LA Heads - Friday Night Flavas cancelled
Pistol_Pete
1,289 Posts
I'm sure some of you have known this already, but this show was cancelled last week.It's a damn shame since it served as such a great outlet for underground artists and dope mainstream album cuts that don't get shine on the radio.Plus - you don't hear many dj's with skills like that on the radio.
Comments
I guess they are trying to get the audience they lost to 96.3 back...
I am betting that 93.5 will pick up FNF though, it is a better fit anyway.
that'd make sense - would fit nicely.
Friday Night Flavors was always the best thing to hear when heading home from work,the club or a party.
flashback to when the Wake up Show was canceled for not budging on including R&B in its format.
I wish KDAY had better reception.
Whatever, this may just what K-Day needs to get more of an edge on Power. Thinking that Power with their identity crisis will switch to Reggaeton, not get the audience it lost to 96.3 back and then start flailing around trying any kind of format... Although I could be wrong and the Reggaeton hour could be the joint...
I hate when urban stations try to crossover and get on board with whatever the flavor of the month is.
Remember when Power was rocking hardhouse back to back with EPMD's Crossover?
BUT ---- I'm in LA right now for a week or two. And radio here beats the SCHITTTTTT out of NY, BAL radio. And East Coast radio in general. East Coast strictly plays the payola jawns, just the most popular and profitable shit.
J-Rocc, IMO, is the best DJ in Los Angeles, period (beside me, that is
In terms of the show - they should def be kept on the air at 93.5. I can, however, due without the interviews with people like Bus Driver and 2Mex. I'm good there - thanks. And I don't dwell in the valley - but once you get west of Laurel Canyon - the reception for 93.5 starts getting maaaaaad
Haha...yes - that was the only thing I could do without as well.
and agreed - J-Rocc should be getting several G's a night if all these other clowns are.
My boy saw Samantha Ronson at Mood a little while back and he was cringing at her blends and mixes..SO OFF - plus she gets $4000 a gig just for being Mark's lil sis.
Naw actually - beleive it or not - Ronson aint too bad. I mean -- she's not my favorite - but she definitely knows her shit and knows when to play thug anthems. Dropping a thug anthem at the right time is extremely clutch.
Hope someone else picks 'em up.
"Peace Everyone,
I don't know when or if J will post up about this here or on our Beat Junkie Message Board, but my man Byze One wrote this little dedication...got this through an email that he sent out. It's was crazy how we were talking about it this past Thursday at Fat Beats; J, C-Minus, Johnny Juice, Byze One, myself, & even Mike Nardone was there. We were all discussing about it. Like the Junkies, this was also part of my family...it was an honor to even be a back up DJ if J, Truly, or C Mizzle wasn't available. Knowing that I was an honorary Fantastik 4our felt pretty good. This was definitely home to me.
Anyways, another tragic hit for Hip Hop and for Los Angeles.....FRIDAY NIGHT FLAVAS WILL BE MISSED. And thank you Choc, C, Truly, J, and the Baka Boyz for the memories...Just thought I share my 2 cents.
Rhettmatic
Beat Junkies
Visionaries
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"Saying Good Bye to "Friday Night Flavas" - What it meant to LA Hip Hop, NYC Hip Hop and our Culture across the Globe".
By Byze One Jan 6 (14 hours ago)
History lesson: Do you remember back in the early 90's when Hip Hop was only on cassette and only in your walk man? When you used to get soo frustrated when you turned on the radio and could only hear Dance Music with corny DJ's talking fast as hell trying to act "not so urban"? When everyone was saying "No one wants to hear Rap music on the radio, it's not even music, they don't even use instruments"
Well in March of 1993 LA's own 105.9 "Power 106" wanted to give it a try so then PD, Rick Cummings recruited the 2 brothers from Bakersfield CA named Eric and Nick Vidal aka The Baka Boyz to move to LA to test out the waters. If you grew up in LA then you remember the then slogans were "Pure Energy" and "Dance Now" with the format to match. Hip Hop was no where to be found except on the underground scene, at house parties and back when the original KDAY was one but for the most part, mainstream radio was too scared to let Hip Hop in until the Baka Boyz brought it.
