The Audacity of Dope

Right back at you with another update (if you missed show #584, click here), here’s last night’s episode of Sound Session for your streaming/downloading pleasure.  New tracks from artists like Big Sean, Vince Staples, Sylvan LaCue + Saba, Faith & Biggie, Dawson, Loyle Carner + Tom Misch, Tuxedo, Alex Wiley, Swet Shop Boys, Sampha, Syd, Kehlani, SiR, Sonder, and more.  Throwback in honor of the legendary David Axelrod and co-hosted by Nphared.

Of course we had to chat about all the craziness in the Super Bowl, and even more so, in America as a whole.  If the country’s still here next week, we will be too.  See you then!

Show #585 (2/5/17)

1. Big Sean – “Moves”
2. Vince Staples – “BagBak”
3. Cool Nutz ft. Mitchy Slick, Maniac Lok, & Aaron O’Bryan – “No Laces” (Local Music)
4. Tope ft. Erikka J & Farnell Newton – “Thank You” (Local Music)
5. GoldLink ft. April George – “Rough Soul”
6. Sylvan LaCue ft. Saba – “Best Me (Remix)”
7. Joey Bada$$ – “Land Of The Free”
8. Faith Evans & The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Jadakiss – “NYC”
9. Oddisee – “Like Really”
10. Dawson ft. Benny – “Float”
11. Loyle Carner ft. Tom Misch – “Damselfly”
12. WOLFE de MCHLS ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “Sunset Park”
13. InI ft. Pete Rock – “Think Twice” (Throwback of the Week)
14. Alex Wiley – “iNEEDTHAT (Mike Gao Remix)”
15. KXNG Crooked – “Alternative Facts”
16. Swet Shop Boys – “Shoes Off”
17. Stormzy – “Big For Your Boots”
18. Sampha – “Under”
19. Syd – “Know”
20. Tuxedo (Mayer Hawthorne & Jake One) ft. Snoop Dogg – “F*x With The Tux” (Local Music)
21. Kehlani – “Keep On”
22. The-Dream – “Ferris Wheel”
23. SiR – “W$ Boi”
24. Sonder (Brent Faiyaz, Atu, & Dpat) – “Too Fast”

Download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWbmx0WU1jTlBhclE

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

Well, that escalated quickly.

We’re less than a week into this new Trump-led America and executive orders attacking many things that the hip-hop & younger communities value are flying fast and free.  Making it harder for first time home owners to pay their mortgage?  Check.  Reducing health care support in developing nations?  Check.  Violating agreements with indigenous Americans to pursue an environmentally damaging oil pipeline?  Check.  Yahtzee.  Triple word score.

All this and the invention of “alternative facts,” or as they’re traditionally known, “lies,” within just a few days.

Tough times ahead.  Be sure to love each other and speak out for what you believe in.  Remember: we are the majority, by far.  Focus on the things that matter and set your sights on the 2018 midterms.  Like K Dot said, “we gon’ be alright.”

Here’s this week’s episode of Sound Session to provide you some musical relief from the madness.  New tracks from artists like Oddisee, Lupe Fiasco, Sol, J. Cole, Tall Black Guy + Ozay Moore (fka Othello), Little Simz + SiR, 070, WOLFE de MCHLS + Big K.R.I.T., Alina Baraz + Khalid, GoldLink, Buddy, Tuxedo, and more.  Throwback dedicated to what it feels like right now.  Overall, lots of good music, which I expect to be even more of a staple over the next 4 years.  We’ll be providing that each week, until Trump bans good taste.

Enjoy!

