The Audacity of Dope

The homies Eighty4 Fly and Jon Jon Augustavo have linked up for another great video from the town, this time for “Cool Kid” off Eighty4’s Colors project. Download the entire tape right here.

My favorite part of this whole Seattle movement is that everyone is legitimately down for each other. Every time someone in the scene drops a video, you see countless homies making cameos and showing support. We’re all going to look back on these days as special moments in Seattle’s music history. I hope this never stops.

Along with the dope new music from the likes of Scarface, Dion Primo, Andre 3000, Gensu Dean, Olivier Daysoul, Hit-Boy, Kid Cudi, Jared Evan, and more, we had a few guests drop by the SNSS studio this week for some important announcements:

• Many thanks to the Physics for coming by to play a few songs off their upcoming album, Tomorrow People, which is another classic from the crew.  Without exaggeration, these guys make my favorite music from the Northwest and have been doing it consistently for years now.  I can’t recommend checking out their music enough (do so here) and if you’re in Seattle, be sure to come out to Neumos on August 25th for the release party.
• Thanks as well for The Good Sin dropping by to talk about his upcoming video shoot for one of the standout records from his last album, The Story of Love x Hate.  He’ll be filming visuals for “Gimme Your Love” this Saturday from 12pm – 6pm at Garfield High School and everyone in the city is invited because the shoot doubles as an end of summer BBQ and Stop The Violence party.  We’ve had far too much senseless violence recently in the town and we should all go show our support at the park on Saturday.  You can enjoy the weather, hang out with the homies, play some dominoes/football/basketball, and spread positivity at the same time.  Be there.
• Shout to DJ Same, Key Nyata, Ant Beezy, and A-Rawlo for dropping by and speaking on their New School Noise event as well.  It’s going down next Sunday at Neumos and if you’re not rocking out to SNSS, you should be there.  More info here.

And after all that, enjoy the music!

Show #374 (8-12-12)

1. Nas ft. Large Professor – “Loco-Motive”
2. DJ Khaled ft. Scarface, Nas, & DJ Premier – “Hip-Hop”
3. Dion Primo – “Colors”
4. **INTERVIEW WITH THE PHYSICS, PT. 1**
5. The Physics – “Days” (Local Music)
6. The Physics – “Take A Win” (Local Music)
7. **INTERVIEW WITH THE PHYSICS, PT. 2**
8. Rick Ross ft. Andre 3000 – “Sixteen”
9. Outkast ft. Rosario Dawson – “She Lives In My Lap” (Throwback of the Week)
10. Frank Ocean ft. Andre 3000 – “Pink Matter”
11. Gensu Dean ft. Olivier Daysoul – “Wantchu”
12. Hit-Boy ft. Kid Cudi – “Old School Caddy”
13. **INTERVIEW WITH THE GOOD SIN, PT. 1**
14. The Good Sin – “Gimme Your Love” (Local Music)
15. Homeboy Sandman – “Rated Ours”
16. **INTERVIEW WITH THE GOOD SIN, PT. 2**
17. Asher Roth – “Turnip The Beat”
18. Shad – “Old Prince”
19. Yirim Seck – “Crescendo” (Local Music)
20. **INTERVIEW WITH KEY NYATA, ANT BEEZY, & A-RAWLO, PT. 1**
21. Aaliyah ft. Drake – “Enough Said”
22. Jared Evan – “Charlie Brown”
23. **INTERVIEW WITH KEY NYATA, ANT BEEZY, & A-RAWLO, PT. 2**

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?8b5eg1j9kgckira
(back up / streaming link – http://www.sharebeast.com/8xl8rbbvpdud)
(2nd back up – http://linkmixes.com/r7cfuze9l6gi)

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.

