Funkadelic Freestyles

3.23.10: FF 067 - Phil Adé

2010-03-23T12:46:00.003-04:00

Tonight! A brand new LIVE episode of Funkadelic Freestyles featuring our dear ol' pal Phil Adé, the prodigal emcee from Maryland. Expect some wild SXSW stories and an EXCLUSIVE announcement regarding a special concert this Friday here at GWU, presented by the Funkadelic Freestyles crew and WRGW Radio.

In this post-SXSW week (and pre-WMC period), we'll try and compile as many recaps of the Texas festival as possible (even though we didn't go). That other guy in the picture above (excuse me, his name is Modi) might call-in for the second week in a row, as he put on a show of his own last weekend. Plus special guest DJ Mastamind will be in the building, playing new music from Reflection Eternal, Fashawn, Jared Evan, Asher Roth, Ski Beatz, Bun B, & more. And as always, fresh commentary from the Real Mango Juice crew - Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, Omar L, & King Carter.

FF 067: Phil Adé

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, & King Carter
With DJ Mastamind
8:00-10:00pm EST
WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University
CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW
LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8:00pm EST): FF 067 - Phil Adé

3.16.10: FF 066 - X.O.

2010-03-16T14:58:00.002-04:00

Photo credit: Lavan Anderson

Tonight on a slightly-modified live episode of Funkadelic Freestyles, we welcome back our good friend X.O. - the DC emcee who has logged the most appearances in our show's history. The Diamond District member is back in the city after a brief tour with his group members Oddisee and yU. We'll get to talk to him on the night before he leaves for SXSW in Texas, and we'll begin our new special panel series on Gentrification & DC Hip-Hop. We're anticipating yU to come thru, as well.

Tune in from 9:30-11:30pm (GW Men's Basketball has our 8pm slot tonight) for discussions on SXSW, Spring Break 2010, and a recap of yesterday's Janelle Monae in-studio. Plus DJ Jerome Baker III is back with a mix of new music including Che Grand, Gorillaz, Donwill, Von Pea, & K-BETA.

FF 066: X.O.

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, & King Carter

With DJ Jerome Baker III

9:30-11:30pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 9:30pm EST): FF 066 - X.O.

3.15.10: FF Special Edition - Janelle Monáe

2010-03-15T13:33:00.002-04:00

Photo credit: Nastassia A. Davis

So you're on spring break (or maybe you're at work) and you've got little to do on a lazy Monday afternoon...oh WAIT! The beautiful and talented singer Janelle Monáe will be live in-studio on Funkadelic Freestyles with hosts Jamie Benson (jben.ok), Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty on WRGW Radio at The George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Ms. Monáe is a Grammy Award-nominated singer, songwriter, and performer originally hailing from Kansas City, Kansas. Her first featured performance on record include two selections from Outkast's terrific Idlewild soundtrack. In a surprising move, she signed with the famed Bad Boy Records in 2007. Her first EP, Metropolis: The Chase Suite, was released in August 2008 with the hit single "Many Moons."

Her new album The Arch Android, which will include the second and third suites from Metropolis, is slated for May 2010 release. She is currently on a nationwide tour that includes a stop in Washington, DC at The Black Cat on March 15th, 2010....which is now SOLD OUT!

Funkadelic Freestyles Special Edition: Janelle Monáe

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, & King Carter

With DJ Face

3:30-4:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 3:30pm EST): FF Special Edition - Janelle Monáe

3.2.10: FF 065 - Introducing... The Black Sunn

2010-03-02T13:25:00.002-05:00

Tonight on Funkadelic Freestyles we revive our short-lived (Fall 09) "Introducing..." series with a relatively-new hip-hop artist out of Baltimore, MD. The Black Sunn is a 20 year old emcee from East Baltimore "with an uncanny capability of illustrating colorful storylines coalesced with a vivid golden sound." If it hadn't been for the insistent (no, NOT annoying) emails from his manager, Jon Feldman, I'd have let another promising young artist fly under my radar.

Luckily, I ran into Jon a few weeks ago at the Stussy DC Dilla Day event and promised him we'd bring The Black Sunn in-studio the first Tuesday in March, and now - here we are. Tune in tonight for "Introducing... The Black Sunn" along with insightful discussion from Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, King Carter, and myself on Guru, Lil Wayne, and the Oscars. Plus new music in the mix with DJ Jerome Baker III from J. Ferb, Donwill of Tanya Morgan, Danny Brown, Freeway, and many more. Plus a EXCLUSIVE sneak preview of the upcoming Mochilla DVD/CD release, Timeless: Suite For Ma Dukes!

FF 065: Introducing... The Black Sunn

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, & King Carter

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8:00pm EST): FF 065 - Introducing... The Black Sunn

VIDEO: Funkadelic Freestyles Cypher - Tanya Morgan x Kenn Starr x Nick Tha 1da

2010-03-01T08:56:00.003-05:00

Just hours before their Washington, DC stop at Bohemian Caverns on U Street, the hip-hop trio Tanya Morgan (Donwill, Ilyas, & Von Pea) pay their second visit (Don's third) to WRGW Radio for a special edition of Funkadelic Freestyles. Amidst a plethora of technical difficulties in-studio, the emcees start the seamless cypher featuring DC natives Kenn Starr and Nick Tha 1da. The WPFW radio host DJ RBI is on the 1s and 2s.

Funkadelic Freestyles Radio is LIVE every Tuesday night from 8-10pm EST on WRGW Radio at www.gwradio.com and GWU campus channel 22. Hosted by GWU student/WRGW General Manager Elect Jamie Benson (aka jben.ok) with co-hosts Jay Promo & Unkle Scooty, also featuring DJ Jerome Baker III. Tune in tomorrow night for musical guest The Black Sunn (Baltimore, MD).

PODCAST: FF 063 - FF & Subsoniq Radio Unite

2010-02-28T12:22:00.002-05:00

This week: An interview with K-Murdock & Gangsta Mittens of Subsoniq Radio, a weekly outlet for progressive and independent hip-hop - not unlike Funkadelic Freestyles - that was recently taken off the air after nearly 8 years on the Sirius/XM platform.

Also: A recap of Dilla Day 2010 at Stussy DC (FWMJ was there!), an endorsement for the new Reks x Statik Selektah x DJ Green Lantern mixtape, and important info on how YOU can help get Subsoniq back on air.

Music from: DJ Jerome Baker III back in the building with new music from Janelle Monae, J. Cole, 810, Devin the Dude, Oddisee, Reflection Eternal, & Freeway.

PODCAST: FF 063 – Funkadelic Freestyles & Subsoniq Radio Unite (Part 1 feat. K-Murdock & Gangsta Mittens)

PODCAST: FF 063 – Funkadelic Freestyles & Subsoniq Radio Unite (Part 2 feat. K-Murdock & Gangsta Mittens)

2.25.10: FF SE - Tanya Morgan x Kooley High x Kenn Starr x Nick Tha 1da

2010-02-25T13:29:00.003-05:00

Another special (SPECIAL) edition of Funkadelic Freestyles goes LIVE on air tonight with guests (and good friends) Tanya Morgan, Kooley High, Kenn Starr, and Nick Tha 1da. Donwill, Ilyas, (Cincinnati, OH) and Von Pea (Brooklyn, NY) are on a east coast tour with NC natives Kooley High, and tonight they'll be stopping in DC for a show at the Bohemian Caverns (10pm).

Tune in tonight for a special interview and freestyle session with TM and Kooley High, plus DC natives Kenn Starr and Nick Tha 1da. We'll be on air from 8-9pm EST with our special guest DJ RBI! (PS - the video above is from TM's last visit to Funkadelic Freestyles in May of 2009 with Oddisee and Kenn Starr).

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF Special Edition - Tanya Morgan x Kooley High x Kenn Starr x Nick Tha 1da

2.23.10: FF 064 - Win Tanya Morgan DC Tickets!

2010-02-23T12:59:00.003-05:00

Tonight we've got a short show (1 hour) at a special time (9:30-10:30pm EST). If you're a college basketball junkie, tune into WRGW at 7pm for the GWU Women's game against Saint Louis, and you'll understand why our show is cut short this evening. Just because we're cut short this evening DOES NOT mean that we don't have a special one for you.

We'll be giving away two (2) FREE tickets to the Thursday (2/25) Tanya Morgan x Kooley High x Kenn Starr x Nick Tha 1da x a billion others concert at Bohemian Caverns here in DC (disregard that Red Lounge location in the flier above). And then on Thursday, before their show, Tanya Morgan will join us LIVE in-studio (at 8pm EST) with special guests Kooley High, Kenn Starr, and Nick Tha 1da. Remember what happened the last time Von, Don, Ilyas, and Kenn stopped through?!

FF 064: Win Tanya Morgan DC Tickets!
Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty
With DJ Jerome Baker III
9:30-10:30pm EST
WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University
CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW
LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 9:30pm EST): FF 064 - Win Tanya Morgan DC Tickets!

2.16.10: FF 063 - FF & Subsoniq Radio Unite

2010-02-16T13:47:00.004-05:00

After nearly seven years on the Sirius/XM platform, the satellite radio home for progressive hip hop has been pulled from the airwaves. Two weeks ago when we were on the air with DJ Alizay, I got the terrible news that Subsoniq Radio was officially off the air. The show's primary hosts, K-Murdock (also of the hip hop duo Panacea) & KB, are great friends of mine, and I couldn't just sit around and do nothing about it. Tonight, K-Murdock will join us to discuss the show's history and what YOU CAN DO to help get it back on-air.

FF 063: Funkadelic Freestyles & Subsoniq Radio Come Together

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8-10pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 063 - FF & Subsoniq Radio Come Together

2.13.10: Funkadelic Freestyles Live Broadcast - Dilla Day 2010

2010-02-13T13:02:00.003-05:00

Stussy DC & Stones Throw are happy to present Dilla Day @ Stussy DC TODAY! Saturday, February 13th 2010 from 6pm – 9pm.

WRGW Radio's [Washington, DC] Funkadelic Freestyles will be broadcasting LIVE from Dilla Day @ Stussy DC beginning at 7pm EST on www.gwradio.com.

Stussy & Stones Throw are honored to release a collaborative t shirt @ the event that will be released in VERY limited quantities so GET THERE EARLY to grab a shirt.

Music for the evening will be provided by J Dilla and curated by Jerome Baker III. Also scheduled to appear: DJ RBI & DJ 2-Tone Jones.

Refreshments will be provided by Pabst Blue Ribbon.

jben.ok's Tip: GET THERE EARLY! The "small-ish" Stussy DC store will fill up fast!

Also, hit up the Stones Throw site for info on ALL five simultaneous Dilla Day 2010 events at Stussy locations in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, DC, Vancouver, & Toronto.