Show #583 (1/22/17)

1. Oddisee – “Things”
2. Lupe Fiasco ft. Gizzle – “Jump”
3. Sol ft. J’Von, Travis Thompson, & Koga Shabazz – “Stage Dive (Remix)” (Local Music)
4. A Tribe Called Quest ft. Consequence – “Black Spasmodic”
5. J. Cole – “High For Hours”
6. Mobb Deep – “Hell On Earth (Front Lines)” (Throwback of the Week)
7. Nick Grant ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Gotta Be More”
8. Tall Black Guy ft. Ozay Moore – “Things Deeper Than My Skin”
9. Little Simz ft. SiR – “One In Rotation + Wide Awake”
10. Termanology ft. Bun B, Bodega Bamz, & Masspike Miles – “Where’s The Love”
11. 070 ft. Shake, Ralphy River, Hack, & Phi – “Staying Alive”
12. Syd (of The Internet) – “All About Me”
13. Kingdom ft. Syd (of The Internet) – “Nothin”
14. WOLFE de MCHLS ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “Sunset Park”
15. Khalid – “Saved”
16. Alina Baraz ft. Khalid – “Electric”
17. Justin Hartinger ft. Romaro Franceswa – “Terra Cotta” (Local Music)
18. GoldLink ft. April George – “Rough Soul”
19. Buddy – “Shine”
20. Tuxedo (Mayer Hawthorne & Jake One) – “July” (Local Music)
21. Bruno Mars – “Calling All My Lovelies”

Download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWcmpuVjRoa2tJa2c

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

Hard to believe, but it’s true: this is the last episode of Sound Session during Barack Obama’s presidency.  We started the show in May of 2005, so we’ve been on air to witness most of his meteoric rise and discussed it quite a bit over the last decade.  The Obama era certainly helped shape the sound of the show, as his influence permeated every facet of our society and impacted the hip-hop world perhaps more than any other part of pop culture.  We’ve never had a more hip-hop friendly president…nor one with better musical taste.  We’re sad to see him go, for too many reasons to list.

Here’s our latest playlist, featuring new music from artists like Tribe, Common, Run The Jewels, AJ Tracey, Wiley, The Lox, Oddisee, The-Dream, Syd, Marian Hill, Nick Grant, J. Cole, Khalid, Sinead Harnett, Chris McClenney, Kid Cudi, Sampha, Raleigh Ritchie, and more.  Classic 90’s R&B throwback goes out to my guy Barack.

Enjoy!

Show #582 (1/15/17)

1. A Tribe Called Quest ft. Busta Rhymes – “The Donald”
2. Common ft. Gucci Mane, Pusha T, & BJ The Chicago Kid – “Black America Again (Remix)”
3. Run The Jewels ft. Joi – “Down”
4. MJ Cole & AJ Tracey – “Rumble”
5. Wiley – “Can’t Go Wrong”
6. The Lox – “Move Forward”
7. Tope ft. Erikka J & Farnell Newton – “Thank You” (Local Music)
8. Amine – “Baba” (Local Music)
9. Oddisee – “Things”
10. Tom Misch – “Watch Me Dance (Crackazat Remix)”
11. The Weeknd – “Rockin’”
12. The-Dream – “Ferris Wheel”
13. Ryan Caraveo – “Ten Times” (Local Music)
14. Smino – “blkswn”
15. Syd (of The Internet) – “All About Me”
16. Azad – “Sweet”
17. Marian Hill – “Down”
18. J. Cole – “Ville Mentality”
19. Nick Grant ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Gotta Be More”
20. Khalid – “Saved”
21. Sinead Harnett – “Rather Be With You”
22. Raleigh Ritchie – “Unicron Loev”
23. Kid Cudi – “Mature Nature”
24. Chris McClenney – “What You Mean To Me”
25. Sampha – “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano”
26. Blackstreet – “Don’t Leave Me” (Throwback of the Week)

Link to download - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWcEp0aUFoeG40X28

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

Well, that escalated quickly.