When they arrived in LA the Baka Boyz were put on the air to do a 7pm-12am night shift where from 10pm - 12am on Friday Nights they were able to play "Real Hip Hop". Their very first guests that they had on the air where B Real of Cypress Hill and Son Doobie of Funk Doobiest, the 2nd week was Ice Cube...Week number 3 was the House of Pain and the list just grew on from that point making this new show the place where Hip Hop now had a home on commercial radio.
After the first month on the air this Friday Night show was still a show without a name, so they ran a contest. They took callers idea's to come up with a name for the show and this is where the name was born. Although the callers name slipped Nick's memory he told me that Eric V liked the name one listener gave him and it was "Flava Fridays", The brothers flipped the title a little bit and came up with "Friday Night Flavas". The Winner was awarded with a "Def Jam Catalog" for his contribution to naming the industries most successful and respected Hip Hop show to date.
With the streets of LA was buzzing like crazy about this new show and these 2 DJ's from Bakersfield that were bringing it and bringing it right Power 106 started to take Hip Hop more seriously and shortly after the success and response from the show the station let it's doors open to Hip Hop and the station dropped it's "Dance Now" and "Pure Energy" from the slogan and thus spawned "WHERE HIPHOP LIVES", sounds familiar huh...Yes my friends this slogan that was bitten like a move from Beat Street was invented in LA, at Power 106, by the Baka Boyz and it came from "Friday Night Flavas"
From this point on Power 106 was now "Where Hip Hop lives" it's sister station, NY's Hot 97 was still playing dance music and not giving NYC, the birthplace of HIP HOP any kind of love. Nick recalls telling Steve Smith, the consultant for the station "You need to start playing Wu Tang Clan and other Hip Hop artists, their music is changing the face of Hip Hop and it is working for us here in LA". Imagine that, LA Radio is showing NYC's Hot 97 how to break "Hip Hop Music" in the very place that gave birth to it. So once again, Friday Night Flavas paved the way for Rap to get on New York City Radio and you never would have known this until now.
The show not only gave birth to Hip Hop on the radio but it also made way for Power 106 to build the very foundation that it sits on today, how you ask? Let me run a facts passed you. 1. E Man, the current Music Director of the station was discovered by the Baka Boyz in 1995 when they ran another contest for local DJ's to send in a mix tape with the winner to be added to the Power 106 "Power Mixers" rosters that already included DJ Enrie, Humpty Vission and Tony B as they were strictly Dance and House DJ's.
One month following EMan being added to the list the Baka Boyz came back home and recruited the 2 next best secrets in Hip Hop, Mr Choc and DJ C Minus aka the Almightly Rough Nexx. Yes more DJ's from Bakersfield coming to the rescue and helping Hip Hop gain it's ground in Los Angeles. With Choc and C Minus holding down the "overnight shift" at Power for a little of a year then they were asked to come join to "Friday Night Flavas" show to hold down 2 hours. You see the show was becoming so big for the station that they extended the 2hr slot to a 4 hr slot. So from 10pm-12am the Baka Boyz rocked the turn tables with guest DJ J Rocc of the World Famous Beat Junkies, then the last 2 hours (12am - 2am) was given to the Rough Nexx to do there thing as Nick and Eric trusted they could since we all came from the same cloth.
By this time if you knew anything about the music industry or had to work records WE ALL KNEW that no matter what happens you had to book your artist promotional tour to land in LA on a Friday so that they could walk in the doors of the " First and Most Respected show in Hop Hop" and if you didn't then it was just not going to happen. You had to see the Baka Boyz and the RoughNexx on "Friday Night Flavas" or you just simply didn't know what the fuck you were doing. Bottom line.
At some point in the summer to come KPWR decided to cut off all of the specialty shows for the summer and Flavas was off of the air for a few months and during this break once again everyone was upset. Hip Hop's first show was gone and the listeners let it be known that they wanted their show back on.
. While KPWR was trying to figure what to do with itself it seemed like a no brainer, bring in more mixing because it made for more inter-action with the listeners and it kept them listening longer. Along with the idea Eric and Nick helped create a slogan that was going to change the face of the mix show and it's place in the music industry from Coast to Coast. Do the words "Cali Caliente Mix Weekend" mean anything to you? Well if you live in the West Coast or have visited you most definitely have heard that phrase and yes it was made up by Nick V while he was in my car in Oakland talking on the phone with the Consultant trying to come up with a game plan and a name for this new "mix show" theme that Radio was trying to test out, again.