LISTEN (Live @ 7pm EST): Funkadelic Freestyles Live Broadcast - Dilla Day 2010

2.2.10: FF 062 - DJ Alizay

2010-02-02T14:28:00.002-05:00

February 2010 is ALL-STAR MONTH here at Funkadelic Freestyles Radio, with a new surprise guest every week. Tonight's local celebrity? DJ Alizay - the legendary turntablist born and raised in Washington, DC. While 'Zay has been a close friend of ours for awhile, tonight will be his first appearance on the show for "political" reasons. Just a few weeks ago, DJ Alizay left his long and trying tenure at DC's hip-hop/R&B commercial hub 93.9 WKYS to pursue new and exciting opportunities. Tonight, he'll spin a special hand-picked mix for Funkadelic Freestyles, and take the second hour to let us in on some of his upcoming projects, post-KYS.

As for the rest of February? We've got another special guest next week, followed by our BIGGEST GUEST EVER on February 15th. Also, spend your Valentine's Eve with us - as we'll be broadcasting live from the Stussy store for DC's DILLA DAY 2010 from 6-9pm EST on February 13th. If you're in the area, stop by and pick up a new Stussy x Dilla limited edition t-shirt, or tune in on WWW.GWRADIO.COM if you can't make it. But above all, since I'm living in the NOW, tune in tonight from 8-10pm EST for DJ Alizay - live in-studio!

FF 062: DJ Alizay

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8-10pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 062 - DJ Alizay

NEWS: WRGW Hip Hop Top 10 (Week of 1.25.10)

2010-01-27T19:53:00.002-05:00

As the current WRGW Hip Hop Director (2009-10), I present you this week's WRGW Hip Hop Top 10 album chart. This chart has been submitted to the College Music Journal (CMJ) for official consideration. Check back each week for a new chart!

1 ODDISEE Odd Winter [EP] (Mello Music Group)

2 BLAKROC BlakRoc (BlakRoc)
3 CLIPSE Til The Casket Drops (Columbia)
4 XO One.One.Ten Mixtape (Studio 43)
5 FASHAWN Boy Meets World (One Records)
6 WALE Attention: Deficit (Interscope)
7 DIAMOND DISTRICT In The Ruff (Mello Music Group)
8 NICEGUYS The Green Room EP (Self-Released)
9 STRONG ARM STEADY In Search Of Stoney Jackson (Stones Throw)
10 PHIL ADE Starting On JV (368 Music Group)

1.26.10: FF 061 - Lyriciss

2010-01-26T13:12:00.002-05:00

Fresh off the successful semester premiere, Funkadelic Freestyles is back at its regular time (8-10pm EST) for a brand new live episode. It's with great pleasure that we welcome our friend, the talented emcee Lyriciss, back to the show to promote his new mixtape, The Practice, now available from DJ Booth & ilLVibes. Lyriciss is one of the most promising up-and-coming artists emerging from the DC/MD/VA area and tonight, we'll chronicle the next step in his career.

Of course, we can't make the show ALL about Lyriciss and his tape, so rest assured we've got plenty to talk about. Yesterday marked the 10-year anniversary of D'Angelo's classic album Voodoo, and next month will mark the fourth anniversary of James "J Dilla" Yancey's death. We'll talk about both topics in the first hour of tonight's show. Plus, a discussion on Oddisee - who I argue, is the greatest working producer right now. It's all tonight packed into two hours of radio goodness!

FF 061: Lyriciss

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8-10pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 061 - Lyriciss

DOWNLOAD: Lyriciss - The Practice (Mixtape)

PREVIOUSLY: FF 060 - Spring 2010 Semester Premiere (Podcast)

PODCAST: FF 060 - Spring 2010 Semester Premiere (feat. Greenspan)

2010-01-22T18:25:00.002-05:00

Credit: Boney Starks

This week: I'm on time with the podcast. On Tuesday, we kicked off the Spring 2010 semester with musical guest Greenspan (Baltimore, MD) and special guests Kokayi (Washington, DC), Judah (Washington, DC), & The Niceguys (Houston, TX). Also, an exclusive audio recap of the DMV Helps Haiti benefit concert at the 930 Club featuring Wale, Phil Ade, and more, plus an intense discussion on the validity of various Haiti charities.

As always, resident DJ Jerome Baker III went in on the mix with new material from Tabi Bonney, Statik Selektah, X.O., The Niceguys, Danny Brown, Jay Electronica, and many more (we played at least three joints YOU'VE NEVER HEARD BEFORE). After Funkadelic Freestyles was over for the night, JB3 brought you a special preview of his new show Talk Electro! Peep the beginning for the premiere of our new Funkadelic Freestyles theme song composed by Kokayi. AND here's an internet exclusive: a brand new Greenspan track (recorded on Wednesday) for FREE download.

PODCAST: FF 060 - Spring 2010 Semester Premiere (Pt. 1)

PODCAST: FF 060 - Spring 2010 Semester Premiere (Pt. 2)

BONUS PODCAST: Talk Electro - Special Preview Show [Excerpt] (COMING SOON)

EXCLUSIVE MP3: Greenspan - Checkin' 4 Me 2010

1.19.10: FF 060 - Spring 2010 Semester Premiere (feat. Greenspan)

2010-01-19T13:06:00.003-05:00

Ah! We teased you with last week's Spring 2010 Preview, but tonight...you get the real thing. A premiere show that is PACKED TO THE BRIM with special guests, exclusives, and a comprehensive recap of last night's DMV Helps Haiti benefit concert at the 930 Club here in Washington, DC.

Speaking of DC, aren't y'all get tired of ONLY District of Columbia artists on the show? If so, your prayers have been answered with Baltimore's own Greenspan, who - I'll admit, I slept on - will be joining us live in-studio to talk about his latest mixtape and what's next for his career. And if that isn't enough for you, how about special guest call-ins from The Niceguys AND Mike Posner? Oh, and did I mention the WORLD PREMIERE of the new Funkadelic Freestyles theme song, produced by and featuring our very good friend Kokayi?!

Tune in tonight at a special time - 9:30-11:30pm EST - followed by a special preview of our DJ Jerome Baker III's new radio show Talk Electro, from 11:30pm-Midnight EST. We're back....AGAIN!!!

FF 060: Spring 2010 Semester Premiere (feat. Greenspan)

BONUS Show: Talk Electro

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

And special guests

9:30-Midnight EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW
LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 9:30pm EST): FF 060 - Spring 2010 Semester Premiere

PODCAST: FF SE - Spring 2010 Preview Show

2010-01-08T15:19:00.002-05:00

The new year has already brought strange and unexpected surprises from the Funkadelic Freestyles family, as evidenced by last night's last-minute two hour program featuring only two hosts and a replacement DJ (proper: special guest DJ). Did we make it work? Of courrrr....well, you decide.

Featuring Jay Promo, DJ MAF, and myself (jben.ok) with insight on the Gilbert Arenas situation and the new X.O. mixtape-album, plus exclusive mixes highlighting the work-so-far from Jay Electronica, Blu, & Fashawn. Also featuring a special call-in from our cohost Unkle Scooty in his new segment "Live From The Bar." Split into two easy listening parts (less than an hour each) for all you audiophiles out there. Stay tuned for the official Funkadelic Freestyles Spring 2010 Semester Premiere next week!

PODCAST: FF SE - Spring 2010 Preview Show Pt. 1

PODCAST: FF SE - Spring 2010 Preview Show Pt. 2

12.31.09: Funkadelic Freestyles' Top 10 Albums of 2009

2009-12-31T18:24:00.003-05:00

Here's my last post of 2009 - the much-awaited Top 10 Albums of 2009 list. I love doing this every year - mostly because I feel so passionate about these ten projects. Was 2009 a good year for hip hop? Yes and no - autotune is on its *official* way out, but Young Money is running things across the country. A quick disclaimer: I've noticed Raekwon's OB4CLII on several year-end lists, yet I never really gave it on a full listen. Therefore, I can't put it on this list (sorry Wu heads). Let's get right to it; introducing my favorite projects of the year:

10. Che Grand - Everything's Good Ugly: The Brooklyn resident's long-awaited LP finally arrived in 2009, and it's safe to say I was far from disappointed. Out of all the albums on this list, I recommend you go back and revisit this one. Strong production from Von Pea, ill mind, & Colin Munroe.

9. Kev Brown - Random Joints: Kev is honestly one of the most slept-on producers in hip hop. His latest project features a DC all-star team of yU, Kenn Starr, Wayna, Raheem DeVaughn, Eric Roberson, Zo!, Sean Born, and more.

8. Brother Ali - Us: Although I expected a bit more from the Minneapolis emcee (after the epic Truth Is Here EP), Us was another tag-team effort by Ali and the Atmosphere producer Ant. "Best@it," featuring Joell Ortiz & Freeway, is one of the strongest lyrical efforts of the year.

7. Shafiq Husayn - Shafiq En A-Free-Ka: Again, I must thank Andres for hipping me to the SA-RA member Shafiq Husayn. If you happen to enjoy things that are green, you'll LOVE this album. Look out for more strong releases (including Bilal!) from Shafiq's record label Plug Research in 2010.

6. Mos Def - The Ecstatic: A hopeful release from Black Dante, as The Ecstatic proved to be his best full-length effort since Black on Both Sides. While his focus sometimes strayed on this album, songs like "Auditorium," "History," and "Roses" proved to be honest and simply put, real rap.

5. Blakroc - Blakroc: Dame Dash, who most thought would succumb to bankruptcy (actually, don't rule that out just yet), assembled an all-star hip hop crew to team with the alt rock heroes The Black Keys for a surprisingly-good album. Features from Mos Def, Nicole Wray, and Jim Jones (!) easily pushes this one into my top five. One of the best rock-hip hop combos of the decade!

4. Tanya Morgan - Brooklynati: This spring, three emcees from Cincinnati and Brooklyn created an imagined hybrid city and pushed a successful marketing campaign on an indie budget. If that wasn't enough, the 2009 album itself was an incredible step-up from their last one - with features from Phonte, Che Grand, Carlitta Durand, and more. I don't have anything else to say other than: congratulations, fellas.

3. Wale - Attention: Deficit: Yes, I have a sincere bias with this one (just check the archive - all the way back to December 2007). Regardless, too many critics are overlooking the DC native's debut album on their own year-end lists. Even if it could have been better assembled (missing tracks from Travis Barker and the Dap Kings, notably), Attention: Deficit got the message across: we're so involved with television and computers that we don't even know ourselves and can't be honest with who's REALLY talented in hip hop. Go ahead, run this one back one more time and I promise you'll learn something new.

