August 2003 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AND WIDE DISTRIBUTION

FLUID RADIO: THE MIXTAPE… HIPHOP MEETS 60 MINUTES

Washington DC- While much of the current hip-hop generation blast themselves senseless toasting Cristal flavored dreams of the lifestyles of the rich and often infamous, an eclectic and progressive underground hip-hop movement has been joined by two more who look to change the face of the mix-tape forever.

FLUID Radio is the brainchild of two hip-hop enthusiasts and journalists.
Jared Ball aka TurnedTables the Funkinest Journalist and his partner in crime-Melki Russell represent an answer and challenge to the existing vapid network of conservative newscasts. Through the fusion of raw hip-hop smothered with newsbytes, speeches and interviews Fluid brings real, uncensored music, artistic expression and reporting. It's something wild and comprehensive enough to tell conservative talk show host Bill O'Reilly to go F… himself, all the while poking fun at the misspeaks of George Dubya, or the current state of hip-hop, which Melki says lies somewhere between, "the Bling-Bling Mountains and Utah."

Their initial offering, FLUID Radio Volume I, emerges from a Matrix-like void to grant you access to their particular sonic force experience. A key component of the Mix-tape Cd is the "Low IQ War Mix," a collage of comments, quips, and quotes on the current war against Iraq, spliced over hip-hop beats and laced with comedic interludes and funk grooves that educate as much as entertain. There are also tracks from local artists, street interviews, and excerpts from Mustafa El Amin (H. Rap Brown), the former Black Panther's 1968 speech on "Cultural vs. Political Nationalism." This is part of their plan to use hip-hop as a tool to educate, empower, and emancipate the minds of youth seeking something more than the continuous flow of commercialized hip-hop materialism.

"Everybody talks about keeping it real, but how real is some kid with a two-garage house worth of jewels in his ears, spitting thousand dollar champagne at a camera, while ten half-naked models cling to him like bounty? I mean, if I'm a kid in the Hood trying to get train fare to go to school, or saving to buy the latest Sean John, that ain't my reality," said Melki Russell. "FLUID FM is a concept. A concept that meets hip-hop at the crossroads, snatches that bottle of Cristal outta his hand and sells it to buy food for the hungry," added Malik aka Melki a journalist in the Black Press for nearly a decade.

For TurnedTables aka the Funkinest Journalist, in the midst of snatching a
PhD in Journalism from the University of Maryland, FLUID FM is an extension of his dissertation on the potential for the mix-tape to be a source of Emancipatory Journalism. "Emancipatory Journalism is a philosophy of journalism that is usually ignored in the United States. It basically holds that objectivity is a myth and the only real journalism is the kind that bluntly exposes how those in power abuse us and how we might do something about it," he explained. When asked why he is involved with such a project The Funkinest answered, "to expose corporate-owned mass-media as the illegitimate frauds they are and to move us toward a society where Malcolm X would represent the most conservative element."

FLUID Volume I, and the highly anticipated Volume II, is now available in the DC area at such places as Café Mawonaj, a hip cultural spot near Howard University, where FLUID FM will be hosting a number of events, including an August 15th "Listening Party." What is this pair's eventual goal? The founders agree that it is to distribute FLUID: The Mix-Tape in every Hood around the globe where mix-tapes are sold and to watch as it becomes a source of inspiration and organization for those whose spirits are in desperate need of nourishment. The words of the late great Albert King certainly apply to Fluid, "if you don't dig this you got a hole in your soul!"

For interview requests contact:
Jared Ball
(202) 248-4616
tables@mac.com

And for more information visit http://www.voxunion.com/chaos