Funkadelic Freestyles Radio

The next iteration of Funkadelic Freestyles begins tonight! An exclusive interview with the legendary hip-hop crew Artifacts - group members  El da Sensei and Tame One will join us live in-studio at WLVS Radio in Washington, DC. 

More info on the future of Funkadelic Freestyles will be provided at the beginning of the program!

Tonight's hosts: Jamie Benson, Marcus (aka Graviti), and Julian Kimble

Tonight's special guest DJ: Kerim The DJ

LISTEN (& WATCH) LIVE from 8-9pm EST via WLVS Radio at:

Six years ago this month, I was home on my sophomore year college break trying to figure out how I'd pass the time. The cold Maine winter was in full swing and - I'll finally admit this publicly - I don't ski or snowboard, so I ended up spending the majority of those late December days inside the warm confines of my childhood home. I realized I wanted to create something to celebrate my favorite holiday, Christmas, and that I'd need a little help from my friends.

I locked myself in my bedroom and used the simplest audio software available (GarageBand) to compile my favorite Christmas songs + my audio clips from my favorite Christmas movies. Once the full mix was complete, I enlisted "underground blogging legend" (only those of you that knew/communicated with him would understand) smokeYYY from thatrealish.com (now defunct) for the artwork and Modi from DCtoBC.com to help get the word out. We dropped the tracked-out version of A Funkadelic Christmas a few days before the holiday; we received over 50,000 downloads in less than 24 hours, which in 2014, translates into something like 500,000 Soundcloud plays. (Okay, that's an internet inflation guesstimate).

I don't expect to break 500K plays with this reissue, or even 50K, but I do hope you and yours enjoy this project, which has always been very special to me. Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Oh, and if you know where smokeYYY is, send him my way. 

Tracklist

With special guests LowKey (2014 Trillectro Host) Clinton Yates (Washington Post), Cory Townes (VIBE), Grande Marshall (Fool's Gold), Ras Nebyu (2014 Trillectro Performer), and the epic return of Funkadelic Freestyles' original DJ, Jerome Baker III.

Not much more to say other than...we're about to get Trillectro 2014 weekend started off proper. 

Hosted by Jamie Benson, Julian Payton, Julian Kimble, and Marcus. Due to the overwhelming amount of guests, we're doing two hours tonight (8-10pm). 

Tonight at 8pm! We sit down with the organizers of Trillectro (DC's biggest music festival) + receive a special visit from DC United goalkeeper Bill Hamid, who just so happens to be a friend of the show. 

Our DJ Mista Selecta - who is performing at Trillectro - will be spinning two sets featuring music from many of the folks he'll share the stage with next Saturday (8/23). 

It's the usual crew - broadcast live on WLVS Radio - minus the scribe (Julian Kimble): Jamie Benson, Julian Payton, and Marcus. 

Tonight! Uptown DC ambassador Ras Nebyu makes his second appearance on Funkadelic Freestyles and is ready to share details on his long-awaited mixtape, Ras Griffin III (out a week from today). The self-proclaimed "point guard of the Washington Slizzards" is on the verge of breaking out, and we've pledged to document his every step on the path to stardom. 

The usual crew will be in-studio at WLVS Radio tonight: Jamie Benson, Julian Payton, Julian Kimble, Marcus, and DJ Mista Selecta. In addition to our interview with Ras, we'll also cover ?uestlove's comments on Iggy Azelea + Common's departure from G.O.O.D. Music.

Prince George's County own Toine, one half of the hip-hop duo DTMD, joins us live on tonight's episode of Funkadelic Freestyles at 8pm EST on WLVS Radio. His new album, Antoine Jameson, is so good that it just might be the most impressive hip-hop project out of the DC/MD/VA area since yU's (one third of Diamond District) The Earn LP dropped in late 2011. We'll talk about and preview new tracks from Antoine Jameson tonight, in addition to a hip-hop news segment headlined by the Wale vs. Meek Mill spat that went down earlier this week over Twitter and Instagram. 

We're also giving away two tickets to tomorrow's concert at the Fillmore Silver Spring with GZA, The New Deal, and OBEYAH. Stay tuned throughout the entire show for your chance to win!

Tonight's cast and crew: Jamie Benson, Julian Payton, Marcus, and special guest DJ Bo!

For the first time ever, Mista Selecta lets one of his DJ mixes loose for the public. This is that summertime/play at the 4th of July cookout/raw rap/kickback yahmeanery that you need to set the holiday off right. This is the first installment in our new sub-series, "Selecta's Choice!"

Originally recorded on 6/27/14 during a live broadcast of Funkadelic Freestyles at WLVS Radio.

For a limited time only, you can download the mix directly off our Soundcloud.

Tracklist after the jump!

Fresh off the release of his new LP Sequester, DC hip-hop artist Malcolm Xavier joins us live in-studio to talk about the album's unique release (a movie theater sceening!) and his career thus far. Plus, a new segment called Selecta's Choice, where we let our in-house DJ Mista Selecta close out the show with a 30 minute extended mix. Tonight's theme? Raw throwback summertime vibes.

Expect the usual suspects as your hosts: Jamie Benson, Julian Payton, Marcus, & Julian Kimble. It all goes down from 8-9pm EST on WLVS Radio.

Last Friday, we had the opportunity to interview jazz/soul artist Diggs Duke, who's signed to BBC Radio host Gilles Peterson's label Brownswood Recordings and is just a few weeks away from releasing a new EP, The Upper Hand and Other Grand Illusions. Diggs just so happens to lay his hat here in DC, so we reached out to him on a Thursday and had him in-studio a day later. 

Tonight! DC-based soul artist and Brownswood signee Diggs Duke joins us on Funkadelic Freestyles to talk about his upcoming EP The Upper Hand and Other Grand Illusions, which will be released on vinyl and in digital format on July 28th. We're super excited about this one, and you should be, too! 

We're live from the District at 8pm EST via WLVS Radio with the usual crew: Julian Payton, Julian Kimble, Marcus, & DJ Mista Selecta.

Tonight! We're talking about the one-and-only Curtis Jackson (aka 50 Cent), who's had quite the week - he posted a hilarious Instagram about the Floyd Mayweather/T.I. "fight," threw an epic fail of a first pitch at a Mets game, & appeared on ABC's Good Morning America with the US Men's National Team. Now, that's how you promote a new album!

Our regular crew - Jamie Benson, Julian 'Soft Shoe Raps' Payton, & Julian Kimble - will discuss 50's weird week and much more, including a special segment on misogyny in hip-hop. DJ Mista Selecta has two mixes with new music from Vic Mensa, Audio Push, & Isiah Rashad! We'll kick things off at 8pm EST on WLVS Radio.