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Freemusicempire
212 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 12 hours ago - ★★★★★ - 3 ratingsFreemusicempire.com is a place for in depth musical discussion with important voices from hip hop, soul, jazz and so forth. Hosted by Dan-O.
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Episodes
State of The Game vol. 206-Midnight Sons: Money Has No Owners w/ Zilla Rocca and Chong Wizard
July 14, 2024 12:03 - 1 hour - 104 MBATTENDEES Chong Wizard, Zilla Rocca, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins, AGENDA New Business Discuss moving from Midnight Sons to Money Has No Owners. Breakdown Money Has No Owners in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 205-Quiet v. Loud w/ Āthmaan
July 07, 2024 12:01 - 1 hour - 54.6 MBATTENDEES Āthmaan, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the influence of Indian music on hip hop and hip hop’s effect on Indian music. Discuss The Vital Breath in depth. Discuss different sonic approaches to volume and how it influences style using The First Fist to Make Contact When We Dap by R.A.P. Ferreira x Fumitake Tamura and Out of The Blue by Blu x Shafiq Husayn. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 204-Bring Us The Head of Francisco False w/ Ceschi
June 23, 2024 12:25 - 1 hour - 72.2 MBATTENDEES Ceschi, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the final leg of a long beautiful solo career and the growth of Fake Four. What is the label's optimal future? Discuss Bring Us The Head of Francisco False (Part 1) in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol.203-Different Type Time w/ Cavalier
June 17, 2024 14:52 - 1 hour - 85.7 MBATTENDEES Cavalier, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the process of crafting an album and how it has changed from Chief to Lemonade to Private Stock to Different Type Time. Discuss Different Type Time in depth. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 202-Temple Needs Water. Village needs peace. w/ Lukah & Real Bad Man
June 09, 2024 12:08 - 1 hour - 76.8 MBATTENDEES Real Bad Man, Lukah, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss Permanently Blackface (The 1st Expression) transitioning into Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace. And the growth in dimension Discuss Temple Needs Water. Village Needs Peace. In detail intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 201-BLIP w/ NAHreally & The Expert
June 02, 2024 12:08 - 1 hour - 79.5 MBATTENDEES The Expert, NAHreally, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss going from entirely self produced projects like Hackinway & Loose Around The Edges to The Expert produced BLIP and how different the process is. Discuss BLIP in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 200-A Dipset Meeting w/ Defcee, SonRaw, Rob from Next Movement Podcast
May 26, 2024 12:00 - 1 hour - 96.1 MBATTENDEES SonRaw, Rob from Next Movement Pod, Dylan Green, Defcee, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Celebrate 200 episodes of State of The Game and how odd it is to still be here. Discuss how influential and unique the Diplomats movement was and the effect it had on us as listeners/artists/critics Discuss Dipset moments that imprinted on the culture, our memory, our inner circle. When you hear Dipset what comes to mind first? intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 199-BULLETPROOF KUFFLINX w/ NCL-TM & DøøF
May 19, 2024 12:00 - 1 hour - 74.7 MBATTENDEES DøøF, NCL-TM, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business From Hoodrat Noir to Swamp Phonk to BULLETPROOF KUFFLINX what are the common characteristics of a NCLDOOFUS collaboration? What makes these albums so different? Discuss BULLETPROOF KUFFLINX in depth. Intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 198-Perseverance w/ Myles Bullen
May 12, 2024 12:09 - 1 hour - 69.7 MBATTENDEES Myles Bullen, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the build from Mourning Travels to timetokill. Discuss timetokill in depth. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol.197-Zero Grace w/ Liam Bailey
May 05, 2024 12:15 - 1 hour - 78.9 MBATTENDEES Liam Bailey, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the movement from Enfant Terrible to Zero Grace. Discuss Zero Grace in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 196-Navigating Prolific Artistry w/ Dem One of Dad Bod Rap Pod
April 28, 2024 12:07 - 1 hour - 64.3 MBAGENDA New Business Discuss the legacy and format changes of Dad Bod Rap Pod and what podcasting is really like. Discuss how to keep up with prolific artist releases and aggressive schedules. DANS RULES Don’t feel obligated-Release yourself from the idea that you NEED to catch every release. Check in when you have the time or interest and catch up. You are not late. Use social media-One of the few things made better by social media is the ability to follow your favorite artists and...
