TURN OFF THE %#*)(@ RADIO!
Jay Smooth is reporting on this unbelievably racist skit that NY's Hot 97 is playing that mocks tsunami disaster victims as "screaming chinks" and how their orphaned children are being sold off into child slavery.
I know that commercial radio is basically a cesspool of corporate payola and media monopolies. But seriously, this goes beyond the pale of anything I can imagine. Not only is it remarkably insensitive but I simply cannot fathom how a New York station (9/11, remember that?) can act so callously towards a horrific event for a ratings boost.
So sincerely...FUCK Hot 97.
Says Jay:
- "As a New Yorker, as a radio person, and as a hip-hop fan I am ashamed and disgusted that Hot 97 is allowing this to broadcast on their airwaves. If you feel the same way you can let them know here:
HOT 97
395 Hudson St. 7th Fl.
New York, NY 10014
(212) 229-9797
hot97@hot97.com
And if you really want to send a message, and make Hot 97 hear it, you can contact their advertisers about this. I may try to put together a list of sponsors, or if anybody else has one please pass it along."
Spread the word.
On the positive radio tip, I had the opportunity yesterday to interview one of the biggest legends in rap radio, especially on the West Coast: Julio G. This is a cat who was a KDAY Mix Master at age 17, then hosted Westside Radio for The Beat for most of the '90s, and is now back on the resurrected KDAY in L.A., holding down the 7-11pm slot every week day (along with Beat Junkie Melo D). Not only that, but he can also be found on GTA 3: San Andreas, hosting that game's immensely popular Westside Radio station.
I grew up on KDAY as a teen in Los Angeles and have nothing but fond memories of how vibrant hip-hop was in Cali at the time: no one cared about coastal allegiances. An artist like D.O.C. or King Tee was just as relevant as Big Daddy Kane or KRS-One and vice versa. Julio G was breaking crazy records back then from every geographic corner.
I'll have a short interview with him appearing in a late winter issue of XXL but here's one tidbit that didn't make that piece. This is Julio, talking about his days with the other KDAY Mix Masters, Tony G, M-Walk, Jammin' Jim and Joe Cooley:
- "We used to record on reel. We’d go on Wednesdays, we’d all go do our hour mix. When we were there, if you f*cked up on tape, we kept the tape going, there was no such thing as editing or splicing things up. If you don’t want sh*t to be f*cked up, don’t be f*cking up. I appreciate Tony pushing us like that because it made us all want to be good."
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