The Audacity of Dope

Oh man, very late on getting you guys some recent SNSS episodes to rock to in the car, on the train/bus, at the gym, at the desk, etc., my bad!  Luckily, the music from our final 10 Year Anniversary Special is timeless.  If you missed parts 1 and 2, click here.  Again, we went through our archives and picked out two records from each year that we really, really loved, and thought represented the show well.  There were hundreds of other GREAT songs that didn’t quite make the cut, so these are really some of our favorites.

We also took a few minutes out of the show to give the homey Post Malone his first radio interview.  Fun little fact to look back on years from now…

The next two episodes will be up soon.  Enjoy the cuts!

Show #520 (5-31-15)
**10 Year Anniversary Special, Week #3**

1.    Jay-Z – “Dear Summer” (2005)
2.    Kanye West ft. Jay-Z – “Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix)” (2005)
3.    The Game ft. Kanye West – “Wouldn’t Get Far” (2006)
4.    J Dilla – “Won’t Do” (2006)
5.    **INTERVIEW WITH POST MALONE**
6.    Amy Winehouse – “Me & Mr. Jones” (2007)
7.    Outlawz ft. Young Buck & Dion – “Drivin’ Down The Freeway” (2007)
8.    Big Boi ft. Raekwon & Andre3000 – “Royal Flush” (2008)
9.    N.E.R.D. – “You Know What” (2008)
10.    Nipsey Hussle – “Hussle In The House” (2009)
11.    Pac Div – “Mayor” (2009)
12.    Shad – “Rose Garden” (2010)
13.    Nottz ft. Dwele – “You Need This Music” (2010)
14.    Frank Ocean – “Novacane” (2011)
15.    Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers” (2011)
16.    Yuna – “Live Your Life” (2012)
17.    Gilbere Forte – “Pray” (2012)
18.    Drake ft. Jhene Aiko – “From Time” (2013)
19.    Drake ft. Sampha – “Too Much” (2013)
20.    Anna Lunoe ft. Jesse Boykins III – “Heartbreak In Motion” (2014)
21.    J. Cole – “Fire Squad” (2014)
22.    Scribes – “Roll My Way” (Local Music) (2009)
23.    Ray Dalton – “So Emotional” (Local Music) (2012)
24.    Blue Scholars – “Southside Revival” (Local Music) (2005)

Stream/Download via Soundcloud:

(back up – https://www.sendspace.com/file/j1gekp)

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.

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?

Another year is in the books and here on Sound Session, you already know what that means: it’s time for our annual wrap up show.  As we’ve said in years past (2009 & 2010), this playlist isn’t a definitive, comprehensive list by any means, nor is it compiled in any sort of numerical ranking marking which songs are “better” than the others.  Instead, we simply picked records and artists that played a large part on our show this past year and the songs we couldn’t stop listening to.

As I usually do, I’ve listed some notes on why each song made the cut, along with a few honorable mentions from artists not otherwise represented (i.e., I could have listed a plethora of tracks from Drake, The Weeknd, Kendrick, Kanye/Jay, etc., but we’ll keep it simple…).

Enjoy the show and make 2012 your best year yet.

Show #342 (1-1-12)
**Best of 2011**

1. Drake ft. Rick Ross – “Lord Knows”
2. Nas – “Nasty”
3. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Gotta Have It”
4. Kendrick Lamar – “HiiiPower”
5. Tyler, The Creator – “Yonkers”
6. Frank Ocean – “Novacane”
7. TiRon & Ayomari – “If I Had You”
8. The Physics – “These Moments” (Local Music)
9. Dom Kennedy – “On My Way”
10. Curren$y – “She Don’t Want A Man”
11. Big K.R.I.T. – “The Vent”
12. Rocki Evans – “Funeral Song”
13. Purple HeArts – “Know Go”
14. Shabazz Palaces ft. Thee Satisfaction – “Swerve…the reeping of all that is worthwhile (Noir not withstanding)” (Local Music)
15. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Ray Dalton – “Can’t Hold Us” (Local Music)
16. Little Dragon – “Ritual Union”
17. Common ft. Makeba – “Blue Sky”
18. Childish Gambino – “Freaks and Geeks”
19. Maffew Ragazino – “Black Sheep”
20. Ghostface Killah ft. Black Thought – “In Tha Park”
21. Thurz – “Dope”
22. Lupe Fiasco ft. Skylar Grey – “Words I Never Said”
23. Charlie Smarts – “Torture”
24. J. Cole ft. Drake – “In The Morning”
25. The Weeknd – “The Party & The After Party”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?vdi2nrygmyfjrsf
(back up / streaming link – http://hulkshare.com/6d7zxtd90fjk)
(2nd back up – http://www.zshare.net/audio/981872599a085813/)