So once the name was in place the specialty shows were coming back and in that line up with the "Return of Friday Night Flavas", damn I remember this soo vividly because I made up "The Return of Friday Night Flavas" shirts to pass out to the streets and homies of the crew. If you have one of those shirts hold on to it because it's a classic.So a few months later was the official " Return of Friday Night Flavas" and upon it's return to the airwaves came a classic show with Jurrasic 5, Dilated Peoples, B.E.P (before they popped), Tha Lixx and Shaq (O'Neil) feat Jay Z" all performed to show their support for the show that created their radio careers. To support the show that created Power 106's success and lit tle did they know it would get soooo BIG. Speaking of Big, yes even Big Boy and Fuzzy were discovered on Friday Night Flavas. Big was then the body guard for the Pharcyde and used to call up and talk ideas with Nick and Eric. He even had a segment added to their show called "This Be It or Frisbee It" where they tested out new records with the listeners to see if they likes it or not.
Once Big's relationship got closer with the Baka and Fuzzy made his debut from working at Warner Bros to jumping on Friday Night Flavas as a guest with Mr Choc and C Minus they were then introduced to the Bosses to give them a shot on the air. So the foundation of this stations success was built on "Friday Night Flavas' and the crew that created it. Whether anyone will ever admit to it or not The Baka Boyz founded the show that introduced LA to Mr Choc, C Minus, Fuzzy, E Man and Big Boy as they all came from this show. And we can even trickle over to when the Baka Boyz discovered Tito as he was the janitor of the building and when they invited him read the top songs of the day in his broken english to making him the ..1 slot in his time.
After the departure of the Baka Boyz in 1998 and with little to no credit for them building the foundation that Power stands on today the show was officially handed down to Mr Choc and C Minus by Eric and Nick and then with their blessings came the change of the name and the new additions to the show. 1998 was there year that the officially called it "The Fantastik 4our Show" with Mr. Choc, C Minus, Truly Odd and DJ J-Rocc. LA was able to live on with the show remaining true to itself, the cast being that of the most respected DJ's in the History of Hip Hop. Mr Choc and J Rocc are still holding it down for the World Famous Beat Junkies, Truly Odd has been holding down Hip Hop since the college radio days in the early 90s, to the Heavyweights Record Pool that gave birth to all of the DJ's the run the streets/clubs of LA now and C Minus, Hip Hop's first DJ to bring the sound of Rock an Hip Hop together years before Limp Bizkit was cool enough to play on Power 106 and as a matter of fact it was C Minus that brought them to KPWR's attention and eventually got records added into rotation like Limp Bizkit and Linkin Park. Shit this was year before Jay Z was even thinking about rapping for a Rock group.
Shit, although the Bio is written up one way the TRUTH BE TOLD Eminem, Americas BIGGEST Rapper was discovered on "Friday Night Flavas" and this is the real. Back when he was on a small promotional tour from Vegas to LA, I was asked by his then manager "Zues" to set up a few radio visits and the first stop was "Hip Hop Site" with Warren Peace in Las Vegas and the 2nd was "Friday Night Flavas". After DJ EMan dropped the "Phone Tap" beat for him to freestyle on the phone rang and Dre's people reached out to Fuzzy to make happen what we all know is history. So irregardless of what anyone says, bio or not...Rappers like Cypress Hill, Ice Cube, B.E.P, Jay Z, Wu Tang and Eminem where all given their shot on this show and then everyone else followed. This show was home to the Hip Hop Kings and Queens of our Culture. This show created a lot of Rap and Radio careers and this show built the very foundation that allowed Hip Hop to be tested and accepted by the Radio Industry and this past Wednesday this show was put to Rest by the very station that it built.
Before Kevin Lyles was running Def Jam and now Warner Bros he was passing out Flyers at a Baka Boyz remote in Beverly Hills, before Scoop the Fat Man was hyping up Missy records he was calling Mr Choc to play his Tommy Boy records, Before Biggie was Notorious he was busting freestlyes on Friday Night Flavas and riding shoot gun to the station in Jen Norwoods little blue Toyota....Back when Rob One had the illest record collection and road the city bus to bring records to the crew and please believe he was drinking a 40 of Old E and tagging up the bus all the way everytime.
