Sound Session #401 (2-17-13)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on February 19th, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

Fresh off last week’s milestone episode #400, here is this week’s SNSS.  This week’s show featured new music from 50 Cent, Kendrick Lamar, Nickelus F, Freddie Gibbs, J. Cole, Miguel, Co$$, The Black Opera, Mayer Hawthorne, Devin The Dude, Big K.R.I.T., Ghostface Killah, Jarell Perry, Casey Veggies, and more.  Plus, we were joined in studio by one half of the Parker Brothaz, Stretch, who is back on the scene after a long absence.  Great to have one of our favorite groups in the NW back in full effect.  They’re also responsible for one of our favorite SNSS moments, which you may have missed if you’re a relatively new listener.  Peep it here.

Who knows, maybe we’ll make a run at another 400 shows.  In the immortal words of KG

Show #401 (2-17-13)

  1. 50 Cent ft. Kendrick Lamar & Kidd Kidd – “We Up”
  2. Curren$y ft. Wiz Khalifa & Rick Ross – “Choosin’”
  3. Nickelus F – “A Bird”
  4. Freddie Gibbs – “Sing For Me”
  5. Le$ – “Real N***a Flow”
  6. Joey Badass ft. Smoke DZA & Big K.R.I.T. – “Underground Airplay”
  7. **INTERVIEW WITH STRETCH (OF PARKER BROTHAZ), PT. 1**
  8. J. Cole ft. Miguel – “Power Trip”
  9. Co$$ – “Love Again”
  10. The Black Opera ft. Mayer Hawthorne – “Queen Of Hearts”
  11. Q Dot – “Black Gold” (Local Music)
  12. **INTERVIEW WITH STRETCH (OF PARKER BROTHAZ), PT. 2**
  13. Parker Brothaz – “Ron Burgundy” (Local Music)
  14. Wais P ft. Devin The Dude – “Grits & Graffiti”
  15. **INTERVIEW WITH STRETCH (OF PARKER BROTHAZ), PT. 3**
  16. Bun B & Big K.R.I.T. – “Check The Sign”
  17. Big K.R.I.T. – “Reign On”
  18. J Dilla – “Dewitt To It”
  19. Skyzoo – “Floor Seats With Young”
  20. Ghostface Killah & Adrian Younge – “The Rise Of The Ghostface Killah”
  21. Ryshon Jones ft. Nia Keturah – “Shadow Boxing (Self-Destruction)”
  22. Casey Veggies ft. Phil Beaudreau – “Life Changes”
  23. Jarell Perry – “Getaway”
  24. ASAP Rocky ft. Skrillex & Birdy Nam Nam – “Wild For The Night”
  25. Cool Nutz ft. Tech N9ne & Krizz Kaliko – “Affiliation” (Local Music)
  26. The Roots ft. Dice Raw & Beanie Sigel – “Adrenaline” (Throwback of the Week)

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www7.zippyshare.com/v/97682306/file.html
(back up link – http://linkmixes.com/a2m31wdfsqnp)
(2nd back up – http://www.sharebeast.com/shn16gama9l0)

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.

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Sound Session #400 (2-10-13)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on February 14th, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

400.  Wow.

I envisioned a long write up for this week’s SNSS to mark our 400th show and the accompanying milestone, but after we discussed many of the topics I was going to touch on (how we started the show, what our goals are, how hip-hop has evolved — or not — both locally and nationally while we’ve been on the air, our favorite moments, etc.) on the show itself, it seems a bit unnecessary.  Download/stream the audio below if you’re interested in our reflections on the past 8 years, or if you just want another dose of the week’s best records.

We’d like to thank everyone who has been a part of the show, directly or indirectly, from day one.  This includes our KUBE 93 family, our actual families, our friends, and all the artists, labels, managers, DJ’s, bloggers, promoters, etc. that have contributed to the show and made it all possible.  Above all, thank you to everyone who has ever listened to SNSS.  We do it for people like you.  The people who live and breathe music and feel it in their soul.  We hope you’ve enjoyed listening as much as we’ve enjoyed bringing this all to you.

Let’s keep it going, aight?