A lot of eloquent words by folks more intelligent than I have been written this week, plus I’m burned out from the emotion of it all and traveling from Australia to New York (24 hours straight on the move is no joke), so I’ll keep it as brief as I can.  There are three points I want to stress to everyone:

1. Almost 50% of the eligible voting population sat this one out.  Voter suppression occurred both via laws (reducing early voting windows, requiring additional identification, etc.) and by killing all enthusiasm for being a part of the process.  In such a close election (where the Electoral College has failed the will of the people for the second time in my life), every vote is crucial and we simply couldn’t afford so many people to stay at home.  Shameful, in my opinion, especially with local races and propositions on the ballot too.  It’s interesting watching this happen while I’ve been in Australia, where voting is required by law.  Sure, that gets abused too, but it definitely looks like a better system to me.  The Republicans have decided not to update their platform to move with the changing world, so they know their best chance to win is to have as few people vote as possible.  Credit to them, it worked this time around.  It’s on us to ensure more people, from all parties, get out to the 2018 midterms.
2. Trump won just 25% of the vote.  I would hope that the hardcore racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia he based his campaign on is only embraced by a small percentage of that group, say up to 10%.  Perhaps we’ll never be able to reach those people.  Maybe they’re just stuck in their ways.  But the rest of his voters amazingly decided that all of this nonsense was NOT a deal-breaker, which, at best, tells all the targeted people, “I don’t hate you…but I don’t care about you.”  These are the people we need to have conversations with, to ensure they understand that they have just emboldened and validated this rhetoric by putting him in the White House.  Those values are NOT shared by the vast majority of America and we cannot let a small few hijack the narrative in attempts to normalize this.  Speak up and stay vocal, shouting this down at every turn.
3. We gon’ be alright (c) Kendrick.  Sound Session has been here during the Bush years, the Obama years, and we’ll be here during the Trump years too.  So will you.  You are valued.  You matter.  You are loved.  Be the change you want to see at the local level and control what you can control.  Progress is not a straight line and we’re going to continue on our path to a more perfect union, one day at a time.

And now, some music for your soul:

Show #576 (11/13/16)

1. ASAP Mob ft. ASAP Nast & Onyx – “Nasty’s World”
2. Common ft. Bilal – “Home”
3. The Game – “Grew Up On Wu-Tang”
4. Like – “Diamond”
5. Mibbs ft. Blu – “Tell Me ‘Bout It”
6. Notorious B.I.G. ft. 112 – “Sky’s The Limit” (Throwback of the Week)
7. Meek Mill – “Blue Notes”
8. Khalid – “Hopeless”
9. Alicia Keys – “More Than We Know”
10. Mickey Factz & Nottz ft. Phonte – “Treat You Right”
11. Jay Prince – “Smile Good”
12. Dame D.O.L.L.A. ft. Lil Wayne – “Loyal To The Soil” (Local Music)
13. TYuS – “Shapes and Sizes” (Local Music)
14. Jalen Santoy – “Foreplay”
15. Big Sean – “No More Interviews”
16. Mayer Hawthorne – “A New Love”
17. JAHKOY – “Don’t Beg”
18. Solange ft. Sampha – “Don’t Touch My Hair”
19. Ray BLK – “5050”
20. All-Star Opera ft. Warm Gun – “Lifeline” (Local Music)
21. starRo ft. Masego – “Yams”
22. Childish Gambino – “Me and Your Mama”
23. Daniel Caesar ft. Kali Uchis – “Get You”
24. Nas – “I Can” (Throwback of the Week)
25. A Tribe Called Quest ft. Andre 3000 – “Kids”

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWaFdjcjJNQTV3Q2M

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

One of the most eye opening parts of this election has been the lack of discussion around the rampant sexism and misogyny allowing these two candidates to be seen anywhere near equally qualified. When I worked on the Obama campaign, I encountered racism quite often (mostly indirect, sometimes explicit) and I was happy we were going to get him elected in spite of it. I thought it was awesome how we were going to overcome this ridiculous self-constructed hurdle, and anticipated future doors being much easier to break down as a result.

