The Audacity of Dope

Christmas has passed, New Year’s Eve is on the horizon, college football bowl games are on TV, and the Seahawks are primed for another run to the Super Bowl, so it can mean only one thing: it’s time for the last Sound Session of the year and with that, our Best of 2014 show!  This is far from a definitive list and represents just a small sliver of all the great music that dropped this year, but we always enjoy this episode because it gives us a chance to kick back, reflect, and vibe out to 2 hours of amazing records.  As always, we’ve included our playlist, some notes on our selections, and a list of some honorable mention records.

If you’re curious, previous “Best Of” episodes are available here: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010, and 2009.

Thanks for rocking with us in 2014 and we’ll see you next year!  Make it your best one yet.

Show #498 (12-28-14)
**Best of 2014**

1.    Kendrick Lamar – “i”
2.    Isaiah Rashad – “Soliloquy”
3.    Schoolboy Q – “Break The Bank”
4.    Pusha T – “Lunch Money”
5.    Statik Selektah ft. Action Bronson, Royce Da 5’9”, & Black Thought – “The Imperial”
6.    PRhyme (Royce Da 5’9” & DJ Premier) – “U Looz”
7.    Big K.R.I.T. – “My Sub, Pt. 3”
8.    Drake – “0-100 / The Catch Up”
9.    ILoveMakonnen ft. Drake – “Tuesday (Remix)”
10.    Majid Jordan – “A Place Like This”
11.    Big Sean ft. E-40 – “IDFWU”
12.    Vanni Meursing ft. Tasman Holloway – “Town Biz” (Local Music)
13.    Thaddeus David ft. T Spoon & Stewart Villain – “Everything” (Local Music)
14.    Dej Loaf – “Try Me”
15.    Doja Cat – “So High”
16.    Jessie Ware ft. Miguel – “Kind Of…Sometimes…Maybe”
17.    Dave B ft. Sol – “Boathouse” (Local Music)
18.    Fabolous ft. Jeremih – “Thim Slick”
19.    Tom Misch & Carmody – “Atmosphere”
20.    Mar – “Man x Woman”
21.    TOKiMONSTA ft. Anderson Paak – “Realla”
22.    Esta ft. SPZRKT – “Can’t Wait”
23.    Prince – “The Breakdown”
24.    Bas ft. J. Cole – “My N*gga Just Made Bail”
25.    Melat & Jansport J – “Fanclub”
26.    Sinead Harnett – “No Other Way”

Stream/Download via Soundcloud below:

(back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/19ab5db5d9/DJ_Hyphen_and_J._Moore_-_Sunday_Night_Sound_Session%2C_Show_498%2C_12-28-14%2C_Best_of_2014.mp3)

