The Audacity of Dope

Here’s the first official leak from Free & Jake’s Stimulus Package album dropping 2 days after my birthday in February.  Pretty straightforward joint, but a dope ass beat plus dope rhymes…[Phonte] what more do y’all want? [/Tay]

The homies Macklemore and Ryan Lewis are not only two of my favorite artists from the town, but they are also two of my favorite people in the Seattle music scene.  They’re just really cool dudes who love making art and take it pride in everything they do.  When you mix in their incredible talent on top of that (need proof?), it’s mandatory to check for everything they’re involved in.

Here’s their long awaited collaboration, The Vs. EP, where they sampled some contemporary bands and combined rock with hip-hop.  Don’t get it twisted though, this isn’t some half-assed, corny mash up project.  Instead, it’s an excellent piece of work where Ryan’s lush soundscapes are complimented perfectly by Mack’s heartfelt and sobering (quite literally) rhymes.  I can’t recommend this highly enough.

Download here.

Just because I like to share my technological frustrations with the world, here’s a quick update of the issues that have dominated my life the past 2 weeks:

• PC: data saved (clutch!), hard drive reformatted, rebuilding slowly but up and running.
• Mac: optical drive fixed, new studio monitors arrived and sounding great.
• Blog: resolved issues, saved the whole database of past entries (double clutch!), slightly revised the look. “All black everything” – Jay-Z
• Car battery: replaced.

See, even my car is bowing to the peer pressure and trying to fit in.  The way things are going, I’m surprised lights still turn on when I flip switches.  But anyway, looking positively and moving forward (“strikes and gutters dude“), I think we’re close to being back to normal.  Besides, as long as the episodes of SNSS aren’t affected, we’re all good right?

Peep this week’s show for new music from people like Wale, J. Cole, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, Clipse, AZ, Laws, Theophilus London, Nneka, Mos Def, Robin Thicke, the one and only Sade, and more.  Plus, we played a snippet of our recent interview with Nipsey Hussle.  While I work to post up the full version, you can always check our first conversation with him from a few months ago right here.  Enjoy!

Show #237 (12-13-09)

1. Wale ft. J. Cole & Melanie Fiona – “Beautiful Bliss”
2. Pill ft. Freddie Gibbs – “Run Up To Me”
3. Clipse – “Freedom”
4. Vinnie Paz ft. Clipse – “Street Wars”
5. AZ – “I’m Ill”
6. KRS-One & Buckshot ft. Talib Kweli & Geologic (of the Blue Scholars) – “Oh Really (Remix)”
7. Laws ft. Jay Rock – “Number One”
8. Budo & Krukid – “HalfPastHell” (Local Music)
9. Theophilus London – “Humdrum Town”
10. Kardinal Offishall – “We Gon’ Go”
11. Brasco ft. Serani – “Money Train”
12. Nneka ft. Jay Electronica – “Walking (J. Period Remix)”
13. Sade – “Soldier Of Love”
14. Mos Def – “Supermagic”
15. **INTERVIEW WITH NIPSEY HUSSLE #02 (SNIPPET)**
16. Drake ft. Nipsey Hussle – “Killer”
17. Freeway & Jake One – “Know What I Mean” (Local Music)
18. CunninLynguists ft. Grieves, Geologic, & Macklemore – “Close Your Eyes” (Local Music)
19. The Game – “Turn Off The Lights”
20. Lupe Fiasco – “Popular Demand Freestyle”
21. Robin Thicke ft. Jazmine Sullivan – “Million Dolla Baby”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?0n3mnwdo0nm
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/699163698458fa3a/ )

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.

As I mentioned, I’ve been having massive computer problems recently, so this post is about a week too late.  That said, I’m a completist and definitely feel the need to archive every SNSS episode that I can.  If you missed it live, here you go!

Show #236 (12-6-09)

1. Kardinal Offishall – “We Gon’ Go”
2. Gift of Gab – “Richman, Poorman”
3. Felt – “Bass For Your Truck”
4. Wale ft. J. Cole & Melanie Fiona – “Beautiful Bliss”
5. Lupe Fiasco – “Fireman Freestyle (Yoga Flame)”
6. Statik Selektah ft. Bahamadia – “Do What I Believe”
7. Freeway & Jake One – “Know What I Mean” (Local Music)
8. D-Black – “No Ordinary Love”
9. James Pants ft. Mayer Hawthorne – “Thin Moon (Remix)”
10. Idle Warship – “Bedroom Lites”
11. RJD2 ft. Kenna – “Games You Can Win”
12. B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars – “Nothing On You”
13. Eminem – “Drop The Bomb On ‘Em”
14. Royce Da 5’9″ ft. Bun B & Joell Ortiz – “Hood Love”
15. The Niceguys – “Supreme Team”
16. El Michels Affair ft. Diamond District – “The PJ’s (Remix)”
17. CunninLynguists ft. Grieves, Geologic, & Macklemore – “Close Your Eyes” (Local Music)
18. Budo & Krukid – “HalfPastHell” (Local Music)
19. Chikaramanga ft. Big Tone – “Cool”
20. Louwop ft. Shad – “One 2 Check”
21. Paten Locke – “Ventilation P. Locke”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?3kmzezmk3zz
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/69696177daef5dc4/)

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.

I’m kind of on a string of posting Seattle related ish, but how can you blame me when we make songs and videos like this?  Great job by Stephan Gray on the direction as well.

