The Audacity of Dope

We’re back from SXSW and as usual, a good time was had by all.  It would be impossible to list out everyone we ran into, but big shout to all the artists, managers, promoters, record labels, corporate sponsors, etc. that we hung out with.  It’s always fun to catch up and trade stories from the past year, even if the event as a whole certainly jumped the shark this time with all the major artists and companies getting involved.

Special shouts to Hardknock TV and The Smoking Section for organizing the 2nd Annual HoopxHang 3 on 3 basketball tournament.  Just like last year, they invited a bunch of industry cats to play some ball and this time around, I ran with Team Hardknock.  My teammates, Carl Chery from XXL and Nick Huff from Hardknock TV, and I pulled off some March Madness of our own and won the championship…plus bragging rights for the next year.  Good times and a great event overall.

Here’s this week’s SNSS, featuring music from some of the artists we saw at SXSW, including The Kid Daytona, Boldy James, Wiz Khalifa, Schoolboy Q, ASAP Rocky, Jhene Aiko, Miguel, Big K.R.I.T., BJ The Chicago Kid, Polyester, Dee-1, 50 Cent, Nas, and Raekwon.  Enjoy!

Show #353 (3-18-12)

1. The Kid Daytona ft. Jadakiss – “Low (Remix)”
2. Boldy James – “Jimbo”
3. Wiz Khalifa ft. Juicy J – “My Favorite Song”
4. Schoolboy Q ft. ASAP Rocky – “Hands On The Wheel”
5. DJ Phinisey ft. John Crown – “Attention!” (Local Music)
6. Jhene Aiko – “Higher”
7. Miguel – “Adorn”
8. Big K.R.I.T. – “Insomnia”
9. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Aiight”
10. Polyester – “Show Me”
11. Dee-1 – “The Garden Of Eden”
12. SOTA – “Unfazed” (Local Music)
13. Roc Marciano – “Poltergeist”
14. 50 Cent ft. The Madd Rapper – “How To Rob” (Throwback of the Week)
15. Nas – “The Don”
16. Quakers ft. Jonwayne – “Smoke”
17. Planet Asia ft. Raekwon – “No Apologies”
18. Co$$ – “Love Is”
19. Rittz ft. Yelawolf – “Sleep At Night”
20. Dave B ft. Royce The Choice & Yola – “She’s Al’right” (Local Music)
21. Frank Ocean – “Whip Appeal”
22. Azealia Banks ft. Lazy Jay – “212”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?4qcg6kbm5z17mg0
(back up / streaming link – http://www.sharebeast.com/35x5hgouqbe6)
(2nd back up – http://linkmixes.com/jvap46ux5cq8)

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.

Huge shout out to Mediafire for randomly deleting all of our archived episodes of Sound Session without any warning or explanation.  I’m hoping they’ll put our files back, but in the interim, all we’ve got is this week’s SNSS.  It makes the perfect Valentine’s Day gift though…trust me.

Oh…and legitimate shouts to Homeboy Sandman for lacing us with a new intro (workinonit!) and for The Good Sin and Fatal Lucciauno for dropping by the studio to talk about their upcoming projects.

Show #348 (2-12-12)