2. Fashawn - Boy Meets World: While some may claim the Fresno emcee's debut album is a clear-cut clone of Blu's Below The Heavens (perhaps because they share the same producer - Exile), Boy Meets World is so unique that it put me into a state of shock. I dissected every word and proudly passed it on to all my peers.

1. Diamond District - In The Ruff: Here's why the debut album from the DC emcees Oddisee, X.O., and yU is my favorite LP of 2009: I liked it so much that I wrote a critical essay on its message for my American Studies course at GWU. It's hard to reject the notion that Oddisee brought back 90's boom-bap hip hop with his top-notch production and that lyrically, each emcee tore every song apart. In The Ruff is truly a modern classic, 'nuff said.

12.31.09: Funkadelic Freestyles' Top 10 Songs of 2009

2009-12-31T17:21:00.003-05:00

Yeah, my nine Top 10 lists of 2009 fell apart, miserably. I got my wisdom teeth removed about a week ago, and turned out to have more pain than I expected (ever had a blood blister in your mouth? I didn't think so). However, I'm still putting out these last two lists: top songs and top albums of the year. Here's my Top 10 Hip Hop Songs of 2009 (solely my opinion)...enjoy your new year.

10. Spank Pops - Beautiful Noise [prod. Doctor J]: My wild card pick. Featured on Vol I: The Offseason and on the Bay Area native's 2009 EP Beautiful Noise, entirely produced by Doctor J. These two guys are next up on the west coast.

9. Brother Ali - Us (feat. Stokely Williams) [prod. Brother Ali & Ant]: Just to be clear - I'm referencing the video edit rather than the album cut, as the latter just isn't as epic (no build-up). Probably the best album outro of the year.

8. Shafiq Husayn - Major Heavy [feat. Count Bass D]: I can't thank my brother Andres enough for putting me on early...Shafiq's album was a audio trip! "Major Heavy" stands out to me as the best track off the LP, featuring the indie favorite Count Bass D with eerie (and effective) vocals.

7. Royce Da 5'9" - Something 2 Ride 2 (feat. Phonte) [prod. DJ Premier]: While Royce's 2009 release Street Hop was overall average, this DJ Premier-produced cut was one of my most played of the year. My only complaint: what happened to that rumored Phonte rap remix?!

6. Mos Def - Auditorium (feat. Slick Rick) [prod. Madlib]: I actually heard this song for the first time in 2008, when Mos performed it live with the Robert Glasper Band (!) at the Kennedy Center in DC. Who knew the Ruler still got it?

5. Wale - Pretty Girls (feat. Gucci Mane & Weensy of BYB) [prod. Best Kept Secret]: Although I prefer the Gucci-less version (and I wish Black Thought would RECORD his remix verse), "Pretty Girls" was the no-nonsense HIT of the year. I understand that there's a video on the way, so let's hope this record reaches a larger audience in 2010.

4. Clipse - Popular Demand (feat. Cam'ron) [prod. The Neptunes]: Featuring arguably the best rap hook of 2009, "Popular Demand" was a tremendous single for the Thornton brothers. Even the video lived up to the hype!

3. Fashawn - Samsonite Man (feat. Blu) [prod. Exile]: You can read why this is one of my favorite beats of the year over at Metal Lungies (sup Boris!), and here's where I tell you why the rapping's good: Blu killed this (as did Fashawn) and his verse might just be the best rap verse of the year.

2. Diamond District - In The Ruff [prod. Oddisee]: For some reason, folks tend to overlook the title track off the DC trio's debut LP, In The Ruff. Perhaps it's because the song is so fast-paced, you missed what the emcees were saying? Deepest rap cut (no Ross) of the year.

1. Jay Electronica - Exhibit C [prod. Just Blaze]: If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon yet (I got my ticket in 07, so shaddup), you're losing. Not only the best hip hop track of 2009, but in my top 10 for the decade. Thank goodness Act II is days away...

12.23.09: Funkadelic Freestyles' Top 10 Mixtapes of 2009

2009-12-23T17:33:00.005-05:00

As we approach the end of 2009 [and the end of the decade], I've decided to put together NINE comprehensive lists based on specific categories (best albums, songs, artists, etc) to judge the big winners in hip-hop and R&B over the past twelve months. From December 23rd to the 31st, I'll be revealing a new Top 10 list each day. The choices are purely based on MY opinion, and the results DO NOT reflect the opinions of my cohosts. You'll see the title of each list and the day of their arrivals on the right side of this page.

Today I present my Top 10 Mixtapes of 2009. While the term "mixtape" has been significantly altered throughout the 2000s, I've done my best to pick projects that best represent the modern definition. As the next week goes on, I will start to get more thorough in explaining my picks. However, I'll just add a FEW notes to my mixtape picks, along with links to each project.

10. Rappers I Know x Funkadelic Freestyles Present – Volume I: The Offseason: To be fair, I put my own projects at #10 and #5. The Offseason was a special compilation - our first official mixtape - with new and exclusive tracks from Danny Brown, Oddisee, Trackademicks, and many more.

9. K-Beta & DJ Alizay – 89 to 09: These DC natives - Beta the emcee and Alizay the DJ - picked memorable instrumentals from each year over a span of twenty with original rhymes and seamless mixing.

8. Drake – So Far Gone: How could I leave out the most popular rapper in North America?

7. X.O. - Realmatic: X.O., one-third of Diamond District, brought a renewed excitement to the DC streets with his March release. Bonus points for including his Wale-assisted "Rid'n (Remix)."

6. Elzhi – The Leftovers Unmixedtape: The Detroit native runs through some of his biggest underground hits with top-notch production from Jake One, Black Milk, and DJ Spinna.

5. Rappers I Know x Funkadelic Freestyles Present – Volume II: Back In The Game: Why was it better than Volume I? Because of even bigger exclusives from Blu, Zion I, Kokayi, Panacea, and more.

4. Wale – Back To The Feature: While his debut album Attention: Deficit was his finest work of 2009, this feature-heavy mixtape was impressive on paper and in the headphones.

3. Blu – HerFavoriteColo(u)r: I was SO close to leaving out Blu's special-release mixtape, until I noticed my homie Andres' post on OKP. Although not a "classic," Blu continues to prove his skills as both a producer and emcee - on a FREE project!

2. Phil Ade – Starting On JV: Although I didn't realize his talent at first, Phil Ade's debut mixtape got better and better with each listen. What's most impressive? He only needed ONE assist - his boss Raheem DeVaughn on the anthem "Flyer Than The Rest."

1. J. Cole – The Warm Up: With an extremely boring summer job, I had plenty of time to listen to music and podcasts. My most-played project: J. Cole's stunning second mixtape with the memorable single, "Lights Please." Don't forget, The Warm Up was quite the launching pad for the Roc Nation signee.

DOWNLOAD: A Funkadelic Christmas (2009 REISSUE)

2009-12-23T14:25:00.003-05:00

Back by popular demand! A Funkadelic Christmas, presented by DC to BC and THATREALISH over a year ago to this day, has returned to the internetz without all that annoying dead air in between tracks. Basically, it actually sounds like a REAL mixtape this time. Same tracks, same holiday spirit. Spread this one around and enjoy your Christmas!

A Funkadelic Christmas is a compilation of timeless Christmas music & clips from various movies, made for the sole purposes of getting yo' ish real funkadelic on Christmas. Simple isn't it? Brought to you by the powers forming like voltron; Funkadelic Freestyles, DC to BC & THATREALISH.

01. Sufjan Stevens - The Winter Solstice

02. James Brown - It's Christmas Time

03. Tony! Toni! Tone! - My Christmas

04. Weezer - The Christmas Song

05. Vince Guaraldi Trio - Christmas Time Is Here

06. Snoop Dogg - Santa Claus Is Going Straight To The Ghetto

07. De La Soul - Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa I

08. The Roots - Millie Pulled A Pistol on Santa II

09. Christmas Is Cancelled?

10. The Jackson 5 - Give Love On Christmas Day

11. The Temptations - Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer

12. Killer Mike - A Christmas Grind

13. Ludacris - Ludacrismas

14. Bing Crosby - White Christmas

15. Sufjan Stevens - Jingle Bells With The Simpsons

16. Daniel Merriweather - Wonderful Christmas Time

Mixed by jben.ok of Funkadelic Freestyles.

Artwork by smokeYYY of THATREALISH.

Creative Input from modi of DC to BC.

Moral Support & Holiday Cheer courtesy of The Elves of The North Pole.

A Funkadelic Christmas Ode

A wise man once proclaimed; “There is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love, generosity & devotion exist, & you know that they abound & give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus?”. A wiser man said; “All Santa Claus wants is two fat bitches, a bag of weed & two bag of chips to give to the fat bitches”. So please; spread love & generosity not only for the holiday seasons but for all seasons & keep the fat bitches & people of all creeds, cultures & breast sizes in mind. Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year!

DOWNLOAD: A Funkadelic Christmas [2009 REISSUE]

12.20.09: A Message From Your Hip Hop Director

2009-12-20T00:06:00.002-05:00

(...and the obligatory #exhibitc EP cover)

Why hello there, nice to see you again. In case you've forgotten, my name's Jamie Benson aka jben.ok [jay-ben-okay], WRGW Radio [GWU in DC] Hip Hop Director and host of the weekly Funkadelic Freestyles music program. I'm writing to inform you that the fall academic semester is over (!) and now I'll have plenty of free time to post meaningless shit on the internet, which just happens to be one of my favorite activities.

First off, a few announcements. You've probably noticed that I don't really post music features anymore - well, that's because I don't have the time to do that. And if I do post cool stuff, it's probably happening at my homie FWMJ's site, Rappers I Know. He and I released a couple mixtapes over the summer - you remember those? We had a buncha dope musicians contribute exclusive material for a super collection - and then we released it for FREE. Just reminding you, that's all.

Maybe you noticed that when I said we were gonna do a two-part semester finale of Funkadelic Freestyles, the second part never aired. That's because the WRGW stream is down, and we couldn't even go on air. In fact, an hour into part one, the stream just fucking broke. So we recorded the second hour with our homies E Major, DJ Impulse, & DJ Face for a secret show, that will air at some point. Don't ask me when, because I don't know.

And now onto the good news: Jay Electronica is about to fuck up your holiday. After releasing the smash "Exhibit C" on iTunes, he's prepared to unleash a free album thingy sometime soon. I can't say when or what, but you can guess. More good news: I'm prepping a special feature - to be posted on here, Real Mango Juice, and Rappers I Know - called The Ten Top 10 Lists of 2009. Ten lists featuring top 10 criteria like best producers, best albums, best singles, best rappers, etc. of 09. I'm getting more intelligent, so you might want to pay attention.

