal ft. Mos Def & Common – “Reminisce”
12. Kev Brown – “The Random Joint”
13. Rashid Hadee – “Set In Stone”
14. Pac Div – “Young Black Male”
15. Drake ft. Saukrates – “The Search”
16. Fresh Espresso – “Something New” (Local Music)
17. Brother Ali – “Us”
18. Mos Def – “Pistola”
19. Mayer Hawthorne – “One Track Mind”
20. Anjulie – “Some Dumb Girl”
21. Peter Hadar & Theophilus London – “Want You 4 Myself”

Link to download the mp3 – http://www.mediafire.com/?i4goitumtzq
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/63949230e475187d/)

Link to download the full interview with Bilal – http://www.mediafire.com/?limxqmnyonz
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/6388930225a66890/ )

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 months ago, J. Moore and I held a quick informal poll on Sound Session with our listeners – Of the most well respected ‘big 3’ R&B singers of the last 15 years, who is your favorite – Maxwell, D’Angelo, or Bilal?  Despite only releasing one official album, Bilal battled it out with D’Angelo for the top spot and they ended up tying the vote.

Personally, after hearing 1st Born Second in 2001, my entire vision of R&B was shaken to the core.  On that one record, Bilal displayed a soulfulness in his music, songwriting, and most noticeably, his voice that hasn’t been topped since.  Simply put, it’s a flawless album and marks one of the crowning achievements of the Soulquarian collective.

When Bilal came through the SNSS studio, we jumped at the chance to ask him all about that album, his Love For Sale follow up that was unfortunately shelved by Interscope (Industry Rule #4,080), and his upcoming project, Air Tight’s Revenge.  We also discussed his upbringing, his first big break as D’Angelo’s back up singer (and his prompt firing), behind the scenes stories from the Soulquarian days, his favorite J Dilla memory, and much more.  Check out the full interview below to catch up with the legendary Bilal Oliver.

Bilal on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?limxqmnyonz
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/6388930225a66890/ )

If you’re a music lover and don’t own 1st Born Second, cop it immediately…

(4:32 FTW)

I like how I’m so busy/tired these days that I upload my own footage and forget to post it on TAOD until I see it on other blogs.  Whoopsidoodle.

Much like the Asher Roth footage I posted last week, here’s a medley documenting Cudi’s performance in front of 15K people at our Summer Jam from the end of last month.  After coming out to his intro, he ran through joints like “Dat New New,” “Is There Any Love,” “Sky High,” “Make Her Say,” and “Day N Nite.”  I’ll have more SJ footage soon, plus interviews with Cudi and Asher as well.  Stay tuned…

I’m not sure if it’s just a natural part of getting older, but it seems like an inordinate number of people in the public eye have passed away this summer.  We’ve had to start our show with RIP shouts almost every week, and sadly this edition of SNSS was no different.

By now, you’ve probably heard that we lost yet another member of the legendary Slum Village family, Baatin, last week, but I also got news that an old friend of mine passed too.  Jose Hernando was a great friend of my family and even rented a room from us when I was in 7th and 8th grade.  For those two years, he was almost like a big brother to me and I’ll always remember those days fondly.  We used to play all sorts of video games and he was always there to help with anything I needed.  He was also a semi-pro bicyclist and was training a few weeks ago near Seward Park when a van hit him and placed him into a coma.  After fighting bravely, he passed in peace on the 24th.  He’ll be survived by his wife Chanel, his two children, and all the people he touched throughout his life.  You couldn’t wish to know a nicer and cooler guy, and I’m happy I was able to have Jose in my life, even though it was far too brief.  I really wish we could have caught up before all this happened.

You hear it all the time, but it’s so important not to take life for granted.  Reach out to your friends and family and tell ’em you love ’em.  You never know what life will bring, so live each day to the fullest and be the best person you can be.  We’re all in this together and our interaction and relationships are what make life special.  I hope you’re all doing well and if I haven’t talked to you in a while, let’s catch up – DJHyphen@gmail.com.

Show #218 (8-2-09)

1. Eminem – “The Warning”
2. Clipse ft. Keri Hilson – “All Eyes On Me”
3. Noel Zancanella ft. Baatin – “Could It Be”
4. Slum Village ft. Marsha Ambrosius – “Cloud 9”
5. Crown City Rockers – “Soul”
6. The Roots – “How I Got Over”
7. Lushlife – “Until The Sun Dies”
8. Fresh Espresso – “The Lazerbeams” (Local Music)
9. Drake ft. Saukrates – “The Search”
10. Statik Selektah ft. Lil’ Fame, Saigon, & Sean Price – “Critically Acclaimed”
11. Blue Scholars – “Coo” (Local Music)
12. Consequence – “Closer”
13. Nas ft. Choklate – “Film”
14. Beatnick & K-Salaam ft. Bun B, Talib Kweli, & Colin Munroe – “Don’t Die”
15. Mayer Hawthorne – “Shiny & New”
16. Nicolay ft. Carlitta Durand – “Lose Your Way”
17. Peter Hadar & Theophilus London – “Want U 4 Myself”
18. Mr. Hudson ft. Kid Cudi – “Everything Is Broken”
19. Brother Ali – “Us”
20. Guilty Simpson – “Coroners Music”
21. Sonny Bonoho – “Judge Brown” (Local Music)
22. Jay-Z ft. Kanye West & Rihanna – “Run This Town”
23. Raekwon ft. Inspectah Deck, Method Man, & Ghostface Killah – “House Of Flying Daggers”
24. J. Cole – “Dream Girl”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?gfzijmezgtd
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/636035690e255b56/)

