The Audacity of Dope

(L-R: Mic Phenom, Macklemore, iLL Chris, Grynch, & Hyphen. Photo by Nphared)

Special episode of Sunday Night Sound Session this week, as Nphared and I were joined in studio by local underground Seattle rapper turned international superstar, Macklemore.  Mack’s been a friend of SNSS since the very start and despite all his amazing worldwide success, he hasn’t changed as a person one bit.  It’s a testament to his character/personality, and the Seattle hip-hop scene in general, where I’ve always thought our most impressive characteristic has always been our authenticity.  We don’t have a specific “sound” in the Northwest, but instead, the common trait across most of our artists is that they’re pretty much all just genuine, down to earth people.  Mack epitomizes that.  He’s had years of personal growth and success, but at the core, he’s the same smart, talented, gracious, and hilarious kid he’s always been.

It was awesome to sit down with him and talk about all sorts of topics, from his new album (some exclusive info in there for y’all), touring, the odd nature of life as a celebrity, his friends in the industry, raising his daughter, and, of course, his memories of our beloved “Mayor,” J. Moore.  Jon put Mack on his first shows way back in the day and was a close friend throughout the years.  As with many of the successful folks in our scene, J started as a mentor to Mack and their relationship grew as Mack got older and became a peer.  I encourage you to read his tribute to Jon on Instagram if you haven’t already.  Of course we had to discuss the Egyptian musk story too…

Along with our chat, we ran new records from CyHi, J.I.D, Kendrick, GoldLink, Drake, Little Dragon, Amine, Tuxedo, Thundercat, Miguel + Premier, Jidenna, Loyle Carner, and more.  Special 20th anniversary throwback in honor of one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time.

Enjoy the show and as you’ll always hear us say going forward: rest in peace to J. Moore.

Show #588 (3/26/17)
**Co-hosted by DJ Nphared & Macklemore **

1. CyHi The Prynce – “Nu Africa”
2. J.I.D ft. EarthGang – “D/vision”
3. Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart, Pt. 4”
4. Kendrick Lamar – “The Heart, Pt. 1” (Throwback of the Week)
5. GoldLink ft. Jazmine Sullivan & Kaytranada – “Meditation”
6. Drake – “Passionfruit”
7. Little Dragon – “High”
8. Amine – “REDMERCEDES” (Local Music)
9. Tuxedo (Mayer Hawthorne & Jake One) – “Take A Picture” (Local Music)
10. Thundercat – “Friend Zone”
11. Miguel & DJ Premier – “2 Lovin U”
12. Jidenna – “White N****s”
13. Cole (of Brothers From Another) ft. Dave B, Thig Natural (of The Physics), & Otieno Terry – “Santa Monica” (Local Music)
14. Mark Steele ft. Nivam – “Turn Around”
15. Loyle Carner – “Mean It In The Morning”
16. Notorious B.I.G. – “I Got A Story To Tell” (Throwback of the Week)

Download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWWGNoRHU0cDVwT0k

If you’d like to be added to our weekly email list to receive the playlist and stream/download links after every show, just shoot me an email, DJHyphen@gmail.com.

Here’s episode #450 of SNSS, the 2nd of 3 archives to come tonight.  On this one, we talked about Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ big wins at the Grammy’s (and the resulting backlash), and played new music from Fabolous, Kardinal Offishall, Tinashe, Elzhi, Phonte, World’s Party, Dave B, BJ The Chicago Kid, Gary Clark Jr, Kwabs, Phife Dawg, Disclosure, LIZ, and more.

Enjoy!

Show #450 (1-26-14)

1. Fabolous – “Sacrifices”
2. Kardinal Offishall ft. Raekwon & Assassin – “Pretty Paper”
3. Tinashe ft. Schoolboy Q – “2 On”
4. Talib Kweli, Elzhi, & Phonte – “No Competition”
5. Quelle Chris – “Going Swell”
6. World’s Party – “V.S.O.P.”
7. Le$ – “Midnight Club”
8. Dave B – “Cigarettes’ (Local Music)
9. Rome Fortune – “Ice Cream Man”
10. Sango ft. SPZRKT – “Middle Of Things, Beautiful Wife (Stwo Remix)”
11. Termanology ft. Ransom – “Set It Off”
12. Cool Nutz ft. Mistah F.A.B. – “Know God” (Local Music)
13. Jake Lambo – “Cool Flow”
14. BJ The Chicago Kid & Add-2 – “15 Minutes Of Fame”
15. Gary Clark, Jr. ft. Big K.R.I.T. – “Blak and Blu (Remix)”
16. Kwabs – “Wrong Or Right”
17. Fearce Vill – “Yuk The Police” (Local Music)
18. PrezSport (El Prez & Jansport J) ft. Glasses Malone – “Hard Boiled”
19. Common – “I Used To Love H.E.R.” (Throwback of the Week)
20. Phife Dawg – “Dear Dilla”
21. Childish Gambino ft. Chance The Rapper – “The Worst Guys”
22. Disclosure ft. Mary J. Blige – “F For You (Remix)”
23. LIZ – “All Them Boys”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/206d1f4d20/DJ_Hyphen_and_J._Moore_-_Sunday_Night_Sound_Session%2C_Show_450%2C_1-26-14.mp3
(back up – http://www13.zippyshare.com/v/99671540/file.html)
(2nd back up – http://linkmixes.com/tm7kuuw584t3)

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.

