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.
J. Moore and I recently had a chance to chop it up with Joey Bada$$ and the Pro Era crew at the Sound Session studio. We touched on a bunch of topics, including how they originally came together,; how they were put on to golden hip-hop by their families, their ambitions outside of hip-hop, and what life is like on tour with the whole crew. We also discussed their upcoming projects, including solos from Joey and CJ Fly, and they spoke on how artists like Kendrick Lamar, Schoolboy Q, and the TDE camp are inspiring them as artists and businessmen.
I’m hoping more younger cats in the game follow the same general path as Pro Era. There’s just something naturally ill about that classic boom-bap sound, and as long as artists are being genuine and providing their own twist on it, I’ll never get tired of hearing it.
Shout to Statik Selektah and Jake One for coming through as well, plus the Detooz Films homies for filming!
Recently, J. Moore and I got a chance to sit down with Diplo, Walshy Fire, and Jillionaire, collectively known as Major Lazer backstage at their Showbox SODO show in Seattle. The fellas were real cool and we chopped it up about their upcoming Free The Universe album and the Lazer Strikes Back series of EP’s they’re releasing leading up to the project. We also spoke about life on the road, including their favorite shows, US vs. international crowds, and what it’s like to perform at huge festivals like SXSW and Ultra. They told some stories about working on the new Snoop Lion album as well, including what it means when Snoop shows up to the studio without his Xbox.
Shout to Detooz Films on the filming and editing. And if you haven’t seen the crew’s new video for “Watch Out For This (Bumaye) with Busy Signal, The Flexican, and FS Green, peep the dopeness:
J. Moore and I recently had the honor of sitting down with the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff while he was in town to judge the Red Bull Thre3style Regional Finals. His album with The Fresh Prince, He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper, was literally the first album I owned and to say I was a die-hard JJ+FP fan growing up would be an understatement. From the albums to The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air, I consumed everything those guys released together from the late 80’s to the mid 90’s and when they moved on to their solo work, things didn’t really skip a beat. Will’s gone on to be the biggest movie star in the world and Jeff has released some classic records, plus become one of the most sought after DJ’s around.
J. and I often casually debate who’s the “greatest” in a particular field and whenever we discuss DJ’s, Jeff is at the top of our list. He can simply do everything a DJ can possibly do, but better than pretty much anyone else. Rocking a party? Check. Producing classic music? Check. Cutting up records with battle DJ skills? Check. Hell, the man invented a type of scratch.
Jeff’s the best DJ ever in my book and amazingly, he’s even a better person than DJ. We’ve interviewed him a few times on the phone but this was the first time we got him on Sound Session in person and he didn’t disappoint. We discussed all things related to DJ’ing, from his background to his current success, including his philosophy on a DJ’s responsibility, the rise of the DJ in popular music (while it seems to wither in hip-hop), and whether or not “real DJ’s” should take requests. He also told stories about the early days of his work with Will, transitioning from rocking parties in Philly with the Fresh Prince to selling millions of albums and touring worldwide.
We could have talked for hours, so I can’t wait until we get him back on the show. Thanks to Red Bull, the Cashmere Agency, and Detooz Films for making it happen and ultimate respect to the Magnificent himself!
The trippiest one, none other than Juicy J himself, came through Sound Session while in town for the Smoker’s Club Tour. We chopped it up about life on tour, his favorite city to perform in, linking up with Wiz Khalifa and the Taylor Gang, his upcoming Stay Trippy project, the success of “Bandz A Make Her Dance,” a possible return to Hollywood, and more.
While in Seattle for the 2012 Capitol Hill Block Party, Malaysian-born singer Yuna visited SNSS for an interview and live performance. We discussed her transition from Asia, the role MySpace, Indie Pop, and FADER played in her success, meeting and working with Pharrell, her creative process, her growing collection of cover records, life on tour, her self-titled US debut album, her next project, and more. Additionally, she performed two acoustic songs live in studio: “Live Your Life” (5:40) and “Decorate” (16:08).
Yuna is a true talent. Catch up if you’ve been sleeping and keep an eye out for her to make some big waves in the near future.
Shout out to the Cornerstone, Detooz Films, and Le Fresh Perspective homies for helping make this happen.
I had the chance to chop it up with Meek Mill backstage after his recent performance at Showbox Market and here’s the video we put together.  Meek discussed how he takes the energy from his studio records to the stage, the inspiration behind his hit single “House Party,” his “Dreamchasers 2” mixtape breaking download records, his official upcoming major label debut album, his favorite Philadelphia MC’s, and more.
Big shout to Meek, his MMG family, WMG, Detooz Films, and Le Fresh Perspective for helping coordinate.
Maybach Music Group’s Stalley stopped by Sound Session while in Seattle on tour on 6/10/12. We chopped it up about various topics, including his “Savage Journey To The American Dream” mixtape, linking up and receiving advice from Rick Ross, how he plays the “every man” role in the MMG crew, his upcoming major label debut album, and more.
Big shout to Stalley and Dan for coming through the studio, plus Detooz Films for filming and editing the footage.
Now…say it with me:Â M-m-m-m-m-maaaaaaybach music!
SNSS listeners will remember when Sin and Blakk Soul dropped by our studio to debut this record a few weeks ago and here are the visuals. Be sure to cop the album, The Story of Love x Hate, right here. Sin is one of the dopest and most consistent artists we have in the Northwest, so support the man. Come on out to The Croc tonight for the release party with Thaddeus David and Luck-One as well!