And...I'll be back in DC before the new year...meaning I'll be in town for the two 930 Club shows with The Roots and a New Year's Day celebration from the homie Wale. Who knows what kinda coverage we're gonna get...I just hope for the best. Oh and one more thing: I'm gonna be the General Manager of WRGW for the 2010-11 school year! I'm incredibly humbled and excited to start the job.

I'll let y'all go...below I've provided mp3 links to some of my favorite songs at the current moment. Google those artists, buy their shit, and let them know I put you on to their music. Stay tuned for more...The Ten Top 10 Lists begin on December 22nd! One list per day, until New Year's Eve....

MP3: The Niceguys - Celebrity

MP3: Clipse - Life Change (feat. Pharrell & Kenna)

MP3: Blakroc - What You Do To Me (feat. Billy Danze, Jim Jones, & Nicole Wray)

MP3: ChRis BaRz - Dreamers (feat. Jesse Boykins III)

MP3: Slum Village - Money Right

MP3: Diamond District - I Mean Business (yU Remix)

MP3: Fashawn - Samsonite Man (feat. Blu)

PURCHASE: Jay Electronica - Exhibit C

12.15.09: FF 059 - The Semester Finale Pt. 1 (feat. E Major, DJ Impulse, & Team Demolition)

2009-12-15T10:59:00.002-05:00

Currently, I'm "casually" studying for my geography final and praying I don't get below a C. Tonight, I'll be done with all that business (except that stupid math final tomorrow morning) and it'll be time to kick off Part 1 of the Funkadelic Freestyles Fall 2009 Semester Finale! Joining us live in-studio: Baltimore/Philly friends E Major and DJ Impulse plus the DMV production crew Team Demolition.

Also, I'll be revealing the premise for my Top Ten Top 10 Lists of 2009 - ten lists with ten different categories featuring the top 10 qualifiers in each category. Don't worry, I'll explain it in full tonight. Plus, new music from Elzhi, Phil Ade, Bilal, Nneka, Jay Electronica, Sade, Blu, and many more. Tune in tonight from 8-10pm EST on WRGW Radio at WWW.GWRADIO.COM and come back for Part 2 on Thursday (12/17) at the same time!

FF 059: The Semester Finale Pt. 1 (feat. E Major, DJ Impulse, & Team Demolition)

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 059 - The Semester Finale Part 1

12.1.09: FF 058 - Nick tha 1da & Surock

2009-12-01T15:54:00.002-05:00

Beatmakers! Tonight I give y'all a show all for your own as we delve into the vast world of hip-hop production. We're focusing on two producers from the DMV area - Nick Tha 1da & Surock - who may have fallen under your radar. In my esteemed (and young) opinion, these guys are (next to Oddisee and Slimkat78) the most able producers in DC in recreating a classic 90s sound.

Tune in tonight for a special 9-11pm show following the GW Women's Basketball Game on WRGW Radio at WWW.GWRADIO.COM. We'll talk about the new Clipse leak and play new music from Small Eyez, Lupe Fiasco, Danny!, Theo, and more. Plus we'll reveal our extravagant plans for the upcoming Funkadelic Freestyles semester finale!

FF 058: Nick tha 1da & Surock

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

9:00-11:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 9pm EST): FF 058 - Nick tha 1da & Surock

11.23.09: FF 057 - The Thanksgiving Show

2009-11-23T14:21:00.002-05:00

Tonight [Monday] is one of those shows that is announced at the absolute last minute, yet it will probably end up being one of our most memorable ever. That's right folks - Funkadelic Freestyles celebrates Thanksgiving, just like everyone else. We'll be discussing our Turkey Day plans, our favorite foods, and a few embarrassing family stories (I'm sure Jay Promo's got the best).

And since we've been off air for a few weeks now (you haven't noticed?!), we've got a lot to catch up. New music from Wale, Danny!, Danny Brown, Blakroc, Consequence, Obie Trice, Felt, Small Eyez, and too many more. Plus commentary on: the Curb Your Enthusiasm season finale, The Carter Documentary, Charles Hamilton's return, Lupe Fiasco's Thanksgiving Day mixtape, and this awesome new video from J Smooth.

Tune in from 8-10pm EST on WWW.GWRADIO.COM and come back for another bonus helping from 11pm-Midnight EST. Who knows what we'll be doing during that 10-11 block...(*cough*).

FF 057: The Thanksgiving Show

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

11:00pm-Midnight EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm + 11pm EST): FF 057 - The Thanksgiving Show

11.11.09: FF SE - Wale [Live @ Commonwealth DC]

2009-11-11T16:51:00.002-05:00

Yes, originally you read we'd be live backstage at Ibiza from 8-11pm EST. Unfortunately, some ****boy ish happened and now we'll be broadcasting live at Commonwealth during Wale's official In-Store Meet & Greet from 8-10pm EST. Yes, we'll be talking to the man of the week - and perhaps some guests that stop by. So tune in - or stop by if you're in the area and pick up one of two (or both) new Cmonwealth x Wale t-shirts!

FF SE: Wale [Live @ Commonwealth DC]

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF SE - Wale

BUY: Wale - Attention Deficit [iTunes link]

11.10.09: FF 056 - Wale Celebration Show!

2009-11-10T11:37:00.003-05:00

The coveted day in DMV hip hop history has finally arrived! Washington, DC's own, Wale, has finally released his debut album Attention Deficit and tonight, we celebrate! Tonight's special ONE-hour show will be filled with in-studio and on-the-phone guests including Dan Weisman, Mike Posner, X.O., and a collection of DMV hip hop heads who helped make Wale's dream possible! The show will also serve as a prelude for tomorrow night's 3-hour extravaganza backstage at Ibiza during Wale's Official Album Release Concert (you don't even wanna know how many special guests are scheduled to appear...).

Tune in tonight from 9-10pm EST. If you're free from 8-9, tune into a special edition of WRGW's Going Coastal featuring the homie dj raph. Also, tune into WRGW all this week for Wale Week! Click the banner on the right for information on how you can win t-shirts, posters, and copies of Attention Deficit! Oh...and don't forget to BUY THE ALBUM!

FF 056: Wale Celebration Show!

Featuring Dan Weisman, Mike Posner, X.O., and more!

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Ravi Mongia & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

9:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 9pm EST): FF 056 - Wale Celebration Show!

BUY: Wale - Attention Deficit [iTunes link]

VIDEO: Phil Ade - Hollywood

2009-11-04T01:54:00.002-05:00

A new music video from the DMV's own Phil Ade - an incredibly unique young rapper signed to Raheem Devaughn's label 368 Music Group. Under the direction of Tabi Bonney, the video for "Hollywood" off Phil's latest mixtape, Starting on JV, was shot at the Stussy DC store, a DC-area house, and the Boys & Girls Club on 14th. My good friend Dre The Mayor hooked me up with a special role to go along with the concept of the video - I play Phil's butler in a dream-like sequence that unfolds as the rapper is eating a big bowl of cereal and watching The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. Enough narrative; just click play and laugh hard at the images of me, in a tux.

MP3: Phil Ade - Hollywood [prod. Mark Henry]

11.3.09: FF 055 - Introducing... Incwell

2009-11-03T11:42:00.002-05:00

Last week was fun - it was hectic, stressful, but ultimately rewarding. This week we head back to the studio for a NORMAL episode of Funkadelic Freestyles (ha), and an extravagant evening of mixing (c/o DJ Jerome Baker III) with discussion. Plus we'll tell you all about WRGW's Wale Week (!), the Roc Nation-endorsed promotion including Funkadelic Freestyles broadcasting live backstage from Ibiza at the Attention: Deficit album release party. We've got free t-shirts, posters, and probably CDs...but you'll have to wait until Monday (11.9) for us to get things started.

Tonight we continue our "Introducing..." series with the DC artist and Redskins fanatic Incwell, who emerged from a tragic upbringing to an independent career in music and civic work. He's a friend of Jay Promo and the show, so why not take this week to introduce him to y'all? Tune in tonight from 8-10pm EST for Incwell live in-studio and A LOT of new music (I see you Zo!).

FF 055: Introducing... Incwell

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Ravi Mongia & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 055 - Introducing... Incwell

NEWS: WRGW Hip Hop Top 10 (Week of 11.2.09)

2009-11-02T18:48:00.003-05:00

As the current WRGW Hip Hop Director (2009-10), I present you with the first-ever WRGW Hip Hop Top 10 album chart. This chart has been submitted to the College Music Journal (CMJ) for official consideration.

1 DIAMOND DISTRICT In The Ruff [Mello Music Group]

2 BROTHER ALI Us [Rhymesayers]

3 MOS DEF The Ecstatic [Downtown]

4 WALE Attention: Deficit [Interscope]

5 PHIL ADE Starting On JV [368 Music Group]

6 SHAFIQ HUSAYN Shafiq En' A-Free-Ka [Plug Research]

7 KEV BROWN Random Joints [Low Budget]

8 ROYCE DA 5'9" Street Hop [Koch]

9 FASHAWN Boy Meets World [One Records]

10 SKYZOO The Salvation [Duck Down]

10.27.09: WRGW & GWTV Present Funkadelic Freestyles: Live From The Hip Hop House

2009-10-26T11:37:00.008-04:00

The increasingly-popular weekly hip hop radio show hits the small screen with our first ever video broadcast live on location. Jamie Benson (aka jben.ok) welcomes his cohosts Jay Promo, King Carter, & Unkle Scooty along with their DJ Jerome Baker III into the hip hop house, his own "historical" residence. The hip hop house has been in the WRGW Hip Hop Department for four generations and has yet to be exposed in this manner.

Our special guests at the hip hop house include Diamond District (Oddisee, X.O., & yU) and Phil Ade, who will be both joining us on special occasions. Diamond District's debut album In The Ruff officially hits store tomorrow, and Phil Ade will stop by to premiere the "Hollywood" video live from the house.

EDIT: Check out the full video from Tuesday's show. Featuring appearances by X.O., Oddisee, Kokayi, and yU. Also featuring special guest and former hip hop director Mikhel.

10.20.09: FF 053 - The Producer's Showcase (feat. Best Kept Secret & K-Murdock)

2009-10-20T13:07:00.002-04:00

Tonight on Funkadelic Freestyles we present to you our first ever "Producer's Showcase" episode featuring two (er..three) talented artists from the DC-area. First up, the young duo Best Kept Secret - Craig B and Tone P have been crafting modern classics for a few years now. You probably know BKS from their work with Wale (and their song "Ice Cream Girl," featured on season 3 of HBO's Entourage), but more recently they've joined up with Rhymefest, Skyzoo, & X.O. K-Murdock is another genius from this area - he's one half of the experimental hip-hop outfit Panacea and has produced records for Random, Braille, and Ebony Bed. And the best part? Best Kept Secret and K-Murdock met in the semifinal round of last year's Red Bull Big Tune Battle in DC (see the above video).