The homey Mistah F.A.B. stopped by SNSS this week and as is tradition with F.A.B., he blessed the mic with a crazy freestyle off the top of his head.  He completely killed it, with all sorts of Seattle references for us: his cousin Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch and his 3 touchdowns in the Seahawks vs. 49ers game earlier that night, Richard Sherman vs. Skip Bayless, Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, Tha Bizness, Macklemore, and more.

Props to F.A.B. for being one of the few MC’s brave enough to spit…and murder…a legit freestyle live on air with us.  Some of your favorite MC’s have declined to rhyme live with us, and even those that do rarely do it off the top.  No writtens here, just improvisational skill at it’s finest.

You can download the audio of the freestyle right here – http://www62.zippyshare.com/v/69183512/file.html

And the full interview is available on the archive for SNSS #431, right here.

Normally, I’d stay completely out of the buffoonery that is the MTV Video Music Awards, but this year, everyone in Seattle paid close attention since some of our homies were up for the night’s biggest awards.  Congrats don’t even seem like enough, but perhaps all caps will help: CONGRATS to Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Zach, Jon Jon, Ray Dalton, Mary Lambert, and the entire crew responsible for “Thrift Shop,” “Same Love,” and “Can’t Hold Us.”  I know MTV wasn’t ready to let Justin lose after the N’Sync reunion, but let’s be honest, Mack & Ryan deserved the video of the year too.  3 out of 6 ain’t bad though.  An amazing accomplishment and one Seattle will be proud of forever.

As for the rest of the VMA’s, well, it made me think of Amy’s famous opening line to the first verse of “Me and Mr. Jones“.  I will say that of all the silly memes to spawn out of the debauchery, this one of Kanye’s had me in stitches (only 5% of readers will get it, but if you do…maaaaaaan).  Other than that, this article from The Onion pretty much nailed it, and expertly laid out why every commercial media source is inherently flawed when presenting you with content.

This is part of the reason we enjoy doing SNSS as much as we do.  We literally have no stake in any of this, so we aren’t required to do anything other than play great music we believe in.  It could be from mega-stars (Jay-Z or Drake), local artists (Royce The Choice and GMK stopped by this week), longtime industry vets (Fat Joe or AZ), up and coming MC’s (Earl Sweatshirt or Vince Staples), or even artists outside hip-hop (Janelle Monae, Yuna, Miguel, and Jose James).  Whatever we like, we play.

This week, we liked some damn good records.  Check ’em out.  And RIP to Aaliyah.

Show #428 (8-25-13)

1. Jay-Z ft. Rick Ross – “F*ckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt”
2. AZ – “I Excel”
3. Fat Joe ft. Action Bronson – “Your Honor”
4. Drake ft. 2 Chainz & Big Sean – “All Me”
5. Shawn Chrystopher ft. Dom Kennedy & Ashly Breshe – “Situation”
6. THURZ ft. Cali Martyr – “Got Damn, Got Damn”
7. The Kid Daytona – “Hilary”
8. Fice – “The Odyssey” (Local Music)
9. Black Milk – “Perfected On Puritan Ave”
10. Big Sean ft. Kendrick Lamar & Jay Electronica – “Control”
11. Rapsody ft. Phonte & Jay Electronica – “Jedi Code”
12. **INTERVIEW WITH ROYCE THE CHOICE & GMK, PT. 1**
13. Royce The Choice ft. Peta Tosh – “Benihanas” (Local Music)
14. Earl Sweatshirt ft. Vince Staples & Casey Veggies – “Hive”
15. **INTERVIEW WITH ROYCE THE CHOICE & GMK, PT. 2**
16. The Weeknd ft. Drake – “Live For”
17. ST 2 Lettaz ft. Joi Tiffany – “Flashlight”
18. Janelle Monae ft. Miguel – “Primetime”
19. Mayer Hawthorne ft. Jessie Ware & Large Professor – “Her Favorite Song (Large Professor Remix)”
20. Tope ft. Luck-One – “New Day” (Local Music)
21. Tanya Morgan – “Pick It Up”
22. Wu-Tang Clan – “Method Man” (Throwback of the Week)
23. Yuna – “Falling”
24. Jose James – “Come To My Door (Taylor McFerrin Remix)”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www61.zippyshare.com/v/22899875/file.html
(back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/5502d20793/)
(2nd back up – http://linkmixes.com/wzibepo0dquv)

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 is one of the songs of the year, imo. Can’t say the video lives up to the audio, but it’s cool. Shout to Mack’s cameo hahaha.