State of The Game vol.195-The Triumphant w/ Reef The Lost Cauze
April 21, 2024 12:16 - 1 hour - 62.8 MBATTENDEES Reef The Lost Cauze, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the growth from The High Life through A Vicious Cycle to The Triumphant. Discuss The Triumphant in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 194-Heavenly Cartel 3: The Hell Razah Remixes w/ Tokyo Cigar & Hell Razah
April 14, 2024 12:09 - 1 hour - 101 MBATTENDEES Hell Razah, Tokyo Cigar, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the career arc of Hell Razah and the necessity of keeping the legacy alive. Discuss Heavenly Cartel 3: The Hell Razah Remixes in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 193-Tracking Progression w/ OKnice
April 07, 2024 16:02 - 1 hour - 102 MBATTENDEES OKnice, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss It’s A Fine Line Between Planted and Buried and the difference between making a group project and a solo album. Discuss The Triumphant, Not Fade Away, and El Leon in terms of progression. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 192-Nothing Changed Except Everything w/ Shottie
March 31, 2024 12:46 - 1 hour - 70.3 MBATTENDEES Shottie, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss Shottie’s 2023 work going from Goat Farm, Stigmatic, to Death Occurred Last Night. Discuss Nothing Changed Except Everything w/ Farma Beats in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 191-The Fluidity of Aakeem Eshu w/ Aakeem Eshu
March 24, 2024 14:43 - 1 hour - 66.3 MBATTENDEES Aakeem Eshu, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the evolution from Betrayal and Liberation 2 to Digital Audio to Black Rabbit. Discuss Black Rabbit in depth. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 190-Monzyverse w/ Monzy The Terrible & Dylan Land
March 17, 2024 12:43 - 1 hour - 71.8 MBATTENDEES Dylan Land, Monzy The Terrible, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the relationship between Dylan and Monzy and how it developed. Discuss Revenge of Abel and PERMANENT//PROSTHETIC in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 189-Kitchen Sink Effort w/ KillVonGard
March 10, 2024 12:40 - 1 hour - 77.5 MBATTENDEES KillVonGard, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the progression from 2022’s I Think I’ve Lost It to 2023’s Life Is A Masterpiece. Discuss Life Is A Masterpiece in detail as well as future career plans. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 188-2023 Overlooked w/ Karas Lamb
March 03, 2024 16:08 - 1 hour - 77.5 MBATTENDEES Karas Lamb, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the Mixtape Monday run on Okayplayer and what lessons were learned from showcasing new music week after week for a major publication. Discuss Burning Desire by MIKE, Peace of Mind LP by QThree, Tales of Gotham by Kueen in detail.
State of The Game vol. 187-The End of Lists w/ Defcee
February 25, 2024 13:58 - 1 hour - 73 MBATTENDEES Defcee, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss Defcee’s 2023 offerings DefPrez-It’s Always A Time Like This & Golem of Brooklyn Original Soundtrack and if Defcee got out of 2023 what was desired. Discuss whether 2023 marks the end (or the beginning of the end) for definitive year end lists. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 186-POTY p. 2 (25-1) w/ Psalm One
February 18, 2024 13:01 - 2 hours - 153 MBATTENDEES Psalm One, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss some additional 2023 superlatives. Discuss projects of the year 25-1. DA LIST 1. Maps by Kenny Segal & billy woods 2. Why Does The Earth Give Us People To Love? By Kara Jackson 3. From Whence It Came by YUNGMORPHEUS 4. Real B*tches Don’t Die! by Kari Faux 5. Ritual by Stik Figa x The Expert 6. Raven by Kelela 7. Sleepingdogs-I’m Fakin’ My Own Death Just to Get Some Rest 8. We Buy Diabetic Test Strip...
State of The Game vol. 185-POTY p.1 (50-26) w/ Psalm One
February 11, 2024 13:59 - 2 hours - 111 MBATTENDEES Psalm One, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the difference in writing reviews on rap and releasing rap with Psalm One. Discuss projects of the year 50-26. POTY 50-26 26. Quaranta by Danny Brown 27. Pangea by Gabe Nandez 28. Gold by Cleo Sol 29. The Golem of Brooklyn OST by Defcee x Messiah Musik 30. Lonestar Luchador by That Mexican OT 31. 66689 BLVD Prequel by Kipp Stone 32. Voice Notes by Yazmin Lacey 33. Javelin by Sufjan Stevens 34. P...
