OnAir November 2023

ON AIR

WKCR 89.9 FM

November 2023 Vol. xxii, No. 11

OnAir · November 2023

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WKCR 89.9 FM Station Manager Ale Díaz-Pizarro stationmanager@wkcr.org Program Director Maria Shaughnessy programming@wkcr.org Director of Operations Zachary Vanderslice operations@wkcr.org Student Life Director Ted Schmiedeler studentlife@wkcr.org Publicity Director Georgia Dillane publicity@wkcr.org Jazz Heads Tanvi Krishnamurthy & Satch Peterson jazz@wkcr.org New Music Head Razvan Matei newmusic@wkcr.org Classical Head Melisa Nehrozoglu classical@wkcr.org American Head McKenna Roberts american@wkcr.org In All Languages Head Ann Vettikkal ial@wkcr.org Latin Head Leni Bryan latin@wkcr.org News & Arts Head Josh Kazali news@wkcr.org Sports Head August Phillips sports@wkcr.org

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Dear Listeners, This month, WKCR embarks on the monumental task of celebrating 50 years of hip hop, whose early days & pioneers found a platform on our airwaves, cementing WKCR's place firmly in the history of the genre. You can learn all about that history in this month's featured article and timeline (p. 4-11)—a piece of writing OnAir is proud to publish, and that I'm confident will hold a seat of honor in our annals.

To put it more directly, this month's featured piece is an instant classic. You'll definitely want to refer to it in the lead-up to our marathonic 80-hour hip hop festival spanning November 15th-18th. Even if you think hip hop is not for you, we hope you'll tune in: this festival has been in the works for months and there will be something to learn from every set about a different facet of hip hop's history. For a taste of one of those facets, you can also check out this month's "Around the Station" (p. 22-24), a collection that showcases hip hop's power to broach both the serious and the humorous, the heavy and the light—a range you can absolutely expect in the programming for the festival.

Hip hop is not the only anniversary we celebrate this month: this issue, November of 2023, marks one whole year since the revival of WKCR's OnAir guide in November 2022. WKCR, too, is multifacetic, and our work on this publication is just one more avenue for us to share our love and knowledge of music with you, which is what we're all about. From the OnAir team, thank you for reading our guide: we hope it has added to your WKCR experience.

Happy Listening (and Reading)!

Alejandra Díaz-Pizarro Station Manager Cover photo by Rashim Akrid.

Mailing Address

CONTACT US

2920 Broadway General Inquiries: board@wkcr.org New York, NY 10027 Listener Line: 212-854-9920 USA ©Copyright 2023 WKCR FM NYC

This Month OnAir The 40-Year Legacy of Hip Hop at WKCR . . . page 4

Meet a Member: Satch Peterson . . . page 12

Weekly Schedule . . . page 14

Special Broadcasts & Themed Shows . . . page 15

Show Listings for WKCR Listeners . . . page 12

Harmonizing America . . . page 20

WKCR's Favorite Hip Hop Bars . . . page 22

Support WKCR . . . page 25

OnAir · November 2023

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FEATURE PIECE

The 40-Year Legacy of Hip Hop at WKCR

by August Phillips, McKenna Roberts, Ted Schmiedeler, Heather Hayes, & Isabelle Fishbein

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n summer 1983, Ovid Santoro arrived at that there was “no way that it was a foregone Columbia and joined WKCR in his first conclusion that this was gonna break out.” Early semester as a student. As he began regularly on, some members of the WKCR Board resisted hosting Transfigured Night on Tuesday and having hip hop played on the station, and Santoro Thursday nights, he would often play hip hop noted the racist undertones in that resistance. records and host “It’s like, wait, we play local rappers and jazz all the time. And DJs in the station. he was just against Forty years later, the culture,” Santoro Santoro’s shows are said about one Board the earliest instance member. But Santoro of hip hop being saw the emerging played on WKCR, genre of hip hop as and made WKCR certainly fitting the one of the earliest description of “New radio stations in the Music" (Transfigured world to regularly Night's department), air hip hop. Since and received support then, hip hop has from other members become a massively of the Board. important cultural During his 1-5 a.m. force and the most shows—a time slot Ovid Santoro, Jam Master Jay, D.M.C. of Run DMC, and Lyor popular genre of central to the history Cohen at an anti-apartheid protest at Columbia in 1985. music in the United Photo by Lori Traikos / Courtesy of Ovid Santoro of hip hop at WKCR— States. The history Santoro began of hip hop at WKCR is likewise long and complex, including records from New York City artists and parallels much of the music’s growth. he was familiar with. But although rappers and In advance of WKCR’s November broadcast DJs were desperate for radio airtime, there were celebrating the 50th anniversary of the genre, relatively few hip hop recordings available to play this feature details four decades of hip hop at at the time: “I had like 50 records, maybe, max,” WKCR and the students, DJs, and musicians who Santoro said. Instead, Santoro’s shows were a made it all possible. free-form mix of hip hop, new music, spoken Santoro began playing hip hop on Transfigured word, and a variety of guests in the station with Night largely due to the time he spent at New York him. While these were often other Columbia City clubs, like Danceteria and Disco Fever, and students, Santoro also consistently had some of the artists he met and interacted with in them. At the most important figures in early hip hop on his the time, hip hop did not have a strong presence show, including the Cold Crush Brothers, Afrika in the mainstream, and Santoro recalled Bambaataa, Whodini, and Grandmaster Melle

