The Audacity of Dope

I’ve been meaning to make this post for a minute, but now that 14KT‘s album, The Golden Hour, is officially out in stores, it’s time.  I’ve been listening to dude since the early days of the Athletic Mic League and for as long as I can remember, he’s been dope on the mic and on the boards.  With The Golden Hour, KT flexes the skills he demonstrated winning the Detroit stop of the Red Bull Big Tune beat battle earlier this year.  This is some of the smoothest production I’ve heard all year, but don’t take my word for it…peep some of the tracks A-Side Worldwide has been kind enough to leak:

14KT ft. Tiffany Paige – “The Inside”
14KT – “Ypsilanti”
14KT ft. Aloe Blacc – “Can We (Chill Again)”
14KT – “Illustrious”
14KT ft. Ab & Zo! – “Less Than Enough”
14KT – “The Night”

(links courtesy of 2DopeBoyz)

If you only check one, listen to “The Inside.”  That is my ish right now.  A-Side has been more than generous with the leaked material, so go support them and cop the album right here (and cop that Buff1 and Now On while you’re at it!).  Trust me, there’s even more fire throughout The Golden Hour…

Even though this song is about 2 years old (I even put it on Vol. 6 of my old mixtapes, download it!), it’s just as relevant on the day of the final presidential debate between Barack Obama and John McCain.  What it all boils down to is ridiculously simple.

The policies and beliefs that George Bush and the Republicans put forth the last 8 years have brought this country to its lowest point in any of our lifetimes.  We’re fighting 2 unwinnable wars, witnessing an economic meltdown, feeling the effects of environmental destruction, adding an extra digit on to the National Debt Clock, and leaving millions of children behind in our educational system.  LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL @ anyone who voted for Bush.  I hope you’re proud of what you helped accomplish.  Can anyone honestly take pride in voting for the worst president of all-time?

Don’t make the same mistake again.  John McCain wants to continue Bush’s work, but it’s time for a change.  Watch the debate this evening and vote Obama on November 4th.  “For our kids’ kids.”

In stores now, complete with an extra bonus CD full of the instrumentals.  Copped!

New video for Tip’s “Move,” directed by the uber-busy Rik Cordero.  So let me get this straight: by filming a simple clip based on a style 25 years old (“I wanna rock with youuuuuu”), Rik and Tip made a better video than 95% of what rappers are dropping?  Artists on majors need to step their game up and try something different, even if it’s a nod to the past like “Move.”  Good ish.

Swiped from 2DopeBoyz.

“These 32 teeth, will give yo’ ass grief/
Bite you like a Fatburger, if you got beef”
–Ice Cube, “It Takes A Nation”

Cube’s delivery is pretty mediocre on his new album, but at least most of the content is on point.  I’m willing to look the other way for most of the rhymes that challenge the status quo, but there are certain couplets, like above, that I can’t cosign.

I have absolutely no idea how it became October.  We’re like 2 weeks away from Halloween…that makes no sense at all!

Anyway, here’s the latest edition of Sound Session, featuring some of the best music out right now from artists like Reef The Lost Cauze, Devin The Dude, John Legend, Chester French, Q-Tip, and many more.  We also played two new tracks from Murs and Kidz In The Hall as a special shout to the homies who came through Seattle this weekend.  Watch out for their tour hitting a town near you and look for our interviews with them soon.  In the meantime, we aired that Termanology interview we did at the top of the month.  Term’s Politics As Usual is in stores now, cop that!

Show #176 (10-12-08)

1. David Banner – “When You Hear What I Got To Say”
2. DJ Revolution ft. Styliztik Jones & KB iMean – “Willie Lynch”
3. Butta Verses ft. Joell Ortiz – “Rock Mics”
4. Reef The Lost Cauze – “I Wonder”
5. Jake One ft. Blueprint – “Scared” (Local Artist)
6. Murs – “Everything”
7. Johnson&Jonson (Blu & Mainframe) – “UpAllNight”
8. Incise ft. Tunji (of Inverse) – “True Greatness”
9. Q-Tip ft. D’Angelo – “I Believe”
10. **INTERVIEW WITH TERMANOLOGY #02, PT. 1**
11. Termanology – “Float”
12. **INTERVIEW WITH TERMANOLOGY #02, PT. 2**
13. Heltah Skeltah – “Ruck ‘N Roll”
14. Black Milk ft. Pharoahe Monch, Sean Price, & DJ Premier – “The Matrix”
15. Akrish – “No God” (Local Artist)
16. Kidz In The Hall – “Children’s Story”
17. U-N-I – “Stakes Is High”
18. Sweatshop Union – “Oh My” (Local Artist)
19. Devin The Dude – “Thinkin’ Boutchu”
20. Foreign Exchange ft. Muhsinah & Darien Brockington – “Something To Behold”
21. Chester French – “She Loves Everybody”
22. John Legend ft. Estelle – “No Other Love”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?xzzomw2njyy
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/20511853b175bab0/ )

Link to download the full interview with Termanology – http://www.mediafire.com/?5zfrqdfyntz
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/1998459928ef455f/ )

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.

WLotD is back after a little vacation, and who better to re-launch it with than the G.W.R.O.A.T., Lil’ Wayne himself?

“I never loved a b*tch, I only loved the moments/
Sh*t, I’m all about the Bills like Thurman Thomas”
–Lil’ Wayne, “I Can’t Feel My Face”

In terms of the meaning and simile, that’s fine.  However…”moments” and “Thomas”?  You’d have to be like Wayne in that picture to think those two remotely rhyme.

Chyea, those A.R.M. boys are on a roll lately.  If you missed Krukid‘s “Swagger Lockdown” voting PSA, download that and then peep M.anifest‘s “Age of Obama” track:

M.anifest – “Age of Obama”

M.anifest drops some great, timely lyrics about Obama and the change we need in this country over an ill beat from Seattle’s own Budo.  Be on the lookout for an A.R.M. mixtape coming soon!

Here’s the full version for Skateboard’s “I’m A PC” commercial.  If you ever wondered what N.E.R.D. stands for, now you know.  Microsoft and Zune have done a great job linking up with some of the dopest artists out there (shout to Murs & Kidz In The Hall for yesterday’s Zune sponsored show here in Seattle), but it’s going to be tough to convince kids not to go the Apple route.  I’ve been a PC user all my life, and while I’ll be keeping my desktop, your boy might be getting himself one of those new MacBook’s next week…

This has been in the works forever, so I’m glad to see the super dope video for U-N-I‘s “Soul Hop” finally drop.  Not only did it take the net by storm, but it was officially added to MTVu on Monday and will be getting lots of love on the MTV Networks.  The homies Thurz & Y-O are doing big things!  Couldn’t happen to nicer dudes or doper artists.  Be on the lookout for The Love Supreme EP dropping soon…