The Audacity of Dope

As is tradition with the first Sound Session of the year, we started this episode looking back on 2014 (shout to Skillz for rekindling his rap up series) before turning our focus to the days ahead.  J and I both feel like there’s lots of good energy around right now, so we’re excited to see what 2015 brings, personally, professionally, cultural, etc..  Hopefully you guys are equally excited for the new year, but as we mentioned on the show, we’re not really a fan of resolutions.  Continued evolution through love and learning and new experiences should be the goal, and that should happen daily, not just at the top of the year.  Make it happen…

On this week’s show, we ran new music from ASAP Rocky, J. Cole, Mark Ronson, Mystikal, Funkghost, CRL CRRLL, Lion Babe, Little Simz, Tope, Kenn Starr, Joey Badass, Drake, D’Angelo, and more.  Lots of good music out there right now, hope you enjoy!

And before I go, a quick word on one of my favorite media figures, and a coworker at ESPN, Stuart Scott.  If you grew up in the 90’s and liked sports & music, Stu defined the intersection of the two.  In that regard, he was similarly as impactful as folks like Allen Iverson, the Fab 5, or Shaq.  He literally changed the media landscape by himself and by being himself.  He never compromised.  He was 100% genuine and the man you saw on TV was the same man in real life.

Growing up, I spent countless hours watching him cover sports and those were really formative years for me.  While everyone I watched on ESPN helped forge my desire to join the company later in life, he was probably the on-air personality I connected with the most.  He was like a good friend you saw all the time.  He was one of the homies.  That was our guy.  Today, he’s still reflected in the way all of us 80’s babies bring hip-hop into the workplace.

Most importantly, he was a dude that just lived life the way it’s meant to be done: to the fullest…being you…full of love and light.  Rest in peace to an icon and an inspiration.  We love you Stu, forever.

See you guys next week for SNSS #500!

Show #499 (1-4-15)

1.    Skillz – “2014”
2.    Bop Alloy (Substantial & Marcus D) – “Resolutions Per Minute” (Local Music)
3.    Joey Bada$$ ft. Dyemond Lewis & Maverick Sabre – “On & On”
4.    OB Obrien ft. Drake & P Reign – “Schemin’ Up”
5.    Nipsey Hussle ft. Buddy – “Status Symbol”
6.    J. Cole – “Fire Squad”
7.    PRhyme (Royce Da 5’9” & DJ Premier) ft. Jay Electronica – “To Me, To You”
8.    ASAP Rocky – “Lord Pretty Flacko Jodye 2”
9.    Kenn Starr ft. Melanie Rutherford – “The Definition”
10.    Tope ft. Dizz – “Rocky” (Local Music)
11.    Mark Ronson ft. Mystikal – “Feel Right”
12.    Funkghost – “Inside and Out”
13.    Big K.R.I.T. ft. Bun B, Big Sant, & Devin The Dude – “Mo Better Cool”
14.    Kanye West ft. Paul McCartney – “Only One”
15.    D’Angelo & The Vanguard – “Prayer”
16.    CRL CRRLL – “Cheers”
17.    Lion Babe – “Don’t Break My Heart”
18.    Little Simz – “Frozen”
19.    Emay – “Landscaping”
20.    Da Bush Babees ft. Mos Def – “The Love Song” (Throwback of the Week)
21.    Ryan Caraveo – “Paradise”
22.    Rittz ft. B.o.B & Mike Posner – “In My Zone”

Stream/Download via Soundcloud below:

(back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/183e0ec305/DJ_Hyphen_and_J._Moore_-_Sunday_Night_Sound_Session%2C_Show_499%2C_1-4-15.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.