Freemusicempire.com is a place for in depth musical discussion with important voices from hip hop, soul, jazz and so forth. Hosted by Dan-O.

ATTENDEES89 The Brainchild, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew Business● Discuss going from Night Lives to not who I thought I was the evil who brought us joy and the evolving vision of 89 The Brainchild.● Discuss not who I thought I was the evil who brought us joy in depth.NOTES● The art of surprise-89 The Brainchild makes albums with big rollercoaster moments where people come together on songs you'd never expect (Papo2004, DJ Lucas, and Gangsta Boo on F**k U Like) to discuss things in a way you don't typically hear them (DJ Haram on Drugs r bad). This is an incredible thing because the artists featured trust 89's vision as well as the audience. The end result is a listening experience that can't be compared.● A world of important voices-Putting all these pieces in the right place is a phenomenal thing. From the production contributions of brilliant folks like DRIVEBY, Subjxct 5, Brainorchestra, and more. Being able to identify talent outside of your own is an incredible thing. Being able to identify talent that fits your work is elite curation. I've never heard an 89 The Brainchild album that didn't shoot for the stars. Neverheard one that didn't come together as a full cohesive listening experience.MY QUESTION1. 89's blend of tough, in-your-face hip hop with dark dance music sounds very New Jersey to me. Especially with the presence of DJ Boogaveli, DRIVEBY and Fatboi Sharif who are all from New Jersey. In what way does New Jersey sound different from New York?

Our guest had an emergency come up so in place K and I had our discussion about Drizzy that went so many different directions and was so dope I'm putting it out for all. For those who don't care about Drake this is more of an analysis of the personality type that flourishes on top. Having all eyes on you can break certain people. K is hella smart. I learn a lot from him each week.

ATTENDEESNAHreally, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss Extra Cheese and what role it plays in NAHreally personal growth. Nominate 2010 Canon-dates. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESDash Lewis, SonRaw, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the influence and implications of Drug$$$ and the growth to Hate Island. Discuss Hate Island in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESRap Man Gavin, Jesse The Tree, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss how Garden Dance came together and how the relationship between Jesse and Gavin solidified.Discuss Garden Dance in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESB.Dolan, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss a successful artist's reasonable obligations to their community and to fight tyrannical influences. Discuss Fight Naked in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESFick, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the evolving landscape of hardcore rap music and what we like/want more of from it. Discuss Bleu Magic and ANGELS WITH FILTHY SOULS in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESSteelo, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss 2026 flows and how the universe of flow expanded. Discuss MERRY&RUE, EVERYTHING BURNS!, and A Weary Traveller Murmured To God in full flow detail. intro and outro by Andrew

ATTENDEESDaniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the place Roc Marciano has carved out in hip hop, his influence, skill set, and ramifications. Discuss the album 656 in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESLord Jah-Monte Ogbon, Dj Ray, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss signing to Lex Records and the evolution of Jah-Monte over the years. Discuss As Of Now in depth. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESKeith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDefine the SKILL GIFT CHALLENGE and the goals it hopes to accomplish. Provide album gifts to three current artists(Mickey Diamond, Rome Streetz, and Rufus Sims). intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESManu Trovão, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss Muses, Conversa Fiada, and Conversa Fiada: As Sessões Completas in depth. Discuss the style and craft of Manu Trovão in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESKendall Spencer, August Fanon, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the creative relationship between Kendall Spencer and August Fanon. Talk about Rooted In The Essence and L.O.S.S.E.S. in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESPink Siifu, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the methods and conditions of being an experimental indie rap artist. Discuss BLACK'!ANTIQUE and BLACK'!ANTIQUE; ONYX'! In detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESPep Love, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss Ascension legacy as a key part of one of the most important hip hop label release runs in history. Discuss physical only release of Acres Of Diamonds on ShopHiero website. Intro and outro by August Fanon

Usually I provide a complex breakdown with talking points. While I brought the idea of this supershow to the table, Kosey! ran with it and hosted. It was great to let the WUWTM crew take point, we had so much to talk about. If you have time this is a HECK of a ride.