As I’ve mentioned numerous times on TAOD, Twitter, SNSS, Facebook, various hip-hop panels, and just about any other place someone’s made the mistake of giving me a voice, the Physics are my favorite musicians in the Northwest.  They make the exact kind of hip-hop I love: soulful, genuine, complex, smooth, laid back, dope music.  They’ve put out a few projects over the years (which I highly recommend you cop right here) and now they’re back with their third full length LP, Tomorrow People.

They’re asking for assistance via a Kickstarter Campaign and any support you can provide will be well worth it.  Cop the album, a shirt, a hat, or even just donate a dollar to support the cause.  Anything you can provide is appreciated.  More information in the video above and the copy below:

After making music together for over a decade and a half, we are close to finishing our third full-length album, Tomorrow People. We are excited to release it on August 25. All we need is help from you.

Tomorrow People is pretty much about dope raps, dope beats, and dope hooks. After putting out our last LP, Love is a Business, and touring with the Blue Scholars last fall, we went straight back to the lab to produce a rap record that is more lyrical than our last, featuring some of Seattle’s best like Jake One, Sol, Grynch, Vitamin D, J. Pinder, and more. With this release, we are on the cusp of attaining our goals as musicians, knowing that tomorrow is unknown, but hoping that tomorrow will be amazing.

Those who pledge will have access to a wide range of incentives, including digital and physical copies of the album before the release date, Kickstarter-exclusive shirts and snapback hats, a verse from Thig, a beat from Justo, invites to a private Seattle hip hop BBQ, and more.

All funds raised through this campaign will help fund the mixing, mastering, duplication, and promotion of Tomorrow People. Anything we raise above our goal will go straight into a still-unannounced fall tour. The more backers we get, the more cities we can play in.

Please help us spread the word, and help us bring our music straight to you! Your support is GREATLY appreciated.

-The Physics

Support here.

The Good Sin documents a recent trip from Seattle to Los Angeles for a concert with the homies and it doubles as the official video for “The Crown.”  Dope record and cool visuals, though I swear…if I ever sit next to a rapper making a music video on the plane, I’m jumping out that b.

“If you don’t see me, I’m gone/
Might be in the wind on my own/
And if I’m movin’ too fast/
It’s cause these moments won’t last”

I’m pretty ashamed that the video for The Physics’ “These Moments” has been out for weeks and I haven’t tossed it on TAOD yet.  Better late than never though!

If you aren’t up on the Physics, clearly you don’t come here often or listen to SNSS.  These guys make my favorite music from the Northwest and their new album, Love Is A Business, is yet another testament to their abilities.  Get familiar with all their music here and STOP SLEEPING.

Here’s another taste of one of my favorite tracks on LIAB:

In a nutshell, the last few days provided yet another reminder of the frustratingly consistent duality of life.  You know, Ying Yang…wait, Yin vs. Yang.  Or as The Dude so eloquently put it, “strikes and gutters.”  If you prefer the more timely, yet equally brevity conscious, hip-hop version, Big K.R.I.T. calls it “Highs & Lows.”

On on hand, we had a beautiful, music filled weekend here in Seattle and on Sound Session.  We kicked off things with the Capitol Hill Block Party, where I DJ’d for the homey Shad on Friday night, sharing the stage with good friends Sol, Brothers From Another, and Thee Satisfaction, three of the most talented acts in Seattle.  Thee Sat took the occasion to officially announce their signing to the legendary Sub Pop label, putting a stamp on another historic moment in Seattle’s music scene.

Speaking of Sub Pop, J. Moore carried the festivities down to Dallas, Texas on Saturday, where he accompanied Shabazz Palaces for their performance at the Gorilla vs. Bear Festival.  We closed the weekend off by inviting The Physics and Sonny Bonoho to our studio to debut new music from their forthcoming projects, and we even world premiered a record from Thurzday (formerly of U-N-I) and his LA Riot album.

All in all, a fine weekend celebrated in 80 degree, flawless weather, where our only concern should have been SPF levels.

Right?

Wrong.

