The Audacity of Dope

(“said i was a nerd, but i ain’t a punk” – Skateboard)

Chyea. I’ve been looking forward to the new N.E.R.D. album, Seeing Sounds, for a while and it’s finally here. In Search Of… is a personal classic to me, and while Fly or Die didn’t hit me as hard, it’s still real dope. The day before the Glow In The Dark Tour kicked off here in Seattle, Pharrell, Chad, and Shae came through Sound Session for a little listening party for material off this album (what up Blaze!). Ish sounded dope then, and it’s even better now. It drops this coming Tuesday, June 10th, and if you have any sense in you, you’ll cop this over Wayne’s Carter III disaster. Support good music from artists who put their hearts and souls into their art, painstakingly analyzing every frequency and note they create…not someone who wastes his talent by getting trashed off every drug imaginable, mumbling his way through disjointed rhymes, and slapping the auto-tune effect on it. Hmm, perhaps that was a bit much. Maybe I am a hater. [Mavado] Anywaaaaaaaaay [/Mavado]

Since I interviewed N.E.R.D. right before I launched this blog, here’s a clip of Pharrell explaining the meaning behind the album’s title in case you missed it. Be sure to download the full version of the interview as well, right here.

And a hilarious bonus clip of Pharrell pushing this kid off the stage that’s been all over the net this week. The dap + shove move is clutch.

Remember: Cop the N.E.R.D. album on Tuesday!

Every now and then, I think I’m gonna post up some older songs that y’all may have forgotten, or missed altogether. First up for The Throwback is “The Invitation” from Crossrhodes, a really dope soul/funk/R&B/hip-hop hybrid crew spearheaded by Raheem DeVaughn, Wes Felton, and Bilal Salaam back in the early 2000’s. This joint was the title track for their second project, and to this day, it’s still the JAM. Exactly the kind of cut I wish more DJ’s would spin at clubs and lounges. A smooth beat, hilariously blunt sexually charged lyrics, and an ill guest verse from Asheru…what else could you want?

As a little bonus for all the Raheem fans, here’s an exclusive clip of him singing an a capella preview of “Bulletproof” off his album due out later this year. This happened during my interview with him back in February, but the video never really made its way around the net. Now that The Audacity of Dope is up and running, figured I’d drop it:

Download the full interview with Raheem DeVaughn right here.

As I mentioned in the U-N-I performance post, here’s the playlist and download links for the last Sunday Night Sound Session:

Show #158 (6-1-08)

1. Crooked I ft. Akon – “Dream Big”
2. Reks – “Say Goodnight”
3. Self Scientific – “Of Our Own”
4. Wale ft. Skyzoo – “The Hacksaw Jim Duggan”
5. Elzhi ft. Phat Kat – “The Reason”
6. Common Market – “Black Patch War” (Local Artist)
7. **INTERVIEW WITH U-N-I, PT. 1**
8. U-N-I – “Love Supreme”
9. Kidz In The Hall ft. Camp Lo – “Snob Hop”
10. **INTERVIEW WITH U-N-I, PT. 2**
11. Common ft. Pharrell – “U.M.C. – Universal Mind Control”
12. Kenna ft. Lupe Fiasco – “Say Goodbye To Love (Remix)”
13. Busta Rhymes ft. Reek Da Villain, Spliff Star, The Game, Lil’ Wayne, Nas, & Big Daddy Kane – “Don’t Touch Me (Throw Da Water On ‘Em) (Remix)”
14. King Reign ft. Pharoahe Monch – “One More Time”
15. Nappy Roots – “Good Day”
16. Raekwon ft. Ghostface Killah – “The Jihad”
17. **INTERVIEW WITH U-N-I, PT. 3**
18. **U-N-I – “Beautiful Day (LIVE PERFORMANCE)”**
19. Saigon ft. Red 5ive – “Believe It”
20. Joker The Bailbondsman – “She Was Like” (Local Artist)
21. Grieves & Type – “My Girlfriend Beats Me” (Local Artist)
22. **INTERVIEW WITH 88 KEYS, PT. 1**
23. 88 Keys ft. Tanya Morgan – “Cuddle Bums”
24. **INTERVIEW WITH 88 KEYS, PT. 2**
25. **INTERVIEW WITH U-N-I, PT. 4**

Streaming / Download link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/129792161e0fcd50/

Full, extended version of the 88 Keys interview – http://www.zshare.net/audio/129584146c5a9c55/

Just the parts with U-N-I – http://www.zshare.net/audio/1298032143091515/ )

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.

Enjoy!