State of The Game vol.184-How We Would Do It: Roman Reloaded
February 04, 2024 14:52 - 1 hour - 88.9 MBATTENDEES Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded and the energy around the 2012 release which sent ripples through rap and pop. Through discussion of each of the 19 tracks cut the album down and possibly resequence it into a more cohesive experience. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 183-Artists I Got To Know in 2023
January 28, 2024 13:19 - 1 hour - 82.7 MBATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss how difficult it was to establish yourself to new audiences in 2023. What strategy worked? Discuss Lonestar Luchador, Hand Painted Model Trains, and Al Chimera as examples of artists I got to know in 2023. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 182-Planet X w/ Lungs, Noface, and Phiik
January 21, 2024 13:55 - 1 hour - 81.3 MBATTENDEES Lungs, Phiik, No Face, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the Planet series: 1, 2, 3, 4. Discuss Planet X in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol 181-Non Rap Release Round Up w/ Fickisthename
January 14, 2024 13:54 - 1 hour - 81.5 MBATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Fickisthename, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the rich diversity of music in 2023 and how it compares to previous years, trends we’ve noticed. Discuss Black Bayou by Robert Finley , Sorry I Haven’t Called by Vagabon, and Take It Easy by Collie Buddz in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 180-The Year in Suede w/ AJ Suede
January 07, 2024 12:25 - 1 hour - 78.5 MBATTENDEES AJ Suede, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss what AJ Suede hoped to achieve going into 2023. Discuss the output from Indica Music to Parthian Shots to Ark Flashington to Reoccuring Characters. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 179-2023 Production Trends w/ Height Keech and The Expert
January 02, 2024 05:14 - 1 hour - 103 MBATTENDEES The Expert, Height Keech, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss The Fall Collection with Height Keech. Discuss 2023 production trends in music.
State of The Game vol. 178-The Mind of Kipp Stone w/ Kipp Stone
December 17, 2023 14:30 - 1 hour - 65.3 MBATTENDEES Kipp Stone, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discusss the growth in craft and content from 2020’s Homme to this years 66689 BLVD. Discuss last years Room 109 and 66689 BLVD in depth. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 177-The Fish Who Saved Portland w/ Televangel & Milc
December 11, 2023 13:15 - 1 hour - 67 MBATTENDEES Televangel, Milc, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA Discuss the growth from Neutral Milc Motel to The Fish That Saved Portland. Discuss The Fish That Saved Portland in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 176-We Buy Diabetic Test Strips w/ Dash Lewis & Dylan Green
December 04, 2023 00:04 - 1 hour - 77.3 MBATTENDEES Dylan Green, Dash Lewis, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss different phases of Armand Hammer along with the extended universe of AH and the way in which woods and E L U C I D solo albums influence the group projects. Discuss We Buy Diabetic Test Strips in depth. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 175-Baby Making w/ Fat Tony and Taydex
November 27, 2023 03:27 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBATTENDEES Fat Tony, Taydex, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the depth and importance of Taydex and Tony’s relationship going back to my favorite song. Discuss the growth from Wake Up to I Will Make A Baby in This Damn Economy. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 174-The Rise of D2X
November 13, 2023 00:56 - 1 hour - 75.5 MBATTENDEES D2x, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Talk about the process of going from a successful debut album to a second album. What the original mission was and how it changed. Discuss Hotel 1105 in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 173-TFK
November 06, 2023 00:41 - 1 hour - 81.9 MBATTENDEES Flu, Sankofa, Tali Rodriguez, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the year Sankofa has had releasing BLKTCHP3, Iron Kofa Sharp, as well as Multitudes v.1. Discuss the origins of TFK and the mission. Discuss the album 11:59 in depth. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 172-Detachment Homie, and Only Detachment w/ Slumber Logic, TreDoes, and Rap Man Gavin
October 29, 2023 17:18 - 1 hour - 98.2 MBATTENDEES Slumber Logic, TreDoes, Rap Man Gavin, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the decisions and timeframe it took to produce Detachment, Homie, and Only Detachment. Discuss Detachment, Homie, and Only Detachment in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game BONUS-Is Hip Hop Healthy? w/ DJ Dilla
October 21, 2023 19:52 - 54 minutes - 50.3 MBDan and UK hip hop host DJ Dilla got together to talk about recent releases of the time and whether hip hop is in a healthy state. Dope discussion!