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, honestly…it’s about 10pm and still damn near 90 degrees here in Seattle.  I like summer weather, but in a city that only has AC in office buildings and stores, we’re just not built for this.  J and I always disagree, but I’d rather be too cold over too hot any day.  If it’s freezing, at least you can turn on the heat or put on more clothes.  If it’s 80+ degrees in the dead of night, there’s only so many Otter Pops you can devour.

Unfortunately for the town, we didn’t help the cause by playing [Dylan] hot fiya [/Chappelle] this week on SNSS.  With new joints from the Roots, Goapele, Saukrates, Killer Mike, Jay-Z, Pac Div, Mr. Hudson, and more, this was a great show from start to finish.  Shout to our homey Larry Mizell Jr. (aka Gatsby from Cancer Rising) for coming through to celebrate his inheritance of Street Sounds, one of the longest running radio programs here in Seattle.  Be sure to check him out every Sunday on 90.3 KEXP (www.kexp.org) from 6-9pm to hear more great hip-hop on the airwaves.  Sunday nights are oh so official in Seattle.

Lastly, peep the footage we just posted of Asher Roth performing at our Summer Jam in front of 15K people last weekend right here.  For more Summer Jam footage featuring artists like the New Boyz, Asher, Kid Cudi, The-Dream, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Sean Paul, Akon, and Ludacris, keep your eyes on this page all week.  We’ll have more live clips and our interviews with Cudi and Asher coming soon as well.

Show #217 (7-26-09)

1. The Roots – “How I Got Over”
2. U-N-I – “Land Of The Kings”
3. Goapele – “Milk & Honey”
4. Consequence ft. Kanye West & John Legend – “Whatever U Want”
5. Saukrates ft. Rich Kidd – “Salt N Pepper”
6. Rakim – “Holy Are You”
7. Trife Diesel – “Wanna Be A Rapper”
8. Killer Mike – “In My City”
9. **INTERVIEW WITH LARRY MIZELL, JR.**
10. Grynch ft. RA Scion (of Common Market) – “You Know Me” (Local Music)
11. J. Cole – “Dream Girl”
12. Jay-Z ft. Kanye West & Rihanna – “Run This Town”
13. Freeway & Jake One – “Bloggers” (Local Music)
14. Pac Div – “Back”
15. Asher Roth ft. Chester French – “As I Em”
16. Slaughterhouse – “Cuckoo”
17. Drake – “The Winner”
18. The Physics ft. Language Arts – “Back Track” (Local Music)
19. Punchlyne & Fokis – “We Came To Rock”
20. Mr. Hudson ft. Kid Cudi – “Everything Is Broken”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?yzlynmwemnc
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/632634413588b8b0/)

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.

People around the 206 know that I’m notorious for not going to many shows, but I may have to make an appearance this Wednesday at the Vera Project (in Seattle Center, right next to Key Arena).  As J. Moore, Jake One, Vitamin D, DV-One, and Markus do in every city that Big Tune hits, the entire week is filled with great events for the public and for the participants.  Since Seattle is the home of the event, you already know that we’ve got some dope stuff going on before this Friday’s battle at the War Room.

Case in point, hit up the Vera on Wednesday for a free show from The Physics, J. Pinder, and Spaceman, along with an exclusive video documenting the collaboration between last year’s Big Tune winner, C-Sick, and the legendary Nas.  See y’all there.

Those of you in Washington (or stalking my Twitter) probably heard that we had our annual Summer Jam concert yesterday at White River Amphitheater with performances by the New Boyz, Asher Roth, Kid Cudi, The-Dream, Pitbull, Flo Rida, Sean Paul, Akon, and Ludacris.  Usually, I have nightmares of these days because it’s a fun event for the audience, but generally really hectic to work.  Last year was a painful double dose as I spent the entire day registering voters  for the Obama campaign (we put onnnnn) and then running around backstage interviewing cats.  This year was a lot more relaxing as I spent the majority of the time chilling with my two favorite acts on the bill, Asher and Cudi, and their folks.

We’ll have interviews coming soon with those two, but in the meantime, I grabbed some footage of Asher’s performance for y’all.  Peep the video above to see him, Brain, and Wreckineyez run through a few joints from Asleep In The Bread Aisle, including “She Don’t Wanna Man,” “Be By Myself,” and of course, “I Love College.”  For more Summer Jam footage hitting the net all week, keep your eyes on this page.

I highly recommend checking out the Great Hangover Tour with Asher, Cudi, Pac Div, and B.o.B if it hasn’t hit your town yet.  I’m slightly salty that we didn’t get the full lineup here in Seattle, but SJ with 1/2 of it was dope too.  Anyway, peep it…you won’t be disappointed.