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.  Kendrick Lamar – We didn’t get the highly anticipated follow up to GKMC, but we did get the first taste from the next album.  Kendrick’s self-empowerment anthem was much needed in this environment too.
2. Isaiah Rashad – TDE had a monster year and aside from Kendrick, Q, Ab-Soul, and Jay Rock, the future looks especially bright with Isaiah (and SZA). Most talented label in the game?
3. Schoolboy Q – We could have picked “Studio” or “Hell Of A Night” from Q’s album, but we chose this Alchemist produced banger. Congrats to Q on a well deserved Grammy nomination as well!
4. Pusha T – Kanye toying with the “Just To Get A Rep” sample while Pusha flawlessly delivers his standard braggadocio? Yes please.
5. Statik Selektah – Yeah, Action Bronson had a good verse and Royce killed it, but Black Thought BODIED his portion. Verse of the year?
6. PRhyme – Speaking of Royce, his collaborative effort with Premo was unquestionably one of the best projects of the year. Dope beats + dope rhymes. It’s not rocket science.
7. Big K.R.I.T. – Cadillactica is my pick for album of the year, but that said, there really isn’t a singular standout track. The whole album is fantastic, but the 3rd part to K.R.I.T.’s bass anthems is perhaps the catchiest. TWO FIFTEENS!
8. Drake – The record so hot that Diddy actually put hands on Drake for “stealing” the beat…let’s just be glad we never heard Puff’s version.
9. ILoveMakonnen – Only Drake and Kanye can hop on random records and turn them in to some of the biggest tracks of the year. Hell, Makonnen even got a deal and a Grammy nomination out of it.
10. Majid Jordan – PARTYNEXTDOOR is the most hyped OVO artist but this duo are the most talented. Their EP laid the groundwork for an official debut that should make a powerful impact in 2015.
11. Big Sean – An instant anthem.
12. Vanni Meursing – Speaking of anthems, this was Seattle’s unofficial soundtrack during the Seahawks’ last Super Bowl run. Slap.
13. Thaddeus David – Thad linked with 2 talented cats from Portland, flipped the classic Dre sample, and made one of the dopest NW records of the year.
14. Dej Loaf – Drake didn’t even need to hop on this record to make it a hit. He just needed to quote it in an Instagram comment and the world took notice to low key the hardest track of the year.
15. Doja Cat – Every time we played this, the phones lit up and anyone with us in the studio had one response: “yo…who is THAT?”
16. Jessie Ware – Jessie’s Tough Love was one of the best (and most slept on) albums of the year and this BenZel produced slow jam was the highlight. Shout to Miguel on the background vocals too.
17. Dave B – The NW is filled with talent but Dave B is the most exciting up and comer in my book. When the next project drops, he’ll be in the national discussion as well.
18. Fabolous – Typically, NYC hypes up their artists far more than they should be and the buzz doesn’t reach outside the NE, and for good reason. Fab is similar in that he gets love in NYC but has been slept on recently outside the region, but he’s been quietly releasing some really dope projects the last few years. This beat + Jeremih’s hook & Fab’s rhymes should have = a hit record.
19. Tom Misch & Carmody – Tom Misch was my favorite discovery in 2014. This 19 year old singer/producer from London released an EP with Carmody in December but somehow, this track wasn’t included. Flames.
20. Mar – My song of the year pick. Just a highly enjoyable record that has everything mashed up in one track. In a year where rap seemed a little stale, alt-R&B/dance music picked up the pieces nicely.
21. TOKiMONSTA – Anderson Paak’s Venice was one of the best albums of the year, but we went with his contribution to TOKiMONSTA’s EP for our selection. For realla.
22. Esta – Not sure the Soulection camp has ever let us down. Vibes upon vibes upon vibes is what they have.
23. Prince – It was a big year for vibey alt-R&B/ambient soul, but the master also blessed us with some new work and reminded us who influenced all these singers, whether they know it or not.
24. Bas – J. Cole & D’Angelo both dropped projects right at the end of the year, which made it tough to include them in our Best Of, but we had to make sure Cole was represented. This verse might have been his most effortless of the whole year.
25. Melat & Jansport J – This beat. That sample. Those vocals. Yes.
26. Sinead Harnett – We went back to the UK for our last track of the night with this super smooth Snakehips produced R&B jam.

Honorable mentions from artists not otherwise represented:

• 50 Cent ft. Joe – “Big Rich Town”
• Action Bronson – “Easy Rider”
• Alchemist ft. Riff Raff & Action Bronson – “Rookies of the Future”
• All About She ft. Jacob Banks – “I Can’t Wait”
• Anna Lunoe ft. Jesse Boykins III – “Heartbreak In Motion”
• Asher Roth – “Tangerine Girl”
• BANKS – “Drowning”
• BJ The Chicago Kid – “Soul Of A Woman”
• Bipolar Sunshine ft. GoldLink – “Future (Part 1)”
• Boaz – “Like This”
• Cam’Ron & A-Trak ft. Juelz Santana & Dame Dash – “Dipsh*ts”
• Childish Gambino – “Retro (Rough)”
• Choosey – “Fly Me To The Moon”
• Common ft. Vince Staples – “Kingdom”
• Cozz – “Dreams”
• Damon Albarn – “Lonely Press Play”
• denitia and sene – “divided”
• Dilated Peoples ft. Aloe Blacc – “Show Me The Way”
• DTMD (Dunc & Toine Makin’ Dollas) ft. BOOM – “toine&B”
• Emile Haynie ft. Charlotte Gainsbourg, Devonte Hynes, & Sampha – “A Kiss Goodbye”
• Fashawn ft. Dom Kennedy – “Golden State Of Mind”
• FKA twigs – “Two Weeks”
• Fly Union ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Don’t Count Me Out”
• Flying Lotus ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Never Catch Me”
• Freddie Gibbs & Madlib ft. Scarface – “Broken”
• George Maple – “Talk Talk”
• India Shawn ft. James Fauntleroy – “Floating Away”
• Jade De LaFleur ft. James Fauntleroy – “Freedom”
• Jesse Boykins III – “Plain”
• Joey Bada$$ – “Christ Conscious”
• Logic – “Under Pressure”
• Lupe Fiasco ft. Ty Dolla Sign – “Next To It”
• Nao vs. A.K. Paul – “So Good”
• Nemo Achida ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Hands On”
• Phantogram – “Fall In Love”
• Pharrell ft. JoJo, Leah LaBelle, & Tori Kelly – “Freq”
• Rejjie Snow ft. Loyle-Carner – “1992”
• Run The Jewels (Killer Mike & El-P) – “Oh My Darling Don’t Cry”
• Sam Lachow ft. Raz Simone & Ariana DeBoo – “Dreams of Gold”
• Sam Smith – “Lay Me Down”
• SBTRKT ft. Sampha – “Temporary View”
• Shad & DJ T.LO – “Always Winnin”
• SOS – “Secrets”
• Spooky Black – “Without U”
• The Roots ft. Patty Crash – “Never”
• The Weeknd – “Often”
• THURZ – “Right Now”
• Tory Lanez – “R.I.D.E.”
• Travis Scott ft. Big Sean & The 1975 – “Don’t Play”
• Vince Staples – “Blue Suede”
• Young & Sick – “Glass”
• Your Old Droog – “Gunsmoke Cologne”

2015. You ready?

Getting this week’s edition of SNSS posted a few hours before we hop on the air for our Best of 2014 show.  It’s been a crazy blur of a year.  Hopefully SNSS has provided you with a great soundtrack and exposed you to a few new artists you hadn’t heard of before!

On this week’s episode, we ran new music from PRhyme, Your Old Droog, Joey Badass, Rittz, Mike Posner, Azealia Banks, Emay, Chuuwee, Dayne Jordan, OB Obrien, Drake, D’Angelo, and more.  We were also joined in studio by Ryan Caraveo, one of Seattle’s brightest up and coming artists.  Check out his new album, Swings, and be on the lookout for Ryan to make some serious noise in 2015.

Lastly, be sure to peep the video of our recent interview with denitia and sene right here.  Enjoy the show!

Show #497 (12-21-14)

1.    PRhyme (Royce Da 5’9” & DJ Premier) ft. Dwele – “You Should Know”
2.    Your Old Droog – “Loosey In The Store With Pennies (Extended)”
3.    Joey Bada$$ – “No. 99”
4.    **INTERVIEW WITH RYAN CARAVEO, PT. 1**
5.    Big K.R.I.T. – “King of the South”
6.    Rittz ft. B.o.B & Mike Posner – “In My Zone”
7.    **INTERVIEW WITH RYAN CARAVEO, PT. 2**
8.    Ryan Caraveo – “GODMODE” (Local Music)
9.    OB Obrien ft. Drake & P Reign – “Schemin’ Up”
10.    **INTERVIEW WITH RYAN CARAVEO, PT. 3**
11.    Tunji Ige ft. Wonda – “Day 2 Day”
12.    Azealia Banks – “Desperado”
13.    Anderson Paak – “Luh You”
14.    Emay – “MAIR”
15.    J. Cole – “Wet Dreamz”
16.    Thaddeus David – “Annex” (Local Music)
17.    JR & PH7 ft. Chuuwee – “Meanwhile Off Mack”
18.    Dayne Jordan – “I Want It All”
19.    Blakk Soul & Rapper Big Pooh – “Jukin’ (Alone)” (Local Music)
20.    Crooklyn Dodgers – “Crooklyn” (Throwback of the Week)
21.    D’Angelo & The Vanguard – “Really Love”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – https://soundcloud.com/djhyphen/dj-hyphen-j-moore-sunday-night-sound-session-show-497-122114
(back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/956530bcee/DJ_Hyphen_and_J._Moore_-_Sunday_Night_Sound_Session%2C_Show_497%2C_12-21-14.mp3)

