tribute to hip hop radio and its importance
djnikoless
236 Posts
I've been wanting to do this show for a while but never got around to it. Finally for the 2nd B-day of Redefinition Radio I will do this (March 17th). Here's a rough-draft of my research. Please feel free to read and comment, correct, add-on, or whatever... thanx-Rough TimelineThe DJ as a key factor in the advancement of Musical styles and promotions-60s: Soul Radio Jocks-60s: Soul Jocks Influence the reggae DJs (a.k.a MCs/Chatters)-70s: That influenece eventually reaches the Disco DJs and Pioneering Hip Hop DJS-Late 70s: The style of Hip Hop DJs creates a marketable genre of music called "Rap"-'79/early 80s until the explosion of music videos and internets: Radio becomes the key means of promoting and spreading the rap phenomenon (along with block parties, club nites, OJ cabs, and later mix tapes)-Mid 80s: Mixshows became a key way of breaking new artists (Red Alert, Marley Marl, Chuck Chillout, etc...)*The Soul Jock PioneersSonny HopsonGary ByrdJocko HendersonRufus ThomasKEY HIP HOP RADIO SHOW/PERSONALITY's-WHBI 105.9 (became WNWK)1)Mr Magic ('79-'82) (Saturdays 2-5 am)2)Awesome Two (Host Special K & DJ Teddy Ted) ['82?]3)World Famous Supreme Team4)Zulu Beats (DJ Afrika Islam, MC Donald D, etc...): (1983-1985) (Wed 1-3 AM)-WBLS1)Rap Attack w/Sir Juice Mr Magic "The Voice Of Hip Hop" and Marley Marl (82-86): back to WHBI for a hot minute then back to WBLS until 1990 (First All Rap Show On Commercial radio)2)In Control w/Marley Marl and Pete Rock-WHAT to Power 99Lady B (began on WHAT in '79 moved to Power 99 and started "The Street Beat" show) w/DJ Funkwizard Snow-KFOX (Seattle)Nasty Nes (1980-1988): got fired for being accused to taking Payola (Troop Outfits) to play MC Hammer's records (which he denies) and started his next show Rap Attack on KCMU-KACE 103.9 (CA)Mixmaster Gee-Saturday Night JamTony Joesph & Micheal Moore ("Supreme Team")-Saturday Night Jam-WJLBThe Wizard (aka Jeff Mills)-WHPK (ChicagoJP Chill ('83-to present)-98.7 Kiss NYRed Alert (first appears in '83 "mastermix dance party")Chuck Chillout Latin RascalsShep PettiboneTony HumphriesHosts: Jerry Young, Bugsy, Frankie Crocker-WKCR NYStretch Armstrong and Bobitto (Oct '90 until ??)-KDAY (The Nations first commercial all Hip Hop Radio Station): 1983-1990/1991? 1)Greg Mack-Program Director & On Air Host (The Mack Attack, Saturdays 8 -11 pm)2) The Mixmasters: Tony G, Julio G, Emcee O, M Walk, Joe Cooley, DJ Yella, Dr Dre, Battlecat etc...-950 AM Chicago (2nd all Hip Hop station??) Pinkhouse First Ladymisc still to add in:-wake up show-electryfying mojo-spectrum city-mike nardone-kevvy kev -Poetess (92.3 The Beat)-89.5 KPOO (Frankie J, La Baron, Marcus Clemmons, KK Baby): Bay Area on air '79/'80-John Peel (UK)-Dave Pearce-Fresh Start To The Week (first UK Hip Hop Show?/responible for skits on PE LP #2)-tim westwood (LWR, Pirate Radio, in early 80s/BBC World Service "Meridian" show as a pirate DJ/went to Capital FM in '87)-Stu Allen (UK)obviously there's been a million radio shows, DJs, and hosts over the course of time and some were great, some were good and some were probably awful, in any event name some of your favorites....-for a whole lot of hip hop info go here: http://redefradio.gather.com/
Comments
a show in Boston that has been on for at least 25 years - it
was an R&B/Dance show in the early 80's, and they started playing
about 20 minutes of rap around 81-82 ... I would tape the whole
thing and make pause-rewind mixes of "It's Like That" from them.
By the mid-late 80's half the night was hip hop, and by the mid-90's
it was 100% hip hop. It's run out of Emerson College, and uses student
DJ's, but for most of it's run had a prime-time slot of 8-12 5 nights a week
and is hugely popular. Until the onset of commercial hip hop FM radio in
the 90's, it was pretty much the only radio source for hip hop in
the entire Boston area.
Longtime black-owned AM station WILD would play some stuff, but they
played Public Enemy instro-only so you can see where they were coming from.
Tiny stations like 104.9 WRBB would play some shit, but you could barely get them
in their own neighborhood, never mind 20 miles away - especially within 1 point of monster signal 104.1 WBCN.
So, it was 88.9 at night or nothing in Boston for at least a decade.
And they still go strong, definitely booking and promoting
live shows, having rappers OTA, etc, more on the underground side.
They got moved to the 10PM-2AM slot recently, though, and it seems to
have taken some of the thunder out of the show, maybe it's just me.
Or maybe it's that many college student DJ's in 2007 just want to "cut loose"
by playing the same 1992 hip hop tracks every night. I listen to that shit
at home, kid - play me the new jams!
actually that was one thing I needed to research. I knew that I had seen him mentioned as that before. The only thing I can think of to compete and possibly beat that is JP Chill WHPK in chicago which I believe started in '83 but there is some question if the show started in '83 (with Patrick Moxy who started Payday Records) and hten handed it off to JP Chill in '85/'86 or if JP Chill was always on the show. I can't remember. Anyway, in any event he was there at least by '86 and is still there, same day, same time...no change since '83 or '86, solution to follow....