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Mel, as well as Lyor Cohen, a friend of Santoro 1990 with the introduction of The Stretch Armstrong who led Def Jam and is now YouTube’s global and Bobbito Show. Stretch Armstrong grew up on head of music. These guests would come in on the Upper East Side and became interested in their way to or from clubs where they performed, hip hop as a teenager. He was a talented DJ when and might play non-hip hop records they liked or he joined WKCR as a freshman in Columbia talk on the mic. “It was just like, ‘We’re hanging College, and had previously been connected with out with Ovid at the station,'” Santoro said.

DJ Clark Kent. Stretch sought to bring hip hop to While Santoro’s show also brought artists like New York’s airwaves with a dedicated show on Run DMC and LL Cool J to the Columbia campus, WKCR by enlisting the help of his close friend he emphasized that his goal Bobbito Garcia. The two was never to try to place were granted a show on the genre on a pedestal, but Friday mornings from 1 to rather to simply play good 5 a.m.—the same slot that music and have a good Santoro had previously time. “The beauty of this all filled—that first aired on is that it was authentic and October 25, 1990. natural and organic. The From the birth of the whole purpose of it was to show, the duo emphasized be inclusive. [...] The idea live performances from was, this is good music, it unsigned artists in New deserves to be heard, and York City and beyond. it’s not on the big radio Stretch would DJ, Bobbito stations.” would host, and when they Although Santoro had guests on, freestyles continued hosting and pre-prepared verses Transfigured Night shows would be performed. until he left the country in The late hours cultivated 1989, he never interacted a dedicated fanbase. A with the next round of new culture was brewing hosts to play hip hop on at WKCR with the WKCR. In the summer of introduction of the show on 1986, the We Could Do This 89.9 FM—or, as Stretch and Show first aired, hosted by A flyer from 1986 for the “We Could Do This Show” Bobbito called it, “89tec9.”

Prime Minister Pete Nice Perhaps the biggest with Prime Minister Pete Nice and DJ Clark Kent.

Photo from Peter Nash / Deadspin.com name Stretch and Bobbito and DJ Clark Kent. Pete Nice had been in several had on the show was also hip hop groups in high school and got involved one of the earliest. Biggie Smalls visited WKCR in in music again after a college career-ending 1991 as part of a series Stretch and Bobbito called basketball injury. DJ Clark Kent would play music “Demo Battles.” Two unsigned artists would in clubs and worked to get these records onto the bring in a demo tape to be played on air and a major airwaves. The two of them created a show winner would be decided. Biggie Smalls took on that set the tone for hip hop at WKCR with a the group The Bronx Zu in the battle, and The focus on creating a platform for artists not played Bronx Zu actually won. This was so early into the elsewhere. Their show was not renewed at the show that Stretch and Bobbito never recorded end of the summer, but both continued in the hip the performance because they did not realize the hop industry and were instrumental in hip hop significance of what they were doing. Luckily, continuing to be played at WKCR. fans taped it themselves while listening at home WKCR’s hip hop scene would be shaken up in and it has circulated since.

OnAir · November 2023

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Biggie would not be the only New York legend 13, 1994), Ol’ Dirty Bastard (March 2, 1995), and to appear on the show. Nas would become a RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard (July 23, 1998). somewhat regular on the show in his early However, the most famous freestyle ever career. He first came on in January 1991 and aired on the show is undoubtedly the Big L and would again stop by leading up to his debut Jay-Z freestyle on February 23, 1995. The duo album Illmatic, with two notable freestyles in got on the mic and traded verses for just over 9 1993. One of these freestyles, was even released minutes, and fans debate who had a better verse as part of the 20th anniversary deluxe release of to this day. Uploads of the freestyle online have Illmatic, titled Illmatic XX. Nas’ visit on October garnered millions of views. Some consider it to 28, 1993 was a busy night for Stretch and Bobbito. be the best song Big L ever recorded—officially Tyesh Harris, a rap promo director for Columbia released or not.

