The Audacity of Dope

“…seasons change, mad things rearrange…” (c) Lauryn Hill

It is with mixed emotions that I announce the 12 year run of Sunday Night Sound Session has come to an end.

Jonathan Moore and I started SNSS in May of 2005, thanks to the opportunity given to us by Eric Powers and Karen Wild, the former Program and Music Directors of KUBE 93 in Seattle. From day one, our goal was simple: good music and good conversation. We built the show organically, exactly as we wanted it to sound. From the intros to the production elements to the interviews we scheduled, and most importantly, to the songs we selected, everything was developed to represent our musical tastes and cultural sensibilities.

We ended up giving hundreds of artists (including some who have gone on to superstardom) their first radio airplay and interviews, but it was never about “breaking” records. All we wanted to do was share good music with the masses and show the full spectrum of the culture, especially to kids that were otherwise only exposed to one sound and message through TV and radio.

When we started, there were very few outlets for this type of content, even on the web. Sound Session pre-dates the hip-hop blog era, Facebook’s public launch, the entire download/streaming music business model, and the iPhone. We carried on in the tradition of great radio programs like The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show, Friday Night Flavas, and The Wake Up Show, scouring every corner of the web and tapping our industry contacts to bring you our favorite new tracks every week. We made it a priority to give unknown artists 100k watts of power to amplify their voices, and to support local music from the entire Pacific Northwest. We’re thankful to have played a part in shaping the Northwest hip-hop scene and are thrilled to see its current strength and versatility.

Over the years, we’ve watched technology completely disrupt and change the music industry, especially within radio. We were one of the last independent music programs on an increasingly homogenized commercial radio landscape, one which is closer to extinction than ever before. For perspective, when I started working at KUBE 93 as an intern in 2002, we had about 50 staff members across on-air, promotions, production, and sales departments. I leave, 15 years later, as the last Seattle-based on-air host for KUBE. The rest of the broadcasts are syndicated from other markets, and the handful of people working hard off the air also do that same work for 6 other radio stations in iHeartRadio’s Seattle cluster.

On behalf of all the KUBE 93 employees I’ve had the honor to work with and call friends over the years: I’m the last one out and I have literally turned off the studio lights for us all. It was a great run and I enjoyed every minute of it. Thank you.

It feels fitting that we aired the last episode of Sound Session on the same night we had a memorial to celebrate J. Moore’s life, and 2 days after his 48th birthday when the Mayor’s Office announced April 21st will forever be known as Jonathan Moore Day in the city of Seattle. The evening was filled with love, laughter, and music, and after the festivities, we had some of his closest friends co-host the show (archive here).

While the quality never dipped, truthfully, Sound Session was never the same after the last show Jon and I hosted together, episode #500 (amazing that it came on such a recognizable milestone), in January of 2015. That was the night we announced I’d spend the next year abroad in London, working for my day job at ESPN. While I still put together the music and helped produce the show from across the pond, we planned on Jon hosting solo until I returned. Right before I came back, Jon’s battles with his kidney problems took a turn for the worse and he was forced off the air. At the same time, KUBE 93.3 flipped frequencies to KUBE 104.9 and our long-time bosses and supporters left the station. I returned to Seattle and started hosting again, but soon embarked on extended business trips to Australia and Brazil, forcing me to broadcast from around the globe. It was a heavy lift, but we kept the show running and kept supplying listeners with the music that we loved.

Jon passed away on March 8th, a few weeks before I returned from Brazil. Nothing has been the same since I lost my brother. I’d love to keep Sound Session going forever, but Jon’s passing and my decision to accept another year-long assignment in London are clear signals that the show has reached its conclusion. Station management has declined my recommendation to pass the reins or rebrand and relaunch a new show in the same time slot. All good things do indeed come to an end.

I don’t plan on hanging up my headphones (even though my trusty Technics broke in studio on our final show…another sign, perhaps) and I have a few ideas on how I’ll stay involved in music. I have all our Sound Session episodes saved offline and may decide to re-upload them, so if you’re interested in that or my next moves, you can follow along on social media (Twitter / Facebook / Instagram). I leave for London in a few days and am looking forward to the next chapter.

Lastly, a massive thank you to all the artists, managers, DJ’s, journalists, promoters, etc. who have helped Sound Session over the years. Special shout to the amazing interns and videographers we worked with. Infinite love and light to my brother Jon and his beautiful family. Above all, thank you to all the listeners that ever tuned in. We did the show for you, the music, and the culture.

Peace.

– Hyphen

(L-R: Upendo, Maseo, (Vitamin), Marcus, & DV)

Last Sunday, many of those closest to J. Moore gathered at Ciudad in Seattle, one of the venues owned by Jon’s longtime friend and business partner, Marcus Lalario.  It was held 2 days after Jon’s 48th birthday on April 21st, which I’m happy to say is now officially known as Jonathan Moore Day in the City of Seattle.  Dope to see one Mayor recognize another.

