"WEFUNK: A Hip-Hop Primer"

“Who are these guys?”
“My theme music. Every good hero should have some.”
—Jack Spade and John Slade, “I’m Gonna Git You Sucka,” 1988.

I imagine I'm not the only 30-something who grew up with the hip-hop of the 80s and early 90s who has lost touch with the genre. I’ve long craved a show that combined the jams of my youth with the best cuts of today so that I could in some small way feel in-touch again.

Nearly ten years old, the WEFUNK show on Montreal’s CKUT offers a weekly taste of the best from the world of hip-hop. Each Friday night, Professor Groove and DJ Static join forces to offer two hours of hip-hop & funk, new-school & old-school, major label & unsigned acts. A typical show will feature current acts like Kanye West, Doujah Raze, and Common; essential tracks from Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, and Boogie Down Productions; all with periodic interludes of classic funk from James Brown, Curtis Mayfield, and Edwin Starr. By combining these eras, the WEFUNK crew provides a roadmap for the evolution of hip-hop from its stylistic and musical base in the confident, righteous R&B of the early 70s, through the genre-defining first wave of 80s rap, into today’s modern, mature sound that dominates the mainstream.

Although the bulk of tracks played on WEFUNK lean towards the political, socially conscious, and positive, hip-hop is a young man’s (and woman’s) game. If you’re more old school than new and want to listen to the show at work, take a moment to recall the language you used when you were 19 years old. In other words, headphones might be useful.

There are several ways to listen to WEFUNK. They offer a 24/7 feed via Shoutcast, downloads via Torrent or Podcast clients, on-demand downloads from their archives, and live audio every Friday night. Check the WEFUNK page for complete details on accessing the show.

I'm not a hero and I certainly don’t have a soundtrack. But if I ever have the need for a little theme music in my life, I like to think that WEFUNK would serve that purpose perfectly.