The Audacity of Dope

On behalf of the wonderful city of Seattle and all its denizens, I apologize for the atrocity of a NFL game the nation witnessed last night.  Here in one of our ESPN Australia offices, I had a tough time explaining to my coworkers why the Seahawks should be taken seriously as Super Bowl contenders, but at least the defense came to play.  An offensive line has never been more aptly named, however.  “Turrible” (c) Charles Barkley (speaking of Chuck, NBA’s back this week!).

On this episode of SNSS, we ran through new records from the Swet Shop Boys (Riz, the lead actor in The Night Of & Heems from Das Racist), NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge), SiR, Like, Apollo Brown & Skyzoo, OnCue, Rajitheone, Solange, Phora, Cole King & Tunji Ige, AlunaGeorge, Common & Stevie Wonder, IshDARR, Duckwrth, and more.  Throwback dedicated to the boom-bap that sounds so good in the worsening weather back home (sorry, can’t relate).

Enjoy!

Show #573 (10/23/16)

1. Swet Shop Boyz – “Tiger Hologram”
2. NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) – “What More Can I Say”
3. NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) – “Kutless”
4. SiR – “All In My Head”
5. Like – “Lamped”
6. Apollo Brown & Skyzoo ft. Conway & Westside Gunn – “Basquiat On The Draw”
7. Mobb Deep – “Drop A Gem On Em” (Throwback of the Week)
8. Bryson Tiller – “Let Me Explain”
9. OnCue – “3AM”
10. Rajitheone – “#WhiteGirlVoice”
11. Brent Faiyaz – “No One Knows”
12. Porter Ray ft. Jus Moni – “Inside” (Local Music)
13. TYuS – “Slow Jam” (Local Music)
14. BANKS – “Mind Games”
15. Aaron Abernathy ft. Phonte & Black Milk – “Bachelorette”
16. Reva DeVito – “The Move” (Local Music)
17. IshDARR – “Sugar”
18. Solange – “Cranes In The Sky (Kaytranada DJ Edit)”
19. Chance The Rapper ft. Knox Fortune – “All Night (Kaytranada Extended Joint)”
20. GTA ft. Tinashe – “All Caught Up”
21. Common ft. Stevie Wonder – “Black America Again”
22. Phora – “Venice Waves / Changes”
23. Cole King ft. Tunji Ige – “Nothin Changed”
24. Duckwrth ft. Sabrina Claudio – “I’m Dead”
25. AlunaGeorge – “In My Head”

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWU09zaUNEWDR0WXc

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.

Well, well, well.  Last we talked, the Warriors were facing elimination and the Zombie Sonics were on the verge of making the NBA Finals, a prospect nobody in Seattle is particularly comfortable with.  As I write this, I suppose all that still holds, as we’re on the verge of Game 7 and it’s win or go home time for both teams.  Suddenly however, the Warriors’ chances look substantially better, thanks to Klay and Steph (and timely defensive plays from Iggy) carrying them to a remarkable Game 6 road win.  Tip off is 3 hours away and I thoroughly expect this to be a classic game.  Hopefully we get to witness greatness…

On this week’s SNSS, we welcomed our first guests in the new KUBE 104.9 FM studios: our longtime homies Tasman Holloway and Vanni Meursing.  Along with some good chat and new records from them, we also ran tracks from Belly, Kehlani, Joey Purp, Chance The Rapper, The Roots, BADBADNOTGOOD, Masta Ace, Miles Davis & Robert Glasper, Phonte, Nao, Gifted Gab, and of course the “All The Way Up” remix, featuring the first ‘official’ Jay-Z verse of damn near 2 years.  Two throwbacks too, to celebrate release anniversaries of two albums from 1999 and 2000.

Enjoy!