It is this show that until the very last time it was ever heard was able to showcase true and raw Hip Hop like no other, ask any commerical, underground or independent rap group out and they will let you know that it was an HONOR to get your records played on this show. It was an HONOR to be let upstairs to be interviewed. It was an HONOR to be an HONORARY member of this family. P-4 is legendary, the stairway is classic, the sessions out front until the Sun came up where some of the best times we all had.
This show was more than just a slot that KPWR gave some DJ's to play some records, it was the HOMEBASE for LA's truest HipHop DJ's and scene. If you listen to the way mixers blend in and out of records you will find the formula that was birthed by The Baka Boyz, Mr Choc and C Minus. DJ Vice graduated from the Cali Kingz (Baka Boyz) Record Pool on to mixing on the air, DJ E Man came in thru the Baka Boyz, Virman, Echo and Rawn came in thru E Man...See the pattern? Ok good I just wanted you to know to remember just in case you forgot.
I know the guys would love to BIG UP everyone that supported the show from the day the doors opened to the day that they closed. If you never heard of this show then you do not understand how much this hurts the true family of this show. I know for a fact the list of honorary members will now feel homeless because we have no place to call home anymore.
Make room for another 50 Cent record now that the last Hip Hop show is gone, yes they even played his records before he got shot, back when Irv Gotti was DJing for Mic Geronimo way before they would become enemies. Eric V Nick V Mr Choc C Minus JRocc and Truly Muthafuckin Odd.....WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU HAVE DONE FOR US....
I can speak on behalf of Myself, Kelly Woo, Ray Tamara, Jenn Norwood, Rod Edwards, Minus, MONA LISA, the Fat Beats crew from Vermont Ave, Tommy Gun, Mong, Bigga B (REST IN PEACE), Chace Inifinite, Krondon, Jay Are, DJ Rob One, Cheeks, MC Serch, Beni B and Peanut Butter Wolf when I say Thank You to all 6 of you for what you gave us because without you and your show none of those names I listed would have loved what they do nor had a place to go and break real Hip Hop....
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Little known fact, as many years as these 6 dedicated DJ's have been supporting your hometown records, breaking new artists, making some into Multi Platinum Rappers and never having a Friday Night off in over 10 yrs you need to know that 4 of them did it for free. No one else in this game is more dedicated to the support of pure Hip Hop then the Fantastik 4our. They kept it Raw, Pure and Hip Hop. From 93 until 05
The Last interview was O.C so I guess "Time's Up.."....times up
www.heavyweights.org/ fantastik4our/
www.myspace.com/fantastik4our
(If I got any information wrong my apologies and I hope that I gave it justice. This show was a major part of our lives and our growth in Hip Hop and as friends...Please forgive me)
--
Byze One
YEAH I SAID IT !
that's some ignorant ass shit right there...how the fuck you gonna just overlook Mr. Magic's Rap Attack on WBLS???? that shit went strong for YEARS, and it started in the early 80's. That dude, Red Alert and the World Famous Supreme Team paved the way for EVERYONE else. I'm sure there was even other fools on the east coast doin it I just thought of those 3 off the top.
Esplain yourself or you're
i think KDAY is overrated....i grew up in the KDAY era and not too many dudes gave a shit for more than a week after KDAY was taken off the air...
KDAY was good and different...but the great things about KDAY were The Mixmasters and Russ Parr ......Russ Parr left and you couldn't listen to the Mixmasters past 7:00pm because the signal was fucked up
I never heard one song on KDAY before i first heard it in the streets
Power106 changed radio across the United States after they adopted "Where hip hop lives".....which was because of The Baka Boyz...which was because of Friday Night Flavas....
Power106 in the 90's ran shit coast to coast...made the blueprint for radio today
when you change radio you change a whole lot of important shit
Angry & tough street thugs will pose like this to get their songs played on the radio
Thanks for that (seriously).
I'd credit Power 106 but I think you also have to give The Wake-Up Show it's dap...and I'm talking when it was on KMEL in S.F.
Sway/Tech/Quixx = unfuckingfadeable. (no disrespect to Revolution)
I could be wrong but I always thought it was a money issue and that POwer just paid out more.