Tune in tonight from 8-10pm EST for another dope show...we'll also talk about this week's CMJ Festival in NYC and the Bentzen Ball Comedy Festival here in DC. And oh yeah, there's that Howard Homecoming thing.

FF 053: The Producer's Showcase (feat. Best Kept Secret & K-Murdock)

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00pm-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8:00pm): FF 053 - The Producer's Showcase

10.13.09: FF 052 - The ELs Live In-Studio!

2009-10-12T18:01:00.002-04:00

Tonight we recreate last May's season finale with the return of the live hip-hop band The ELs. If you don't know anything about The ELs, well, you're probably losing. But as luck has it, you can grab your education tonight. The DC-based band, comprised of Zo! (keyboard), Asheru (emcee), Slimkat78 (MPC), and Omar (guitar) have been touring nationwide with The Foreign Exchange for over a year. Back in May, they rocked our studio with a 3-hour extravaganza that featured live cyphers from a plethora of DC/MD/VA rappers. Tonight: be on the lookout for Lyriciss, Pro'Verb, yU, Kokayi (last May's undisputed champion), The Package, K-BETA, and many more.

FF 052: The ELs Live In-Studio!

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

And an especially long guest list

8:00pm-10:30pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8:00pm): FF 052 - The ELs Live In-Studio!

9.29.09: FF 050 - Durkl Survivor Series Vol. 1 x PHZ-Sicks

2009-09-29T12:18:00.002-04:00

Woah, look what tonight is! Our 50th show...maybe Unkle Scooty will bring the bar to the studio or perhaps Jay Promo will give us all the swine flu (he's sick, but it's not REALLY swine). To "celebrate" our 50th official show, we'll be joined by the DC producer Judah and Durkl rep Luke Pierce as they discuss their new collaborative mixtape/t-shirt release, Survivor Series Vol. 1. Also during the two hours tonight, DMV's own PHZ-Sicks will stop by to talk about his new mixtape, Less Than Zero.

Topics for conversation tonight include the DMV South Takeover Show, 50 Cent's "faux" trip to the hospital, and my involvement in last weekend's Phil Ade "Hollywood" video shoot. Don't miss it!

FF 050: Durkl Survivor Series Vol. 1 x PHZ-Sicks

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Ravi Mongia & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 050 - Durkl Survivor Series Vol. 1 x PHZ-Sicks

9.22.09: FF 049 - The Call-In Show

2009-09-22T11:55:00.003-04:00

Yesterday morning, I woke up a text message from my roommate. It read: "Front page [of the school newspaper] "Is Anyone Listening" LMAO." I had been anticipating this day - hoping that since GW Hatchet decided to feature our radio station, WRGW, on the front page, the coverage would help attract new listeners. Instead, the article was negative and somewhat distasteful.

For those of you that DON'T KNOW, Funkadelic Freestyles would not exist without the radio signal of which WRGW provides. And you might not know this either: I'm the station's hip-hop director, and I care deeply about ALL OF OUR programming. And I'll tell you this: I'm not going to let the GW Hatchet drive away our loyal listeners.

Pay close attention: tonight has to be a STATEMENT SHOW. I've dubbed it The Call-In Show - a spectacular 2 (maybe 3 hours) filled with live phone calls from artists, friends, and fans. (That last portion probably refers to you). Please flood the phone lines! The number is (202) 994-9749 - don't let it stop ringing!

FF 049: The Call-In Show

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Ravi Mongia & Unkle Scooty

Special Guest Co-Host Slump of UCB

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 049 - The Call-In Show

9.15.09: FF 048 - 9th Wonder x The Paxtons

2009-09-15T11:55:00.004-04:00

Longtime friends of the show, The Paxtons, will join us for the final hour of Funkadelic Freestyles tonight. First hour features our exclusive *taped* interview with the super producer 9th Wonder. The Chicago natives have a new mixtape, Work, that they're pushing. Also on the bill tonight, GWU poet Elizabeth Acevedo. I've gotta run to class...details and BONUS download for The Paxtons tape below.

FF 048: 9th Wonder x The Paxtons

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Ravi Mongia & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 048 - 9th Wonder x The Paxtons

BONUS DOWNLOAD: The Paxtons - Work

POSTPONED! FF Special Report - Leaving Home: A Go-Go Retrospective

2009-09-11T14:03:00.004-04:00

Tonight we present a Funkadelic Freestyles Special Report - Leaving Home: A Go-Go Retrospective. In light of Wale and his backing band (also a well-known go-go band) UCB serving as the official house band for this weekend's MTV Video Music Awards (MTV, 9pm EST), we will be hosting a one-hour round table discussion of the history and future of go-go and DC music in general. With this weekend's festivities and the impending release of Wale's debut album Attention: Deficit, there is a good reason to believe that go-go is finally headed to a true international stage.

Our panel will include DC natives Lamine N'dour (promoter), D.L. Chandler (writer), Dre The Mayor (promoter), Jay Promo, King Carter, and many others. We're also expecting a special phone call live from NYC featuring Wale, Tre, and Slump of UCB. Perhaps an appearance from Anwan "Big G" Glover?

Tonight's special radio show will be filmed and turned into a short video piece to be released on Sunday morning preceding the live airing of the VMAs. Spread the word and get excited - DC is on the map!

FF Special Report - Leaving Home: A Go-Go Retrospective

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Ravi Mongia

Featuring Lamine N'dour, D.L. Chandler, and many others

POSTPONED!

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

POSTPONED!

9.8.09: FF 047 - Introducing... Soulful!

2009-09-08T11:42:00.002-04:00

Tonight we continue our "Introducing..." series with the up-and-coming producer from the DMV, Soulful! Do his beats live up to his name? You betcha; you can check out the intro to our Vol 1: The Offseason mixtape for proof. Or perhaps you could check out his collaboration with the NY emcee D. Julien, Live Love Learn. Either way, you should be tuning into tonight from 8-10pm to listen to our special interview.

DJ Jerome Baker III is back from his Left Coast trip, (although Modi isn't), and ready to showcase more of his skills on the tables! There will be a plethora of new music, including joints from the new Jay-Z and Raekwon LPs. And we'll also be celebrating the new re-launch of Real Mango Juice, our new official affiliate.

FF 047: Introducing... Soulful!

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Ravi Mongia & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 047 - Introducing... Soulful!

VIDEO: iLLVibes Presents... J-$crilla Interview/Cypher

2009-09-07T19:14:00.002-04:00

Video footage of the Funkadelic Freestyles Culture of Honor Takeover show, provided by our good friends at iLLVibes. Shouts to them and stay tuned for more collaborations in the future!

PODCAST: FF 045 - T3 of Slum Village

2009-09-06T17:43:00.002-04:00

Last Tuesday, we were lucky enough to get a special live call-in from the iconic rapper T3 of Slum Village during our radio show. We spoke to T3 for ten minutes about the mysterious absence of Slaughterhouse on the final night of the Rock The Bells mini-tour (in DC), SV's emotional performance the day after Baatin's death, and the new Slum Village LP Villa Manifesto, available for digital download on September 22nd.

This two-part podcast also features numerous special phone calls and a spectacular mix from DJ MAF. I've tried to remain humble for these past few weeks, but this has GOT to be one of our BEST shows ever!

PODCAST: FF 045 Pt. 1 (feat. T3 of Slum Village)

PODCAST: FF 045 Pt. 2 (feat. Special Guest Callers)

MP3: FF 045 [Excerpt]: T3 of Slum Village Interview

DOWNLOAD: DJ MAF - Bump This

2009-09-06T17:16:00.002-04:00

Brand new project from FF affiliate and current London resident DJ MAF. Full of ridiculous dance remixes and funky original material (feat. Bliss FM & RAtheMC) for your listening enjoyment. Salute this guy and check him out over in the UK.

DOWNLOAD: DJ MAF - Bump This

9.3.09: FF 046 - Introducing... J. Ferb

2009-09-03T11:50:00.003-04:00

Tonight, we'll perform the noble act of introducing a brand new artist to the world. His name is J. Ferb - a Memphis transplant now living in Maryland who very recently was a radio personality on University of Maryland's WMUC, quite like myself. However, I can't really say I'll be turning into a rapper anytime soon. He'll be joining us for a full hour in-studio, from 9-10pm EST, kicking off our new "Introducing..." series.

This is our LAST Thursday show of the summer, as regular programming resumes at WRGW next week. It is always our last show with DJ MAF, who is leaving for London tomorrow night until December. Don't fret though; DJ Jerome Baker III will be back from the left coast next Tuesday. And a special note: tonight's show is only ONE HOUR. Tune in at 9pm!

FF 046: Introducing... J. Ferb

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ MAF

9:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 9pm EST): FF 046 - Introducing... J. Ferb

9.1.09: FF 045 - Slum Village

2009-09-01T13:47:00.002-04:00

Tonight on Funkadelic Freestyles we'll bring you a solid recap of last night's Rock The Bells mini-tour (with Slum Village, Reflection Eternal, Supernatural, & Pete Rock), and perhaps try to deconstruct Slaughterhouse's absence "due to injuries." We'll also have a special phone call from T3 and Elzhi of Slum Village to discuss the end of the tour, the recent death of group member Baatin, and their new album Villa Manifesto. And of course, we'll talk about last night's BET Rising Icons showcase with the homie Wale and the best band out, UCB.

It all goes down from 8-10pm EST with Jamie Benson aka jben.ok, Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, King Carter, and DJ MAF. Akhil aka Brown Wonda, the infamous former intern of FF, will also be back for his first show since May. Give us a call at 202-994-WRGW and be sure to listen live on GWRADIO.COM.

FF 045: Slum Village

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Akhil, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ MAF

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 045 - Slum Village

PODCAST: FF 044 - Kingpen Slim, Asheru, Kokayi, & Blackberry Jones

2009-08-28T18:18:00.002-04:00

You've never seen a podcast go up this fast! That's because last night's show was simply incredible. 2006 was the last time DC legend and emcee Asheru had visited the WRGW studios, a year before I joined the station. Three years later, my esteemed cohost Unkle Scooty runs into Asheru and convinces him to stop by the studio (thank goodness). On Saturday, I ran into Kingpen Slim backstage at LOVE and made sure he'd be joining us early on Thursday night. Then Kokayi calls me up on Tuesday, finds out Ash is hanging with us, and agrees to sit in on Thursday. Now that's what you call a successful three-hour show.

Part one features our interview with Kingpen Slim, covering everything from his beginnings to his now-promising future. Part two features a special call-in from FWMJ (we tried to get donations for Rappers I Know, y'all failed) and the start of our conversation with Asheru, Kokayi, and special guest Blackberry Jones. Part three features the most poignant discussion we've had in months, the premiere of the Blackberry Jones x Michael Jackson remix project King of Chop, and a spectacular cypher with our three guests. Oh, and did I mention a special call-in from the newest member of the Low Budget Crew, Hassaan Mackey?