Show #400 (2-10-13)

  1. Joey Badass ft. Smoke DZA & Big K.R.I.T. – “Underground Airplay”
  2. J Dilla – “Dewitt To It”
  3. Slum Village – “The World Is Yours”
  4. Skyzoo – “Grew Up On Kool-Aid”
  5. Casey Veggies ft. Phil Beaudreau – “Life Changes”
  6. Rockie Fresh ft. Rick Ross & Nipsey Hussle – “Life Long”
  7. Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
  8. John Crown – “Ben Franklin” (Local Music)
  9. AyeLogics ft. Sir Michael Rocks – “Coolin’ With The Coolest” (Local Music)
  10. ASAP Rocky ft. Skrillex & Birdy Nam Nam – “Wild For The Night”
  11. Le$ – “Real N***a Flow”
  12. Nickelus F – “Halfway Dead”
  13. Drop City Yacht Club ft. Jeremih – “Crickets”
  14. Ta-Ku ft. JMSN – “Make It Last”
  15. Sax G ft. Choklate – “Gotta Get Down” (Local Music)
  16. Ryshon Jones ft. Benny Love – “Power of Inspiration”
  17. DJ Nu-Mark ft. TiRon – “Times Is Rough”
  18. REKS ft. Rapper Big Pooh – “I Remember”
  19. Kilo Kish ft. Jesse Boykins III – “Turquoise”
  20. Black Star ft. Common – “Respiration” (Throwback of the Week)

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www68.zippyshare.com/v/3837992/file.html
(back up link – http://linkmixes.com/a0m6wz626lge)
(2nd back up – http://www.sharebeast.com/9d953xkihmuy)

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.

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Sound Session #399 (2-3-13)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on February 7th, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

Sorry for the delay on this week’s SNSS archive folks.  Sometimes real life takes priority, I know you feel me.  Here’s this week’s episode with new tracks from ASAP, RDGLDGRN, Action Bronson, Dyme-A-Duzin, Skyzoo, Kung Foo Grip, Ta-Ku, Chip, Common, Black Spade, Pusha T, and more.

Next week is SNSS episode #400.  Wow.  We’ll do a bit of reminiscing about almost 8 years of doing the show and being one of the few remaining independent voices on commercial radio, but we’re also welcoming any questions from our listeners that you might be interested in hearing us discuss.  If you have a topic or question, just reach out (DJHyphen@gmail.com) and we’ll look to discuss it on the air next week.

Enjoy the latest for now:

Show #399 (2-3-13)

  1. ASAP Rocky ft. Skrillex & Birdy Nam Nam – “Wild For The Night”
  2. RDGLDGRN – “Million Fans”
  3. Action Bronson – “Strictly 4 My Jeeps”
  4. ST 2 Lettaz – “Trillmatic”
  5. Dyme-A-Duzin – “New Brooklyn”
  6. Skyzoo – “Phone Calls”
  7. Dag Savage (Exile & Johaz) ft. Aloe Blacc – “When It Rains”
  8. Dave B – “Maple Fudge” (Local Music)
  9. Kung Foo Grip – “Sophisticated Ignorance” (Local Music)
  10. John Crown – “Ben Franklin” (Local Music)
  11. Drake – “Started From The Bottom”
  12. Nickelus F ft. Drake – “Number 15”
  13. T.I. ft. B.o.B, Kendrick Lamar, & Kris Stephens – “Memories Back Then”
  14. Chip ft. Delilah – “Help Me”
  15. Ta-Ku ft. JMSN – “Make It Last”
  16. Pusha T ft. Andrea Martin – “Take My Life”
  17. Slum Village – “No Mas”
  18. Smash Brovaz – “Line Em Up”
  19. J. Period & Common – “The Next Chapter (Still Love H.E.R.)”
  20. Black Spade & Nato Caliph – “Complete”
  21. Supastition – “Expectations”
  22. Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killah – “Criminology” (Throwback of the Week)
  23. Wale ft. Jhene Aiko – “Cool Off”
  24. Le$ – “98 Sh*t”
  25. Arima Ederra ft. Gibby – “Lover’s Lane”
  26. Elijah Blake – “Beloved”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www50.zippyshare.com/v/18335863/file.html
(back up link – http://linkmixes.com/4pcmbdlqu8h5)
(2nd back up – http://www.sharebeast.com/nhqbrggdlnf2)

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.

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Sound Session #398 (1-27-13)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on January 29th, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

What up loyal Sound Sessioners, hope all is good in your world.  I felt like this week’s show was a great one, packed full of dope new records, so hopefully you agree.  We ran cuts from folks like Thurz, Dag Savage, Slum Village, T.I., Kendrick Lamar, ASAP Rocky, Le$, ST 2 Lettaz, Wale, Joey Badass, Drake, Add-2, Big Boi, and more.

