Free Radio is hip-hop. In fact, it's the same hip-hop crew with a decade-long history in Asheville. You probably know them by their previous name, The Ville Boyz.

Aka, this year's runner up in the best of WNC hip-hop category, as voted by Xpress readers.

Aka, the band who's played sold-out shows at Christmas Jam and opened for Ice Cube.

Aka, the musicians who insist, via Facebook, "You ain't gotta rap about all that predictable, generic a** garbage!" To prove that point, their frantic-yet-soulful track Apocalyptic Skies, with guitarist Jeremy Indelicato, contemplates the end of the human race. The bass of music is moody, smooth, ebbing and flowing under the acrobatic poetry that seems to leap and fly from the tongues of the vocalists. There's also a brilliantly-places false ending and precise knitting of voices and rap styles, resulting in a dark tapestry of philosophy and beats that would be danceable if the subject matter wasn't so thoughtfully phrased and contemplative.