On Saturday, music lovers everywhere reeled from the news we all feared would come someday, and deep down, we knew it would be sooner rather than later: Amy Winehouse passed away in her London apartment from an apparent overdose.

Since we’ve been on the air for the last six years, we’ve lost a lot of folks and I never know quite how to summarize these feelings and thoughts in text.  However, that’s what great writers do and to that end, there have already been a few well constructed pieces on Amy’s passing (I particularly recommend Russell Brand’s heartfelt, poignant entry).  Ultimately, when an artist passes, I (selfishly) always focus on what his/her work meant to me and how it affected my life. If I had a chance to meet or work with the person, that always adds an extra element as well.

In this case, I never met or spoke with Amy.  My only story about her is a loose connection that’s happened to us a few times as we’ve watched superstars develop.  We were early supporters of her Back To Black records in the NW region (essentially the equivalent of seeing LeBron as a high school senior and telling your friends he was pretty good…we didn’t exactly go out on a limb) and the label told me she was thankful for our airplay.  I distinctly remember waiting in our studio one Friday afternoon, late in the summer of 2006, for the interview they scheduled with her, only to get a cancellation call from her management instead.  They explained that they were sorry, but MTV and the New York Times decided at the last minute to do pieces on her first performance in NYC and they had to bump us to accommodate the larger outlets.  I knew then that our underground hip-hop/alternative R&B show in Seattle likely wouldn’t have the chance to interview her again and sure enough, by the end of the year, she was one of the biggest musicians in the world.

Granted, it’s not as interesting a tale as the time Guru threatened to leap over the table and punch me, but at least it’s a more positive way to remember one of our musical heroes.  I digress.

Amy’s voice, songwriting, and the resulting music she blessed us with was amazing.  Throughout her rise to stardom, we continued to play it on the air, but even more on our own time.  Back To Black provided the soundtrack for some of my favorite memories and any time I hear something like “Just Friends,” I’m instantly back in THAT moment.  You know the feeling.

Both Back To Black and Frank are certified 5-mic classic albums to me (yes, I’m using the Source rating system…Amy was more hip-hop than a lot of these cats) and there are countless awe inspiring live/acoustic/demo versions for her songs.  When I asked followers on Twitter for a few suggestions on what to select for our Throwback of the Week, I was flooded by replies and almost every song of hers was mentioned.  In the end, I picked two of my personal favorites, but I had about a hundred alternate options ready to go.

While it’s devastating to finally accept that she won’t be adding to this catalog, it’s comforting to know that like all great artists, her work will live on forever.  As much as I look forward to pulling out her records years from now and reminiscing about her talent, what I’m really excited about is for the next generation to randomly discover her through their own exploration.  The same way I stumbled upon an artist like Shuggie Otis or Gil Scott-Heron (RIP), some 10 year old without a clue who Amy Winehouse is right now will hear the demo for “What It Is” and fall in love with music all over again.

That’s the power of art and why losing a great artist always presents such a conflicting dichotomy.  We mourn the loss of a creative spark, but we also celebrate the contributions that were made.

As I write this, Amy has 4 of the Top 10 albums on iTunes (even her b-side collections are charting) and I know some of those purchases are from kids wondering what all the hype is about.  They’ll soon find out and for those that truly love music…those that zone out and let these sounds impact their moods and ideas and redefine how they see the world and interact with others…her voice will hit them like few others have.

RIP Amy.

And for anyone out there struggling with addiction, she left you this message.  There’s someone out there who cares.  Take action and get help.