Kendrick’s flow on this one is crazy!

Shout to Kid Ink for coming through the Sound Session studio recently and chopping it up.  We discussed his background and when he first realized he could make music a career, before getting in depth on the keys to his independent success and why he decided to sign with a major label. He had an interesting take on how labels are adapting to work better with artists like himself, who have a dedicated fan base before inking a deal.

Real cool dude, I enjoyed our convo.  Shout to Detooz Films on the cameras!

Sorry for the delay, but here’s episode #418 of SNSS for y’all.  Dope music from Yonas Michael, Schoolboy Q, Thunderbird Gerard, Hustle Gang, Logic, 7 G.E.M.S., MeLo-X, Shad, and more.  Was planning on writing a lengthy piece on the NBA Finals, but with the delay, that’s moot.  Congrats to the Heat and the greatness who is King James.  He’s still not on MJ’s level though.

This week’s episode, #419, will be coming shortly.

In the interim, you can peep our interviews with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and J. Cole from KUBE 93’s Summer Jam by clicking on their names.

Enjoy!

Show #418 (6-16-13)

1. J. Cole ft. TLC – “Crooked Smile”
2. Yonas Michael – “Volvo”
3. Th3rdz – “Be Yourself” (Local Music)
4. Schoolboy Q ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Collard Greens”
5. Thunderbird Gerard ft. Kenzie May – “Firewurx”
6. Hustle Gang ft. Travis Scott, B.o.B, & T.I. – “Animal”
7. Travis Scott ft. James Fauntleroy – “Drive”
8. Logic – “5AM”
9. Prodigy & Alchemist ft. Havoc & Raekwon – “R.I.P.”
10. 7 G.E.M.S. (Tragic Allies & Tragedy Khadafi) – “I Know I’m Reckless”
11. Tony Touch ft. Action Bronson & Kool G Rap – “It’s A Queens Thing”
12. Statik Selektah ft. Action Bronson, Joey Bada$$, & Mike Posner – “The Spark”
13. ScienZe ft. Blu – “Charlie Brown”
14. 2Pac – “If My Homie Calls” (Throwback of the Week)
15. Kanye West ft. Charlie Wilson – “Bound”
16. Mayer Hawthorne – “Reach Out Richard”
17. Ripynt ft. Q-Dot – “Father’s Day” (Local Music)
18. MeLo-X – “The Truth”
19. Shad & Skratch Bastid – “Outta My Head”
20. M.i ft. Blu & Dawni McCray – “Church West Texas”
21. Romaro Franceswa ft. Fearce – “Bounce” (Local Music)
22. Rapper Big Pooh – “Gold Chain”
23. Bob Marley & The Wailers – “Is This Love (Jason Bentley Remix)”

Download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www69.zippyshare.com/v/90557701/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/hvkni2yyohuy)
(2nd back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/39eaa42b3b/)

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.

J. Moore and I had the chance to catch up with our homies Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Summer Jam recently and as always with these guys, we had a great time.  I wish I could have shared all of the conversations we had with them off camera, but don’t worry, there’s plenty of good stuff in this for you to check out.

We centered the discussion around their meteoric rise to superstar status, which is a bit surreal to witness since we’ve known the fellas for so long and they haven’t changed a bit since all this started.  They’re still great, down to earth, regular guys…who just happen to be REALLY talented…and through an incredible mix of hard work, smart decisions, rabid fan support, and some fortuitous luck, they’re now at the top of the music industry.  It’s an amazing accomplishment, and not one that can really be put in words, but we tried to wrap our heads around it a bit.

We also spoke on their first appearances on Sound Session years ago and looked towards the future with details on their tour, recording, and promotions strategies, including some insight on their next album.  All in all, good times.

Thanks to Mack & Ryan for chopping it up and a special shout to Mack for his sincere appreciation he showed us at the end of the interview.  Having one of our peers talk about the respect he has for SNSS and our work over the years was perhaps a pseudo Full House moment (cue the music), but it’s one I’ll remember.

We appreciate you, fellas.  Keep making the Town proud!

Back in effect for another week, shout to everyone we chopped it up with at Summer Jam over the weekend, especially J. Cole, Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Lee (WMG), and Noah (UMG).  Great to catch up with the homies!