PODCAST: FF 044 - Pt. 1 (feat. Kingpen Slim)

PODCAST: FF 044 - Pt. 2 (feat. FWMJ, Asheru, Kokayi, & Blackberry Jones)

PODCAST: FF 044 - Pt. 3 (feat. Hassaan Mackey, Asheru, Kokayi, & Blackberry Jones)

PODCAST: FF 043 - J-$crilla, Sketch, Lyriciss, K-Beta, & Sabir Bey

2009-08-28T17:59:00.002-04:00

This past Tuesday (8.25.09), J-$crilla released his debut album Culture of Honor to the masses. (It's available for $7.99 with all the instrumentals on Amazon). We asked $crilla and his Inner Loop family to join us in-studio to celebrate the release, and they gladly obliged. Here's the podcast in full - split into two fantastic hours. Part one features a special phone call from activist and radio host Sabir Bey, who addressed the media, politics, and KRS-One & Buckshot's new album. Part two includes an in-depth interview with J-$crilla and a side-splitting cypher from Sketch, K-Beta, & Lyriciss. Also, DJ MAF mixes the first hour, and DJ Jerome Baker III mixes the second. [NOTE: There is a small amount of skipping throughout this podcast, but it is tolerable and it won't ruin your eardrums]

PODCAST: FF 043 - Pt. 1 (feat. Sabir Bey)

PODCAST: FF 043 - Pt. 2 (feat. J-$crilla, Sketch, Lyriciss, & K-BETA)

8.27.09: FF 044 - Kingpen Slim x Kokayi x Asheru (+ RIK Pledge Drive)

2009-08-27T15:49:00.003-04:00

Yesterday we (Funkadelic Freestyles x Rappers I Know) dropped our new compilation mixtape Volume II: Back In The Game, mixed by DJ MAF. Today, we unite once more for a special 3-hour radio show featuring the first-ever Rappers I Know pledge drive. Follow me (@jbenok) and Frank (@fwmj) on Twitter tonight while you're tuned into Funkadelic Freestyles on GWRADIO.COM for instructions on how you can donate. A quick backstory: RappersIKnow.com was booted off the internets due to overage fees earlier this week, thus preventing Vol 2 from being hosted at both FF & RIK. This isn't really a case of financial irresponsibility; it has to do with the fact that FWMJ hosts music, images, and video all on his own, rather than the third-party hosting most of your favorite blogs are known for.

Rather than turn this into a Monday night PBS bore-fest, we're keeping the entertainment switch on high with three fantastic guests. At 7pm EST, DC hip-hop artist and up-and-comer Kingpen Slim will be joining us to discuss his newest project, The Beam-Up. After he jets off for a private event at the Adidas Store in Georgetown, we'll welcome DMV legends Kokayi and Asheru for a well-worth-it two hours of hip-hop and politics. Tune in tonight from 7-10pm EST on WRGW Radio at GWRADIO.COM for all the action!

FF 044: Kingpen Slim x Kokayi x Asheru (+ Rappers I Know Pledge Drive)

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ MAF

7:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 7pm EST): FF 044 - Kingpen Slim x Kokayi x Asheru (+ Rappers I Know Pledge Drive)

DOWNLOAD: FWMJ's Rappers I Know x Funkadelic Freestyles Presents Vol. 2: Back In The Game

2009-08-26T18:14:00.003-04:00

Fresh off Volume 1: The Off Season, FWMJ’s Rappers I Know & Funkadelic Freestyles return for the next installment of their collaborative efforts. Volume II: Back In The Game is another full-length mixtape project featuring all new, unreleased hip-hop music from folks like Blu, The Burnerz (Zumbi of Zion I & The ARE), Hassaan Mackey, The Foundation, Bilal, Kokayi, & many more. Volume 2 comes on the heels of the “preseason debut” of the Funkadelic Freestyles College Radio Show at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Radio personality Jamie Benson (aka jben.ok) re-links with his fellow co-hosts Jay Promo, King Carter, Unkle Scooty, and Sneakaman Dan for hosting duties, while DJ MAF steps in at the last minute on the cuts.

Volume 3: This Is Overtime is currently in the works for September 2009. Be sure to catch Funkadelic Freestyles live on-air every Tuesday and Thursday nights from 8-10pm EST at GWRadio.com and campus channel 22.

Tracklist:

01. Tona - The Arrival [prod. Lyve]

02. jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty - The 2nd Time Around [prod. Dela]

03. E-Major - Who's That [prod. Eddie]

04. Hero & Rad - Got The Momentum [prod. Rad]

05. The RGsll - Nati Niggaz (feat. IlWil) [prod. Brick Beats]

06. The Burnerz (The ARE & Zumbi of Zion I) - Old Soul [prod. The ARE]

07. Random - Rise Up Above (feat. Reach & Dynamite MC) [prod. Raze]

08. D. Rose & DJ Cozmos - Revolution [prod. DJ Cozmos]

09. Tom Hardy - Makin' It Last [prod. 9th Wonder]

010. Blu & Big Tone - Ur Eyes

011. The Luv Bugz - Phone # [prod. PZasterous The Great]

012. the OTHERside - Here We Are [prod. Wallsauce]

013. Dynas - Challenges of L.O.V.E. [prod. Illustr8]

014. PK The Gift - All I Do (feat. Spon) [prod. Ran Mecca]]

015. jben.ok, Jay Promo, & Unkle Scooty - Interlude [prod. Abdul-Aliim.]

016. Kokayi - What U Want [prod. Kokayi]

017. Chip Fu - R'Octogan [prod. Illmind]

018. Hassaan Mackey - Tell It [prod. Oddisee]

019. The Foundation - Skylight (feat. Bilal) [prod. Chris "Daddy" Dave & The Foundation Band]

020: V Zilla - The Throwback Hour [prod. Moonshine]

021: Dumhi - Paramount (feat. Random & Reef The Lost Cauze) [prod. Haj]

022: Panacea - Pack-Up Line [prod. K-Murdock]

DOWNLOAD: Volume II: Back In The Game (Mixed by DJ MAF)

8.25.09: FF 043 - J-$crilla's Culture of Honor Takeover

2009-08-25T15:33:00.003-04:00

Number one reason to cop J-$crilla's Culture of Honor LP? 14 original tracks for $7.99 and ALL the instrumentals included. The hardest producer in the DMV (and Inner Loop affiliate) will be joining us in-studio tonight to celebrate the release of his new album, featuring rappers like Reef The Lost Cauze, Cassidy, Chaundon, JR Writer, Oddisee, and many more. And since it's a celebration (bitches), old and new friends Lyriciss, X.O., Pro'Verb, Muggsy Malone, Sketch, K-BETA, & Wordsmith are expected to turn up for our show. YOU DO NOT WANT TO MISS THIS!

During the first hour, we'll discuss the media, KRS-One & Buckshot's new album, and Tommy Davidson's new comedy tour with radio personality and activist Sabir Bey, who will be calling in around 8:30pm EST. We've got a lot to catch up on seeing as that we've been on a 10-day hiatus! Tune in for the whole show from 8-10pm EST on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22.

Also, be sure to tune in this Thursday (8/27) night for a special 3-hour show (7-10pm EST) featuring DC artists Kingpen Slim and Asheru!

FF 043: J-$crilla's Culture of Honor Takeover

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 043 - J-$crilla's Culture of Honor Takeover

PODCAST: FF 041 - The Preseason Opener (feat. Phil Ade)

2009-08-17T19:54:00.002-04:00

Last Tuesday was our "preseason opener," and since we're using all these sports analogies lately - it was only fitting to bring in Mr. Starting-On-JV-himself, Phil Ade. Phil released an incredibly dope mixtape this past July with Raheem DeVaughn's new boutique label 368 Music Group. We spent nearly two hours chopping it up with Phil and his mentor Dre the Mayor, which concluded with a ridiculously-long freestyle.

Hosted by Jamie Benson (aka jben.ok), Jay Promo, Unkle Scooty, King Carter, & DJ Jerome Baker III. Including special guests. Enjoy the 2-part podcast, and be on the lookout for weekly [abridged] episodes on the WRGW section of the iTunes music store.

PODCAST: FF 041 Pt. 1 - The Preseason Opener 09-10 (feat. Phil Ade)

PODCAST: FF 041 Pt. 2 - The Preseason Opener 09-10 (feat. Phil Ade)

8.13.09: FF 042 - The New Thursday Show

2009-08-13T17:00:00.001-04:00

For the rest of August, Funkadelic Freestyles comes to you two nights a week. As you can see above, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10pm EST is now in "effect." Since DJ Jerome Baker III is busy on Thursday nights, tonight we introduce you to the newest addition of our team - DJ Mastamind. As always, we'll bring you the same old antics.

Be sure to tune in tonight for the first leak from FWMJ's Rappers I Know & Funkadelic Freestyles Present Vol 2: Back In The Game, available for free download Tuesday, August 18th, 2009. Also, don't forget to scoop Vol 1: The Off Season. And be sure to give us a call tonight: (202)-994-9749!

FF 042: The New Thursday Show

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Unkle Scooty, & Sneakaman Dan

With DJ Mastamind

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 8pm EST): FF 042 - The New Thursday Show

8.11.09: FF 041 - The Preseason Opener (w/ Phil Ade)

2009-08-10T16:56:00.003-04:00

Friends, family, strangers; it is my pleasure to announce the grand return of Funkadelic Freestyles college radio. Tomorrow night (Tuesday, August 11th, 2009), our little radio show (that could) is back in its regular format for the appropriately-titled "preseason opener" - the beginning of a special 3-week exhibition run before classes start up again. During those three weeks, we'll be on-air at GWRADIO.COM from 8-10pm EST two nights a week - Tuesdays & Thursdays - with additional special shows throughout August.

It's been an eventful few weeks for our crew - Jay Promo, King Carter, Unkle Scooty, Sneakaman Dan, DJ Jerome Baker III, and myself - with the release of our free mixtape Vol 1: The Offseason (thanks in part to FWMJ) and our new official affiliation with Real Mango Juice. FWMJ's Rappers I Know & Funkadelic Freestyles present Vol 2: Back In The Game hits the internets next Tuesday (August 18th).

For our preseason opener, we'll have 368 Music Group's Phil Ade live in-studio for an in-depth look at Raheem DeVaughn's most-prized new artist. Special guests are sure to be aplenty and we'll have the phone lines open...so be sure to give us a shout. Tell your friends, look for us on iTunes starting next week, and if you'd like to see Phil Ade perform following our interview, check out the info below!