Only later, when Hillary won the nomination, did I realize that old racist white men were actually more willing to accept a black man than a white woman. Not knowing how these people think, I just always assumed they valued race over sex. After all, they came from white women, married white women, and fathered white women. Logic would indicate their fear of the “other” would apply to a group outside their own immediate family.

Turns out, I was wrong. These folks will begrudgingly, while fighting every step of the way, accept the fact that a minority male can join their inner circle, but ask them to do the same with a woman and that’s where they attempt to draw the line.

Tiger can join the golf club. After all, he’s a male. He “gets it” (though perhaps too fervently and too publicly, as it turns out in that case). A woman though? Bollocks. Read the sign: “No Girls Allowed.”

Well, we are here: at the last stand of the patriarchal Alamo, and we are poised to make history.

If that’s not exciting enough, this is merely the beginning!

With all the negativity and pessimism surrounding us, we must recognize that progress takes time and we continue to steadfastly march down that path, undeterred by the delays and extra effort it requires. We will not see “the end” in our lifetimes, because it doesn’t exist. The goal continually moves because we continually evolve. The only constant is change and living life is to embrace that change.

This week we will take a massive step forward, one that will change the perception of what is possible for every generation of girls AND boys that follow. I’m so excited to take that step with you all.

Vote! And I will see you on the other side…literally in this instance.  I’ll be coming back to the States for some business in New York City from the 10th to the 20th, so holler accordingly NYC homies!

Onwards.

Show #575 (11/6/16)

1. Meek Mill – “Blessed Up”
2. Dame D.O.L.L.A. ft. Lil Wayne – “Loyal To The Soil” (Local Music)
3. Apollo Brown & Skyzoo ft. Patty Crash – “One In The Same”
4. Common ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “The Day Women Took Over”
5. ASAP Mob ft. ASAP Nast & Onyx – “Nasty’s World”
6. Onyx – “Last Days” (Throwback of the Week)
7. No Panty (Bodega Bamz, Joell Ortiz, & Nitty Scott) – “The Afterparty (Live At Jimmy’s, Pt. 2)”
8. Action Bronson ft. Big Body Bes – “Durag vs. Headband”
9. Like – “Lamped”
10. Jalen Santoy – “Foreplay”
11. Dave ft. Drake – “Wanna Know (Remix)”
12. Big Sean – “No More Interviews”
13. Ari Lennox – “Night Drive”
14. GTA ft. Jarina De Marco – “True Romance”
15. Jay Prince ft. Raheaven – “All In”
16. Drake – “Fake Love”
17. Taliwhoah – “Alright”
18. Khalid – “Hopeless”
19. Manatee Commune ft. Sol & Flint Eastwood – “What We’ve Got (Remix)” (Local Music)
20. All Star Opera ft. Warm Gun – “Lifeline” (Local Music)
21. JAHKOY – “Don’t Beg”
22. NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) – “Sidepiece”
23. Mayer Hawthorne – “A New Love”
24. Joe Budden – “Forget”
25. Brent Faiyaz – “Invite Me”
26. Mickey Factz & Nottz ft. Phonte – “Treat You Right”
27. De La Soul ft. Usher – “Greyhounds”
28. Ray BLK – “Chill Out”

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWbzhjN2hkUGNuSDQ

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

What up everyone, hope you’re all well!  It feels like it’s been a hell of a week with all the Colin Kaepernick nonsense (no, not his very sensible, very American, very peaceful protest of police brutality and systematic oppression…I mean the reaction from many fans and way too many folks in sports media) and Trump’s latest efforts to singlehandedly destroy America (advantage Pena Nieto…and me), so hopefully a little music can take your mind off it.  I did have to weigh in on Kap, but if you follow me on social media, you knew that was coming.

New music on this week’s SNSS from Anderson .Paak, T.I., Vince Staples, Ryan Caraveo, Big Gigantic & Pell, Leikeli47, Loyle Carner, Mac Miller & CeeLo, Mick Jenkins, Cashmere Cat & The Weeknd & Francis and the Lights, and more.  Two throwbacks to celebrate one of the greatest rap albums of all time.

