Fresh off the release of the most recent Georgia & Declaime album, SomeOthaShip, Declaime aka Dudley Perkins is preparing the release of his latest solo album as one of two initial releases from Georgia Anne Muldrow’s and Declaime’s own label, SomeOthaShip Connect. The album, titled FONK, will be available digitally as well as on CD and vinyl May 4th.

For fans of Declaime’s previous albums, the appropriately titled FONK boasts a new, distinctive sound for the emcee; one that harkens back to the west coast Roger Zapp/Funkadelic sound that inspired the west coast G-funk hip-hop Declaime grew up listening to. To help bring that sound to life, Declaime enlisted the services of Quazedelic – an understudy of George Clinton himself, who has since went on to work with artists including Snoop Dogg – to produce the entire album. “I wanted to keep it to my heritage of West Coast funk,” says Declaime. “A lot of us west coast underground artists tend to go to the east coast feel ’cause it’s an innovative boom-bap sound. So my crew – Souls Of Mischief; The Pharcyde; Planet Asia – did that. But we actually grew up listening to MC Eiht, E-40, Dre, Snoop, Ice Cube, Too Short, DJ Quik, NWA – music that had a Zapp, Parliment, Funkadelic feel to it.”

Declaime’s return to his funk roots also marks a departure from his work as Dudley Perkins. As the MC steps away from his Dudley Perkins persona, he will instead be showcasing honed emcee skills and his no-nonsense, to-the-point lyricism coupled with his unorthodox, winding rhyme patterns. “I made the music with a simpler context,” says Declaime. “This way my message of positivity can now reach a wider audience.” Songs throughout the project, including the album’s lead single, “Fame,” available today via iTunes, perfectly display the sound of the new project.

Declaime – “Fame” (MP3)