Funkadelic/Wefunk International (Clip Payne and 420 FUNK MOB) – Eve of the Emperor
Although George Clinton was forced to give away some of his legendary music to settle a debt, he and Funkadelic released some new music. Playing off the “emperor has no clothes” with the “emperor has no clones,” funkadelic is still funkatizing the universe. Give me them guitars!
AniLiMars -Absolute Martian
If the aliens from Close Encounters of the Third Kind had a beat machine, they would probably sound like this…
V-Dizzle – First Emerald
Great mixtape featuring mixes of video game music, movies, anime, and oldies, like Chi-lites’ “Have You Seen Her,” The White Noise’ “Love Without Sound,” Paul McCartney and the Wings’ “Dear Boy,” and Bob James’ “Weschester Lady.”
Duckwrth – Ducktape
He is a good combination of a current, fresh style and a knowledge of social politics, culture, and history. It collapses the future, present and past, especially in tracks like Hoverboard (there is a part where he almost sounds like Janelle Monae’s rap in “Many Moons.”), Molotovs, which samples Fela Kuti, and “When I Was Young,” sampling Ahmad’s “Back in the Day,” almost sounding like an homage to 90s hip-hop groups like Goodie Mob.
Just a Band – Sorry for the Delay
Their music is the right mix of various styles native to their home and abroad without each of them over-empowering the other, and continues the laid-back, light feel overall even in more danceable tracks like “Get Down” and “Bush Baby Disco” with thoughtful ideas. I could listen to this all day.
Sherese Francis: Futuristically Ancient 