Sound Session #582 (1/15/17)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on January 16th, 2017 by Hyphen

SNSS

Hard to believe, but it’s true: this is the last episode of Sound Session during Barack Obama’s presidency.  We started the show in May of 2005, so we’ve been on air to witness most of his meteoric rise and discussed it quite a bit over the last decade.  The Obama era certainly helped shape the sound of the show, as his influence permeated every facet of our society and impacted the hip-hop world perhaps more than any other part of pop culture.  We’ve never had a more hip-hop friendly president…nor one with better musical taste.  We’re sad to see him go, for too many reasons to list.

Here’s our latest playlist, featuring new music from artists like Tribe, Common, Run The Jewels, AJ Tracey, Wiley, The Lox, Oddisee, The-Dream, Syd, Marian Hill, Nick Grant, J. Cole, Khalid, Sinead Harnett, Chris McClenney, Kid Cudi, Sampha, Raleigh Ritchie, and more.  Classic 90’s R&B throwback goes out to my guy Barack.

Enjoy!

Show #582 (1/15/17)

1. A Tribe Called Quest ft. Busta Rhymes – “The Donald”
2. Common ft. Gucci Mane, Pusha T, & BJ The Chicago Kid – “Black America Again (Remix)”
3. Run The Jewels ft. Joi – “Down”
4. MJ Cole & AJ Tracey – “Rumble”
5. Wiley – “Can’t Go Wrong”
6. The Lox – “Move Forward”
7. Tope ft. Erikka J & Farnell Newton – “Thank You” (Local Music)
8. Amine – “Baba” (Local Music)
9. Oddisee – “Things”
10. Tom Misch – “Watch Me Dance (Crackazat Remix)”
11. The Weeknd – “Rockin’”
12. The-Dream – “Ferris Wheel”
13. Ryan Caraveo – “Ten Times” (Local Music)
14. Smino – “blkswn”
15. Syd (of The Internet) – “All About Me”
16. Azad – “Sweet”
17. Marian Hill – “Down”
18. J. Cole – “Ville Mentality”
19. Nick Grant ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “Gotta Be More”
20. Khalid – “Saved”
21. Sinead Harnett – “Rather Be With You”
22. Raleigh Ritchie – “Unicron Loev”
23. Kid Cudi – “Mature Nature”
24. Chris McClenney – “What You Mean To Me”
25. Sampha – “(No One Knows Me) Like The Piano”
26. Blackstreet – “Don’t Leave Me” (Throwback of the Week)

Link to download - https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWcEp0aUFoeG40X28

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.

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Sound Session #576 (11/13/16)

Posted in Episodes, Politics, Sound Session on November 14th, 2016 by Hyphen

SNSS

Well, that escalated quickly.

A lot of eloquent words by folks more intelligent than I have been written this week, plus I’m burned out from the emotion of it all and traveling from Australia to New York (24 hours straight on the move is no joke), so I’ll keep it as brief as I can.  There are three points I want to stress to everyone:

  1. Almost 50% of the eligible voting population sat this one out.  Voter suppression occurred both via laws (reducing early voting windows, requiring additional identification, etc.) and by killing all enthusiasm for being a part of the process.  In such a close election (where the Electoral College has failed the will of the people for the second time in my life), every vote is crucial and we simply couldn’t afford so many people to stay at home.  Shameful, in my opinion, especially with local races and propositions on the ballot too.  It’s interesting watching this happen while I’ve been in Australia, where voting is required by law.  Sure, that gets abused too, but it definitely looks like a better system to me.  The Republicans have decided not to update their platform to move with the changing world, so they know their best chance to win is to have as few people vote as possible.  Credit to them, it worked this time around.  It’s on us to ensure more people, from all parties, get out to the 2018 midterms.
  2. Trump won just 25% of the vote.  I would hope that the hardcore racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia he based his campaign on is only embraced by a small percentage of that group, say up to 10%.  Perhaps we’ll never be able to reach those people.  Maybe they’re just stuck in their ways.  But the rest of his voters amazingly decided that all of this nonsense was NOT a deal-breaker, which, at best, tells all the targeted people, “I don’t hate you…but I don’t care about you.”  These are the people we need to have conversations with, to ensure they understand that they have just emboldened and validated this rhetoric by putting him in the White House.  Those values are NOT shared by the vast majority of America and we cannot let a small few hijack the narrative in attempts to normalize this.  Speak up and stay vocal, shouting this down at every turn.
  3. We gon’ be alright (c) Kendrick.  Sound Session has been here during the Bush years, the Obama years, and we’ll be here during the Trump years too.  So will you.  You are valued.  You matter.  You are loved.  Be the change you want to see at the local level and control what you can control.  Progress is not a straight line and we’re going to continue on our path to a more perfect union, one day at a time.