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. Drizzy was everywhere this year and while most records were slow and brooding (“Marvin’s Room” is an instant classic), he reminded his deriders he can rhyme too.  Just Blaze’s incredible beat and Rick Ross coining the #YOLO term didn’t hurt either.
2. Anyone who thought Nas slipped with the Distant Relatives project was crazy to begin with.  Nas punctuated that with “Nasty.”
3. Did Watch The Throne live up to the hype?  Probably not, but it’s still one of the best albums of the year and while “Otis” and “Murder To Excellence” were also great, the standout is this short but sweet record…despite Jay’s “planking on a million” line.
4. After a few good years, Kendrick broke out in a major way with Section.80 in 2011.  This J. Cole produced single was the first track released off the project and set the tone for the whole album.  Kendrick will drop a 5 mic classic before it’s all said and done.
5. Tyler and the Odd Future crew had an amazing year in 2011 and while many tracks were a bit too heavy on the shock value, “Yonkers” didn’t go overboard (though the video might have, for some).  Instead, Tyler cooked up one of the best beats of the year that would have sounded at home on a classic Wu-Tang album.
6. My personal song of the year.  Nuff said.
7. They just don’t make music like this anymore.  TiRon & Ayomari’s uptempo record becomes a classic the second the horns come in for the first time.
8. Three straight appearances on our year end wrap up show for The Physics, who consistently make my favorite music from the Northwest.  No need for drums on this record when everything else is that dope.
9. Dom dropped two great projects in 2011 and had numerous records that we could have picked, but this one represents his trademark new west sound perfectly.
10. The ongoing joke is that Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y are ALWAYS rapping about smoking weed with your girl, but hey, when it comes out like this, you can’t really be mad at it.  Unless that’s your girl.
11. Along with Don Trip’s “Letter 2 My Son,” Big K.R.I.T.’s “The Vent” was the most heartfelt record of the year.  That’s what music should be all about.
12. Rocki may not be on everyone’s radar (yet), but if he keeps making songs like this, he will be in 2012.
13. While Drake, The Weeknd, and even our good friend Shad have been making headlines in the US all year, be on the lookout for another crew from Canada in 2012.
14. International acclaim from fans and press alike marked a great year for Seattle’s own Shabazz Palaces.  Thee Satisfaction come along for the ride on this one, closing out the record in a way only they can.
15. Speaking of international success for local musicians, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis blew up in 2011.  Seriously.  Did you see them rock almost 10k at Bumbershoot?
16. Yukimi is incredible and gets most of the headlines, but the rest of the band is amazing as well.  You need to see Erik drum live to truly experience Little Dragon.
17. Com just barely dropped his album in time for most people to include it in their year end wrap ups, but the minute “Blue Sky” was released, it instantly reserved its spot on our list.
18. I was tempted to pick “Be Alone” or “Hold You Down,” which show a slightly more serious side of Gambino, but this record was Donald’s break out song for 2011.
19. In a year where most newcomers came from other cities, Maffew and Action Bronson showed there’s still a bright future in NYC.
20. Most forgot that Ghostface’s album was released right before the new year so this Frank Dukes produced banger was too late for everyone’s 2010 lists, and sadly forgotten on most 2011 wrap ups.  Except ours.
21. Fans were disappointed to see U-N-I go their separate ways but both Thuz and Y-O dropped good projects in 2011, highlighted by this appropriately titled record from the former.
22. While the beat and hook left much to be desired, Lupe spit some of the realest bars of the year on this track.  If Lu ever releases acapellas, it might destroy the internet.
23. One of our favorite crews, Kooley High, saw one member, Rapsody, achieve a lot of notoriety in 2011 but our favorite track from the North Carolina collective was Charlie Smarts’ “Torture.”  Just listen to those keys…
24. Always a good question…
25. Anytime someone literally goes from unknown to the most sought after independent artist in the game, he has to be the rookie of the year.  Nobody came out of nowhere like The Weeknd in recent memory, thanks in large part to Drake’s co-sign and the strictly grown & sexy music.