I also posted up a classic SNSS episode from his 44th birthday in 2013, complete with all sorts of gems from Jon on life & death, here.  Hope you enjoy the walk down memory lane…

The memorial at Ciudad was a great event (albeit a bit heavy on the Egyptian Musk) and we had a blast catching up and remembering J’s life.  Everyone grieves in different ways, but one thing’s for sure: J would want us to focus more on celebrating life than mourning it.  The building was filled with life, love, laughter, and music, all things that I’ll forever associate with Jon.  Thank you to everyone who came through and special thanks to Marcus for organizing the event.

Marcus, Upendo, DV-One, and Maseo from De La Soul all came through Sound Session to kick it with DJ Nphared and I after the festivities.  We played new tracks from artists like Big Boi, Killer Mike, Organized Noize, Joi, Snoh Aalegra, Vince Staples, Gorillaz, Pinder, Kendrick, Black Thought, Talib + Styles P, ANoyd, Little Dragon, Porter Ray, Dave B, and more.

It was especially fun to interview Maseo again, an absolute hip-hop legend.  We chatted about De La’s history, NYC rap over the years, the artificial nature of the commercial vs. underground divide (including his regret for being a part of the Roots’ “What They Do” video), and of course, his friendship with Jon that dated back to 1989!  Vinny & Johnny, the Merlot Brothers.  Shout to all the fellas for coming through and helping send off Jon right.

Show #592 (4/23/17)
**Co-hosted by DJ Nphared**

1. Big Boi ft. Killer Mike & Jeezy – “Kill Jill”
2. Organized Noize ft. Joi & 2 Chainz – “Kush”
3. Snoh Aalegra ft. Vince Staples – “Nothing Burns Like The Cold”
4. Pinder ft. Choice & Gifted Gab – “Focused” (Local Music)
5. Kendrick Lamar ft. Zacari – “LOVE.”
6. David Banner ft. Black Thought & WatchTheDuck – “Who Want It”
7. J. Period ft. Pharoahe Monch, Posdnuos, Black Thought, & Joss Stone – “Rise Up!”
8. Talib Kweli & Styles P ft. Common & Little Vic – “Teleprompters”
9. Joey Badass ft. Schoolboy Q – “Rockabye”
10. ANoyd – “Brand Name Water”
11. **INTERVIEW WITH MARCUS LALARIO & MASEO (OF DE LA SOUL)**
12. GoldLink ft. Jazmine Sullivan & Kaytranada – “Meditation”
13. Little Dragon ft. Agge – “Celebrate”
14. Gorillaz ft. Vince Staples – “Ascension”
15. The Cool Kids – “TV Dinner”
16. **INTERVIEW WITH MASEO (OF DE LA SOUL)**
17. Nas – “Halftime” (Throwback of the Week)
18. Porter Ray – “East Seattle” (Local Music)
19. Dave B – “Dive” (Local Music)
20. **INTERVIEW WITH MARCUS LALARIO, DV-ONE, & MASEO (OF DE LA SOUL)**

Download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWcDdwSWFtbW1BSm8

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.

(Porter Ray)

Another week, another fun episode of Sound Session.  On episode #591, DJ Nphared and I ran new records from David Banner + Black Thought, The Cool Kids, Joey Badass, Swindail + Innanet James, Gorillaz + D.R.A.M. + Bonobo, GoldLink + Mya, Tom Misch, Kendrick, and more.  We even had a record so good, we had to temporarily suspend our longstanding “Migos Free Zone” rule.  And if that wasn’t crazy enough, Desiigner called in to make weird noises and talk about working with Kanye/Mike Dean/Pusha, his new album, tour life, and more.

Oh, and one of the dopest MC’s in the Northwest (and nationally, truth be told), Porter Ray, dropped by to talk about his new Watercolor project on Sub Pop.  Cop that if you haven’t already (Sub Pop / Apple / Amazon / Google)!

Enjoy…

Show #591 (4/16/17)
**Co-hosted by DJ Nphared**

1. **INTERVIEW WITH PORTER RAY, PT. 1**
2. David Banner ft. Black Thought & WatchTheDuck – “Who Want It”
3. The Cool Kids – “TV Dinner”
4. Asher Roth ft. The Cool Kids – “Wu Financial”
5. **INTERVIEW WITH PORTER RAY, PT. 2**
6. Porter Ray – “East Seattle” (Local Music)
7. Porter Ray – “Navi Truck” (Local Music)
8. **INTERVIEW WITH PORTER RAY, PT. 3**
9. Joey Badass – “For My People”
10. Da Villins x DJ Skizz ft. Sean Price – “Indivisible (P&P)”
11. Evidence – “Throw It All Away”
12. Kendrick Lamar – “FEEL.”
13. Swindail ft. Innanet James – “C’est La Vie”
14. **INTERVIEW WITH DESIIGNER**
15. Desiigner – “Outlet”
16. Calvin Harris ft. Frank Ocean & Migos – “Slide”
17. Drake – “Madiba Riddim”
18. Gorillaz ft. D.R.A.M. – “Andromeda (Bonobo Remix)”
19. GoldLink ft. Mya – “Roll Call”
20. Snoop Dogg – “Snoopafella” (Throwback of the Week)
21. Logic ft. Damian Lemar Hudson – “Black SpiderMan”
22. Pinder – “For Granted” (Local Music)
23. Tom Misch ft. Carmody – “Ephemeral”