Also be sure to check out my appearance on The Biggest podcast with the homies Miguel Rockwell and HawkinsBird.  We basically just nerded out and touched on all sorts of topics, so if you’ve ever wanted to know a bunch of random Hyphen related trivia, now’s your chance.  You can stream/download their podcast on all apps (iTunes, Stitcher, etc.) and right here online.

Enjoy!

Show #566 (8/28/16)

1. Torae ft. Freeway & Styles P – “Get Down (Remix)”
2. Anderson .Paak ft. T.I. – “Come Down (Remix)”
3. T.I. – “We Will Not”
4. Vince Staples – “War Ready”
5. Outkast – “ATLiens” (Throwback of the Week)
6. Frank Ocean ft. Andre 3000 – “Solo (Reprise)”
7. La – “So What” (Local Music)
8. Ryan Caraveo – “Feels Like Magic” (Local Music)
9. King Leez & Guce ft. Kokane – “Just That Type” (Local Music)
10. Big Gigantic ft. Pell – “Miss Primetime”
11. Raury & Jaden Smith – “Losing Your Mind”
12. GoldLink ft. Ciscero – “Fall In Love”
13. ABRA – “Pull Up”
14. Leikeli47 – “Money”
15. Isaiah Rashad – “Free Lunch”
16. Childish Major ft. Isaiah Rashad & SZA – “Happy Birthday”
17. DJ Khaled ft. J. Cole & EarthGang – “Jermaine’s Interlude”
18. Loyle Carner ft. Rebel Kleff – “No CD”
19. Nathan Nzanga – “Truce” (Local Music)
20. Mac Miller ft. CeeLo Green – “We”
21. De La Soul ft. Estelle & Pete Rock – “Memory Of… (US)”
22. Mick Jenkins – “Spread Love”
23. Tory Lanez – “Cold Hard Love”
24. Cashmere Cat ft. The Weeknd & Francis and the Lights – “Wild Love”
25. Outkast ft. Big Rube – “13th Floor / Growing Old” (Throwback of the Week)

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWOVJSa3YycXpkekk

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

Well, in keeping in line with the horrible events of the past few weeks, the Republican National Convention has just ended with one of the scariest and darkest speeches a major party candidate has ever delivered.  While the tone and fear mongering will be the largest takeaways, don’t forget all the outright lies peppered in throughout.  It’s amazing, and we’ve come close before, but we’re officially here now.  An election where the Republicans are trying to manipulate the narrative to completely ignore actual facts, such problematic little hurdles.

Sorry, I’m not ready to accept this.  Beliefs, preferences, moral leanings, etc. are one thing and whatever way you lean, hey…go for it.  Personally, I’m a fan of hope, diversity, love, and acceptance, but if you’re a fan of hate, division, and exclusion, do you, boo boo.  Make your decisions based on actual facts though, not fear.  Remember, as a very wise individual once said, “Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”

On a lighter note, treat this week’s SNSS as a respite from the madness.  New tracks from Warm Brew, BANKS, Phonte & Eric Roberson, Michael Christmas, Wiley, Blu & Nottz, Polyester, Joe Budden, Rexx Life Raj, and more.

Show #560 (7/17/16)

