VIDEO: The Roots - 75 Bars (Black's Reconstruction)


Thank you again, Mr. Cordero. And oh yeah, this video is all types of raw.
Props to OS and OKP.

VIDEO: Little Brother - Legacy Promo


From the fellas' Myspace: a Black History Month promo for The N.

UPDATE: The 930 Club Review


I'd just like to clear up a few things. Almost a month ago I posted my very informal review of Lupe Fiasco's Washington, DC tour stop right here on the blog. If you follow that link now, you may notice something different. 

I was sick in bed and ending up taking a few shots at local DC emcee Reemstarr. NOW, before all y'all put me on blast again (please, read the comments), I posted my hateful remarks without actually listening to any of Reem's RECORDED tracks. So, I changed the post.

I actually JUST discovered the comments and followed Reem's comment over to his myspace where he let his fans read it. GOOD! More visitors to the site. No, but on the real, it's 4:15 in the morning and I took a study break to find this. Yes, I'm a college student with a very picky taste, (look, I don't ever plan to work for Pitchfork, so ease up), and I jumped to conclusions. So bottom line, I took 45 minutes outta my precious midterm study time to fix it! I hate beef! I want to support all DC hip hop, y'all need to blow!

I also invited Reem into the studio so we can ultimately make peace. Hopefully that happens. Until then, head on over to his myspace and peep his tracks.

Oh, and can y'all ignore my grammatical incorrectness? It's a fucking blog not The New York Times Arts Section! 

CI/SI: Lee & Jonny AND Praverb the Wyse

Lee (But where's Jonny?)

Praverb the Wyse

CRANK IT OR SPANK IT EPISODE 1

Lemme start off by saying, I did not, I repeat, did not, come up with the name for this segment. Thank the cheeky Brit Acey Blackstar for that one. Anyway, if you missed last night's show, I had an idea. We'll play 1 or 2 songs from unsigned artists who submit their tracks to FF each show (time permitting). So, we kicked off episode 1 with a friend of a friend and a fan of the blog. 

Download the tracks and feel free to comment on this post. Reply with CRANK IT or SPANK IT. 


If you're interested in submitting one of your own tracks or you've got a friend you really think needs to be heard:
Email: funkadelicfreestyles@gmail.com
IM: celtsfan0348
MS: myspace.com/jbenok

2.26.08: FF 006 Wrap-Up

Since I didn't make a preview post, I'm go ahead and TALK ABOUT IT.

There were no guests tonight. Straight talk and music. We did have a two new students come through, Sade and Benson. Well, Benson been around. In fact, that muhfucka won't leave us ALONE.

We played new tracks from Illa J, Wale, Blu, Erykah Badu, Pete Rock, Nicolay & Kay, and Common. 
Benson debuted a new segment called (*ducks*) "Crank It or Spank It", much like "Hate It or Love It." We'll play one to two tracks each week (time-permitting) and have y'all get back to us on whether you'd crank it or spank it. We'll post the songs up on the blog after the show and y'all can get to commenting. If y'all wanna crank that shit, we'll play it again. If not, get it the FOH.

Next week: Check for Che Grand to stop by the studio. Also, Boston area-emcee Reks phones in with Nyadenya.
And we might actually have a 3-hour show.


P.S. I am NOT providing links for the new Wale/Bun B track. LOL but I encourage y'all to perform a Google search because you won't find that shit ANYWHERE. The boss has the game on lockdown! (By the way, the track you may have already downloaded is NOT the finished version)

VIDEO: Pete Rock -Till I Retire/Best Believe


I had to post this because Pete's new album is out today, and because I met dude last week. Icon!
(GO COP NY'S FINEST)
Oh, and directed by the genius Rik Cordero.

VIDEO: Jay-Z - I Know


I had to choose between this and the new Pete Rock video. Instead, I chose both. Here's the new Jay video, which just looks really cool. Not sure if it has anything to do with the song, though.

MP3: Common & Just Blaze - The Light 2008


Com, this isn't Hollywood. You're not reading a monologue. Remember 1999? You used to emcee and shit. 
Long story short: incredibly dope beat. Sub-par vocals. Great hook. (Marsha + Justin = winning combination)

For those of you not in the "know" (lol, what's that anyway?): the song was recorded for Smirnoff's new Signature Mix Series. Follow that link (and lie about your age if you have to) for an additional download link, a KRS-One/DJ Premier retool, and eventually, a Q-Tip/Cool & Dre collab. But Tip, where's that Paris, Tokyo remix you've been talking about?