Show #321 (7-24-11)

1. Pac Div – “Saved”
2. Crooked I – “Mr. Porter Meets Mr. Pigface”
3. Jay Rock ft. Kendrick Lamar – “Hood Gone Love It”
4. Kardinal Offishall – “Ol’ Time Killin’, Pt. 2 (Anywhere)”
5. Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse – “Valerie” (Throwback of the Week)
6. Jay-Z & Kanye West – “Otis”
7. Big K.R.I.T. – “Highs & Lows”
8. Kendrick Lamar ft. Ashtro Bot – “Keisha’s Song (Her Pain)”
9. Wu-Tang Clan ft. Ghostface Killah, Sean Price, & Trife – “Laced Cheeba”
10. Pusha T ft. Tyler, The Creator – “Trouble On My Mind”
11. **INTERVIEW WITH THE PHYSICS, PT. 1**
12. The Physics – “Seward Park” (Local Music)
13. Dom Kennedy ft. Polyester – “Mr. Champagne”
14. **INTERVIEW WITH THE PHYSICS, PT. 2**
15. Sol – “WTF” (Local Music)
16. Rapsody ft. Tab One, Charlie Smarts, & Phonte – “One Time”
17. Thad Reid – “Unholy War”
18. **INTERVIEW WITH SONNY BONOHO, PT. 1**
19. Sonny Bonoho – “We’ll Be Stronger” (Local Music)
20. The Black Opera – “Timeline”
21. **INTERVIEW WITH SONNY BONOHO, PT. 2**
22. CyHi The Prynce – “Take You Back”
23. Wordsmith – “Rhymesayer Revival”
24. **Thurz – “Dope”** (WORLD PREMIERE)
25. Shad – “Call Waiting”
26. Purple HeArts – “ReMinder Smiles”
27. Amy Winehouse – “Stronger Than Me” (Throwback of the Week)

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?buwprapcd5pflcb
(back up / streaming link – http://hulkshare.com/xue54dm3im8f)
(2nd back up – http://www.zshare.net/audio/92995614e5676c7c/)

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.

Not only do you get to see Philly Freezer and Jake tear it down, but you get an opening set from my favorite group in Seattle, The Physics, plus DJ’ing by the legendary Vitamin D all night.  Gonna be a crazy show, be there at Neumo’s on Thursday!

In a few days, we’ll all celebrate the end of another year (or do you celebrate the start of the next…glass half full vs. half empty?) but before 2011 arrives, it’s tradition that every media outlet in the world releases some sort of wrap up on the previous 12 months.  Here at SNSS, we’re no different…although ours is [hubris] inherently better [/hubris].  In reviewing last year’s Best of 2009 list, I noticed my explanation still applies:

Keep in mind, these are not the biggest records of the year…nor the blogosphere favorites…or Twitter picks.  Nah, these are 26 24 of our favorite songs that we played heavily on SNSS in 2009 2010.  They are not in any sort of countdown or follow any other ranking schema.  We included a few of our favorite records from the town and crossed into other genres as well.  In other words, we followed our normal formula for spinning great music on the radio, but we just supersized it on some Barry Bonds-Roger Clemons-Alex Rodriguez super powered steroid type steez.

Speaking of baseball, we’re closing in on our 300th show.  Not exactly at Cy Young level yet, but still a notable accomplishment in today’s radio environment.  As always, we’re thankful to have the opportunity to shine light on great music and talented artists, plus we really appreciate every soul who tunes in.  We had more positive feedback and new listeners in 2010 than ever before and SNSS continues to move onward and upward.  In all seriousness, it’s humbling to be one of the last bastions of the culture on commercial hip-hop radio.  Thank you.

As I did last year, I’ve included some notes for our selections below, as well as a few honorable mention picks that we would have included on the air if we had enough time.  Any feedback/debate is welcome.  Did we miss any joints in particular?

Enjoy!