1. Kanye West ft. Rihanna & Swizz Beatz – “Famous”
2. Asher Roth ft. Michael Christmas & Larry June – “Laundry”
3. KnowMads – “Smoker’s Corner” (Local Music)
4. Logic – “44 Bars”
5. Rexx Life Raj – “Young Wardell”
6. Gensu Dean & Denmark Vessey ft. 7evenThirty & Iman Omari – “Black Love”
7. Polyester The Saint ft. Moni Mendoza & Marc Merlot – “How Far (Interlude)”
8. Snoop Dogg – “Two Or More”
9. Joe Budden – “Freedom Freestyle”
10. LaRue ft. Silas Blak – “Nat Turner” (Local Music)
11. Dee-1 – “We Are The Undefeated”
12. Blu & Nottz ft. Bishop Lamont, Torae, Skyzoo, & DJ Revolution – “Giant Steps”
13. A-F-R-O & Marco Polo ft. Pharoahe Monch – “Swarm”
14. Apathy – “Attention Deficit Disorder”
15. The Avalanches ft. Camp Lo – “Because I’m Me”
16. Schoolboy Q ft. Jay Rock, Kendrick Lamar, & Ab-Soul – “That Part (Black Hippy Remix)”
17. Lil’ Kim ft. The Notorious B.I.G. – “Drugs” (Throwback of the Week)
18. Warm Brew ft. Hugh Augustine & SiR – “No Time”
19. antbzy ft. Ariana DeBoo – “Since I Been Away” (Local Music)
20. Fudge (Michael Christmas & Prefuse 73) ft. Alex Mali – “In My Shoes”
21. Dusky ft. Wiley – “Sort It Out Sharon”
22. 808INK – “Suede Jaw”
23. Loyle Carner – “Tierney Terrace”
24. Khalid – “Let’s Go”
25. Phonte & Eric Roberson – “It’s So Easy”
26. Yuna – “Time”
27. BANKS – “F*ck With Myself”
28. Maggie Rogers – “Alaska”
29. Damaged Goods ft. Jesse Boykins III – “Where Do You Go”

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWSzMwWVd0WVFLakU

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

I’ve been in New York this week for some ESPN day job stuff and didn’t really get a chance to do anything music related, as I’ve been so busy working and hanging with some great co-workers.  That changed on Friday when I took the day off to explore the city a bit and visited my people at UMG and WMG.  After a long day, I headed back to my hotel and noticed Twitter was a buzz with Kanye’s amazing rollout of his “New Slaves” video projected on to 66 walls across the world, including one in Brooklyn.  At first, I thought it was the only NYC showing, but after checking their schedule, I noticed the last showing of the night was a few blocks from my hotel but was supposed to start 5 minutes ago.

Having worked in the industry for 13 years, I’m fully aware of hip-hop time, so 5 minutes ago really meant it was going to start in about 15.  Tossed on some clothes and jogged down to the 5th Ave Prada store (right across from Trump Tower) and sure enough, there was a crowd of about 50-75 people waiting for the showing.  Within minutes, a large black truck pulled up and crew dressed all in black hustled to pull off the tarp covering the cargo bay and unveiled the projector and speakers (seriously looked like something a Batman villain would do in Gotham City).  After a quick set up, they showed the piece, which is, of course, just as dope in its style and content as it is in its guerrilla marketing rollout.  Yeezy is back and spitting that real.

After playing it, the crew said they would run it back in about 15 minutes. They left and came back like clockwork, but after setting it up, waited a good 10 minutes before showing it a 2nd time.

Turns out, Kanye himself was on the way to watch this showing as he is in NYC for Saturday Night Live later tonight. He stood behind us with a phone up, as if he was filming like everyone else. Right after it ended, he hopped in his Maybach and drove off. And then he made us pancakes (…Chappelle Show reference).

Shout to everyone in the crowd that night. Real cool atmosphere as all us Yeezy fans were excited to see his new work and be a part of the rollout. Shout to Global Grind and XXL for picking up my video and tweets, and any other sites that have posted it.

And shout to Kanye for the realness. #YeezySeason

Following up on Obama’s jokes at the Correspondents’ Dinner, Seth Meyers took the podium and doled out ether left and right.

“Rick Sanchez, you are gone…and forgotten.”

Of course, the highlight is seeing Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly sulk in their seats, completely unable to take any sort of self deprecating humor whatsoever. Just laugh, idiots. God forbid you show one sliver of a likeable human characteristic.