Honorable mentions from artists not otherwise represented:

• Amy Winehouse ft. Nas – “Like Smoke”
• Asher Roth & Nottz – “Break Bread”
• Fly.Union – “Hard Sell”
• Goapele – “Play”
• Gods’illa ft. Maimouna Youssef – “You Don’t Have To Be A Star”
• Jhene Aiko – “Stranger”
• Killer Mike – “Ric Flair”
• Mayer Hawthorne – “A Long Time”
• Pete Rock & Smif-N-Wessun ft. Styles P & Sean Price – “That’s Hard”
• Phonte ft. Jeanne Jolly – “Everything Is Falling Down”
• Pusha T – “Blow”
• Raekwon ft. Nas – “Rich and Black”
• Random Axe ft. Roc Marciano – “Chewbacca”
• Raphael Saadiq – “Good Man”
• Rapsody ft. Raekwon – “Black Diamonds”
• Rick Ross – “I Love My B*tches”
• Royce Da 5’9” – “Second Place”
• Saigon – “The Greatest Story Never Told”
• Schoolboy Q ft. Jhene Aiko – “Fantasy”
• Stephen Marley ft. Damian Marley & Buju Banton – “Jah Army (Revelation, Pt. 1)”
• Travis Barker ft. Lupe Fiasco & Pharrell – “If You Want To”
• Young Jeezy ft. Jay-Z & Andre 3000 – “I Do”

2012.  Let’s go.

In a few days, we’ll all celebrate the end of another year (or do you celebrate the start of the next…glass half full vs. half empty?) but before 2011 arrives, it’s tradition that every media outlet in the world releases some sort of wrap up on the previous 12 months.  Here at SNSS, we’re no different…although ours is [hubris] inherently better [/hubris].  In reviewing last year’s Best of 2009 list, I noticed my explanation still applies:

Keep in mind, these are not the biggest records of the year…nor the blogosphere favorites…or Twitter picks.  Nah, these are 26 24 of our favorite songs that we played heavily on SNSS in 2009 2010.  They are not in any sort of countdown or follow any other ranking schema.  We included a few of our favorite records from the town and crossed into other genres as well.  In other words, we followed our normal formula for spinning great music on the radio, but we just supersized it on some Barry Bonds-Roger Clemons-Alex Rodriguez super powered steroid type steez.

Speaking of baseball, we’re closing in on our 300th show.  Not exactly at Cy Young level yet, but still a notable accomplishment in today’s radio environment.  As always, we’re thankful to have the opportunity to shine light on great music and talented artists, plus we really appreciate every soul who tunes in.  We had more positive feedback and new listeners in 2010 than ever before and SNSS continues to move onward and upward.  In all seriousness, it’s humbling to be one of the last bastions of the culture on commercial hip-hop radio.  Thank you.

As I did last year, I’ve included some notes for our selections below, as well as a few honorable mention picks that we would have included on the air if we had enough time.  Any feedback/debate is welcome.  Did we miss any joints in particular?

Enjoy!