PICTURES: Dilla Day Recap






Last night was a huge success. With special guests Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, and Ms. Yancey along with appearances from the Low Budget Crew and Grap Luv, it was truly a memorable night for hip hop. I'm just mad y'all couldn't be there. There's a few shitty pictures above.

P.S. Head over to okayplayer.com for a brand new track from The Roots off the new album, Rising Down, due April 29th. 

2.21.08: Dilla Day

XM and DIRECTV customers: Do yourself a huge favor and tune into XM's The Rhyme (XM Ch. 65/DTV 846) at 7:30pm EST TONIGHT.
The flyer above says it all.

Also:
If you weren't invited on up to Dilla Day and wanna do something else, head on over to Bohemian Caverns on 11th St. NW for the Erykah Badu Listening Party. It's from 6:30-8:00pm and I hear there's some dope giveaways, (including the new album, New Amerykah!)

And:
If you hit up one or the other, or still haven't made it out for the night, hit up Pete Rock's DJ gig at Cue Bar on U St. Blah, but that shit's 21 plus.
And of course, the Dilla afterparty at 18th St. Lounge (good luck finding it).

Hopefully I'll be back with pictures later tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned!

2.20.08: day.break 2.0

From the Myspace: "Today's the day."

Hey! Important announcement: FF alum Muhsinah's new album day.break 2.0 is available today! I woke up this morning thinking, "self, what's so special about today?" And then I logged onto MS and the answer was staring right back at me! Anyway, maybe you're one of the cool kids who bought day.break when it first dropped back in November of last year. So what's different?


* Remastered Versions of All Songs
* 2 New Tracks (Not on the Web Exclusive)
* Extended Intro Track
* New Beat Snippets/Interludes
* Bonus Hidden Remix
* Song Lyrics & Liner Notes
* Eco-Friendly packaging
* & Personal Autographed!!!

So get your Paypal on and go cop it on the website. I'm about to order a copy for myself. 


2.19.08: FF 005

FF 005

Hosted by jben.ok and Nyadenya
9:00-10:00 pm
February 19, 2008
WRGW Radio
LISTEN LIVE on gwradio.com

You won't hear much of me tonight. In fact, you probably won't hear anything from me since I'll most likely be taking a back seat to Nyadenya's phone interview with his brother, Lucky Dice, an emcee outta Boston. Be sure to tune in.

Oh, and sorry for the lack of updates lately. I've been busy as helllll.

VIDEO: Consequence - Feel This Way (feat. John Legend)

This, right here, is a dope song.
I'm looking at the Cons album sitting on my dresser. I think I'm finally gonna give it a full listen today.

Shouts to OKP and imeem for this one.

VIDEO: Pineapple Express Red Band Tralier


YESSSSSSS (c) Marv Albert

Thanks to Trailer Addict

VIDEO: Che Grand - Swing x Crash (ZFTP Theatre)


The homie Che Grand.
Catch him March 4th on FF.

2.13.08: Flashing Lights (It's Real)




I was so not ready to host a radio show last night. 
But we ended up having a fucking ball. 

Anyway, Rocafella put this up this morning. It's a teaser (not the actual video) for Kanye West's next single, "Flashing Lights (feat. Dwele)." My best sources tell me that's Rita G in the WONDERFUL outfit. 

EDIT: That's the REAL video. Wha? okpdan says there're 3 versions. We will see.

2.12.08: FF 004

FF 004
Hosted by jben.ok and Nyadenya
8:00 - 10:00 pm
February 12, 2008
WRGW Radio
LISTEN LIVE on gwradio.com

Change of plans. We gonna try and reschedule with Oddisee sometime soon, but he can't make it out tonight. Looks like we're playing Dilla!

And yes, I'm gonna keep you updated on the DMV primaries. Since we in the DMV, and everything.

MP3: Blu - City Of Los(t) Angel(e)s (feat. Co$$)

#5 on my Top Artists in 07. But damn, I wasn't predicting an even BETTER year in 08.
Also: Go to Blu's MySpace page to check the newest joint: "My Boy Blu"
From Blu's new project with TaRaach 
CRAC - The Piece Talks (Due April 15th)
(Perhaps I'll hook up an mp3 later.)

Sub Sessions: Dilla Day in DC

The Red Bull Music Academy and XM Satellite Radio's Subsoniq presents
SubSessions: Dilla Day
A Tribute to Celebrate the life and music of James Yancey aka J Dilla
Guests: Mrs. Yancey, Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, The Players & Friends
2.21.08
6:30 pm
After party to follow at the 18th St. Lounge!
www.pookiesgallery.com for more info and rsvp

2.11.08: Wale @ The Grammys

Hit the elitaste blog right nowwwww.
(Picture courtesy of Mr. Weisman)

P.S. We trying to make that ^^ happen closer to home. Stay tuned.