FF 041: The Preseason Opener

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, Unkle Scooty, & Sneakaman Dan

With DJ Jerome Baker III

Featuring Phil Ade & special guests

8:00-10:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

CALL IN! (202) 994-WRGW

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING FF 041:

K-Beta, Kingpen Slim, Laelo Hood, Phil Ade, & more!

Feat. DJ RBI

10pm EST

Jammin' Java

227 E. Maple Ave

Vienna, VA

LISTEN (Live @ 8:00pm): FF 041 - The Preseason Opener

DOWNLOAD: FWMJ's Rappers I Know x Funkadelic Freestyles Presents Vol. 1: The Offseason

2009-08-04T20:35:00.003-04:00

Here it is! Yes, we're a little late...but aren't you glad it's done and done right?

Tracklist

1. Soulful! “Intro”

2. Danny Brown “That’s Just The Way It Goes”

3. jben.ok x Dela “Introductions”

4. Senor Kaos x DJ Spinna “Summer Madness (ATL Remix)”

5. Che Grand “Life’s Grand” featuring Nicky

6. Spank Pops “Beautiful Noise”

7. K-Beta “Summershine” featuring Shydi

8. Akrobatik & Mr. Lif ”Beast Mode”

9. Nicole Hurst “When You’re Gone”

10. the OTHERSIDE “Ms. Cloud 9″

11. Finale “Agony” produced by nick tha 1da

12. Truthlive “80’s Baby”

13. 1.O.A.K. “The Lovecats”

14. Oddisee “We On To Something”

15. jben.ok x Knowledge “The Newest Addition”

16. Trackademicks “Nothin’ On Me”

17. Lyriciss & Pro’Verb ”What You Mad For” produced by Soulful!

18. Houston Rock Its “The Beast”

19. X.O. “All Around The World” produced by Team Demolition

20. Kay “Sloboogie” featuring Franchelle

21. Scanz “We Cool”

22. Kokayi “Prayer”

23. jben.ok x Chris “Daddy” Dave “Outro”

Introductions are always easier in warm weather. Hence why the good folks from Funkadelic Freestyles , the increasingly-popular weekly independent hip-hop radio show out of The George Washington University in Washington, DC, picked the summer season to broaden their audience. With a tremendous amount of help from their like-minded hip-hop peer, FWMJ of Rappers I Know , they're proud to present their first-ever collaborative mixtape featuring all new and original music from artists like Oddisee, Danny Brown, X.O., Finale, Kay of The Foundation, Che Grand, DJ Spinna, Trackademicks, Akrobatik, Mr. Lif, and many more. The first volume of music bears the title "The Offseason," in reference to the lengthy summer hiatus between college semesters. It's hosted by radio personality Jamie Benson (aka jben.ok) and mixed by DJ Jerome Baker III with special appearances from co-hosts Jay Promo , King Carter , Unkle Scooty , and Sneakaman Dan .

Volume 1: The Offseason will be available for free download on Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 - a week before Funkadelic Freestyles returns to the airwaves for their season premiere - on rappersiknow.com , funkadelicfreestyles.com , and realmangojuice.com . Volume 2: Back In The Game, featuring more new and original music from Blu, The ARE, Hassaan Mackey, Random, and others, is set to be released on August 18th.

Rappers I Know is web portal, creative shop and boutique music label focused on highlighting unknown and under-recognized talent in Rap and Soul music and the Arts. The project was established by FWMJ and his peers in the Houston underground Hip Hop community as a platform to present, promote, and distribute local Houston music to new audiences using word-of-mouth buzz and a strong independent work ethic. FWMJ and Rappers I Know has helped promote, market and break such artists as H.I.S.D., The Niyat, Nicolay, The Foreign Exchange, Little Brother, J*Davey, Tanya Morgan, Kay, The Foundation, K-otix, D. Rose, Oddisee, Kenn Starr, Illmind, Strange Fruit Project, Chris “Daddy” Dave, The Luv Bugz, Black Milk, Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Pacific Division and many others.

Funkadelic Freestyles is live on-air every Tuesday night, beginning August 11th, from 8-10pm EST on WRGW Radio at The George Washington University in Washington, DC. Featuring in-studio interviews from artists in the independent hip-hop realm, including Wale, Oddisee, Torae, Tanya Morgan, Kenn Starr, and many more. Visit GWRadio.com for listening info and FunkadelicFreestyles.com for special Thursday night shows through August 28th.

DOWNLOAD: FWMJ's Rappers I Know & Funkadelic Freestyles Present Volume 1: The Offseason

NEWS/MP3: Oddisee - We On To Something [Vol. 1: The Offseason]

2009-07-29T18:13:00.002-04:00

It's finally here! The first leak off Volume 1: The Offseason mixtape presented by Funkadelic Freestyles and FWMJ's Rappers I Know - from rapper/producer and FF alum Oddisee! This is a world premiere and ish! Oh, and did I mention we're back on air in less than two weeks?! Press release is below:

MP3: Oddisee - We On To Something (FF x RIK Premiere)

6.29.09: Michael Jackson - Tributes

2009-06-29T20:10:00.002-04:00

Photo courtesy AuditoryThreshold.com: Apollo Theater, Harlem, NY, 6.25.09

I spent this past weekend on "vacation" in New York City, where plans to further the completion of our Funkadelic Freestyles x Rappers I Know mixtape were significantly altered (that's a whole 'nother story). I arrived Friday evening, nearly 24 hours after a momentous celebration of life had commenced outside the Apollo Theater in Harlem. As I ventured onto the subway, I could feel the subtle pain and confusion collectively shared by various New Yorkers. The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, had left this world the night before in a surprising and shocking manner. Yet despite the insensitive media coverage covering the airways, the typical MJ fan just wanted to hear one of his records - at least once or twice every hour. It was a soothing medicine, and a reminder that Michael had left behind an extremely deep catalog. Now, various (living) artists have (immediately) begun to pay tribute to their musical hero. Here's a somewhat comprehensive list of some of our favorites so far. Special thanks to fwmj, OKP, 2DopeBoyz, & Michigan Hip-Hop.

VIDEO: Dwele - Human Nature (Recreation)

MP3: The Roots - I Wanna Be Where You Are (feat. Erykah Badu)

MP3: The Roots - Billie Jean

MP3: Michael Jackson - HIStory (The Ummah Remix)

MP3: Jay Electronica - Swagger Jackson's Revenge

MP3: DJ Premier - R.I.P. Michael Jackson Tribute Mix

DOWNLOAD: The ARE - Dem Damb Jacksons (feat. Kay & Oh No)

DOWNLOAD: Wale & 9th Wonder - Back To The Feature

2009-06-19T18:37:00.002-04:00

No more delays, postponements, or broken promises. Wale & 9th Wonder's long-awaited mixtape, presented by LRG, is finally here. Perhaps you should key in on the last word in the title - you'll understand why the guestlist is so packed. Featuring Royce Da 5'9", Kenn Starr, Tre of UCB, Mark Ronson, Young Chris, Bun B, Black Thought, Torae, Kingpin Slim, K'Naan, Jean Grae, and...(*whew* I ran out of breath) many more! Mixed by Boston's pride-and-joy, Nick Catchdubs. In the mighty words of DJ Jerome Baker III, let's gooooo!!!

Tracklist:

01. Wordplay (feat. Curren$y & Tre) [produced by 9th Wonder]

02. Cypher (feat. State Property) [produced by 9th Wonder]

03. Chillin [Catch vs 9th] (feat. Lady Gaga)

04. Tito Santana (feat. Joe Budden) [produced by 9th Wonder]

05. 5 Minutes (feat. Skyzoo) [produced by 9th Wonder]

06. Life's A Bitch (feat. Talib Kweli & Joell Ortiz) [produced by 9th Wonder]

07. Night Life (feat. Young Chris & Tre) [produced by Mikey Rocks]

08. Pat Your Weave (feat. UCB)

09. Hot Shyt (feat. Peedi Peedi, Black Thought, & Tuphace) [produced by Ritz]

10. Wonder Why (feat. Big Sean, Kenn Starr, & Mike Posner) [produced by 9th Wonder]

11. Pot of Gold (feat. Daniel Merriweather) [produced by Mark Ronson]

12. Sharp (feat. Torae & Kingpin Slim) [produced by 9th Wonder]

13. Warwick Avenue (feat. Duffy)

14 The Sun (feat. Memphis Bleek) [produced by 9th Wonder]

15. Rather Be [Vagina Is For Lovers] (feat. J. Cole & Curren$y) [produced by 9th Wonder]

16. Goodbye (feat. Jean Grae) [produced by 9th Wonder]

17. Say It Again (featuring Royce Da 5'9") [produced by 9th Wonder]

18. Talkin Shyt (feat. Bun B & Dre) [produced by Cool & Dre]

19. Nothing To Worry About (feat. Peter, Bjorn, & John)

20. Rhyme N Reason (feat. Tre) [produced by Warren G]

21. "Ce n'est Pas Bon" (feat. K'Naan) [produced by Mark Ronson]

22. New Soul (feat. Yael Naim) [produced by BKS]

DOWNLOAD: Wale & 9th Wonder - Back To The Feature

MP3: DJ Spinna - Lyrics Is Back (feat. Torae)

2009-06-10T08:45:00.004-04:00

I figured I'd take full advantage of my day off from work by making my return to the blog, but who's gonna notice anyway?! If you're wondering why the first page is pretty "outdated," there's a reason! This August, we'll be taking part in a brand new venture involving a radio/web merger that might just blow your mind. I'm not really allowed to speak on it yet, but imagine the perfect combination of indie hip-hop, mainstream club joints, style, and DC cultural news. And before we even get to there, we'll be releasing our first official mixtape in July along with FWMJ's Rappers I Know featuring original material from folks like Oddisee, Che Grand, UCB, Random, Pro'Verb, Lyriciss, E-Major, and many more. The list looks small now...but you just wait! A thorough and more detailed press release will follow next week.

Okay, totally forgot about the reason I made this post. DJ Spinna is the man responsible for all those wonderful tributes (especially his Stevie Wonder gigs). Torae is a NY emcee with a pitch-perfect cadence and has a new album (Double Barrel - cop now) in stores now with the producer Marco Polo. As of the moment, they're two of my favorite artists, so it was a no-brainer to post the first single off Spinna's new album, Sonic Smash (you can only HOPE that somehow there will be a Charles Hammy diss track on there). Pick it up in stores on June 30th and check for more features from Phonte, Elzhi, and Fresh Daily.