Check it out:

Show #398 (1-27-13)

  1. Thurz ft. Jarell Perry – “Keep Livin’”
  2. Dag Savage (Exile & Johaz) ft. Aloe Blacc – “When It Rains”
  3. Slum Village – “No Mas”
  4. T.I. ft. B.o.B, Kendrick Lamar, & Kris Stephens – “Memories Back Then”
  5. Cocaine 80s ft. Common & Jhene Aiko – “Fly Ass Pisces”
  6. Kendrick Lamar – “Sing About Me”
  7. ASAP Rocky ft. Schoolboy Q – “PMW (All I Really Need)”
  8. Le$ – “98 Sh*t”
  9. ST 2 Lettaz – “Trillmatic”
  10. KRS-One – “Sound Of Da Police” (Throwback of the Week)
  11. Talib Kweli ft. Black Thought & Rah Digga – “Art Imitates Life”
  12. Dave B – “Maple Fudge” (Local Music)
  13. Joey Badass – “Unorthodox”
  14. Wale ft. Jhene Aiko – “Cool Off”
  15. Sax G ft. Choklate – “Gotta Get Down” (Local Music)
  16. Arima Ederra – “Flow Chart”
  17. Nickelus F ft. Drake – “Number 15”
  18. MeLo-X ft. Joey Badass & CJ Fly – “Live From East Flatbush”
  19. The Kid Daytona & Phil Ade – “Very Good”
  20. Art Vandelay – “So What?” (Local Music)
  21. Add-2 – “The Eulogy”
  22. Big Boi ft. Phantogram – “CPU”
  23. Phil Beaudreau – “Take It High”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www67.zippyshare.com/v/11788313/file.html
(back up link – http://linkmixes.com/ajnf00ldoetq)
(2nd back up – http://www.sharebeast.com/dpn1i6xci253)

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.

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Sound Session #397 (1-20-13)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on January 21st, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

Hopefully you’re all enjoying this historic MLK Day and reflecting on how far we’ve come (shout to Barack) and how far we still have to go.  Remember: “be the change you want to see in the world.” – (c) Gandhi

We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention this small bit of news:  *ahem*….SONICS BACK.

With that out of the way, here’s SNSS #397 (steadily closing in on #400…aka Hall of Fame numbers), complete with new music from artists like the Smash Brovaz, Wale, Pro Era, ASAP Rocky, DaVinci, Supastition, DJ Nu-Mark, Aloe Blacc, Phil Beaudreau, Reef The Lost Cauze, The Lions, Denitia Odigie, Meyhem Lauren, and more.  Shout to The Good Sin for coming through the studio as well.

Show #397 (1-20-13)

  1. Smash Brovaz – “Whatever”
  2. Wale ft. Lightshow – “Georgetown Press”
  3. Pro Era – “Like Water”
  4. Joey Badass – “Unorthodox”
  5. Jay-Z – “So Ghetto” (Throwback of the Week)
  6. ASAP Rocky – “Long Live ASAP”
  7. DaVinci – “Paper, Power, P***y”
  8. Supastition – “Expectations”
  9. **INTERVIEW WITH THE GOOD SIN, PT. 1**
  10. The Good Sin ft. Dizz – “Great Expectations” (Local Music)
  11. Phil Beaudreau – “Take It High”
  12. DJ Nu-Mark ft. Aloe Blacc & Charles Bradley – “Don’t Play Around”
  13. **INTERVIEW WITH THE GOOD SIN, PT. 2**
  14. Louis V ft. Gizzle McFly, Young Meez, Willie Beamin, & Fearce Villain – “Hello (Remix)” (Local Music)
  15. Kid Cudi – “King Wizard”
  16. Reef The Lost Cauze – “Ghost Town”
  17. The Lions – “Padre Ichiro”
  18. Elijah Blake – “Vicky’s Secret”
  19. Denitia Odigie – “Weekend”
  20. Feezable The Germ – “Hollywood Blvd” (Local Music)
  21. Styles Of Beyond – “Radio Clash”
  22. Big Noyd, Large Professor, & Kool G Rap – “Naturally Born”
  23. Meyhem Lauren – “Get That Money Black”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www57.zippyshare.com/v/39038137/file.html
(back up link – http://linkmixes.com/2vjr9vrhieh5)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/6ga5ah)

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.