1. Big K.R.I.T. – “Boobie Miles”
2. Gangrene – “Flame Throwers”
3. Planet Asia – “Golden State”
4. Phonte – “The Good Fight”
5. Brother Ali ft. Nikki Jean – “Shine On”
6. Grynch ft. Brother Ali & Shaprece – “So Far” (Local Music)
7. Young Jeezy ft. Jay-Z, Drake, & Andre 3000 – “I Do (Remix)”
8. **INTERVIEW WITH THE GOOD SIN & BLAKK SOUL, PT. 1**
9. The Good Sin ft. Blakk Soul – “Mission Impossible” (Local Music)
10. MadKem – “Ms. Badu”
11. **INTERVIEW WITH THE GOOD SIN & BLAKK SOUL, PT. 2**
12. The Kid Daytona ft. Melanie Fiona – “Love Is Love”
13. J-88 – “The Look of Love, Pt. 2” (Throwback of the Week)
14. Chip Tha Ripper ft. Kid Cudi – “GloryUs”
15. Maffew Ragazino ft. Das Racist – “Jackson Pollock”
16. **INTERVIEW WITH FATAL LUCCIAUNO, PT. 1**
17. Kardinal Offishall – “Ignant Shh”
18. Stacy Barthe ft. John Legend – “No Strings Attached”
19. Fatal Lucciauno – “Live Freestyle”
20. **INTERVIEW WITH FATAL LUCCIAUNO, PT. 2**
21. Fatal Lucciauno ft. J. Pinder – “Amazing” (Local Music)
22. Omar Aura ft. B Free – “Balla”
23. **INTERVIEW WITH FATAL LUCCIAUNO, PT. 3**
24. Drake – “Look What You’ve Done”
25. Rittz ft. Nikkiya – “Paradise”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?sy69bs7y227q8m0
(back up / streaming link – http://hu.lk/xdfxdn9ds92o)
(2nd back up – http://www.zshare.net/audio/9906775698b2c1d3/)

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.

This week’s SNSS features new music from Common, One Be Lo, Peedi Crakk, Drake, Big K.R.I.T., Saigon, Action Bronson, Yuna, and many more.  Plus, we gave SNSS debuts to Sound Fx and Will Brennan.  Enjoy!

Show #347 (2-5-12)

1. Common – “Lovin’ I Lost”
2. One Be Lo – “Jenny”
3. The Roots ft. P.O.R.N. & Truck North – “Kool On”
4. Koolade ft. Peedi Crakk – “All Round Philly”
5. Thaddeus David – “Jones” (Local Music)
6. The Kid Daytona – “Angela’s Sister”
7. Drake – “Under Ground Kings”
8. Big K.R.I.T. – “Boobie Miles”
9. Don Trip – “Allen Iverson”
10. Gangrene – “Flame Throwers”
11. 50 Cent – “You Took My Heart”
12. Action Bronson – “Strictly Business (Part 1 & 2)”
13. Maffew Ragazino ft. Das Racist – “Jackson Pollock”
14. Redskin – “Sunday Night Sound Session Freestyle” (Local Music)
15. Saigon ft. Jovan Dais – “Women Are The New Dogs”
16. Kooley High – “Drop A Dime (If They Get On)”
17. Sound Fx – “A Son’s Prayer”
18. J. Pinder ft. Mistah F.A.B. – “Dream Killers” (Local Music)
19. Yuna – “Live Your Life”
20. Justice – “On’n’on (Rick Rubin Remix)”
21. The Fugees – “Zealots” (Throwback of the Week)
22. The Away Team ft. Phonte – “See U Later”
23. Will Brennan – “Rite Of Passage”

Link to download mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?27m642ib43e7ahm
(back up / streaming link – http://hulkshare.com/uoxvm9jmxi01)
(2nd back up – http://www.zshare.net/audio/99014691a74aeb8d/)

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.

Sorry for the delay.  Here’s last week’s SNSS:

Show #346 (1-29-12)

1. Evidence – “Falling Down”
2. Action Bronson – “Strictly Business (Part 1 & 2)”
3. Chase N. Cashe – “Wavy Navy (Max Bundles)”
4. Chuuwee – “Cold World”
5. Drake ft. The Weeknd – “The Ride”
6. Common ft. James Fauntleroy II – “Cloth”
7. Saigon ft. Jovan Dais – “Women Are The New Dogs”
8. 8Ball & MJG ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “We Buy Gold”
9. J. Pinder ft. Mistah F.A.B. – “Dream Killers” (Local Music)
10. BJ The Chicago Kid ft. Kendrick Lamar – “His Pain”
11. Yuna – “Live Your Life”
12. Gotye – “Giving Me A Chance”
13. Scribes – “Thruourmusic” (Local Music)
14. Astonish – “All I Need”
15. The Away Team ft. Phonte – “See U Later”
16. Wu-Tang Clan ft. Cappadonna – “Triumph” (Throwback of the Week)
17. Thaddeus David – “Never Too Late” (Local Music)
18. The Wurx ft. Peedi Crakk – “No Ordinary”
19. Emilio Rojas ft. Nikkiya – “Blame Me”
20. John Legend ft. Ludacris – “Tonight (Best You Ever Had)”
21. Amy Winehouse – “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?bx0s54fs8kp75vz
(back up / streaming link – http://hu.lk/2faosc7pxmpk)
(2nd back up – http://www.zshare.net/audio/9900071788d669b8/)

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.