Show #291 (12-26-10)
**Best of 2010**

1. Nas & Damian Marley – “As We Enter”
2. Big Boi ft. Andre 3000 & Sleepy Brown – “Lookin’ 4 Ya (Full Mix)”
3. Candidt ft. Maya Jenkins – “Imaginary Stereo” (Local Music)
4. N.E.R.D. ft. Nelly Furtado – “Hot-N-Fun”
5. Freddie Gibbs – “National Anthem (FTW)”
6. Big K.R.I.T. ft. Devin The Dude & Curren$y – “Moon & Stars (Hyphen Remix)”
7. Wiz Khalifa ft. Killa Kyleon – “Spotlight”
8. Concise Kilgore – “Alaska”
9. Freeway & Jake One ft. Raekwon – “One Thing” (Local Music)
10. Aloe Blacc – “Dollar”
11. Nottz ft. Dwele – “You Need This Music”
12. Reflection Eternal ft. Jay Electronica, J. Cole, & Mos Def – “Just Begun”
13. The Physics – “My Place” (Local Music)
14. U-N-I ft. Miguel – “Lately”
15. Kanye West ft. Dwele – “Power”
16. Rick Ross ft. Jay-Z & John Legend – “Free Mason”
17. The Roots ft. STS & Joanna Newsom – “Right On”
18. Bilal – “All Matter”
19. Shad – “Rose Garden”
20. Theophilus London – “Flying Overseas (Version 1)”
21. Sol – “Dear Friends” (Local Music)
22. Dom Kennedy – “1997”
23. The Kid Daytona – “On The Hill”
24. Drake – “Fall For Your Type (Same Mistakes)”

Link to download the mp3 of the show – http://www.mediafire.com/?dgoqsov4ft9aqld
(back up / streaming link – http://www.zshare.net/audio/84451733eaf81c64/)
(2nd back up – http://usershare.net/vfjlt0697jzy)

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.

Notes:

1. Lead single off a hugely underrated album.  Damian’s production guidance + Nas’ introspective social commentary = WIN.
2. It’s a shame that this flawless Outkast record (Dre’s verses!) wasn’t even on Big Boi’s album because of label politics. The Clipse told y’all bout Jive…
3. Speaking of ‘Kast, this local gem sounded like it was birthed at Stankonia…but with a west coast and distinctly Seattle influence.
4. “Ok, we wrote this for a purpose…” and they succeeded.  Stadium music, 50 thousand at a time.
5. Gibbs is everything that hip-hop purists want in a MC.  We almost picked “The Ghetto,” but this record was harder, thanks largely to a chorus reminiscent of Pac’s best.
6. When a record has an incredible chorus and Devin The Dude featured on it, you just assume he supplies it.  Not here, where Krit’s crooning steals the show.  I blended Curren$y’s verse from the remix with the original to round it out.
7. There were a handful of great records on Kush & OJ and we were one of the shows to help break “Black and Yellow,” but our favorite was “Spotlight.”  Wiz wins the best adlib of 2010 with, “this beat go perfect with my belt.”  TGOD.
8. I guarantee we’re the only show with this record on our Best of 2010 list, but that’s a shame.  The Sade sample gets flipped so nasty, you can’t help but make the Cliff face when you hear it.  Possibly my favorite beat of the year.
9. Extended fam of SNSS (you may have caught J. Moore as Free’s hypeman on tour this year) dropped a great album and thanks to a careful clean edit, this was our favorite track to play off The Stimulus Package.
10. Aloe was EVERYwhere in 2010 and his success is well deserved.  Many in the country don’t know the artist, but they know the song.  And he murdered “Politician” live in studio with us.  Epitome of an artist.
11. Between the title, the lyrics, the hook, and the beat, no record summed up SNSS better than this song.  Take your corporate $$’s thaaaaattaway.
12. Talib and Hi-Tek not only reunited with each other and Mos, but they brought along newcomers Jay Elec and J. Cole for an instant classic.  As Kweli mentioned in studio with us, this record could fit right in with any early Blackstar/RE project.  And that’s a beautiful thing.
13. The Physics delivered our favorite local record of 2009 with “I Just Wanna Beat,” and they’re on the list again with the less direct, but equally sultry, “My Place.”
14. And when wifey is at your place, play this record and let Miguel talk to her.  “You on my mind right now…”
15. My favorite artist of the year (and the decade…and ever?) with the biggest song of the year.  Everything Yeezy did in 2010 was an event and this comeback record sparked it all.  Plus, the homey S1 got introduced to the rest of the world with a great look.  “No one man should have all that power”…but he does.
16. I was ready to go back to back ‘Ye with “Live Fast, Die Young,” but J picked another great track from the Bawse.  Kudos to Ross, who successfully evolved from an industry punchline a few years ago to making some of the best mainstream hip-hop music we have.  His ear for beats might be the best in the whole industry.
17. An incredible beat is complemented by a somewhat lackluster verse, until we hear, “I’m Black Thought, what could be more prolific?” and the song kicks into the next level.
18. J’s favorite song of the year has an eerie Marley-esque feel to its lyrics and Bilal hitting notes that only he can.  Honorable mention for one of my favorites, “Think It Over,” off the same album.
19. Sharing the “best writer in the game” title with Lupe Fiasco, Shad finally got some well deserved respect stateside in 2010.  If you’re still sleeping, you’ll wake up soon.  Don’t worry.
20. Anytime your song acts as my ringtone for a good 6 months of the year, you’ll likely make the Best Of wrap up.  Your getaway anthem.
21. As I mentioned in the post for this video, Sol is one of Seattle’s rising stars.  And with our well respected scene, he’ll soon be making noise around the country.  Cop it now while his rookie card is cheap.
22. “1997” sounds like it was a great year for Dom and a 15 year old Hyph would agree.  I also agree that “I hate how rappers use the term fresh so looooooosely.”
23. Daytona is one of our favorite MC’s in the game right now and his flow over this classic sample are a match made in heaven.  Add in a Nutso/Leon “Above The Rim” reference from the greatest movie ever made and I’m all in.  “He’s playin ball…with no ball!”
24. Yes, Drake’s singing.  Yes, he has limited range.  Yes, 40’s beats aren’t the most varied (…yet).  Yes, he gave this record to Jamie Foxx.  But yes, he has an incredible knack for capturing situations many of us have been in through his lyrics and yes, this is one of the best records of 2010.  Don’t make the same mistakes in 2011.

