Freedom Thursday: Soul Classics & Hip Hop Gems!

The Ride With ChuckDiesal | October 15, 2026 | Show #455

SOUL, JAZZ, FUNK, ROCK & HIP HOP! THIS FREEDOM THURSDAY HAD IT ALL!! 🔥🎶

Sometimes I walk into the studio with a musical direction in mind, and other times I just want to take the listeners on a journey through the sounds, generations and cultures that make music so INCREDIBLE!

This week’s Freedom Thursday was one of those journeys!

We started with Jefferson Airplane’s classic “Today” from Surrealistic Pillow, a beautiful piece of psychedelic Rock that opened the door for everything that followed. From there, I took the Ride straight into some OLD SCHOOL SOUL!

The Emotions came through with “I Like It,” followed by Bobbi Humphrey’s Jazz-Funk masterpiece “Jasper Country Man.” Then we stepped into the musical genius of Curtis Mayfield with “Freddie’s Dead” from Superfly!

And you KNOW I wasn’t about to leave that FUNK alone!

Dennis Coffey’s “Scorpio” kept those grooves moving before Angela Muñoz brought us into a newer generation with “Forest Fire.”

THE OLD SCHOOL WAS SPEAKING, BUT THE NEW SCHOOL WAS LISTENING!

One of the things I really enjoyed about this first hour was exploring how those classic sounds continue to influence modern artists and producers.

And speaking of producers, ADRIAN YOUNGE WAS ALL OVER THIS RIDE!

First, we had The Delfonics & Adrian Younge with “Stop and Look (And You Have Found Love),” bringing that beautiful classic Philadelphia Soul feeling into a modern recording.

Then Adrian Younge returned alongside Ali Shaheed Muhammad with “Questions” featuring CeeLo Green from The Midnight Hour.

TWO DIFFERENT RECORDS, ONE PRODUCER WITH A SERIOUS UNDERSTANDING OF SOUL!

That’s what I love about these musical connections. The sounds may come from different decades, but the musical DNA is still there!

Doug Carn brought us back into Jazz territory with “Higher Ground,” before Alicia Keys stepped in with “She Don’t Really Care_1 Luv.”

From there, we continued exploring newer Soul and R&B with Joomanji & Saara Maria on “Sweet Music,” followed by Jessica Jolia & Yaahn Hunter Jr. with “More.”

And to close out the first hour?

MISS CARON WHEELER WITH “I ADORE YOU!”

Now THAT was a beautiful way to finish an hour filled with Soul!

HOUR TWO? HIP HOP TOOK THE WHEEL!! 🎤🔥

I wanted to start the second hour with something that carried a message, and Denzel Curry’s “Walkin” was exactly the record for the moment!

Positive-minded, reflective and packed with BARS! Denzel set the tone, and from there we went straight into the HIP HOP BAG!

Black Sheep brought “B Boys Theme,” Twista stepped in with “Intro” from Back To The Basics, and Nas reminded us of the culture’s power with “Ultra Black” featuring Hit-Boy.

Then we had one of those collaborations that makes you stop and pay attention!

1999 WRITE THE FUTURE, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, RICH BRIAN, SMINO & SURPRISE CHEF!

“SPIKY BOiz” brought different generations and styles together on one record, exactly the kind of musical combination I enjoy showcasing on the Ride!

Pablo Allah followed with “Waves,” then namesbliss came through with “Iniesta Flow” featuring scruz.

We kept moving with Saba’s “CALLIGRAPHY,” a beautiful example of thoughtful, expressive Hip Hop, followed by Rhymefest’s “Creator” featuring Brittney Carter & Rell Suma.

CHICAGO WAS REPRESENTING!

Then I brought Fabolous into the mix with “Make Me Better” featuring Ne-Yo, before taking things back to some familiar Hip Hop classics.

Thug Life & Natasha Walker gave us “Bury Me A G,” Foxy Brown came through with “Foxy’s Bells,” and Eve kept that energy moving with “Gotta Man.”

Different eras, different flows, different perspectives, but all part of the same HIP HOP STORY!

AZ stepped in with “The Wheel” featuring Jaheim, bringing that smooth streetwise sound before I decided to finish the show with another collaboration from 1999 WRITE THE FUTURE.

This time they connected with THE PHARCYDE on “Phabulous!”

WHAT A WAY TO CLOSE THE RIDE!!

Different Generations. Different Cultures. ONE MUSICAL CONNECTION!

What made this Freedom Thursday special was the way the music traveled.

We opened with psychedelic Rock, moved into classic Soul and Jazz-Funk, explored the production work of Adrian Younge, discovered newer R&B and Soul, and then spent the entire second hour celebrating HIP HOP!

From Jefferson Airplane and Curtis Mayfield to Denzel Curry, Nas, Saba, Foxy Brown and The Pharcyde, this was a reminder that great music doesn’t belong to one decade, one genre or one generation!

TOP TO BOTTOM HITS WITH GENRES AND CULTURES DRIPPING EVERYWHERE!!

Freedom Thursday is always a vibe! It’s just WHAT vibe will it be?

This is why you listen. You can’t WIN unless you play!

Good music as always… keep riding with Diesal!