(I’m headed to Los Angeles this week so I wanted to get this archive up ASAP for y’all.  If you’re in LA, hit me and let’s link up!)

After last week’s debacle, you didn’t think I’d forget to record SNSS on back to back episodes, did you?  Back once again, it’s the incredible.  This time, we were joined in studio by one of our favorite local artists, Thaddeus David, who you should be familiar with from his work with State of the Artist (SOTA) and Helluvastate.  He’s now releasing his first solo project, Maven, this Friday and we spoke with him all about it.

We also aired our interview (and live acoustic in-studio performance!) from a very promising up and coming R&B singer, John West.  Peep the interviews and the rest of the dopeness below.  RIP Etta James & Jam-Master Jay!

Show #345 (1-22-12)

1. Drake ft. Lil Wayne – “HYFR”
2. 50 Cent – “You Took My Heart”
3. The Wurxs ft. Peedi Crakk – “No Ordinary”
4. Homeboy Sandman – “The Miracle”
5. ASAP Rocky – “Peso”
6. Jay-Z – “Glory”
7. Sol – “Rap Life” (Local Music)
8. **INTERVIEW WITH THADDEUS DAVID, PT. 1**
9. 8Ball & MJG ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “We Buy Gold”
10. Avatar Young Blaze ft. Isabella Du Graf – “Never Impossible” (Local Music)
11. Astonish – “All I Need”
12. The Quakers ft. Guilty Simpson & MED – “Fitta Happier”
13. Bumpy Knuckles – “We Are At War”
14. Tito Lopez – “Conversation With Tito”
15. Common ft. John Legend – “The Believer”
16. Kanye West – “Addiction” (Throwback of the Week)
17. Run-D.M.C. – “Jam-Master Jay” (Throwback of the Week)
18. The Weeknd – “Montreal”
19. **INTERVIEW WITH THADDEUS DAVID, PT. 2**
20. Thaddeus David – “Never Ever” (Local Music)
21. The Slakadeliqs ft. Tingsek – “Nine 2 Five”
22. Asher Roth ft. Action Bronson – “Choices”
23. **INTERVIEW WITH THADDEUS DAVID, PT. 3**
24. Saigon ft. Lil’ Fame – “Another Man Down”
25. Brother Ali – “Writer’s Block”
26. **INTERVIEW WITH JOHN WEST, PT. 1**
27. John West – “Already There (Live on Sunday Night Sound Session)”
28. **INTERVIEW WITH JOHN WEST, PT. 2**
29. Chuuwee – “Reign (Long Live The King)”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?t3ms1jya6r4nshl
(back up / streaming link – http://hulkshare.com/y9g0rh0zqutb)
(2nd back up – http://www.zshare.net/audio/98890031608773b4/)

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.

Well, it was bound to happen someday.  After 6+ years of recording the show every week (barring the few with technical difficulties), I straight up forgot to hit the record button for this episode of SNSS.  It’s a shame too, because we had a great time playing some good music and hanging out with the homies Avatar Young Blaze and Sol in the studio.  Enjoy the tracklist and just know that this was [Bill Walton] the greatest hour and a half in radio history [/Bill Walton].

We’ll lock it back down next week.

Show #344 (1-15-12)