Honorable mentions from artists not otherwise represented:

• Black Milk ft. Royce Da 5’9″ & Elzhi – “Deadly Medley”
• Donnis – “Gone”
• Homeboy Sandman – “Mean Mug”
• Janelle Monae – “Cold War”
• Jay Electronica ft. Diddy – “Ghost Of Christopher Wallace”
• J. Cole – “Who Dat”
• Kidz In The Hall – “Grizzly Man”
• Laws – “Hold You Down”
• Lupe Fiasco – “I’m Beaming”
• Miguel ft. J. Cole – “All I Want Is You”
• Slum Village ft. Posdnuos & Phife Dawg – “Scheming”
• The Foreign Exchange – “Maybe She’ll Dream Of Me”
• Trek Life – “Wow”

Of course there are more, but if you really want to know all the records we liked in 2010, peep our archives!  See you in 2011!

Simply put, the homey Jon Augustavo makes music videos look doooooope.  Here’s his new reel, featuring many clips you’ve seen here on TAOD.  Check his site for more.

I forget which show it was at, but while out and about at the Nectar a while back, I ran in to the homey Thig Natural of the Physics and we started talking about videos.  Since I see more music videos at my day job than you’ve seen in your life, I’m always down to share some of what I’ve learned in the music video industry.  While I can’t take sole credit for sparking this idea, I remember telling Thig that they HAD to do a video for “I Just Wanna Beat,” since it’s a classic record.  Not just a classic NW record.  A classic.

Lo and behold, the crew hooked up with Jon Augustavo and dropped the visuals right in time for the end of the summer.  To bring it full circle, it was filmed in Suzzallo Library at the University of Washington, where I spent many hours of my youth raising havoc while my mom worked in her office there.

Oh, and you’re lyin’ if you can’t relate…IJWB.  Download the High Society EP here.