2.10.08: Nicolay & Kay - Time Line

I've been waiting on this one for a long time. One of the best producers working, Nicolay (of Foreign Exchange fame), has made another fantastic hip hop album. But he didn't do it alone. Providing the vocals for Time Line is Texas emcee Kay, a member of The Foundation. I found out about Kay by visiting FWMJ's rappersiknow.com, which is a site I recommend for ANY hip hop fan. 

Time Line is slow, fast, emotional, fun, and nearly flawless. Most importantly, it's a collection of stories. And each story reels you in, demanding you put it on repeat. The guest list does not shout fame and fortune, instead, it's  a team of role players perfectly suited for their guest appearances. The return of Chip Fu. The ferocity of Oh No. And the dreamy, floating  vocals of The Luv Bugz, perfect for Nicolay's outer-space beats.

You could call Time Line a filler album before the new Foreign Exchange drops. But from what I've heard off the new FE, they're two completely different compositions. 

Time Line moved back to February 19th release in US. Explanation here.
But you can still cop it on iTunes with an exclusive bonus cut this Tuesday!

Video: Kanye West - Stronger/Hey Mama (LIVE)




Not gonna lie, while his singing really sucked, that shit was sorta emotional.

MP3: Life's Pie (feat. All Your New Favorite Rappers)


Morning, y'all. I was going back through Tanya Morgan's Beat Thieves 2 when POW! One of them tracks slapped me like a swordfish 'cross my face. 
Okay, I admit, the track also appears on Oddisee's 101 "mixtape." But the beat bangs, (and you can thank Mr. Oddisee, DC's own, for that one.)

So try to ignore that delicious pie up there and get your download on below. Also, I'm gonna need you to visit some myspaces and friend ALL OF THEM. Trust me, they're pretty dope.


2.7.08: Happy Birthday, Mr. Yancey

Thank You Jay Dee Act 3 (Mixed by J.Rocc): www.stonesthrow.com
Dilla Mix: FF 2.12.08 

2.5.08: FF 003

FF 003

Hosted by jben.ok and Nyadenya
8:00 - 10:00 pm
February 5, 2008
WRGW Radio 
LISTEN LIVE on gwradio.com

Tune in on Super Tuesday for last week's recorded interview with Amanda Diva and Nyadenya's live interview with Boston on-air personality DJ On & On. We'll also save a little time to play some music including a brand new cut off Nicolay & Kay's Timeline, a track or two off We Got It For Cheap Vol. 3, and introducing DC-area emcee Mash Comp.

(And since we're college radio, we've gotta update you on voting results. jben.ok will don his political hat for Super Tuesday.)

Clipse & Re Up Gang - We Got It For Cheap Vol. 3


It appeared tonight as a full mp3 over at the Re Up Gang blog, but various folks split it up proper. I'd like to thank my connect (track 4, y'all): Read More, Talk Less. Here it is, repackaged and password-free. Enjoy bitches!


2.2.08: Emily King Live at Black Cat DC


You do not want to miss this one. Tickets are 15 bucks and the show's at one of my favorite venues, Black Cat. 
Presented by MN8, the geniuses behind last week's Lupe show. (And many other dope events around DC.)

Be on the look for some exclusive acoustic cuts from Emily King's studio session at WRGW Radio recorded this afternoon!

MP3: FF Amanda Diva Interview

Benson, Deev, jben.ok

As promised, my interview with Amanda Diva.
This will officially air Tuesday night on a new FF.

Video: "I'm F****** Matt Damon"

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This has nothing to do with hip hop. But it's really funny.

2.1.08: Coultrain - The Adventures of Seymour Liberty

Not John, Not Alice; It's Simply Coultrain

Every once in awhile, you get a little headstart on the rest of the pack. In the case of new music, you have this great feeling when you hear an album you know is phenomenal, but people haven't caught on yet. 

So I was very pleased when I recieved Coultrain's The Adventures of Seymour Liberty in the mail yesterday (Dusty Groove, $6.99!). A few people told me I needed this album, and they were right on point. He's an R&B dude down with the Bling47 crew, and while he's not exactly D'Angelo, he's definitely an extraordinary musician in his own right. 

The soul out this album is all over the place; you feel spacey sounds from the future and vintage licks from the past. It's unique, brand new, and a must-have disc from this up and coming singer outta St. Louis. Ima leave you with my favorite track, (although "Lilac Tree" comes in a very close second).