1. Brother Ali – “Writer’s Block”
2. T.I. ft. Pusha T – “I’ll Show You”
3. Saigon ft. Lil’ Fame – “Another Man Down”
4. M.O.P. – “Blasphemy (Blast 4 Me)”
5. 50 Cent – “You Took My Heart”
6. **INTERVIEW WITH AVATAR YOUNG BLAZE, PT. 1**
7. Avatar Young Blaze ft. Isabella Du Graf – “Never Impossible” (Local Music)
8. **INTERVIEW WITH AVATAR YOUNG BLAZE, PT. 2**
9. Jay-Z – “Glory”
10. Chuuwee – “Reign (Long Live The King)”
11. Astonish – “Shine Like Dilla”
12. Drake ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Buried Alive”
13. **INTERVIEW WITH SOL, PT. 1**
14. Sol ft. Ray Dalton – “Need Your Love” (Local Music)
15. Gotye ft. Kimbra – “Somebody That I Used To Know”
16. **INTERVIEW WITH SOL, PT. 2**
17. Common ft. Maya Angelou – “The Dreamer”
18. Nas – “Nas Is Like” (Throwback of the Week)
19. Action Bronson & Statik Selektah – “Cliff Notes”
20. B.o.B ft. Andre 3000 – “Play The Guitar”
21. Snoop Dogg & Wiz Khalifa ft. LaToiya Williams – “I Get Lifted”
22. Childish Gambino – “L.E.S.”
23. City Hall – “Out For A Rep” (Local Music)
24. Asher Roth ft. Hassani Kwess & Kenny Keys – “Pabst & Jazz”
25. Homeboy Sandman – “Unforgettable”
26. Jean Grae – “U & Me & Everyone We Know”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – NO ARCHIVE
(back up / streaming link – NO ARCHIVE)

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.

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.

(don’t watch this yet!  read first, then watch…)

If you know me in real life, you know that as much as I live and breathe music, sports has always been far more important to me.  With my dad’s British upbringing, soccer logically became my first sport and growing up, I must say, I was pretty talented (and equally modest…or not).  As I got older and more immersed in our country’s sports culture, I was drawn to the major US sports and eventually basketball edged out soccer as my top choice. I put the cleats away, laced up the high tops, and ended up playing small college basketball down in Los Angeles.  Nothing glamorous, but it kept me busy and shoot, there aren’t THAT many people who can say they’ve made the NCAA tournament!  *cough* Division III though *cough*

After graduating, I returned to Seattle and while I’ve enjoyed playing in the Puget Sound Basketball League, I’ve had a lot more fun playing for a few soccer clubs up here.  Perhaps it’s a little sad, but the two games I play each week are often highlights that I look forward to when I’m bored with the monotony of my day job and music work.  It’s even at the point now where my basketball games are cool…but I’d rather be on the pitch.

Alongside my own playing, I’ve started following professional leagues around the globe, really buying in completely around the 2006 World Cup.  Not only does it provide the obvious entertainment, but I find something really important in maintaining a regular connection, albeit fairly superficial, to the rest of the world.  It’s sickeningly easy for Americans to forget that societies exist outside our borders (and are comfortably passing us by), so by following leagues in Europe, South America, and Asia, plus the international clubs from the rest of the world, I’m actually exposed to a good bit of culture and news I’d otherwise miss out on.  Plus, it provides a nice escape when the sports media (hi friendly employer!) and all my friends talk about the same stories.  Trust me, I’m up on all the happenings in basketball, football, and baseball, but watching/playing soccer allows me to follow stories that most people I interact with simply haven’t heard.

Naturally, this leads to the awkward existence of the US soccer fan.  There are more of us than ever before.  The MLS and US Men’s & Women’s teams are more popular than at any point in history.  We are a legitimate player in the soccer world, but admittedly, we are nowhere near the top.  Thanks to our size and economy (assuming we still have one in a few years), we have potential to join the top tier, but we have a long fight ahead.  Americans are generally either apathetic to the sport or they foster a strangely antagonistic, and not so subtle jingoistic, disdain for it.  There’s nothing that angers a non-soccer fan more than hearing how it’s the most popular sport in the world.

What does all this rambling have to do with the video posted above?  Well, Francis Coquelin’s excellent performance as a defensive midfielder for Arsenal in their recent loss to Tottenham epitomizes why the average US sports fan doesn’t really like soccer.

Watch the video above.  I’ll wait.

Done?

Ok, so what did you see?