For the record, Rik Rude and P-Smoov’s collab album as Fresh Espresso was one of my favorite LP’s of the year, from any region.  If you haven’t checked the record, you’re losing.

Type (aka, Jeff from my middle school days) is about to drop the video for his newest batch of hilarity, “Man Crush,” but before it’s released at the end of the month, he’s releasing this teaser.  Peep the video to see reactions from some of the dopest folks around town, including yours truly, as we watch the clip for the first time.  It’s so wrong, it’s right.

And if you’ve never seen it, here’s the video for Type & Grieves’ “My Girlfriend Beats Me” from a few years back.  I make another cameo in this one too hahah:

The homey Casey linked up with the other homies Thurz & Y-O for an interview at their Neumos show the other day in Seattle.  Homies everywhere!

Look out for the A Love Supreme documentary to drop soon, narrated by yours truly…

The official voice of Sound Session, D. Black just dropped his new video for “Yesterday” off Ali’Yah, which is in stores now.  Stop playing checkers and get with chess.  Cop that.

My dinner is calling me (potstickers FTW!), so I’ll make this a quick one.  Peep this week’s edition of SNSS to hear some dope new music from artists like Focus, Pill, Donnis, Solange, Fashawn, Paten Locke, Gift Of Gab, Felt, the NYG’z, and more.  I think three of the songs we played might be in my top 20 tracks of the year:

• Mike Posner ft. Big Sean & Freddie Gibbs – “Bring Me Down”
• J. Cole – “Lights Please”
• James Pants ft. Mayer Hawthorne – “Thin Moon (Remix)”

Hmm…I’m looking forward to our end of the year “best of” show.

Shout to the Far East Movement for coming through the studio a while back as well.  Look for that full interview to be posted on the blog soon (have you checked our interview with Royce Da 5’9″?).  And speaking of interviews, shout to the new homey Elliott for meeting up with us for an upcoming article on Sound Session in the Seattle P.I..  For some extra goodness, check out his great sports blog – Outside The Press Box – and his movie site – What Would Van Damme Do?…I bet he’d dance.

Show #235 (11-29-09)

1. Focus ft. Crooked I, Jay Rock, Kida, & Marsha Ambrosius – “Homage To Dr. Dre”
2. Pill – “Coastin’”
3. Donnis – “Gone”
4. B.o.B ft. Bruno Mars – “Nothing On You”
5. Solange – “Stillness Is The Move”
6. Lupe Fiasco – “Thank You Freestyle”
7. Fashawn ft. Aloe Blacc & Devoya – “Hey Young World”
8. Paten Locke – “Ventilation P. Locke”
9. Gift Of Gab – “Richman, Poorman”
10. Freeway & Jake One – “Waited Too Long” (Local Music)
11. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Xperience – “Crew Cuts” (Local Music)
12. DJ K.O. ft. Silent Knight & East – “80’s Babies”
13. Felt (Murs & Slug) – “Bass For Your Truck”
14. Obie Trice – “Got Hungry”
15. Royce Da 5’9” ft. Busta Rhymes – “Dinner Time”
16. NYG’z – “Ready”
17. Kidz In The Hall ft. Marsha Ambrosius – “All Night (Make Up Sex)”
18. **INTERVIEW WITH FAR EAST MOVEMENT (SNIPPET)**
19. Murs ft. Far East Movement – “Break Up (The OJ Song) (Remix)”
20. Consequence ft. Kanye West, Big Sean, Kid Cudi, Common, & John Legend – “Whatever U Want (G.O.O.D. Music Remix)”
21. EvergreenOne & Todd Sykes – “If I Was Famous” (Local Music)
22. Slum Village – “Dope Man”
23. Mike Posner ft. Big Sean & Freddie Gibbs – “Bring Me Down”
24. J. Cole – “Lights Please”
25. James Pants ft. Mayer Hawthorne – “Thin Moon (Remix)”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?v2jnnznmz22
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/692461798ab01565/)

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.

You might recall that Slaughterhouse recently dropped by the Sound Session studio, but soon after, Royce Da 5’9″ returned for another show in Seattle and came through solo.  We covered a ton of topics in the 3 part conversation so I decided to put the full video online for y’all to enjoy.

Shout to Royce, easily one of the most down to earth and talented artists that we’ve had on the show.  When I was a high school kid losing my mind to all his verses in the late 90’s, I never would have thought I’d have the opportunity to kick it with him a few times.  Craziness.  Go cop Street Hop immediately and peep below for the interview.

Part 1:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• Reception of the Slaughterhouse project
• Familial relationship of the group
• Future of Slaughterhouse
• Earliest memories of Eminem

Part 2:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• Working with Eminem as part of Bad Meets Evil
• Learning recording techniques from Em
• His favorite MC’s
• Detroit’s knack for producing dope rappers
• His thoughts on J. Cole

Part 3:

(watch on HyphenTV)

• The Charles Hamilton/J Dilla fiasco
• His current relationship with Dr. Dre
• His new Street Hop album
• What he has left to prove in the game
• Future Bar Exam mixtapes

If you would prefer to just listen to the discussion and toss it on your mp3 player, here’s the audio of the full interview:

Royce Da 5’9″ on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?mkjzymhzzj1
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/690590078f4fcc91/)

Enjoy!