And now, some music for your soul:

Show #576 (11/13/16)

1. ASAP Mob ft. ASAP Nast & Onyx – “Nasty’s World”
2. Common ft. Bilal – “Home”
3. The Game – “Grew Up On Wu-Tang”
4. Like – “Diamond”
5. Mibbs ft. Blu – “Tell Me ‘Bout It”
6. Notorious B.I.G. ft. 112 – “Sky’s The Limit” (Throwback of the Week)
7. Meek Mill – “Blue Notes”
8. Khalid – “Hopeless”
9. Alicia Keys – “More Than We Know”
10. Mickey Factz & Nottz ft. Phonte – “Treat You Right”
11. Jay Prince – “Smile Good”
12. Dame D.O.L.L.A. ft. Lil Wayne – “Loyal To The Soil” (Local Music)
13. TYuS – “Shapes and Sizes” (Local Music)
14. Jalen Santoy – “Foreplay”
15. Big Sean – “No More Interviews”
16. Mayer Hawthorne – “A New Love”
17. JAHKOY – “Don’t Beg”
18. Solange ft. Sampha – “Don’t Touch My Hair”
19. Ray BLK – “5050”
20. All-Star Opera ft. Warm Gun – “Lifeline” (Local Music)
21. starRo ft. Masego – “Yams”
22. Childish Gambino – “Me and Your Mama”
23. Daniel Caesar ft. Kali Uchis – “Get You”
24. Nas – “I Can” (Throwback of the Week)
25. A Tribe Called Quest ft. Andre 3000 – “Kids”

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWaFdjcjJNQTV3Q2M

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.

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Sound Session #575 (11/6/16)

Posted in Episodes, Politics, Sound Session on November 7th, 2016 by Hyphen

SNSS

One of the most eye opening parts of this election has been the lack of discussion around the rampant sexism and misogyny allowing these two candidates to be seen anywhere near equally qualified. When I worked on the Obama campaign, I encountered racism quite often (mostly indirect, sometimes explicit) and I was happy we were going to get him elected in spite of it. I thought it was awesome how we were going to overcome this ridiculous self-constructed hurdle, and anticipated future doors being much easier to break down as a result.

Only later, when Hillary won the nomination, did I realize that old racist white men were actually more willing to accept a black man than a white woman. Not knowing how these people think, I just always assumed they valued race over sex. After all, they came from white women, married white women, and fathered white women. Logic would indicate their fear of the “other” would apply to a group outside their own immediate family.

Turns out, I was wrong. These folks will begrudgingly, while fighting every step of the way, accept the fact that a minority male can join their inner circle, but ask them to do the same with a woman and that’s where they attempt to draw the line.

Tiger can join the golf club. After all, he’s a male. He “gets it” (though perhaps too fervently and too publicly, as it turns out in that case). A woman though? Bollocks. Read the sign: “No Girls Allowed.”

Well, we are here: at the last stand of the patriarchal Alamo, and we are poised to make history.

If that’s not exciting enough, this is merely the beginning!

With all the negativity and pessimism surrounding us, we must recognize that progress takes time and we continue to steadfastly march down that path, undeterred by the delays and extra effort it requires. We will not see “the end” in our lifetimes, because it doesn’t exist. The goal continually moves because we continually evolve. The only constant is change and living life is to embrace that change.