6 minutes of “nothing special,” right?  No thumping headers, athletic bicycle kicks, or Bend It Like Beckham-esque free kicks.  Hell, you didn’t even get a goal!  Instead, just a great deal of industry, grit, ingenuity, vision, agility, strength, speed, finesse, and calmness that displayed almost everything you want from a player in that position on the pitch.  Granted, the youngster made a few poor touches and distributed some loose passes, but overall, it was the lone bright spot in what has become a shockingly poor season for Arsenal.  In all fairness, it was far from what a top defensive midfielder is capable of, but it still underscores my point.

If you can’t appreciate a performance like that, you’ll never truly love the sport.  If your eye can’t spot the subtle adjustments necessary for a positive first touch or the instinctive movement to create the right passing angle, you’re going to be awfully bored while you wait for the goals to come.  If you’ve been brainwashed by our highlight driven society, you’re missing out on the building blocks for those incredible moments in the Top 10 countdown.

I’ll even go one step further, and likely anger some of my soccer loving friends at the same time.  If you haven’t played the sport and tried to do what these guys make look effortless, you don’t fully understand the beauty of soccer.  Yeah, I know…that’s pretty self-righteous, but I feel it’s true.  Fans are quick to jeer when a free kick is ballooned in to the stands, but how many hours have you spent trying to hit the upper 90?  If that number is high, you have a better understanding of what the player has attempted.  Fact.  Trying to curl in kicks from FIFA doesn’t cut it.

I don’t expect this rant to convince any non-soccer fans to give the sport another try and in fact, it may have the opposite result.  That’s fine though.  I view soccer similarly to how I view hip-hop.  Either you’re in it and you live/love/breathe it, or you’re not.

You don’t have to be, but for those of us who are, seeing a young kid like Coquelin deliver such an impressive performance in his 2nd EPL start reminds us of an amateur MC stringing together a few bars brilliantly in the middle of a solid verse.  Not enough to blow you away but just enough where everyone in the room felt it at that moment…like “yeah…that part right there?…that was it.”

It can be whatever you want it to be.  Just don’t try to tell me what it is to me.

Another busy week, so nothing really to say other than enjoy the show!  You’ll also find some re-uploaded links below for episodes that labels decided to kill, since their legal departments generally have NO idea what their promo/marketing staff is doing…ah, the music industry.

Show #330 (10-2-11)

1. T.I. ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “I’m Flexin’”
2. David Banner – “Swag”
3. Childish Gambino – “Bonfire”
4. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Murder To Excellence”
5. Fly.Union – “Long Run”
6. Nitty Scott, MC – “Auntie Maria’s Crib”
7. The Gooneez & The Fratelleez ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Too Strong”
8. Big K.R.I.T. ft. 2 Chainz, 8Ball, & MJG – “Money On The Floor”
9. Wale ft. Rick Ross – “Tats On My Arm”
10. Neako ft. Wiz Khalifa – “Scanners”
11. The Weeknd – “The Party & The After Party (Kastle Remix)”
12. Yonas Michael – “House Full Of Women”
13. GMK – “Up Up Down Down Left Left” (Local Music)
14. TiRon & Ayomari – “If I Had You”
15. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis – “Make The Money” (Local Music)
16. Evidence – “It Wasn’t Me”
17. Game ft. Tyler, The Creator – “Martians vs. Goblins”
18. Tabernacle MCz – “Silly”
19. Phonte – “Ball and Chain”
20. Sonny Bonoho ft. Playboy Tre & Rudi Deville – “Super Cool” (Local Music)
21. J. Cole ft. Missy Elliott – “Nobody’s Perfect”
22. Mary J. Blige ft. Black Star – “Beautiful (Remix)” (Throwback of the Week)
23. DJ Shadow ft. Little Dragon – “Scale It Back”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?ek8j776v46b20j4
(back up / streaming link – http://hulkshare.com/2a3ztnxvj65r)
(2nd back up – http://www.zshare.net/audio/94724842ef1254b7/)

Recent re-uploaded episodes:

• Show #325 – http://www.mediafire.com/?q54yn1jkhcfhn4i
• Show #326 – http://www.mediafire.com/?ns91jgodi71fsfk
• Show #327 – http://www.mediafire.com/?6a78mkohthee7vr
• Show #328 – http://www.mediafire.com/?ci87h9koz7iqc43
• Show #329 – http://www.mediafire.com/?4pwqw7hoa9yc0o7

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.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  Yin vs. Yang, if you will.  Good vs. Evil, Light vs. Dark, this intro vs. a good one.  You get the picture.