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Sound Session #396 (1-13-13)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on January 15th, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

New music on this week’s SNSS from artists like John Legend, Freeway, AZ, Noreaga, Scarface, ASAP Rocky, Pusha T, Cocaine 80s, Jhene Aiko, MeLo-X, Smash Brovaz, Sound Fx, and more.  Plus, we were joined in studio by the homey Louis V.  Tune in and enjoy!

Show # 396 (1-13-13)

  1. John Legend – “Who Did That To You”
  2. Skyzoo ft. Freeway – “Pockets Full”
  3. AZ – “Genesis”
  4. Noreaga ft. Large Professor – “Built Pyramids”
  5. Chin Injeti ft. Sonreal – “Gunna Be Fine” (Local Music)
  6. Wale ft. Scarface – “Limitless”
  7. **INTERVIEW WITH LOUIS V, PT. 1**
  8. Justin Timberlake ft. Jay-Z – “Suit & Tie”
  9. JaVonte – “Supernova”
  10. ASAP Rocky – “Suddenly”
  11. **INTERVIEW WITH LOUIS V, PT. 2**
  12. Louis V ft. Gizzle McFly, Young Meez, Willie Beamin, & Fearce Villain – “Hello (Remix)” (Local Music)
  13. Freeway ft. Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel – “What We Do” (Throwback of the Week)
  14. Pusha T ft. Rick Ross – “Millions”
  15. **INTERVIEW WITH LOUIS V, PT. 3**
  16. Frank Ocean ft. Outkast – “Pink Matter (Remix)”
  17. Elijah Blake – “Running Blind”
  18. Raz Simone – “Cold” (Local Music)
  19. Cocaine 80s ft. Common & Jhene Aiko – “Fly Ass Pisces”
  20. Sound Fx – “Midnight In Paris”
  21. Big Boi ft. Scar & Mouche – “Raspberries”
  22. MeLo-X ft. Joey Badass & CJ Fly – “Live From East Flatbush”
  23. Smash Brovaz – “Whatever”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www34.zippyshare.com/v/13138066/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/q9vz36bsm6u9)
(2nd back up – http://www.sharebeast.com/hmv8b2knxes0)

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.

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Raz Simone – Cold (video)

Posted in Artists, Music Videos on January 13th, 2013 by Hyphen

It’s no secret that Seattle’s hip-hop scene is thriving these days and the rest of the country is rapidly taking notice of the talent we have in the town.  Macklemore is leading the way, but there’s a bevvy of artists making great music with breakout potential.  People already know about folks like Sol, The Physics, Grynch, J. Pinder, Nacho Picasso, etc., but from what I’ve heard of Raz Simone, I think it’s safe to put him on that list as well.

Here’s the video for “Cold,” a record Raz debuted on Sound Session last week from his upcoming Solomon EP.  Great stuff.

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Grynch – Mr. Rogers (video)

Posted in Artists, Music Videos on January 12th, 2013 by Hyphen

The King of Ballard himself takes us around his neighborhood in the visuals for his Jake One produced “Mr. Rogers.” Fun fact: the director, Griff J, did the first music video a young Hyphen made a cameo in (back…back…back in the day).

Grab Grynch’s Perspective album right here.

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Sound Session #395 (1-6-13)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on January 7th, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

Back like we never left, SNSS kicks off 2013 with new music from folks like Skillz, Dag Savage, Yoshi, ASAP Rocky, Kid Cudi, Game, iLL Camille, Elijah Blake, JaVonte, Slum Village, Big Boi, Sleepy Brown, and more.  Plus, we were joined in studio by some of our favorite artists and people in the town: J. Pinder, Raz Simone, and Malice & Mario Sweet.

If you haven’t peeped our “Best of 2012” episode from last week, you can still grab that here.

Enjoy and make 2013 your best year yet!

Show #395 (1-6-13)