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.

Some of our favorite artists, individually and collectively, denitia and sene came through Sunday Night Sound Session recently to chop it up while on tour here in Seattle.  We talked about their backgrounds, how they met at an artist collective, their first impressions of each other, what their creative process is like, breaking barriers between genres, their side fx EP releasing in January 2015, and more.

We’ve been playing their music for a while so it was great to finally meet in person.  Big shout to them for coming through and to Lea with the First Ladies for filming/editing!

Sunday Night Sound Session has been on air for almost 10 years and we’ve archived every single episode online, but we’ve always looked for a good distribution solution. Soundcloud made some licensing changes lately that allows us to utilize their platform for streaming/downloading full episodes of the show. After doing some testing, I think this should work and help you guys enjoy the show much easier each week. No weird download sites, full functionality with all your devices (the Soundcloud app is a must for mobile/tablet), and one centralized location for our episodes and interviews going forward. Most importantly, it should allow more people to discover all the great music that’s out there right now so we can support these artists and they can continue to create!

On this week’s show, we played new tracks from artists like Joey Badass, Termanology, Michael Christmas, Astro, Tunji Ige, Saigon, J. Cole, Coultrain, Tuxedo, Anthony Hamilton, Your Old Droog, Electric Wire Hustle, Lion Babe, salute, Tink, and the loooooooong awaited return of D’Angelo. Plus, we were joined in studio by Malice & Mario Sweet to debut Malice’s new solo song, “Try You,” produced by Jake One. Great stuff all night…

Enjoy!

Show #496 (12-14-14)

1.    Joey Bada$$ – “No. 99”
2.    Termanology ft. Michael Christmas & Astro – “I’m Good”
3.    PRhyme (Royce Da 5’9” & DJ Premier) ft. Jay Electronica – “To Me, To You”
4.    Big K.R.I.T. ft. Lupe Fiasco – “Lost Generation”
5.    De La Soul ft. Chuck D – “The People”
6.    Saigon – “Let’s Get Smart”
7.    J. Cole – “Apparently”
8.    Common ft. Sadat X – “1-9-9-9” (Throwback of the Week)
9.    **INTERVIEW WITH MALICE & MARIO SWEET, PT. 1**
10.    D’Angelo and the Vanguard – “Sugah Daddy”
11.    Coultrain – “Let’s Pretend It’ll Last”
12.    **INTERVIEW WITH MALICE & MARIO SWEET, PT. 2**
13.    Malice Sweet – “Try You” (Local Music)
14.    Tuxedo (Mayer Hawthorne & Jake One) – “Wonderful Christmastime” (Local Music)
15.    **INTERVIEW WITH MALICE & MARIO SWEET, PT. 3**
16.    Anthony Hamilton – “What Do The Lonely Do At Christmas”
17.    Bop Alloy (Substantial & Marcus D) – “Spent” (Local Music)
18.    Your Old Droog – “The ‘70s”
19.    Electric Wire Hustle – “Loveless”
20.    salute ft. Vanessa Elisha – “So Cool”
21.    Lion Babe – “Jungle Lady”
22.    Tink ft. Charlamagne Tha God – “Around The Clock”
23.    Fabolous – “Lituation”
24.    Tunji Ige ft. Wonda – “Day 2 Day”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – https://soundcloud.com/djhyphen/dj-hyphen-j-moore-sunday-night-sound-session-show-496-121414
(back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/be3c75a004/DJ_Hyphen_and_J._Moore_-_Sunday_Night_Sound_Session%2C_Show_496%2C_12-14-14.mp3)

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 a huge fan of skyline/cityscape pieces, especially when it’s as smooth as this timelapse film of Toronto from Ryan Emond. I need to get to the T. Dot soon. I’m still not ok with Drake popularizing folks calling it “The 6” though. That name is taken.