Show #554 (5/29/16)

1. T.I. ft. Marsha Ambrosius – “Dope”
2. Belly ft. Kehlani – “You”
3. Skepta ft. D Double E & ASAP Nast – “Ladies Hit Squad”
4. Fat Joe & Remy Ma ft. Jay-Z, French Montana, & Infared – “All The Way Up (Remix)”
5. **INTERVIEW WITH TASMAN HOLLOWAY & VANNI MEURSING, PT. 1**
6. Tasman Holloway ft. Tory Lanez – “On The Way” (Local Music)
7. Joey Purp ft. Chance The Rapper – “Girls @”
8. Gifted Gab ft. Vitamin D – “Lit” (Local Music)
9. **INTERVIEW WITH TASMAN HOLLOWAY & VANNI MEURSING, PT. 2**
10. Vanni Meursing – “On Me” (Local Music)
11. Schoolboy Q ft. Kanye West – “That Part”
12. **INTERVIEW WITH TASMAN HOLLOWAY & VANNI MEURSING, PT. 3**
13. Problem ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “I Love You”
14. The Roots – “Champion”
15. BADBADNOTGOOD ft. Samuel T. Herring (of Future Islands) – “Time Moves Slowly”
16. Miles Davis & Robert Glasper ft. Phonte – “Violets”
17. ScienZe – “Pancakes & Slacks”
18. Masta Ace ft. Your Old Droog – “3000 Avenue X”
19. Chance The Rapper ft. Jamila Woods – “Blessings”
20. OnCue – “Boy On The Come Up”
21. Slick Rick ft. Big Boi – “Street Talkin’” (Throwback of the Week)
22. Eminem – “I’m Back” (Throwback of the Week)
23. Kanye West ft. The Weeknd – “FML”
24. Sampha – “Timmy’s Prayer”
25. Nao – “Girlfriend”
26. River Tiber ft. Daniel Caesar – “West”
27. Drake ft. Majid Al Maskati (of Majid Jordan) – “Summers Over (Interlude)”
28. Drake – “Feel No Ways”

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWSG1sRGFPX0dDV0E

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.

What up y’all, hope you’re having a good week.  Perhaps not Steph Curry good, but hopefully still good nonetheless.  Props to the Blazers but watching Steph rip out their hearts (politely) the last two games has been incredible to watch.  If OKC manages to oust the Spurs, can you imagine how hard Russ is going to play to try to show the world he’s on Steph’s level?  And all the while, he has to show some mental restraint and get KD involved.  This should be a fascinating series to watch, but I’m also not killing off the White Walkers Spurs yet.

Anyway, enough basketball (blasphemy).  Here’s the latest episode of SNSS featuring great new cuts from ScienZe (exceptional album), Bas, Freeway, Skepta, LEISURE, Kaytranada, George Maple, James Blake, RAYE, Problem, DJ Quik, Yuna, GoldLink, and more.  Special throwback because I choose to remember Lauryn for what she once was, not the caricature she has become…

Show #551 (5/8/16)

1. Jerreau – “Really Got It”
2. Royce Da 5’9” – “Off”
3. Skepta ft. Pharrell – “Numbers”
4. Freeway – “Addiction”
5. J Dilla ft. Kenny Wray – “The Shining, Pt. 1 (Diamonds)”
6. Mic Phenom ft. Toya – “Must Be Dreamin” (Local Music)
7. Elzhi – “Misright”
8. ASAP Ferg – “Psycho”
9. ScienZe – “Love & Water”
10. Bas – “Clouds Never Get Old”
11. Vibe – “Cost of Living” (Local Music)
12. Tope – “Better Place” (Local Music)
13. Fugees ft. John Forte, A Tribe Called Quest, & Busta Rhymes – “Rumble In The Jungle” (Throwback of the Week)
14. James Blake ft. Bon Iver – “I Need A Forest Fire”
15. RAYE ft. Stormzy – “Ambition”
16. DJ Quik & Problem ft. Shy Carter – “A New Nite / Rosecrans Grove”
17. Kanye West ft. Ty Dolla Sign & Post Malone – “Fade”
18. Kaytranada ft. Phonte – “One Too Many”
19. Barney Artist ft. Tom Misch – “Stay Close”
20. George Maple ft. GoldLink – “Sticks and Horses”
21. Drake – “Feel No Ways”
22. Drake – “Controlla”
23. Raleigh Ritchie – “Young & Stupid”
24. Yuna – “Lanes”
25. dvsn – “Sept. 5th”
26. Gallant – “Miyazaki”
27. LEISURE ft. GoldLink – “Nobody”
28. Suede Brown – “NightCall”
29. Kraak & Smaak ft. Mayer Hawthorne – “I Don’t Know Why”

