What’s up with dropping the parts separately? Holler @ organization. Anyway, shout to Dave Smith from across the pond for pointing out some doper British DJ’s we should check for. I’m on it. Part 3 of the Com interview after the jump.
Do people still use the word “tool”? If so, Tim Westwood fits that perfectly. What a lame. Anyway, he interviewed Com Sense across the pond and I’m posting it for 3 reasons. 1) I didn’t realize Com was going to be in the next Terminator flick (w/Christian Bale, chyea). 2) Invincible Summer deserves all the publicity it can get, since I think it’ll be a great record. 3) Watching Westwood interview a rapper is like watching a train wreck. I cringe but I just can’t look away. To my British brethren, what DJ’s from England should we be checking for over here? Semtex seems to be one, but other than that, I’m lost. School me.
Spotted at Eskay‘s.
The Meaning of Dope (one of the illest blogs out there) just posted up this great footage of Wyclef, Lauryn, and Pras being interviewed in Toronto in 1994. Hard to believe that’s almost 15 years ago! Seattle people – Clef will be here with Kardinal Offishall at the Showbox on Monday. Should be a hot show, don’t miss it.
Sidenote: watching them hit that juicebar has inspired me to get a smoothie, sounds good as hell on a hot day.
Nima over at DubCNN just posted up a nice interview with one of the biggest rising stars in the game, Wale. Say it with me people, “Wah-Lay.” Since he’s gonna be huge, people might want to learn how to pronounce it. Here’s the description:
We talk about him coming up in D.C., his influences, working with his idol Black Thought of The Roots and how he ended up signing with Jimmy Iovine‘s Interscope Records. He tells us why he’s not worried about Interscope forcing him to switch up his sound, his experiences touring the world with Mark Ronson, and of course his “Mixtape About Nothing“.
We end off the interview with a few words on his upcoming solo album, which by the way is set to feature production from Mark Ronson, Kanye West, Pharrell, Just Blaze, 9th Wonder and the French electronic music duo Justice.
Read the full interview here.
The man, the myth, the John Legend, called into Sound Session this week to talk all about his upcoming Evolver album. With D’Angelo on his seemingly endless sabbatical, I think John is officially my favorite R&B singer, so it was an honor to have him on the show for a second time. He dropped back to back classic LP’s (garnering 5 Grammy Awards in the process) and I don’t think there’s another singer making such consistently exceptional music. If Evolver‘s lead single, “Green Light” with Andre 3000, is any indication, it looks like he’s got another classic on his hands.
We discussed the direction of the project, what it’s like working with Kanye West, his involvement in Barack Obama’s campaign, his own charity work, future projects, and more. I’ll be airing portions of the interview on tonight’s show, but you can check out the full conversation here:
John Legend on Sound Session – http://www.mediafire.com/?dzzz1jn4mzb
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/15217999dd8b92cf/ )
Be on the lookout for the “Green Light” video dropping in the next few weeks, and I don’t even need to tell y’all to cop Evolver later this year…
Here’s a nice little video catching you up to speed with Joe Budden, who’s been one of my favorite MC’s since back when everyone thought he was Rasheed Wallace’s alter ego. He answers the standard interview questions (“what’s your take on hip-hop today,” “who do you want to work with,” etc.) and gives a little shine to an artist he’s putting on named HeartBreak. Padded Room coming September 16th? Let’s hope so…
And if your internet game has been slackin’, here are his two newest joints, speaking on…everything. I was going to wait until all the parts leaked and were combined into one song (since Part 3 should be coming soon) but screw it.
Joe Budden – “Who, Pt. 1”
Joe Budden – “Who, Pt. 2”
There’s waaaaaaay too much truth in these joints.
Another interview with “my boy Blu,” this time from Nima over at DubCNN. They discuss all of Blu‘s various projects, working with Exile, what he’s listening to, and more. You can check the entire interview here.
Along with Crooked I, one of my favorite MC’s that transcends the “best on the West Coast” classification is Los Angeles’ Blu. He’s one of the best period. He’s been doing it for a minute, but he really burst on to the scene in the last 2 years and people all over are starting to take notice. The album he dropped with Exile, Below The Heavens, was an instant classic to me and my favorite project from last year. Go cop it if you haven’t already, I promise it’s ill.
Blu recently stopped by Jesse Thorn’s NPR radio show, The Sound of Young America, for a dope in depth interview about his background. If you aren’t familiar with him, this provides a nice glimpse into where he’s coming from. Enjoy:
More info and a downloadable link here.
The homies Toby and Tunji are featured in the newest edition of Jenesis Magazine, which you can read right here. The Inverse interview is on page 55, or you can read each page below:
Also be sure to check their blog.
(not the full interview, just a clip!)
The ringleader of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan, the RZA, came through Seattle last week and stopped by Sound Session for the second time (peep his first appearance here). This time, we talked all about his brand new Bobby Digital album, Digi Snacks, and also reflected on the last Wu project (as seen in the video clip), 8 Diagrams. We also discussed his work in Hollywood, his upcoming projects, discovering new talent, the Wu-Tang music vault, politics, and much more. You can download the entire interview here:
RZA on Sound Session #02 – http://www.mediafire.com/?0vydexjjjdo
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/144489091aa62b41/
Part of the interview was aired on the show last night, which you can download here.