Show #291 (12-26-10)
**Best of 2010**

1. Nas & Damian Marley – “As We Enter”
2. Big Boi ft. Andre 3000 & Sleepy Brown – “Lookin’ 4 Ya (Full Mix)”
3. Candidt ft. Maya Jenkins – “Imaginary Stereo” (Local Music)
4. N.E.R.D. ft. Nelly Furtado – “Hot-N-Fun”
5. Freddie Gibbs – “National Anthem (FTW)”
6. Big K.R.I.T. ft. Devin The Dude & Curren$y – “Moon & Stars (Hyphen Remix)”
7. Wiz Khalifa ft. Killa Kyleon – “Spotlight”
8. Concise Kilgore – “Alaska”
9. Freeway & Jake One ft. Raekwon – “One Thing” (Local Music)
10. Aloe Blacc – “Dollar”
11. Nottz ft. Dwele – “You Need This Music”
12. Reflection Eternal ft. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, & Mos Def – “Just Begun”
13. The Physics – “My Place” (Local Music)
14. U-N-I ft. Miguel – “Lately”
15. Kanye West ft. Dwele – “Power”
16. Rick Ross ft. Jay-Z & John Legend – “Free Mason”
17. The Roots ft. STS & Joanna Newsom – “Right On”
18. Bilal – “All Matter”
19. Shad – “Rose Garden”
20. Theophilus London – “Flying Overseas (Version 1)”
21. Sol – “Dear Friends” (Local Music)
22. Dom Kennedy – “1997”
23. The Kid Daytona – “On The Hill”
24. Drake – “Fall For Your Type (Same Mistakes)”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?dgoqsov4ft9aqld
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/84451733eaf81c64/)
(2nd back up – http://usershare.net/vfjlt0697jzy)

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. Lead single off a hugely underrated album.  Damian’s production guidance + Nas’ introspective social commentary = WIN.
2. It’s a shame that this flawless Outkast record (Dre’s verses!) wasn’t even on Big Boi’s album because of label politics. The Clipse told y’all bout Jive…
3. Speaking of ‘Kast, this local gem sounded like it was birthed at Stankonia…but with a west coast and distinctly Seattle influence.
4. “Ok, we wrote this for a purpose…” and they succeeded.  Stadium music, 50 thousand at a time.
5. Gibbs is everything that hip-hop purists want in a MC.  We almost picked “The Ghetto,” but this record was harder, thanks largely to a chorus reminiscent of Pac’s best.
6. When a record has an incredible chorus and Devin The Dude featured on it, you just assume he supplies it.  Not here, where Krit’s crooning steals the show.  I blended Curren$y’s verse from the remix with the original to round it out.
7. There were a handful of great records on Kush & OJ and we were one of the shows to help break “Black and Yellow,” but our favorite was “Spotlight.”  Wiz wins the best adlib of 2010 with, “this beat go perfect with my belt.”  TGOD.
8. I guarantee we’re the only show with this record on our Best of 2010 list, but that’s a shame.  The Sade sample gets flipped so nasty, you can’t help but make the Cliff face when you hear it.  Possibly my favorite beat of the year.
9. Extended fam of SNSS (you may have caught J. Moore as Free’s hypeman on tour this year) dropped a great album and thanks to a careful clean edit, this was our favorite track to play off The Stimulus Package.
10. Aloe was EVERYwhere in 2010 and his success is well deserved.  Many in the country don’t know the artist, but they know the song.  And he murdered “Politician” live in studio with us.  Epitome of an artist.
11. Between the title, the lyrics, the hook, and the beat, no record summed up SNSS better than this song.  Take your corporate $$’s thaaaaattaway.
12. Talib and Hi-Tek not only reunited with each other and Mos, but they brought along newcomers Jay Elec and J. Cole for an instant classic.  As Kweli mentioned in studio with us, this record could fit right in with any early Blackstar/RE project.  And that’s a beautiful thing.
13. The Physics delivered our favorite local record of 2009 with “I Just Wanna Beat,” and they’re on the list again with the less direct, but equally sultry, “My Place.”
14. And when wifey is at your place, play this record and let Miguel talk to her.  “You on my mind right now…”
15. My favorite artist of the year (and the decade…and ever?) with the biggest song of the year.  Everything Yeezy did in 2010 was an event and this comeback record sparked it all.  Plus, the homey S1 got introduced to the rest of the world with a great look.  “No one man should have all that power”…but he does.
16. I was ready to go back to back ‘Ye with “Live Fast, Die Young,” but J picked another great track from the Bawse.  Kudos to Ross, who successfully evolved from an industry punchline a few years ago to making some of the best mainstream hip-hop music we have.  His ear for beats might be the best in the whole industry.
17. An incredible beat is complemented by a somewhat lackluster verse, until we hear, “I’m Black Thought, what could be more prolific?” and the song kicks into the next level.
18. J’s favorite song of the year has an eerie Marley-esque feel to its lyrics and Bilal hitting notes that only he can.  Honorable mention for one of my favorites, “Think It Over,” off the same album.
19. Sharing the “best writer in the game” title with Lupe Fiasco, Shad finally got some well deserved respect stateside in 2010.  If you’re still sleeping, you’ll wake up soon.  Don’t worry.
20. Anytime your song acts as my ringtone for a good 6 months of the year, you’ll likely make the Best Of wrap up.  Your getaway anthem.
21. As I mentioned in the post for this video, Sol is one of Seattle’s rising stars.  And with our well respected scene, he’ll soon be making noise around the country.  Cop it now while his rookie card is cheap.
22. “1997” sounds like it was a great year for Dom and a 15 year old Hyph would agree.  I also agree that “I hate how rappers use the term fresh so looooooosely.”
23. Daytona is one of our favorite MC’s in the game right now and his flow over this classic sample are a match made in heaven.  Add in a Nutso/Leon “Above The Rim” reference from the greatest movie ever made and I’m all in.  “He’s playin ball…with no ball!”
24. Yes, Drake’s singing.  Yes, he has limited range.  Yes, 40’s beats aren’t the most varied (…yet).  Yes, he gave this record to Jamie Foxx.  But yes, he has an incredible knack for capturing situations many of us have been in through his lyrics and yes, this is one of the best records of 2010.  Don’t make the same mistakes in 2011.