So when I noticed things were on an incredible roll lately, I should have also realized that something was about to go awry.  Luckily, it wasn’t anything that serious, but I’m sad to report that this week’s episode of Sound Session was recorded too ‘hot’ on our computer (thanks engineers!) so it sounds pretty atrocious.  On the plus side, I just got a new whip (and J got one a few months ago), it was Mother’s Day, and everyone in our circle is happy, healthy, and having more success than ever, so, as the cool folks say, it’s all good.

Oh, and did I mention that 5-8-11 marked our 6 year SNSS anniversary? That’s right…through hard work, great support, and an undying passion for the music and culture, J and I have had the pleasure of broadcasting SNSS live and direct for 6 full years.  Massive thank you shouts to everyone involved, especially the listeners.  We appreciate y’all so much and we’re happy to be one of the last outlets for independent/underground hip-hop on commercial radio.  Let’s keep it going y’all.

Die hard SNSS fans who missed the live broadcast may want to check out the archive since the music is still dope.  Sincere apologies if you can’t put up with the sub-par sound for the entire episode though.  At the very least, I recommend fast forwarding to 51:15 and checking out our interview with the founder of The FADER magazine and Cornerstone Promotions, Rob Stone.  You remember Cornerstone Mixtape #115, right?!  Shouts to the homies Jack & Cash for coming through the studio to talk about their new project too.

FADER just released their annual “Icon” issue and this time around, they honored the legendary Notorious B.I.G..  Obviously any Biggie-centric magazine would be dope, but with Rob’s unique history working closely with Puff in the early days of Bad Boy Records, he made sure FADER took it to the next level.  There’s all sorts of great behind the scenes stories and anecdotes, along with some never before seen photos, that make for a great read.  Cop it on newsstands now or hit up their site for more info.

We’ll see y’all next week, with the new and improved audio to kick off year six…

Show #310 (5-8-11)

1. Big K.R.I.T. ft. Ludacris & Bun B – “Country Sh*t (Remix)”
2. Killer Mike – “Blinded By Justice”
3. Freddie Gibbs – “Way 2 Fast”
4. Elzhi – “Halftime”
5. Roc Marciano & Killah Priest – “Slugs Thru Ya Papaya”
6. Asher Roth & Nottz – “Enforce The Law”
7. Focus ft. Phonte – “Uh!”
8. Gods’illa ft. Maimouna Youssef – “You Don’t Have To Be A Star”
9. Rockwell & Ill Pill ft. Grynch & Ra Scion – “My Way” (Local Music)
10. Fashawn ft. Sam Hook – “Down That Road”
11. Schoolboy Q ft. Jhene Aiko – “Fantasy”
12. Consequence ft. Ryan Leslie & Tony Williams – “Waited Too Long”
13. DJ Quik ft. Gift Reynolds & Jon B – “Hydromatic”
14. Fresh Daily – “Easy”
15. **INTERVIEW WITH ROB STONE**
16. The Notorious B.I.G. ft. Puff Daddy – “Who Shot Ya” (Throwback of the Week)
17. Illvibe Collective ft. A.R.M. – “Medicine Men”
18. **INTERVIEW WITH JACK & CASH, PT. 1**
19. Jack & Cash – “Bad Girl” (Local Music)
20. CunninLynguists ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “Murder (Act II)”
21. **INTERVIEW WITH JACK & CASH, PT. 2**
22. Tyler, The Creator ft. Frank Ocean – “She”
23. Joe Budden – “Ordinary Sh*t, Pt. 3 (Closure)”
24. Luck One – “Palestine” (Local Music)
25. Apollo The Great ft. Joell Ortiz – “Call It Quits (Remix)”
26. Dom Kennedy – “Playa’s Punch”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?crrq1c7cj73q0dd
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/899743745c742f7e/)
(2nd back up / streaming link – http://www.usershare.net/ikpat35um1yf/DJ Hyphen and J. Moore – Sunday Night Sound Session, Show 310, 5-8-11.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.