Records, wanted to get the Fugees on the show By the mid 1990s, both Stretch and Bobbito to build their credibility with a rap audience. were established and respected members of Originally, Stretch the industry. was not interested Stretch would do in bringing the some A&R work group on due to for Mobb Deep, their R&B artistic who appeared on leanings. However, the show on July Harris was able to 7, 1994. Bobbito schedule Nas and founded Fondle Big L the same ’Em Records in night, so the Fugees 1995, which signed were brought on as MF DOOM and MF well. Lauryn Hill Grimm.

Grimm (who was enrolled appeared on the at Columbia for show multiple about a year before times throughout dropping out to the early 90s and Stretch and Bobbito in the WKCR studios. pursue music) DOOM would Courtesy of DJPremierBlog.com and Wyclef Jean deliver a beautiful killed their performance, and Harris declared freestyle on April 24, 1997, before the release afterward that “the Fugees are on the map.” of his debut record Operation: Doomsday, which The Stretch & Bobbito Show was also the first was released on Fondle ’Em Records. Stretch and radio station in the world to play music from the Bobbito’s reputation made WKCR a destination Wu-Tang Clan. One night in December 1992, Wu- for artists seeking to kick-start their careers and Tang showed up at the studio unannounced and attracted many other big names to the station, rang the doorbell, demanding to see the host of such as Q-Tip, Eminem, KRS-One, DMX, Large the show. Stretch was out of town, so Bobbito Professor, Fat Joe, Talib Kweli, Redman, Busta answered and was given a record to play on air Rhymes, Big Pun, Mos Def, Black Thought, Royce from the group, but the record was unmarked Da 5’9”. As the duo continued to program, the and unlabeled, a sign it had been completely show would be named the greatest hip hop show independently produced. Bobbito played it on in the world by The Source magazine in 1998. air, bringing “Protect Ya Neck” to the airwaves for Following its success and partial transition to the first time. Wu-Tang would continue to appear mainstream hip hop programming, The Stretch on the show throughout the 1990s, with notable Armstrong and Bobbito Show would undergo freestyles being delivered by Ghostface Killah significant changes. The duo had differing visions and Method Man (March 31, 1994), GZA (October on what music to play and which direction to take

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the show. After hosting on alternating weeks for and Lord Sear took over until 2003, when Suce and a period, the duo decided to call it quits in 1999, Timm said WKCR removed him from the air. In and programmed their last show on WKCR on March 2003, Suce and Timm officially inherited January 10th. Despite the show’s end, The Stretch the 1-5 a.m. time slot and it was renamed to Squeeze Armstrong and Bobbito Show was a cornerstone in Radio. Suce was the primary voice and DJ for the hip hop throughout the 1990s, leaving a lasting show, while Timm, given his background as a impact on a generation of artists and listeners journalist, often interviewed artists who visited. that would affect the genre forever.

Both hosts were intimately connected to the hip Following the end of the show, the late-night hop scene in New York City and were constantly slot was renamed The CM Famalam Radio Program. looking for underground artists and new music Bobbito continued to program alongside another to feature. While this was a direct extension of DJ named Lord Sear. Like its predecessors, the the legacy of Stretch and Bobbito, Timm noted show played that he and many up-andSuce were coming artists operating in a in the New York unique moment City area, such in relation to as Cannibal the rise of the Ox, a duo from internet, and Harlem, and that shaped Yak Ballz, an the music they independent often chose hip hop artist to play. “[My based out of tastes] were Queens. They very much also brought influenced by in rappers and the new things freestyle artists that were such as Rahzel, coming up via An image featured on the fan-organized petition to keep “Squeeze Radio” on a former internet,” the air after WKCR announced its cancellation. the member of said.

Courtesy of TheWordIsBond.com Timm the Roots, and “That wasn’t Supernatural and Megahertz. hyperlocal. It was more like ‘What does this The intern for The CM Famalam Radio Program person sound like they’re from? They sound like was named Suce, who at the time went by Jer2 they’re from the internet,’ as opposed to ‘They and later adopted the name DJ Sucio Smash. sound like they’re from the Bronx.”