ATTENDEESE L U C I D, billy woods, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the formation and growth of Armand Hammer as well as the audience. Discuss the new album Mercy (produced by Alchemist) in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESDot Dev, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the shift from the world of Pink Navel to Dot Dev and how the music changed. Discuss There Was a Wind, but No Chime in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESZilla Rocca, Disco Vietnam, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the Easy Street Mixtape and how it was put together. Discuss Fast Eddie as a follow up to Vegas Vic, in detail.intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESDaniel Olney, MIGHTYHEALTHY, HobgoblinAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss what went well and what didn't in 2025 production. Discuss the crowded world of media and how it affects the world of hip hop production. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESSnotnoze Saleemm, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss creating and crafting an experimental, loud album that also flows from track to track and coheres. Discuss A River Dies of Thirst in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESSKECH185,I.B.Fokuz,Collasoul Structure, Malakh El, Gilead7, IL. Subliminal, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss ways in which Tomorrow Kings has evolved from Industrial Music Mixtape vol.1 to now. Discuss SALT in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESChop The Head, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the positives and negatives of album cover art in 2025. What do we want more of? What do we want less of? Discuss 2025 album covers in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESDaniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the necessity for a fun rap album and what we need from it in this hip hop marketplace. Discuss Hi Top Fade by The Cool Kids and God Takes Care of Babies and Fools by Blu, Myka 9 and Mono En Stereo in depth. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESJesse The Tree, Mopes, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDA New BusinessDiscuss Worm In Heaven in depth. Discuss moving from Pigeon Man to Worm In Heaven after so much growth outside the collaboration in between projects. intro by andrewoutro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESJesse The Tree, Mopes, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDA New BusinessDiscuss moving from Pigeon Man to Worm In Heaven after so much growth outside the collaboration in between projects. Discuss Worm In Heaven in depth. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESFleetwood DeVille, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the legacy of Nicole Wray aka Lady Wray in music. Discuss Cover Girl in detail. intro and outro by August Fanon

ATTENDEESFleetwood DeVille, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the legacy of Nicole Wray aka Lady Wray in music. Discuss Cover Girl in detail. intro by andrew outro by August Fanon

My old roommate works in tech support with AI and loves art in all forms. I had to chop it up w/ him about AI in music and where we are seeing it pop up in cover art/other forms. This was a dope conversation and I'm happy to share it. Hope we have more.

ATTENDEESFleetwood DeVille, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the legacy of Nicole Wray aka Lady Wray in music. Discuss Cover Girl in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESKiller Kane, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss various projects like Drug$$$, 2000XL: A Space Odyessy, Blue Beach, Face Off 1 & 2, and Surviving Outta Spite.Discuss the style, habits and aspects that make Killer Kane's music special. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESI.B. Fokuz, Collasoul Structure, Iceberg Theory, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessTalk about the mission statement of Jyroscope and how it grew out of Tomorrow Kings and developed its own direction. Discuss Overdue in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESKosey!, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss Excerpts of Blk Joy Vol.1 in detail. Discuss BLACK STAR and New Moon in detail and in terms of how they deal with joyful sounds and themes. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESDeclaime, Spectacular Diagnostics, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss what lead to the creation of WHAT IF and where it sits in the catalog of everyone involved. Discuss WHAT IF in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESGabe Nandez, Preservation, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the process of Sortilège and what people should know about what it means. Discuss Sortilège in depth. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESNosaj from New Kingdom, Height Keech, NAHreally, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss After The End and how it led to Run Away with A Wild and A Rare One. Discuss Run Away with A Wild and A Rare One in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESPremRock, Curly Castro, Raphy, Ohbliv, Steel Tipped Dove, Keith Rollins, and Daniel Olney….and a bit of SunmundiAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the conception and execution of Triple Steel Beam. Discuss Lincoln Continental Breakfast, Saisir Le Feu, and Armature in detail. NOTESThree albums, 33 songs total. Prolific and at the same time lean and mean. Different flavors, all within that 25-30 minute range. The only thing comparable to the excellence and execution of this strategy is Roc Marciano's 2018. Nobody Planning To Leave was a beloved success and new level of cohesion for the group. When people took shots at the record it was only to note that the album recalled Def Jux flavors and a lot of ears still aren't tapped in. Triple Steel Beam leaves those concerns behind. Very different sonics, very different outcomes, and three projects that need one another like family. This is not the Jux playbook. The other thing that Triple Steel Beam builds on is the fantasy albums all of the fans dream up. Since each ShrapKnel album is one producer from this otherground space, fans were always spitballing the possibilities (I am super guilty of this) and this is our dream on overload. No matter how much we as fans wish albums into fruition ShrapKnel and beyond our powers in the realm of beat picking and always outpace our expectations. Triple Steel Beam is clear evidence of that. SHRAPKNEL LESSONSWhen I talk to other up and coming rappers about Curly Castro the lesson I want them to take from his work is that you should establish patterns but find interesting ways to break them. Keep the audience from sinking into deep comfort. From his writing, tone, and delivery Castro can steal a song in less than a full verse. Castro is one of the best in the world at creating impact. On the PremRock side, his solo work thoughts sprawl and expand from literary, economic, to sports references. Everyone who loves Prem loves this about his work, but we adore that he's never more concise and hard hitting than on ShrapKnel songs. It gives him an opportunity to grow in a different world without losing the progress he's making in how work. Creating multiple lanes for your work is great but putting your whole heart into each one moves you into a range of expertise few exist in.

