Freemusicempire

Curly Castro has always been focused on being the best rapper. After years of work he's coming off an amazing Armand Hammer x Alchemist feature on Haram. His new album Little Robert Hutton is focused and impactful. An unrelenting concept album that never ceases to surprise and bring the best out of everyone. Dan-O talks to him about the history that grounds the album and how it effects us today as...

ATTENDEES Dylan Green, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business ● July 23rd felt like a loaded release week, Dylan Green (curator of the #NuMusiqueFriday newsletter) will walk us through his favorite three releases of the week: EST Gee- Bigger Than Life or Death , Ken Car$on- Project X , and Dave- We’re All Alone in This Together . We will talk about what captured his attention about these....

ATTENDEES Wally Clark, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business ● Talk to Wally Clark about his newest album Banned From All Bars with Farma Beats and plans for the future. ● Talk about the three album run The Beatnuts had from 1994-1999 and their lasting legacy.

Donwill and Von Pea have made Tanya Morgan a successful group for 17 years. In 2021 they released their best album, Don and Von, so Dan-O had to pick their brains; not just about the growth and craft displayed but the journey that brought them here. Gems of industry and artistic wisdom soak every minute of this one. Please stay for the full talk!

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business ● Talk about PremRock-Load Bearing Crow’s Feet, Zelooperz-Van Gogh’s Left Ear, and Snoh Aalegra-Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies in terms of common attributes and meaningful differences. How do we feel about these albums? ● Discuss the texture of albums and the best ways to make rough, smooth, or pretty albums.

Human Zoo is the new album from Def Jux legend Alaska Atoms and Insubordinate Records president and beat magician Jason Griff. They've been working on it for a while and the world has gone to poo at least four times since they started the process. Dan-O got to chop it up with both of them about the delicate balance between holding the world accountable and holding ourselves accountable. Top tier s...

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins New Business ● Discuss Tyler, The Creator-Call Me If You Get Lost and Sault-Nine  ● Talk about the different approaches in album scale and the success of these projects.

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins, GENG PTP AGENDA New Business Talk about list culture, the overall themes in music so far in 2021, and what we are looking forward to. Go over the Dan-O’s AOTY list (any important albums left off) and the reason for placements.

Nationally acclaimed (Pulitzer Prize nominated) poet Adrian Matejka jumps into the Zoom to talk about his new poetry book Somebody Else Sold The World .  Dan-O and Adrian talk Jack Johnson, writing in real time, romantic poetry, and embracing your strengths.

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins, Darko The Super AGENDA New Business Talk with Darko The Super about plans for the rest of 2021 on UDDTBA. Talk with Darko The Super about important projects that helped build the label's unique personality. ALBUMS TO DISCUSS Life and Times of Big Baby Gandhi  With Bud Ross by Steel Tipped Dove’s  Card Tricks for Dogs by Darko The Super and BLKrKRT M...

One of the first things you think of when you think Philly, Zilla has been making music for fifteen years. He's now an important podcaster as well. His new album Vegas Vic is out now and it is different from previous projects in important ways. Zilla is the kind of dude who gives great advice, breaks things down to the elemental. Dan-O had to talk to him about roll outs and industry trends as well...

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Black Lemore AGENDA New Business Talk to Black Lemore about the 2018 album Something Random and what went into making it. What are plans for future releases looking like? Talk about Lupe Fiasco-The Cool, Kanye West-Late Registration, and Jay-Z (No ID)-4:44.

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins, Jason Griff AGENDA New Business Talk about the new album Fireside Chats by Jason Griff and the decision to lean into Punk samples and fully embrace it. Why aren’t more people sampling Punk? Talk about Dillinger Four-Midwestern Songs of The America’s, Apocalypse Hoboken-House of the Rising Son of a Bitch, Propagandhi-Less Talk More Rock and what makes these al...

One of 2021's most unique and masterfully sequenced albums is POP 1967. Andrew sang, rapped and produced all but some guest spots from friends. The album and his EP follow up Manual Labor put him in the spotlight in a way he hasn't been before. Dan-O talks to Andrew about Elliott Smith, Black Thought, working with Darko The Super, Ialive, organizing releases through COVID, the resonance of Fiona A...

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business ● Discuss album missions. How do you fully realize it and how do you let your audience know what it is without telegraphing your points? ● Talk about Mach Hommy-Pray For Haiti, Navy Blue-Navy’s Reprise, King Micah The Infamous & MIGHTYHEALTHY-KINGMIGHTY 2.

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins, E from The Next Movement Podcast AGENDA New Business ● Discuss three mixtapes(Jay Ant-Blue Money, Freddie Gibbs-Cold Day in Hell, and Donnis-Fashionably Late) from the mixtape era in terms of quality and how the world of music today carries pieces of this or has left them behind. ● Talk about the overall mission of the mixtape era and what it taught the world...

Davis The Dorchester Bully is a lyricist not to be played with and Josh Virtue is a talent in so many directions, an color always shifting into different shades. Together they form UDABABY and delivered a fun, thoughtful, musical experience in their self-titled debut. Dan-O locked in with them and found out some incredible things about the journey of this album and Hurricane Carter!

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business ● Interesting people bring flavor to conversations they are in. Some special artists are able to infuse that flavor into every level of their music, so when digested it's completely unique. Look at the albums for this week and assess how these personalities shape the music. ● Critique Jah Monte- Too Little, Too Late , Andrew- POP 1967 , and...

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business ● What is the purpose of an EP? Should an EP that’s too good just have been an album? 2021 has had a few really high level EP’s. ● Discuss The Lightwork EP produced by Roper Williams by AKAI SOLO and YL, Taurus EP by lojii, With The Shifts by maasai, God Goku Jay-z by J.U.S in terms of their purpose and success or lack of.

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business ● Talk about the defining traits and history of the artist of the unbound function. ● Analyze Cities Aviv-The Crashing Sound of How It Goes & Big Flowers-Big Smile through this lens.

Flashius Clayton has been lighting tracks on fire for years; handing in legendary features, working with the best producers, and as good as he's been The Dust Diary is a new chamber. Dan-O got to talk with him about the power of sitting with your work/editing, producing, the greatness of Hunter Thompson and Flash played us some unreleased tracks that will make you rewind!

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the new Brockhampton album (Roadrunner: New Light, New Machine) and Abstractions by Zo! & Tall Black Guy in terms of what these albums bring to the table that are special. Talk about creating warmth in your music. What are the benefits? How do you do it? How do you sustain it?

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins, The Rap Music Plug AGENDA New Business Talk to Rohan about the review he wrote of Mello Music Groups label compilation release-Bushido. What does the rest of 2021 look like for the label? Compare Bushido against two other label compilations (Ryde or Die Vol. 1 and Anticon Label Sampler 1999-2004). How do the goals of an underground label sampler differ from a...

Super easy-going conversation with YL about making albums unique, the greatness of his partners, this era or NY rap, and staying in your own creative zone. If you thought of YL as a slick individual who knows himself, good call!

ATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business ● Discuss the legendary 3 consecutive album run by Kool G Rap and DJ Polo(Road to Riches, Wanted: Dead or Alive, and Live and Let Die).  ● Where do we see the effect of these albums on rap?