Link to download - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWS0JtVG5vd2lrajA

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.

Along with Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, we sat down with good friend of SNSS, J. Cole, at our recent Summer Jam concert at the Gorge.  The video of our interview doesn’t fully share how dope a conversation this was, mainly because of the lack of proper equipment we had down there, but there’s still a lot of interesting stuff from Cole.

Of course we spoke all about his new Born Sinner album, including the pressure he felt while making it, why he decided to compete with the other artists dropping 6/18 too, and why the album is his attempt to “beat the system.”  We also spent time talking about his favorite subject, basketball, and what it’s like being friends and playing ball with NBA players, their words of encouragement for him, and if he would trade rap for hoops.  There’s some more random goodness in there too.

Shout to Cole for always being one of the coolest dudes in the industry and always supporting our show.  Be sure you cop Born Sinner in stores now!

With the NBA lockout looming larger every day, I’ve already convinced myself that there won’t be a season.  This way, if any good news breaks, it will be a pleasant surprise since I’ve already accepted disappointment.  In its absence, I have a feeling I’ll be following more NHL this season, especially if our closest Pacific Northwest squad, the Canucks, can replicate their (regular) season success again.  I’ll also have more interest if Nike keeps creating dope marketing collaborations like this one, highlighting Montreal’s P.K. Subban over a dope track by Canadian legend Saukrates.

I know we’re all starved for basketball now that the playoffs are over and I happened to stumble across this montage of the final time the Lakers played in the Boston Garden earlier today, so I had to throw it up on the blog.  It’s not really possible to put in to words how much the mid-90’s Lakers meant to a young Hyphen and Nick The Quick was the centerpiece of it all.  I stole his free throw routine  (before he started taking 17 foot FT’s, that is) and I’d give anything to find another pair of those Reebok Blasts he used to rock.

Anyway…check out the final shot from the highlights above.  That’s what you call a dagger.

I’m a die hard sports fan, but somehow, I missed that one of my all time favorite players, Jason Williams, retired from the NBA (again).  Shout to the Smoking Section for blogging about it here and for posting the above video.

There was a point in high school where I pretty much wanted to be Jason Williams, aside from the West Virginian accent.  As a PG who prided myself on my passing and court vision, I was known to throw a few of these passes before I even started following him.  When I saw him playing in the league, it was a wrap.  I broke out the elbow pass (3:56 in the video) a million times in pick up and practice, but never pulled it in a game.  I did, however, use the fake behind the back cuff (:28 & 3:15) and the mini hop (1:09) a few times.  I’ll never forget being at the game where he crossed over GP in person (4:13) and finished with that floater high off the window.  We must have reenacted that 100 times in the gym the next day and I was KILLING the Sonics fans in my class.  If you’ve ever talked to me on AIM (not likely these days), you’ll now know where the 55 came from.

Thanks for the memories JWill.

I see what she was trying to do here, but after hearing her verse, the double entendre was perhaps a little too accurate.

“I’m N.B.A., I’m nothin’ but ass”
— Armeretta, “Streetsweeper Freestyle”

Ok…Steve is having entirely too much fun.  And it’s for a good cause.

Ahahahahahaha, greatness.  Though to be fair, range is generally not our problem.  It’s every other skill set on the highest level, but we have jumpers for days.

Via the new and improved QN5.com.