I really like the wavelength that Cole is on right now. Real, honest, genuine. Artists should take note: focus on telling your story and let your music come naturally. Don’t force it. Don’t chase radio singles. Do what fits. And use your voice to speak on the real:

Preach, Cole!

Hmmm.

Filthy. Those Toronto boys don’t play…

Last week, J. Moore held down SNSS solo and this week, I returned the favor while J was in New York, repping Seattle with our boy Nacho Picasso.  Speaking of New York, I know it’s gone through the news cycle a couple times now, but a week removed and the non-indictment in the Eric Garner case is still incredibly egregious.  It’s tough to look at officer body cameras as a step in the right direction when we already have footage of a policeman using an illegal chokehold to kill someone, yet the only person indicted in the case is the man who filmed it.  Depressing.

Anyway, tune in to this week’s episode to hear some more of my thoughts on the issue, along with some excellent new music from artists like the Wu-Tang Clan, Chuck D, De La Soul, PRhyme, J. Cole, Fabolous, Lion Babe, Abhi//Dijon, Vanessa Elisha, and more.  Plus, Kalieb Nash joined us in studio for a special live performance.  Musically, it was a really good show.  Hope you guys enjoy…

Show #495 (12-7-14)

1. Wu-Tang Clan – “A Better Tomorrow”
2. De La Soul ft. Chuck D – “The People”
3. PRhyme (Royce Da 5’9” & DJ Premier) ft. Ab-Soul & Mac Miller – “Dat Sound Good”
4. **INTERVIEW WITH KALIEB NASH, PT. 1**
5. Pusha T – “Lunch Money”
6. J. Cole – “03’ Adolescence”
7. Tope ft. Blu, Rob Milton, & Farnell Newton – “Let It Go” (Local Music)
8. **Kalieb Nash – “Again (Live Performance)” (Local Music)**
9. **INTERVIEW WITH KALIEB NASH, PT. 2**
10. Kalieb Nash – “Merry Little Christmas” (Local Music)
11. Donnie Trumpet & The Social Experiment – “Sunday Candy”
12. Ryan Caraveo – “Where The Sun Sets” (Local Music)
13. The Neighbourhood ft. French Montana – “#icanteven”
14. Choosey – “Broken Hearts”
15. Von Pea & The Other Guys – “Chasing Amy aka In Your Heart”
16. Shad & DJ T.Lo – “Take Flight”
17. Fabolous – “Lituation”
18. Big K.R.I.T. ft. E-40 & Wiz Khalifa – “Mind Control”
19. Rochelle Jordan – “Ease Your Mind”
20. Anderson Paak – “Luh You”
21. Vanessa Elisha – “21 Questions”
22. Nao ft. Abhi//Dijon – “Adore You”
23. Lion Babe – “Jungle Lady”
24. Tom Misch & Carmody – “So Close”
25. Raleigh Ritchie – “You Make It Worse”
26. Gorillaz – “Tomorrow Comes Today” (Throwback of the Week)

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/6764e842c7/DJ_Hyphen_and_J._Moore_-_Sunday_Night_Sound_Session%2C_Show_495%2C_12-7-14.mp3
(back up – http://www29.zippyshare.com/v/61723441/file.html)
(2nd back up – http://linkmixes.com/aqdry6mdrh77)

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.

The visuals for one of my favorite songs of the year, “Realla” off TOKiMONSTA’s Desiderium dropped a little while ago, but I didn’t catch them until now.  Hope you enjoy.