This week we will take a massive step forward, one that will change the perception of what is possible for every generation of girls AND boys that follow. I’m so excited to take that step with you all.

Vote! And I will see you on the other side…literally in this instance.  I’ll be coming back to the States for some business in New York City from the 10th to the 20th, so holler accordingly NYC homies!

Onwards.

Show #575 (11/6/16)

1. Meek Mill – “Blessed Up”
2. Dame D.O.L.L.A. ft. Lil Wayne – “Loyal To The Soil” (Local Music)
3. Apollo Brown & Skyzoo ft. Patty Crash – “One In The Same”
4. Common ft. BJ The Chicago Kid – “The Day Women Took Over”
5. ASAP Mob ft. ASAP Nast & Onyx – “Nasty’s World”
6. Onyx – “Last Days” (Throwback of the Week)
7. No Panty (Bodega Bamz, Joell Ortiz, & Nitty Scott) – “The Afterparty (Live At Jimmy’s, Pt. 2)”
8. Action Bronson ft. Big Body Bes – “Durag vs. Headband”
9. Like – “Lamped”
10. Jalen Santoy – “Foreplay”
11. Dave ft. Drake – “Wanna Know (Remix)”
12. Big Sean – “No More Interviews”
13. Ari Lennox – “Night Drive”
14. GTA ft. Jarina De Marco – “True Romance”
15. Jay Prince ft. Raheaven – “All In”
16. Drake – “Fake Love”
17. Taliwhoah – “Alright”
18. Khalid – “Hopeless”
19. Manatee Commune ft. Sol & Flint Eastwood – “What We’ve Got (Remix)” (Local Music)
20. All Star Opera ft. Warm Gun – “Lifeline” (Local Music)
21. JAHKOY – “Don’t Beg”
22. NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge) – “Sidepiece”
23. Mayer Hawthorne – “A New Love”
24. Joe Budden – “Forget”
25. Brent Faiyaz – “Invite Me”
26. Mickey Factz & Nottz ft. Phonte – “Treat You Right”
27. De La Soul ft. Usher – “Greyhounds”
28. Ray BLK – “Chill Out”

Link to download – https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B72U-rgJjvmWbzhjN2hkUGNuSDQ

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.

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Sound Session #392 (12-16-12)

Posted in Episodes, Sound Session on December 17th, 2012 by Hyphen

SNSS

When news spread last week that Trinidad James signed a $2 million dollar record deal with Def Jam, many involved in the industry took to Twitter to give our two cents.  My mini-rant got picked up and spread around the net a bit (read most of it here), and we planned on discussing some of the issues on the air for this week’s SNSS.

However, that topic and the debates it sparked were rendered completely meaningless by the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut last Friday.  Our thoughts are with all those affected, which really should be everyone reading this.  Even if you weren’t directly touched by this event, you’ve undoubtedly been affected by gun violence and/or mental health issues at some point in your life.  Both are far too pervasive in our society and while both have been debated for years, it looks like this might have finally been a tipping point to move in the right direction, at least in terms of gun control regulations.  The debate can rage on for years (and has), it seems we might finally be able to close the “gun show loophole” and perhaps even accomplish a ban on assault weapons.  I haven’t heard one reasonable argument against either of those goals and they seem like the least we can do.  Between Newtown, Columbine, Blacksburg, and the day to day violence we see in places like Chicago and Detroit, we simply must do better.  An intelligent conversation and plan for moving forward is not too much to ask.

We touched on this topic a little during this week’s show, but the focus, as always, was on the music.  We played new records from artists like Game, J. Cole, JMSN, Talib Kweli, Jamall Bufford, John Legend, the Delfonics, Snoop Lion, Wais P, Big Boi, Little Dragon, and more.  Plus we were joined in studio by one of our favorite artists in Seattle, Dice.  Her debut album, Reflections In Broken Glass, comes out Tuesday!

Enjoy the show and be safe out there folks.