Download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWX0dOempLMFF3Vkk

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.

(L-R: Hyphen, Justo & Thig of The Physics, and J. Moore in 2012)

Continuing our string of Sound Session guest hosts, this week we welcomed some of J. Moore’s favorite artists (and people!) in the town, The Physics and Malice & Mario Sweet.  We chatted about their work and personal relationships with Jon, and played a few of his favorite records from the Physics family.  Any loyal SNSS listener knows how much we love their crew, so it was impossible to pick just one track to play.  Enjoy those classics, plus new records from Logic, Jidenna, Kendrick, Rozay, GoldLink, Joey Badass x J. Cole, Stormzy, Evidence, Asher Roth x The Cool Kids, J.I.D, and more.

I also highly recommend you check out this tribute to Jon that our friends at The Biggest Podcast put together.  You can also listen on any podcast app (iOS users, click here).

Rest In Peace Jon.

Show #590 (4/9/17)
**Co-hosted by DJ Nphared, Malice & Mario Sweet, & The Physics**

1. Logic – “Everybody”
2. Jidenna – “2 Points”
3. Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
4. Rick Ross ft. Ty Dolla Sign – “I Think She Like Me”
5. GoldLink ft. Shy Glizzy & Brent Faiyaz – “Crew”
6. Joey Badass ft. J. Cole – “Legendary”
7. The Physics – “I Just Wanna Beat” (Local Music) (Throwback of the Week)
8. Stormzy – “Velvet”
9. Audio Push – “Smokeout ‘99”
10. Da Villins x DJ Skizz ft. Sean Price – “Indivisible (P&P)”
11. The Physics – “Chalk Up Tomorrow” (Local Music) (Throwback of the Week)
12. The Physics – “My Place” (Local Music) (Throwback of the Week)
13. J.I.D – “Somebody”
14. Loyle Carner ft. Tom Misch – “Damselfly”
15. Evidence – “Throw It All Away”
16. Asher Roth ft. The Cool Kids – “Wu Financial”
17. Malice & Mario Sweet – “Speed Of Light” (Local Music) (Throwback of the Week)
18. Anna Wise – “Some Mistakes”
19. Matt Martians – “Spend The Night / If You Were My GF”
20. Drake ft. Jorja Smith & Black Coffee – “Get It Together”

Download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWam5US1NEOTFpM28

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.

Another week of Sound Session, another episode packed full of good music and good conversation with some of our favorite folks in the Northwest.  This week, Miguel Rockwell (host of The Biggest podcast and member of Clockwork, the fellas responsible for the first local music we played on SNSS) and Sol joined Nphared and I to catch up, talk shop, and share some more memories of J. Moore.  We also ran new cuts from Raekwon, Joey Badass + Schoolboy Q, Logic, Anna Wise, Jidenna, Sylvan LaCue, Brother Ali, GoldLink, Kendrick, and more.  Throwback in honor of the first album I ever bought, an absolute classic.

Enjoy the episode and for those of you lucky enough to get tickets to Jon’s memorial show, we’ll see you Friday.

Show #589 (4/2/17)
**Co-hosted by DJ Nphared, Miguel Rockwell, & Sol**

1. J.I.D – “Never”
2. Raekwon – “This Is What It Comes Too”
3. Joey Badass ft. Schoolboy Q – “Rockabye”
4. Kendrick Lamar – “HUMBLE.”
5. Logic – “Everybody”
6. Tuxedo (Mayer Hawthorne & Jake One) – “Back In Town” (Local Music)
7. Anna Wise – “Some Mistakes”
8. GoldLink ft. Wale & Radiant Children – “Summatime”
9. Dave B – “Kandi” (Local Music)
10. Smino – “Spitshine”
11. THURZ – “Iconic”
12. Drake – “Do Not Disturb”
13. Jidenna – “Bambi”
14. Sol – “Marathons” (Local Music)
15. Sylvan LaCue – “Grateful”
16. Brother Ali – “Own Light (What Hearts Are For)”
17. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince – “He’s The DJ, I’m The Rapper” (Throwback of the Week)

Download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWTUtMZG5uSmV2T00

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.