ATTENDEESLord Juco, The Standouts, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the classic previous effort White Walls and how that came together. Discuss Break A Leg in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESSunmundi, Sasco, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the different phases of Sunmundi and what was learned from Klwn Cat, Āthmaan, on the way to CONTACTING. Discuss CONTACTING in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESYaya bey, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the growth from Remember Your North Star to Exodus The North Star to Ten Fold to do it afraid. Discuss do it afraid in detail. intro and outro music by andrew

ATTENDEESDylan Green aka CineMasai, Dash Lewis, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the excitement of Dope Game Stupid moving to My Story Got Stories. Discuss Potluck in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESBen Pedroche, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the process and patience it takes to put together a reference book of the scope of Independent As F*** and what it achieves. Discuss Indie hip hop from 1995-2005: the labels, regions, and trends that people need to know. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESKeith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss what has been missing from this years musical output. Discuss what we have loved so far about 2025 in music. Do both in detail. intro and outro by andrew

AGENDANew BusinessATTENDEESLord OLO, TELVANGEL, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyDIscuss the unique relationship between OLO and TELEVANGEL and the aspects that make it special. DIscuss Demon Slayer and Demon Slayer 2 in depth. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESRhys Langston, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss making hip hop outside of the standard/known sonic formats it exists in for the mass public. Discuss Pale Black Negative in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESSOO DO KOO, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the five full projects Soo Do Koo has released in 2025: Faith and A Hammer, To Spite The Face, Charred Remnants (w/ Sleep Sinatra), We Will Be Ok (w/ Thxk_u), and Meals On Wheels. Discuss Meals On Wheels in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESKaras Lamb, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss what we want from music in 2025 and what we've got so far. Discuss From The Private Collection of Saba and No ID, BLACK'!ANTIQUE , and Forty in depth. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESBrother Ali, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss becoming a fully indie artist and the adjustments it entails.Discuss the periods of Ali and lessons learned. Discuss the movement from Love & Service to Satisfied Soul and the importance of the mission. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESLet The Dirt Say Amen, Daniel Olney, Keith RollinsAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss vital works God Hates Gucci and Jesus Lightskin Superstar and how they lead us to this new project. Discuss Cool Disco Dirt in detail. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESDaniel Olney, no god, Keith Rollins, ĀthmaanAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the planning and execution of Wavelength (debut album by) no god. Discuss the four realms of Avatar in relation to emcees. intro and outro by andrew

ATTENDEESShemar, Keith Rollins, Daniel OlneyAGENDANew BusinessDiscuss the growth from Sunscreen to Traveling Light to emerge “n” see. Discuss emerge “n” see in depth. intro and outro by andrew