Around 2000, Suce met Timmhotep Aku, who This awareness of both the local and emerging went by Timm See at the time and had also internet scene led to Squeeze Radio featuring and interned for Bobbito near the end of The Stretch playing a number of significant artists early on Armstrong and Bobbito Show. The two quickly in their careers. “I was probably the first person bonded over Big Pun at a Nike event organized to play Kanye on New York radio,” Timm said.

by Bobbito, and when Bobbito took a break from “I was the first person to play Madvillain on the radio in 2001, they took over the show for about radio. There’s an original demo version that never a month and called it CM Famalam Kids. “We’re came out, I played that in its entirety … We got in kinda like their young understudies,” Timm said. trouble for it.” The duo also played Lupe Fiasco, “Almost like you have Muppets and then you have Jay Electronica, Little Brother, Blu & Exile, and Muppet babies, we’d be the Muppet babies.” others before they gained mainstream notoriety.

Bobbito retired from the show not long after, Roc Marciano, who Suce helped get a first record

OnAir · November 2023

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deal, made his radio debut and performed a rare Timm expressed that WKCR as an institution has freestyle on Squeeze Radio in August 2004. Due often failed to embrace hip hop and the people to the exits of Stretch and Bobbito and WKCR’s playing it, and the removal of hosts closely tied to extremely limited broadcast range post-9/11, “We the culture outside of Columbia limited both the basically started from ground zero,” Suce said. station and its programmers. “The people who get But over time and due to its intense attention to go to WKCR, that get to go to Columbia, aren’t to local and underground acts, “Squeeze Radio” necessarily the people who are directly in touch, built up a dedicated audience by word-of-mouth in tune with hip hop,” Suce said. Both he and Timm and through the internet. expressed that it could benefit both students and But despite the success of the show, the the broadcasting if there was collaboration with relationship between Squeeze Radio and WKCR DJs with more connections to and knowledge of was not as collaborative or harmonious as Suce hip hop in New York City. “Hip hop is a music of and Timm believe it could have been. Timm people, it is a music of subculture, it is a music observed that of experience,” “we were more Timm said. “If tolerated than the goal of the anything” and institution is Suce said there to broaden the was very little perspectives of communication the kids who are between them in attendance at and the WKCR said institution, Board.

That I think you don’t tension came to necessarily do an abrupt head that by having in October 2010, it completely be when WKCR homogenous.” announced it But the was canceling removal of Squeeze Radio Squeeze Radio Angelo Hernandez-Sias explaining the premise and addition of and handing certainly “Notes from Underground” to programmers at WKCR, 2019. was the show over Photo by and courtesy of Amiri Tulloch. part of an effort to students. The

by WKCR to board issued a statement saying, “Unfortunately, have all programming be hosted by Columbia Sucio Smash is not a student, he is a well- affiliates. Following the removal of the show established professional DJ. We feel that we must from the programming schedule, the 1 to 5 a.m. uphold the WKCR constitution and give students slot was filled with hip hop programming on the the opportunity to create a hip hop radio show.” show Rap Cat’s Radio, later titled Offbeat. The According to Suce and Timm, they were given show featured solely student programmers for no notice that this change was going to be made the first time since 1998, as well as broadcasts until two weeks beforehand, when student highlighting various corners of the underground members were at the station before their show hip hop scene in New York and beyond. For the and notified them of the pending cancellation. next nine years, Offbeat remained a focal point “Super sudden, super abrupt. We weren’t even of hip hop programming at WKCR, building off prepared, we had no idea,” Suce said. “Yeah, it of the legacy left by Stretch and Bobbito. Many wasn’t nice, but it’s okay.” When reflecting on this students, however, felt that only one hip hop show moment and the historical relationship between was not sufficient to capture the expansive nature WKCR and hip hop programming, both Suce and of the genre. Additionally, students expressed that

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with only a single show to explore a genre rooted in Black liberation, creative expression, and storytelling, WKCR felt like a radio station that had little space for Black student programmers and other students of color.

This changed in September 2019 when, after a small coalition of students organized to propose a new show, WKCR added Notes from Underground to the programming schedule. Spearheaded by Angelo Hernandez-Sias, the group of student programmers included Amiri Tulloch, Payton Johnson, Mati Kassaye, Sam Fleming, Vanessa Chadehumbe, and Nicholas Rubertone. On Saturdays from 12:30-2:00 a.m., the second hip hop show on WKCR primarily focused on highlighting emerging and experimental artists.