MP3: DJ Spinna - Lyrics Is Back (feat. Torae)

VIDEO/MP3: Wale - Chillin (feat. Lady Gaga) x Family Affair

2009-06-03T19:03:00.002-04:00

Today in the life of DC's Wale was, well...interesting. Early this morning, some overly-ambitious bloggers leaked an unfinished version of the "Chillin" video, causing quite the ruckus on the internets. Then, Wale delivered on a promise: leaking "Family Affair," produced by Best Kept Secret and to be featured on both video director Rik Cordero's debut mixtape and Back To The Feature (Wale's next tape). The folks at elitaste surprised everyone with a speedy correction on the "Chillin" joint around 3pm EST, and now the video you see above is the official flick that will begin to air on MTVJams soon. All of these things happened on the day of the monumental home-coming show for his Attention: Deficit Tour at the 930 Club, which you should start walking to right...now (something like 80 tickets left). Wale also said the video for "Family Affair" will be dropping tomorrow. I won't speak on the blog bullies, but I will say: please stay in your own lane and your own business. Damn. (c) Hov

MP3: Wale - Family Affair (prod. by Best Kept Secret)

MP3: X.O. - Crabs In A Barrel

2009-06-01T19:41:00.002-04:00

Produced by AB The Producer. This is the first official record X.O. has done with his new Studio 43 affiliation and the first leak off his new project with AB, Monumental. A few friends and I had a discussion a few weeks back concerning the 43 move - particularly whether or not Mr. Unknown Origin's gritty sound would be compromised - and all bets were going off the deep end. With this new joint, "Crabs In A Barrel," he proved us wrong. Download and enjoy.

MP3: X.O. - Crabs In A Barrel [prod. by AB The Producer]

VIDEO: RODDYROD - This Time Around (feat. Carlitta Durand & Phonte)

2009-05-22T17:51:00.003-04:00

Low Budget is STILL REAL! (c) Kenn Starr. The infamous DJ RODDYROD is back with the re-release of his album Cuba After Market (1.5), which was a favorite of mine last year after Muhsinah visited us in studio. The video was shot in DC by the homie Gadget of Digital Hustle Films and edited by RODDYROD's own collective, Humble Monarch. If you've got quick wits, you can catch appearances from Kev Brown, Muhsinah, J-$crilla, and K-Beta at the end of the video. Shouts to Kenny Fresh who premiered the joint, and according to him - Cuba After Market 1.5 is coming soon!

MP3: RODDYROD - This Time Around (feat. Carlitta Durand & Phonte)

VIDEO: FF Spring 09 Semester Finale - Cypher Pt. 1 & 2

2009-05-18T04:19:00.003-04:00

If you missed out, no worries. May 12th was the date - merely a week ago - and we packed the studio with a plethora of musicians hailing from the DC metro area. I'll run down the list right quick: PHZ-Sicks, Jabari, Lyriciss, Judah, Wordsmith, Experience of Team Demolition, Kokayi, X.O., K-Beta, The Paxtons, Pro'Verb, AP, Benji, Toney, AB The Producer, J-$crilla, E-Major, Eddie, DJ Impulse, Incwell; just to name a few (we also got Providence's Theo to call in!) Most importantly, we hosted our first live band in-studio - the best hip-hop band in DC, The ELs, featuring names like Zo! and Slimkat78. The Funkadelic Freestyles team was in full force, featuring Jay Promo, King Carter, DJ Jerome Baker III, Unkle Scooty, and myself. We signed off until August and again, I'd like to publicly thank all our listeners for their support. Please continue to spread the word about the best hip-hop college radio show on the airwaves: Funkadelic Freestyles. We'll be back in mid-August with the same time slot, Tuesday nights from 8-10pm EST. Down below, pick up the first two hours of the semester finale via podcast and check for parts 3 and 4 of the cypher footage on Tuesday.

PODCAST: FF 040 - The Spring 09 Semester Finale Pt. 1 [featuring DJ Jerome Baker III, PHZ-Sicks Interview, Jabari Interview, Eddie Interview w/ DJ Impulse & E-Major]

PODCAST: FF 040 - The Spring 09 Semester Finale Pt. 2 [featuring DJ Impulse, Experience from Team Demolition Interview, Inner Loop Records Interview w/ Overok, K-Beta, J-$crilla, & Nfinit, The ELs Cypher Round 1 (feat. K-Beta, X.O., Lyriciss, The Paxtons, David, E-Major, PHZ-Sicks, Toney, Hu$$le, Incwell, & Wordsmith)]

BONUS PHOTOS: FF 040 - The Spring 09 Semester Finale [Inner Loop Records]

BONUS PHOTOS: FF 040 - The Spring 09 Semester Finale [Ajani Truth]

CONCERT: Inner Loop Records - The Beatdown (Diamond District Edition)

2009-05-13T15:41:00.002-04:00

What ELSE are you gonna do this Friday night? The Funkadelic Freestyles team has one more gig before August - and it's this one. Featuring the new TNT crew: jben.ok as Marv Albert, Jay Promo as Doug Collins (or maybe Jeff Van Gundy), King Carter as Kenny Smith, and Unkle Scooty as Craig Sager.

5.12.09: FF 040 - The Spring 09 Semester Finale

2009-05-12T12:18:00.001-04:00

It's true - tonight is the semester finale of the radio show and our statement show. We've worked hard all semester to raise the bar for college radio and change the way people listen to radio in general. Some of you remember our memorable election night special; for others, you may have just started tuning in. I'm trying to make tonight even more legendary, and I'll need y'all help. Please tell your friends, your brother, your mother, your boo, whatever. We're all about reaching the masses tonight.

Per usual, I'll be holding it down at WRGW with Jay Promo, King Carter, Unkle Scooty, & DJ Jerome Baker III. Rome will be controlling the tables until 10:30pm, when Asheru and The ELs show up to take over the studio. Throughout the night, expect appearances from Southeast Slim, Judah, Overok, J-$crilla, K-Beta, X.O., Oddisee, Kokayi, Lyriciss, Pro'Verb, Wordsmith, and many more. Jabari, Theo, and most likely ten other special guests will call in. I've got a year-in-review highlight reel. I can't really tell you what else will happen, because I'm honestly not sure. Tune in for a unique experience! [Shouts to Overok for the flyer]

FF 040: The Spring 09 Semester Finale

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Unkle Scooty

With DJ Jerome Baker III

And an especially long guest list

9:00pm-Midnight EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 9:00pm): FF 040 - The Spring 09 Semester Finale

VIDEO/PODCAST: FF SE - Tanya Morgan x Kenn Starr x Oddisee

2009-05-11T14:53:00.002-04:00

Last Saturday evening, a very special event took place at our studios here at GWU in Washington, DC. I invited Von Pea, Donwill, & Ilyas of the rap group Tanya Morgan to join us for an impromptu interview while in town to promote their new album, Brooklynati. While TM was across town grabbing some mambo sauce, Kenn Starr and Oddisee made their own special guest appearances (Kenn Starr's first) and let loose with Jay Promo and King Carter on today's current hip-hop topics. Once TM showed up, we talked a little bit about how Brooklynati came together and then - I threw on De La Soul's (& Dilla's) "Much More" instrumental to egg on the rappers. Watch and learn aspiring artists - these guys know how to do it. Not only is the entire cypher captured on video (thanks to Gadget from Digital Hustle Films), you can hear the entire interview AND cypher on the podcast below. And head over to Real Mango Juice to check out the wonderful pictures Gabby took. Get ready for tomorrow night! FF Semester Finale is about to be in full effect...

PODCAST: FF SE - Tanya Morgan x Kenn Starr x Oddisee (Full Interview + Cypher)

PICTURES: FF SE - Tanya Morgan x Kenn Star x Oddisee (Courtesy of RMJ)

DOWNLOAD: Kid Hum x RTD - Offshore Drilling

2009-05-11T12:46:00.002-04:00

All the way back in 2008 *gasp* I posted a mixtape from the Colorado producer Kid Hum when he was still an unknown. Perhaps he may still be relatively unheard of in regards to the masses, but along with Rock The Dub's khal, he's hoping to change his small status. He's linked up with a plethora of talented emcees - including Braille, whose song "10 Years" is one of my favorite hip-hop records to date. Anyway, enjoy this free project and stay on the lookout for Kid Hum. Big shouts to khal.

DOWNLOAD: Kid Hum x Rock The Dub - Offshore Drilling

PREVIOUSLY: Kid Hum - Fossil Fuel [zip]

MP3: PHZ-Sicks - She Was Fly (feat. Full Crate & Mar)

2009-05-10T12:53:00.004-04:00

Here's a brand new track from VA's PHZ-Sicks - "She Was Fly" - a song that was sent to me by the Amsterdam-based producer Full Crate back in February. There was a really dope video that went with it, but barely any vocals on the record itself...so the homie PHZ-Sicks felt inspired and did his thing! Congrats to PHZ-Sicks for winning a contest on EZ Street's website (pick up the song that won the contest below), and applaud this man - he's really stepped up his artistic abilities!

MP3: PHZ-Sicks - She Was Fly (feat. Full Crate & Mar)

BONUS MP3: PHZ-Sicks - Fresh Cut

PREVIOUSLY: Full Crate - She Was Fly (feat. Mar) [Video]

5.9.09: FF SE - Tanya Morgan

2009-05-09T14:13:00.002-04:00

Last January, we welcomed 1/3 of Tanya Morgan (Donwill) in-studio for a special inauguration interview. Today, we've got the whole group. They'll be at Liv tonight for a free listening party (and free Red Stripe!), but first Donwill, Von Pea, and Ilyas will drop by GWU for a special edition (SE) interview regarding their new album Brooklynati. Jerome Baker III has to handle his J-O-B, so I'll be holding down the jams with Jay Promo, King Carter, and Akhil. And rumor is there will be a special appearance by Kenn Starr. Tune in today at 4:30pm EST or catch the podcast next week. Cop Brooklynati this Tuesday May 12th!

FF Special Edition

Hosted by jben.ok, Jay Promo, King Carter, & Akhil

With Unkle Scooty

And special guest Kenn Starr

4:30-6:00pm EST

WRGW Radio @ The George Washington University

LIVE on GWRADIO.COM and campus channel 22

LISTEN (Live @ 4:30pm): FF SE - Tanya Morgan

VIDEO: Wale - ESPN First Take 5.7.09

2009-05-07T23:54:00.002-04:00

If you woke up at 10am EST like I did this morning, you experienced quite the day. First, the pictures of Cassie's breasts popped up on the internetz, then Manny Ramirez got suspended for doping, and last but not least, Wale appeared on ESPN2's First Take. (Oh, and Relapse leaked. It's pretty good, too). I missed the 10am airing so I Tivo'ed the 12pm rebroadcast, but it was rudely interrupted by that Manny crap. Anyway, the video has finally emerged at elitaste, thanks to the assistant that keeps shit together, David. Peace!