The Audacity of Dope

When describing my taste in hip-hop, I’ve always explained that my favorite kind of artists are those that make that “everyman” kind of music. Not only is it generally truthful and authentic, but I can relate to it much more than the trite, generic, exaggerated styles that usually receive so much exposure. That’s not to say that music can’t be good and I won’t bump it, but I’ve always preferred to listen to good ish that I connect to and can make me think.

Most of the time, this split launches the useless “commercial vs. underground” debate, but I think the best artists are those that can exist in both sub-genres. People like Outkast, Nas, and Kanye have become legends in this lane, and there are a ton of upcoming artists staking their claim as well. A lot of them seem to be coming out of Los Angeles right now, with Blu, Inverse, U-N-I, and Pacific Division leading the way. Another MC that fits into that category is one I’ve been listening to for years, Bishop Lamont.

Since signing with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label in 2005, Bishop’s seen his popularity skyrocket, and deservingly so. He’s released a series of excellent mixtapes (Pope Mobile, Caltroit w/Black Milk, The Confessional, etc.), and now he’s prepping his debut album, The Reformation, due out in November. At the same time, he’s been working with Dre on his mythical Detox project, serving in the same capacity as Snoop did for The Chronic.

He recently took time out of that busy schedule to call in to Sound Session and discuss all things Aftermath. He talked about all the details surrounding The Reformation, what it’s like working with Dre, what’s hiding in the legendary Aftermath vaults, and much more. Bishop even told some behind the scenes Detox stories. You can check out the entire interview here:

Bishop Lamont on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?jwofmqs2c4k
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/17246074f1977a07/ )

With Bishop leading things off and new projects from Eminem, 50 Cent, and Dre on the way, look for Aftermath to make a huge impact over the next year. It all starts with The Reformation in November. Get ready.

Another busy weekend and another great edition of Sound Session in the books. We played some dope songs from Nas, Strong Arm Steady, Dwele, and more, plus debuted the Jay-Z and Game tracks that had the net buzzing this week. Local producer DJ Semaj came through to world premiere his new track with L.E.G.A.C.Y. (of the Justus League) and 5th Ave too. Also, check out that Johnson&Jonson (Blu & Mainframe) joint, as their oft-bootlegged collaborative effort is FINALLY being officially released. It’s a great album from front to back, and now we get to hear it in the way they intended. Cop that on September 23rd!

We also had Dr. Dre’s right hand man, Bishop Lamont, call in, plus, we gave out tickets to go see Janelle Monae, T.I., and Keyshia Cole. If you missed out, we’ll be giving away more Bumbershoot tickets on the next show, so be sure to tune in. Aight?

Show #168 (8-17-08)

1. Jay-Z – “Jockin’ Jay-Z”
2. Strong Arm Steady – “Can’t Let Go”
3. Camp Lo – “Lumdi”
4. Heltah Skeltah – “Everything Is Heltah Skeltah”
5. Nas ft. Eban Thomas & the Last Poets – “You Can’t Stop Us Now”
6. **INTERVIEW WITH DJ SEMAJ**
7. DJ Semaj ft. L.E.G.A.C.Y. & 5th Ave – “Love vs. Hate” (Local Artist)
8. Shaya – “Thinking Gap”
9. DJ K.O. ft. Talib Kweli, Torae, John Robinson, & Tiffany Paige – “Someday”
10. Game ft. Common – “Angel”
11. **INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP LAMONT, PT. 1**
12. Bishop Lamont – “Grow Up”
13. **INTERVIEW WITH BISHOP LAMONT, PT. 2**
14. Johnson&Jonson (Blu & Mainframe) – “WoW!”
15. Elzhi – “Colors”
16. Animal Farm – “Move It” (Local Artist)
17. Large Professor – “Hardcore Hip-Hop”
18. Neema ft. Mistah F.A.B. – “Light That Fire” (Local Artist)
19. The Knux – “Bang, Bang”
20. S1 ft. Skyzoo, Supastition, & Dow Jones – “Upper Echelon”
21. Dwele – “Feels So Good”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?swzmf8mzau7
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/17222666e7db4cf0/ )

Link to download the full interview with Bishop Lamont – http://www.mediafire.com/?jwofmqs2c4k
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/17246074f1977a07/ )

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.