Show #392 (12-16-12)

  1. Game ft. J. Cole & JMSN – “Pray”
  2. Talib Kweli – “Fly Away (Apollo Brown Remix)”
  3. Jamall Bufford – “10,000”
  4. DJ Phinisey ft. Grynch & Hyphen8d – “This Road” (Local Music)
  5. **INTERVIEW WITH DICE, PT. 1**
  6. John Legend – “Who Did That To You”
  7. Adrian Younge Presents The Delfonics – “Stop and Look (And You Have Found Love)”
  8. Charlie Red – “Norah Jones”
  9. **INTERVIEW WITH DICE, PT. 2**
  10. Dice – “Celebration” (Local Music)
  11. Kendrick Lamar ft. Drake – “Poetic Justice”
  12. **INTERVIEW WITH DICE, PT. 3**
  13. Snoop Lion ft. Mavado & Popcaan – “Lighters Up”
  14. Truck North ft. Black Thought & Asher Roth – “Capital Crime”
  15. Apollo Brown & Guilty Simpson ft. Planet Asia – “Nasty”
  16. Wais P ft. Action Bronson – “Staten Island Ferry”
  17. Big Sant – “Live”
  18. Geto Boys – “Six Feet Deep” (Throwback of the Week)
  19. Choklate – “Wide Open” (Local Music)
  20. Big Boi ft. Little Dragon – “Descending”

Link to download/stream the mp3 of the show – http://www70.zippyshare.com/v/12311818/file.html
(back up link – http://linkmixes.com/6f7vv1e8woch)
(2nd back up – http://www.sharebeast.com/02vtchpmg33p)

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.

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Killer Mike – Burn (video)

Posted in Artists, Music Videos, Politics on June 11th, 2011 by Hyphen

So apparently there was quite the hubbub (greatest word ever?) earlier this week when Lupe was quoted as calling President Obama a terrorist.  While I understand the shock value factor of grabbing that soundbite for the headline, people clearly missed the larger point that US foreign policy could certainly constitute terrorism for many folks in the world.  Killer Mike’s latest, PL3DGE, touches on similar subjects, especially here on “Burn.”  Go head fellas.

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The Daily Show & Soulstice on Common x White House x Faux News

Posted in Artists, Comedy, Politics, Videos on May 14th, 2011 by Hyphen

When Sound Session debuted on KUBE six years ago, we had the pleasure of welcoming Common to the studio as our first guest.  We dedicated the entire show to his music and he regaled us with behind the scenes tales about his favorite songs off each of his classic albums.  Since then, we’ve had him on the show numerous times (remember this listening party?) and run into him at all sorts of events.  Throughout all this interaction, one thing has stood out to me above even the quality of his music: this is one of the nicest “celebrities” I’ve ever met.

Common has a way of talking to you so genuinely that you know he actually cares about what you’re discussing and more importantly, he cares about you.  Honestly, it’s kind of spooky.  Years after first talking about how I coached youth basketball, he asked me out of the blue: “are you still coaching kids?”  He’s just a great dude and an excellent representative of our culture.

This is not to say he’s without flaws, but much like 2Pac, he represents the natural duality that we all share in our morals/ethics and his music always reflects what he believes, even if it’s not popular.  He’s also grown as an artist and person over the years (haven’t we all?), which makes this Fox News pseudo-controversy all the more hysterical.  If you’ve been living under a rock, Jon Stewart can get you up to speed:

Not much more needs to be said (aside from PLEASE DON’T EVER EVEN PRETEND TO RAP, JON), but rapper SoulStice summed up his thoughts nicely in a recent email:

What’s the word?

I think I’m going to need a late pass on this one. I didn’t realize that Common had been invited to perform at the White House until after Sarah Palin had already gotten on the air and poo-pooed the whole thing.

My response to Common performing lyrics as poetry at the White House is probably as predictable as Sarah Palin’s. Yay! For me, this is a form of acknowledgement by those in power that the voice of my generation as expressed through hip hop is recognized not only for its entertainment value but for its social and political relevance. Never mind that this acknowledgement comes from a President that himself struggles for acceptance as part of mainstream America.