  1. Skillz – “2012 Rap Up”
  2. Kendrick Lamar ft. Jay Rock – “Money Trees”
  3. Dag Savage (Johaz & Exile) – “Twilight”
  4. **INTERVIEW WITH J. PINDER, PT. 1**
  5. J. Pinder – “King” (Local Music)
  6. Yoshi ft. Akira Shelton – “Slow Down (Gold Digger)”
  7. **INTERVIEW WITH J. PINDER, PT. 2**
  8. ASAP Rocky ft. Kendrick Lamar, Joey Badass, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, & Big K.R.I.T. – “1 Train”
  9. Craig Mack ft. Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J, and Busta Rhymes – “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)” (Throwback of the Week)
  10. **INTERVIEW WITH RAZ SIMONE, PT. 1**
  11. Raz Simone – “Cold” (Local Music)
  12. Kid Cudi – “King Wizard”
  13. **INTERVIEW WITH RAZ SIMONE, PT. 2**
  14. Game ft. K. Roosevelt – “Can’t Get Right”
  15. iLL Camille ft. Rapsody & SiR – “Same Lights”
  16. JaVonte – “Supernova”
  17. Elijah Blake – “Beloved”
  18. 2 Player Co-Op (Trackademicks & 1-O.A.K.) – “Nothing Looks The Same”
  19. **INTERVIEW WITH MALICE & MARIO SWEET**
  20. Big Boi ft. Sleepy Brown – “The Thickets”
  21. Louis V ft. Nipsey Hussle & Dizzle – “On My Grind” (Local Music)
  22. Wale ft. Scarface – “Limitless”
  23. Slum Village ft. Guilty Simpson – “Decadence”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www53.zippyshare.com/v/31736896/file.html
(back up / streaming link – http://linkmixes.com/z0s2qdw5mirh)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/dq1lzu)

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.

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Sound Session #394 (12-30-12) – Best of 2012

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on January 1st, 2013 by Hyphen

SNSS

2012 is all finished and as is tradition on SNSS, we ended December with our annual “Best Of” wrap up show.  You can check some of our recent wrap ups here (2009, 2010, and 2011) and down below is this year’s list.  Our format is simple: there’s no countdown and we don’t claim this to be any sort of definitive list.  Instead, we just pick our favorite songs of the year from local and national artists, with the only caveat being that we try not to pick multiple songs from the same artists.  If that was the case, folks like Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, and Nas could easily fill up many of the spots.

Without further ado, our playlist, download links, and some notes about each track.

Show #394 (12-30-12)
**Best of 2012**

  1. Kanye West ft. Pusha T & Ghostface Killah – “New God Flow (Remix)”
  2. Meek Mill ft. Big Sean – “Burn”
  3. Gangrene (Oh No & Alchemist) – “Flame Throwers”
  4. J. Pinder ft. Dice – “Never No” (Local Music)
  5. Schoolboy Q ft. ASAP Rocky – “Hands On The Wheel”
  6. Big K.R.I.T. – “4EvaNaDay (Theme)”
  7. Dom Kennedy – “My Type Of Party”
  8. Rashad – “Make Love 2 This”
  9. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Mary Lambert – “Same Love” (Local Music)
  10. Reef The Lost Cauze – “The Prey”
  11. Lupe Fiasco – “Bitch Bad”
  12. The Physics – “So Funky” (Local Music)
  13. Shad – “Old Prince”
  14. Frank Ocean – “Pyramids”
  15. Nas – “The Don”
  16. Beanie Sigel ft. State Property – “The Reunion”
  17. Jarv Dee – “I Just Wanna” (Local Music)
  18. Kendrick Lamar – “B*tch, Don’t Kill My Vibe”
  19. Miguel – “Do You…”
  20. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Good Luv’n”
  21. Rick Ross ft. Dr. Dre & Jay-Z – “3 Kings”
  22. Ray Dalton – “So Emotional” (Local Music)
  23. Yuna – “Live Your Life”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/11535119/file.html
(back up link – http://linkmixes.com/e367jv3frsds)
(2nd back up – http://www.sharebeast.com/vkqnfp1dyis4)

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.

Notes:

  1. Yeezy had multiple records that could hold down anyone’s list (“Mercy,” “Clique,” “Way Too Cold (Theraflu),” etc.), but we went with the remix to his Ghostface inspired single, featuring Tony Starks himself.  Pusha might have stole the show though…
  2. “God…oh God!” – Big Sean said it all.
  3. Alchemist had plenty of great beats in 2012, but this slept on record featured his hardest slap of the year.
  4. If it weren’t for a certain duo from Seattle blowing up in 2012, Pinder’s success would be more widely celebrated.  If he continues to release songs like this, it’ll come.
  5. Crews like GOOD Music, Young Money, and MMG were everywhere in 2012, but the year’s best collective was Top Dawg.  Ab-Soul, Kendrick, and Q shined, with the latter’s biggest record being this collaboration with ASAP Rocky.
  6. While K.R.I.T.’s official major label debut album was quite good, his mixtape was better.  The man just makes quality music left and right.
  7. Dom took some flack this year for his slowed down, relaxed rhymes on the Yellow Album, but it worked like a charm on his DJ Dahi produced single.
  8. Rashad was the most slept on artist in 2012.  His Museum project came out of nowhere and is a borderline classic.
  9. See #4.  Mack and Ryan owned 2012, both in Seattle and nationally, attaining new heights for unsigned artists.  “Thrift Shop” is a top 10 single, but “Same Love” was their most powerful and helped Washington state legalize same sex marriage.
  10. Tackling one of the most troubling stories of the year, Reef summed up the anger, confusion, and worry that Trayvon Martin’s murder brought up in February.
  11. Never one to bite his tongue, Lupe launched a scathing assault on one of hip-hop’s favorite words.
  12. If the Physics put out music, it’s a lock that they’ll have a song on our wrap up list.  One of the best groups in hip-hop resides in our backyard.
  13. It’s a testament to SK’s rhyming ability that a freestyle, quick-strike style mixtape dropped for fun still produced some of the best verses of the year.  Just wait until his next album…
  14. Last year, “Novacane” was my song of the year.  This year, Frank took it again with his 10 minute opus.  He also gets my album of the year for the brilliant Channel Orange.
  15. We could have easily picked “Daughters” or “Bye Baby” here, but we went with his Salaam Remi produced, Heavy D inspired anthem.
  16. Beanie may have ran into some legal trouble this year (…again), but he also managed to get the band back together for a record that was undeniably Philly…and filthy.
  17. The Moor Gang made a significant impact locally in 2012 and with songs like this, there’s no reason they can’t break out nationally in 2013.
  18. With all due respect to Nasir, Kendrick likely dropped the rap album of the year.  We could have picked a number of songs off it, but we went with this instant classic.
  19. We played “Adorn” early on, well before it went on to be one of the biggest songs of the year, but “Do You…” was the better pick off Miguel’s album.  A flawless song.
  20. Frank may have had the R&B album of the year, but BJ wasn’t that far behind.  Pineapple Now-Laters was highly slept on, but people will wake up when he starts to get a major label push in 2013.
  21. Rozay, Dre, and Hov with a beat by Jake One?  Yep!  New name: Jake Won.
  22. Many know of Ray’s name through his singing on Macklemore’s “Can’t Hold Us,” but he stepped out on his own in 2012 with this song.  If he keeps making music like this, the sky is the limit.
  23. Yuna linked up with Pharrell for multiple songs off her major label debut, but this catchy single was the strongest.  Having her perform it live on SNSS was one of our highlights of the year as well.

Honorable mentions from artists not otherwise represented:

  • 50 Cent – “You Took My Heart”
  • Aaliyah ft. Drake – “Enough Said”
  • Ab-Soul ft. Alori Joh & JaVonte’ – “Empathy”
  • ASAP Rocky – “Goldie”
  • A Yellow Man – “3,000 Miles Of Youth”
  • Big Boi ft. Little Dragon – “Mama Told Me (Unreleased Version)”
  • Blu & Exile – “The Only One”
  • Brother Ali – “Writer’s Block”
  • Brothers From Another ft. Prometheus Brown & Thig Natural – “Molly Moon”
  • Common ft. Maya Angelou – “The Dreamer”
  • Danny Brown – “Grown Up”
  • Dee-1 – “Writer’s Block”
  • DJ Khaled ft. Scarface, Nas, & DJ Premier – “Hip-Hop”
  • Dr. Oop – “Magic Milk”
  • Ellie Goulding – “High For This”
  • Elzhi – “Blue Window”
  • Freddie Gibbs & Madlib ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Shame”
  • Gensu Dean ft. Olivier Daysoul – “Wantchu”
  • Gilbere Forte – “Pray”
  • Killer Mike – “Willie Burke Sherwood”
  • Little Dragon – “Sunshine”
  • Maffew Ragazino – “Amaretto Sour”
  • Mansions On The Moon – “Leaves Fall”
  • Oddisee – “Paralyzed”
  • OnCue – “Kinda Late”
  • Rhye – “Open”
  • Rochelle Jordan – “Pressure”
  • Saigon ft. Jovan Dais – “Women Are The New Dogs”
  • Slum Village ft. De La Soul – “Turning Me Off”
  • Steven A. Clark – “Don’t Have You”
  • THEESatisfaction – “QueenS”
  • The Kid Daytona ft. Jadakiss – “Low (Remix)”
  • The Weekend – “Twenty Eight”

See you in 2013.

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