Check out this week’s episode of SNSS for new music from artists like Logic, Action Bronson, J. Cole, TLC, Travis Scott, Schoolboy Q, Lupe Fiasco, Naledge, Chuck Inglish, Yonas Michael, Tanya Morgan, Wu-Tang Clan, and more.  Plus, we were joined in studio by our long time friends, former KUBE 93 host Eddie Francis and local artist, who has since relocated to Los Angeles, Mr. Xquisit.  

Additionally, be sure to check out last month’s Cornerstone Mixtape that J. Moore and I did if you haven’t already.  You can download it here.

Enjoy!

Show #417 (6-9-13)

1. Logic – “Nasty”
2. Action Bronson ft. LL Cool J & Action Bronson – “Strictly 4 My Jeeps (Remix)”
3. Romaro Franceswa ft. Fearce – “Bounce” (Local Music)
4. J. Cole ft. TLC – “Crooked Smile”
5. Travis Scott – “Hell Of A Night”
6. Schoolboy Q – “Yay Yay”
7. Wale ft. Rick Ross & Lupe Fiasco – “Poor Decisions”
8. ILLFIGHTYOU ft. JRM – “Fatal” (Local Music)
9. Naledge – “Loving Niece”
10. Chuck Inglish ft. Buddy & Jane Jupiter – “Dangerous”
11. Yonas Michael – “Volvo”
12. 2 Player Co-Op (Trackademicks & 1-O.A.K.) – “Someone Great”
13. Fearce & BeanOne – “Outlandish” (Local Music)
14. Tanya Morgan – “Whatever That’s Mine”
15. J Shiltz ft. Twizzmatic & Jon Moxin – “Switch It Up”
16. Reef The Lost Cauze & Haj (of Dumhi) – “92 Flow”
17. Wu-Tang Clan – “Family Reunion”
18. Kanye West – “Last Call” (Throwback of the Week)
19. Joey Bada$$ – “Word Is Bond”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www60.zippyshare.com/v/72817452/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/zwhtewzj2r2a)
(2nd back up – http://www.solidfiles.com/d/576b9b8353/)

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.

We’re pretty busy gearing up for our Summer Jam (J. Cole, Wale, Drop City Yacht Club, 2 Chainz, Trey Songz, T.I., and hosted by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis), but here’s this week’s episode of SNSS for y’all.  New music from artists like Joey Badass, Meek Mill, Jadakiss, Logic, Locksmith, DLRN, ScienZe, Tony Touch, ILLFIGHTYOU, Reef The Lost Cauze, M.i, Capital Cities, Shad, and more.

Plus we were joined in studio by up and coming local artist, Rasaan Heist, and his L.O.E. business partner, Tony Wroten, of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies.  You can catch Rasaan peforming at our Summer Jam this weekend at the Gorge as well!

Enjoy!

Show #416 (6-2-13)

1. Joey Bada$$ – “Word Is Bond”
2. AZ – “We Movin’”
3. Logic – “Nasty”
4. **INTERVIEW WITH RASAAN HEIST & TONY WROTEN, PT. 1**
5. Jadakiss ft. The-Dream – “Big Boy Dialogue”
6. Meek Mill – “Levels”
7. **INTERVIEW WITH RASAAN HEIST & TONY WROTEN, PT. 2**
8. Rasaan Heist – “Check Chedda” (Local Music)
9. Locksmith ft. Olamide Faison – “Livin’ Loaded”
10. **INTERVIEW WITH RASAAN HEIST & TONY WROTEN, PT. 3**
11. Big K.R.I.T. – “The Bigger Picture”
12. DLRN – “Good Company”
13. Porter Ray – “Checkmate” (Local Music)
14. ScienZe ft. Blu – “Charlie Brown”
15. Tony Touch ft. Raekwon, JD Era, Ghostface Killah, & RZA – “Unorthodox”
16. ILLFIGHTYOU ft. JRM – “Fatal” (Local Music)
17. Marco Polo ft. Tragedy Khadafi, Lil’ Fame, Adrian Younge, & The Delfonics – “Stand Up (Remix)”
18. Shad & Skratch Bastid ft. Cadence Weapon – “Homie”
19. Reef The Lost Cauze & Haj (of Dumhi) – “92 Flow”
20. Hieroglyphics – “You Never Knew” (Throwback of the Week)
21. M.i ft. OnCue – “Write It Down”
22. 2 Player Co-Op (Trackademicks & 1-O.A.K.) – “Someone Great”
23. Wale ft. Sam Drew – “LoveHate Thing”
24. R.A. The Rugged Man ft. Brother Ali & Masta Ace – “The Dangerous Three”
25. Realm Reality ft. Prodigy – “The Realness”
26. Capital Cities ft. Andre 3000 & Frank Tavares – “Farrah Fawcett Hair”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www6.zippyshare.com/v/97604572/file.html
(back up – http://linkmixes.com/0lx2qkosug1e)
(2nd back up – http://www.sendspace.com/file/d7gkr1)

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.