When Sarah Palin says that Common’s body of work doesn’t withstand the scrutiny of representing “all that’s good about America,” she does have a point. Common’s third album, “One Day It’ll All Make Sense (1997)” was a very influential one for me. On “Hungry,” Common raps:

“Downtown interracial lovers hold hands,
I breathe heavy like an old man…”

At the time, I remember reflecting on those lines for a while. Although in 1997 I hadn’t yet dated outside of my race (wasn’t the coolest move to make in my segregation-minded Chicagoland high school), I knew that one of my favorite artists and I felt differently on the subject of interracial relationships. Today, as part of an interracial marriage and father to a multi-ethnic child, my view on the subject is as diametrically opposed as ever to the view expressed on “Hungry.” Hopefully Common’s is too.

So no, Common’s body of work doesn’t withstand the scrutiny of representing “all that’s good about America.” But isn’t that bar too high? I wouldn’t pass that test. For that matter, neither would Palin, Hannity, O’Reilly or any of the right-wing (or otherwise) critics of Obama’s choice to bring Common to the White House. Even removing all of moral blemishes like the “Hungry” line from Common’s catalog, it wouldn’t clear the bar that Palin has set here. As an artist, Common has chosen to shine a light on some of the things that aren’t so good about America like police brutality and racial bias in the prison system. Would it be too much to ask for Palin and others to spend some time reflecting on the hard truths in lyrics like those before rushing to shoot the messenger?

I applaud the White House for hosting Common for a performance. Even with his imperfections, I think he’s done more to uplift America than any of the aforementioned pundits whose self-serving divisiveness does more to harm our social fabric than to strengthen it. On “G.O.D.,” another song from “One Day It’ll All Make Sense,” Common spit another couple of lines that have stuck with me all these years:

“Long as you know it’s a being that’s supreme to you,
and let that show towards others in the things you do”

Words to live by.

peace —

SoulStice

It’s one thing for Faux News to do this to other news stories, but when they go after one of the members of our community, it annoys me to no end. They really shouldn’t speak on things that they have no concept of, but I suppose that’s par for the course throughout media, not just on Fox.

As our generation gets older, it’s up to people like you, me, and SoulStice to continue to bring sanity to these “debates.” We have an obligation to push the discourse in the right direction and away from the silliness.

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Seth Meyers at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (video)

Posted in Comedy, News, Videos on May 1st, 2011 by Hyphen

Following up on Obama’s jokes at the Correspondents’ Dinner, Seth Meyers took the podium and doled out ether left and right.

“Rick Sanchez, you are gone…and forgotten.”

Of course, the highlight is seeing Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly sulk in their seats, completely unable to take any sort of self deprecating humor whatsoever. Just laugh, idiots. God forbid you show one sliver of a likeable human characteristic.

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Obama at the 2011 White House Correspondents’ Dinner (video)

Posted in Comedy, News, Videos on April 30th, 2011 by Hyphen

I was sold when Optimus Prime showed up and knew I was going to post by the time they dropped Lion King. This is the Barry we all know and love, and the one whose personality won us over years ago.

As Barack says in the speech, “the honeymoon is over” in regards to his presidency, but I’m not too disappointed in what many consider to be a lack of progress towards the tasks he laid out during his campaign. I’ve never been a fan of any portion of the political process and I really think you just have to make the best decisions when they come up. Barack was the best choice we had at the time and he continues to be just that. Hopefully he gets back in office and swags out in his 2nd term when there’s no concern over being reelected.

We shall see. But in the interim, enjoy the jokes!

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Talib x Hi-Tek say what up

Posted in Artists, Drops on May 31st, 2010 by Hyphen

If you caught Sound Session last night, you know we ran through the entire Revolutions Per Minute album from Kweli and Hi-Tek.  While I decide how much of the video I want to let loose, the homies say what up…

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Wack Lyric of the Day, 4-3-10

Posted in Wack Lyric of the Day on April 3rd, 2010 by Hyphen

“I use food stamps in the street yo/
Now I got a cool ranch like Doritos”

— Tony Yayo, “Obama”

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