Honorable mentions from artists not otherwise represented:

• Black Milk ft. Royce Da 5’9″ & Elzhi – “Deadly Medley”
• Donnis – “Gone”
• Homeboy Sandman – “Mean Mug”
• Janelle Monae – “Cold War”
• Jay Electronica ft. Diddy – “Ghost Of Christopher Wallace”
• J. Cole – “Who Dat”
• Kidz In The Hall – “Grizzly Man”
• Laws – “Hold You Down”
• Lupe Fiasco – “I’m Beaming”
• Miguel ft. J. Cole – “All I Want Is You”
• Slum Village ft. Posdnuos & Phife Dawg – “Scheming”
• The Foreign Exchange – “Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me”
• Trek Life – “Wow”

Of course there are more, but if you really want to know all the records we liked in 2010, peep our archives!  See you in 2011!

You call it late…I call it just in time for Christmas!  Shout to Mistah F.A.B. for coming through the studio this week…always fun to chop it up with Fabby Davis Jr..

Tune in next episode for our “Best of 2010” edition of SNSS…

Show #290 (12-19-10)

1. Nipsey Hussle ft. Kokane – “Mr. Untouchable”
2. Focus ft. Pro-Verb, Ras Kass, Kendrick Lamar, & Latoiya Williams – “Homage To Daz & Soopafly”
3. Pac Div – “Let Loose”
4. Big K.R.I.T. ft. Killa Kyleon & Curren$y – “Moon & Stars (Remix)”
5. Yelawolf ft. Rittz The Rapper – “Box Chevy”
6. Bilal – “Lost My Mind”
7. M.anifest – “Rocking Steady”
8. **INTERVIEW WITH MISTAH F.A.B., PT. 1**
9. Bambu – “History Of Angels”
10. Ghostface Killah ft. Black Thought – “In Tha Park”
11. The Kid Daytona ft. Aloe Blacc – “NYA”
12. **INTERVIEW WITH MISTAH F.A.B., PT. 2**
13. The Good Sin & TH (of SOTA) – “No Diss (Hands Up)” (Local Music)
14. DJ Premier ft. KRS-One & Grand Puba – “5%”
15. Consequence – “Suit & Tie Theory”
16. Dawaun Parker – “Schemin’”
17. DJ K.O. ft. Silent Knight & MadKem – “Taking A New Step”
18. Big L – “Ebonics” (Throwback of the Week)
19. Grynch ft. Sol – “All I Wanna Do” (Local Music)
20. JusMoni – “Take All Night” (Local Music)
21. Kanye West ft. CyHi Da Prynce & Teyana Taylor – “Christmas In Harlem”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?id1imr22s1mm839
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/842531348df2376b/)
(2nd back up – http://usershare.net/ef34uij3m8jz)

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.