Shad’s lead single from his upcoming Flying Colours album. I mean…I don’t even have to say anything at this point. Dope beat from Skratch Bastid, smooth hook from Sox, and Shad does what Shad does. That second verse though. Damn.
*REWIND*
Mac’s zonin’ on this one.
Visuals for one of my favorite records of the year, Bas (PSG jersey FTW) and J. Cole’s “Lit,” featuring great vocals from KQuick. Cole absolutely murked this one.
Be sure to download Bas’ entire project, Quarter Water Raised Me, Vol. 2, for free right here.
My favorite artists in the Northwest, The Physics, just dropped visuals for their Jake One produced “Take A Win,” off Tomorrow People. You can grab this track and others on the Cornerstone Mixtape J. Moore and I released last month (right here) and be sure to get the full Physics album here.
Congrats to Malice and Mario Sweet from the Physics crew on the birth of their son today too!
Xavier Jamaal Sweet. Born at 7:04 am on 07/04/2013. #BabySweet2013
— Malice & Mario Sweet (@MALICEandMARIO) July 4, 2013
Speaking of amazing writers, if it’s not Shad, then Lupe gets my vote for the best writer in the game. So many messages in his bars, it’s almost a must to follow along on RapGenius. Peep this video for visuals set to a few of his songs: “Lamborghini Angels,” “ITAL (Roses),” and “Audubon Ballroom.”
“ITAL (Roses)” is still the one.
Similar to my favorite “freestyle” video of all time, Shad went in on the “Grammy Family” beat for about 7 minutes and absolutely murdered it. So many bars, so much knowledge. Best writer in the game, imo. Peep the lyrics here.
A bit late on this record, but better late than never. This is Lion Babe, a duo comprised of Jillian Hervey (Vanessa Williams’ daughter) and producer Lucas Goodman, aka Astro Raw, and this song is my ish right now.
Along with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, we sat down with good friend of SNSS, J. Cole, at our recent Summer Jam concert at the Gorge. The video of our interview doesn’t fully share how dope a conversation this was, mainly because of the lack of proper equipment we had down there, but there’s still a lot of interesting stuff from Cole.
Of course we spoke all about his new Born Sinner album, including the pressure he felt while making it, why he decided to compete with the other artists dropping 6/18 too, and why the album is his attempt to “beat the system.” We also spent time talking about his favorite subject, basketball, and what it’s like being friends and playing ball with NBA players, their words of encouragement for him, and if he would trade rap for hoops. There’s some more random goodness in there too.
Shout to Cole for always being one of the coolest dudes in the industry and always supporting our show. Be sure you cop Born Sinner in stores now!
J. Moore and I had the chance to catch up with our homies Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Summer Jam recently and as always with these guys, we had a great time. I wish I could have shared all of the conversations we had with them off camera, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of good stuff in this for you to check out.
We centered the discussion around their meteoric rise to superstar status, which is a bit surreal to witness since we’ve known the fellas for so long and they haven’t changed a bit since all this started. They’re still great, down to earth, regular guys…who just happen to be REALLY talented…and through an incredible mix of hard work, smart decisions, rabid fan support, and some fortuitous luck, they’re now at the top of the music industry. It’s an amazing accomplishment, and not one that can really be put in words, but we tried to wrap our heads around it a bit.
We also spoke on their first appearances on Sound Session years ago and looked towards the future with details on their tour, recording, and promotions strategies, including some insight on their next album. All in all, good times.
Thanks to Mack & Ryan for chopping it up and a special shout to Mack for his sincere appreciation he showed us at the end of the interview. Having one of our peers talk about the respect he has for SNSS and our work over the years was perhaps a pseudo Full House moment (cue the music), but it’s one I’ll remember.
We appreciate you, fellas. Keep making the Town proud!
The homey, and still my vote for the best writer in the game, Shad, just dropped a new EP with Skratch Bastid (one of the dopest DJ’s in the world, if you’re sleeping). Download the quickstrike right here:
The Spring Up is the result of fortunate timing, grapefruit Perrier, a shared high school obsession with Outkast’s Aquemeni, and a couple of sessions at Skratch Bastid’s Toronto studio this April. The 5 track collection marks a moment in time for the pair; embodying the spirit of Spring and also serving as a sort of prelude to Shad’s upcoming full-length, to which Skratch Bastid also contributes. The collection features a production assist from DJ Jazzy Jeff, and a turn on the mic from compatriot Cadence Weapon.