State of The Game vol. 171-Rich w/ Homeboy Sandman
October 15, 2023 21:36 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBATTENDEES Homeboy Sandman, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the outstanding run from 2020’s Don’t Feed The Monster all the way through 2022’s Still Champion. Discuss 2023’s Rich in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 170-Noname, So Far
October 08, 2023 23:25 - 1 hour - 85 MBATTENDEES Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss Sundial in depth. Discuss Telefone to Room 25 to Sundial and the artistic place Noname holds in hip hop. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 169-Decay w/ Fatboi Sharif & Steel Tipped Dove
October 01, 2023 14:49 - 1 hour - 76.4 MBATTENDEES Fatboi Sharif, Steel Tipped Dove, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the year Steel Tipped Dove is having! My unbridled love for House of Disorder. Discuss Decay in detail. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game Vol. 168-Cool is in Session w/ Fiend
September 24, 2023 12:48 - 1 hour - 84.8 MBATTENDEES Fiend, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Talk about the phases of Fiends career from No Limit to Jet Life. Discuss the place of the Cool is in Session series in Fiends discography from 1 to 2 to 3. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game Vol.167-The Scope of WateRR w/ WateRR
September 17, 2023 12:53 - 1 hour - 81.9 MBATTENDEES WateRR, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the concept of The Policy Kings as well as the album in depth. Discuss the evolution from Life is More Than White Bricks to Compendium of Arcanum to The Policy Kings. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 166-Ritual/Incorruptible Saints w/ The Expert & Televangel
September 10, 2023 12:26 - 2 hours - 123 MBATTENDEES Televangel, The Expert, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss Incorruptible Saints in depth. Discuss Ritual in depth. Discuss the career arcs of Stik Figa and Sleep Sinatra and how they relate. Discuss the sonic character of both albums. Intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 165-2023 POTY Mid Year w/ C $ Burns
September 03, 2023 13:47 - 2 hours - 138 MBATTENDEES C $ Burns, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss the role of mastering and what separates it from the role of production or mixing (using sonically unique projects like BLUu Edwards as an example). Declare and discuss top 25 POTY.
State of The Game Vol. 164-The Vision of Video Dave w/ Video Dave & Controller 7
August 27, 2023 11:29 - 1 hour - 88.5 MBATTENDEES Daniel Olney, Video Dave, Controller 7, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss ArticulatedTexTiles in depth. Discuss the growth from Hella Personal Film Festival 2 to ArticulatedTexTiles. Discuss the sonic vision Controller 7 had for ArticulatedTexTiles.
State of The Game Vol. 163-Becoming Your Erotic Self
August 20, 2023 13:22 - 1 hour - 73.2 MBATTENDEES Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Talk about Janelle Monae’s new album The Age of Pleasure and leaning into a more erotic vision of her work. Talk about the history of artists becoming their full erotic selves when they hadn’t previously. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game Vol.162-State of The Media w/ Jade Gomez
August 12, 2023 16:00 - 1 hour - 77.5 MBATTENDEES Jade Gomez, Daniel Olney, Keith Rollins AGENDA New Business Discuss Jade Gomez time at Paper as editor and where the closing of it leaves the world of music coverage. Discuss the art of the artist feature/interview and what it does for a career as well as the dangers of messing it up. Discuss the state of music media coverage and 2023 music. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game vol. 161-INTENSITY w/ Joshua Virtue
August 05, 2023 14:21 - 2 hours - 118 MBATTENDEES Joshua Virtue, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss Joshua Virtue’s immaculate last album RAMA. Discuss the place intensity has in hip hop w/ Nacksaw Jim Duggan by Estee Nack, Midnight Oil by Sunmundi & Āthmaan, and REAL B*TCHES DON’T DIE! By Kari Faux as examples. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game Vol. 160-Best Album Covers of 2023 w/ Alexander Richter
July 29, 2023 13:48 - 1 hour - 91.5 MBATTENDEES Alexander Richter, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the classic Richter album covers and what went into them. Misconceptions about photography as a medium and the power of photographic covers. Discuss our favorite album covers of 2023 so far. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game Vol. 159-Del Tha Funkee Homosapien w/ Alaska Atoms & Henry Canyons
July 23, 2023 17:01 - 1 hour - 100 MBATTENDEES Alaska Atoms, Henry Canyons, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss Alaska Atoms monster 2023 collaborative albums w/ Steel Tipped Dove and Jason Griff. Discuss the influence of Del on a craft and stylistic level. Discuss the characteristics of Del that make his music so unique and vibrant. intro and outro by andrew
State of The Game Vol. 158-NODUO/Don’t Go Outside w/ Klwn Cat, Nonazz & No God
July 17, 2023 13:40 - 1 hour - 83.1 MBATTENDEES Klwn Cat, Nonazz, No God, Keith Rollins, Daniel Olney AGENDA New Business Discuss the coming together of these albums and artistic origin stories for Nonazz, Klwn Cat, and No God. Discuss Don’t Go Outside and NODUO in depth. Intro and outro by andrew