In WKCR’s announcement of the addition, the show was described as being “hosted by a variety of student programmers, each with their own eclectic taste in hip hop, so that its sound evolves alongside the genre. The program also hosts local and visiting artists for interviews, freestyles, and guest curation.” Not only were student programmers successful in creating space for entirely student-centered programming on air, but they were also committed to returning to WKCR’s legacy of unfiltered and authentic hip hop programming. Tulloch, a sophomore at Columbia at the time Notes was created and one of the student programmers who was instrumental in its creation, described the magic of Notes as being rooted in the inherent collective and collaborative nature of the show, stating that on nights when they were programming, the station was frequently filled with friends and voices from across Columbia’s campus—voices that continue to shape and mold the sound of Notes from Underground today. Furthermore, in describing the personal attachment that Amiri held to Notes, he described that while hip hop was heightened to unimaginable levels by student programmers in the 1990s, student-centered hip hop also was the centerpiece of the station for him as a Black student and connected him to WKCR in a much more palpable way.

After the students involved in the creation of the show graduated and became alumni, the baton was passed to Dylan Farley, who is

currently the most regular programmer of Notes From Underground. Today, Notes regularly features interviews and performances from emerging artists on campus and across New York City, album reviews, and other facets that make the show unique from anything else played on WKCR while continuing to build off and expand the legacy of hip hop programming at the station.

Even in 2023, his push to expand hip hop programming is ongoing, and while the addition of Notes From Underground cemented the space for free-form, unfettered creativity at the station, student programmers have continued to search for new paths to reconnect WKCR with the larger hip hop community, one of which is featuring hip hop artists on WKCR’s show dedicated to live performances, Live Constructions. The most recent performance took place on May 21, 2023, when WKCR hosted the rapper MAVI on air for a live interview and performance.

To celebrate the last fifty years of hip hop, as well as WKCR’s influential and storied history with the genre, WKCR will be hosting an 80hour celebration of the genre’s 50th anniversary from Wednesday, November 15 to the morning of Saturday, November 18, 2023. With our broadcast ranging from explorations of hip hop pioneers and sample breakdowns to today’s most abstract and experimental works, listeners are guaranteed an in-depth experience of the genre.

Not only will the festival serve as a testament to hip hop as a whole, but it will also offer the space to reflect on WKCR’s captivating relationship to and influence on the genre. As the years continue, we seeks to further explore our station's complex relationship with the larger hip hop community while remaining cognizant of its institutional position and power.

WKCR will be celebrating 50 years of hip hop with an 80-hour marathonic broadcast from Wednesday, November 15 to the morning of Saturday, November 18.

OnAir · November 2023

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Timeline of Hip Hop at WKCR-FM NY design by Isabelle Fishbein

1983-1989

September 1983: Ovid Santoro hosts the first show to play hip hop on WKCR-FM NY.

Transfigured Night hosted by Ovid Santoro

1989: Ovid leaves Transfigured Night.

October 25, 1990: First show.

December 20, 1990: Busta Rhymes freestyle.

1991: Biggie Smalls goes on to “Demo Battles” against The Bronx Zu. February 14, 1991: Nas’ first freestyle on WKCR. December 1992: Stretch and Bobbito are the first radio station to play Wu-Tang Clan, debuting their single “Protect Ya Neck.”

October 14, 1993: Q-Tip’s first freestyle on WKCR. October 28, 1993: Lauryn Hill and Wyclef Jean of The Fugees and Nas perform freestyles.

Santoro’s address book from Transfigured Night, image courtesy of Santoro.

October 13, 1994: GZA freestyle.

March 31, 1994: Method Man, Ghostface Killah freestyle.

Summer 1986: We Could Do This Show begins and runs for the course of the summer

1986

We Could Do This Show hosted by Prime Minister Pete Nice and DJ Clark Kent

April 14, 1994: Q-Tip freestyle.

July 7, 1994: Mobb Deep freestyle.

November 2, 1995: KRS-One freestyle.

February 23, 1995: Big L and Jay-Z freestyle.

March 2, 1995: Ol’ Dirty Bastard freestyle.

April 24, 1997: MF DOOM freestyle.

July 23, 1998: RZA and Ol’ Dirty Bastard freestyle.

Stretch and Bobbito in the studio.

1990-1998

The Stretch and Bobbito Show hosted by Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia 10 OnAir · November 2023

1998: Stretch and Bobbito named the “best hip hop show of all time” by Source Magazine.

August 20, 1998: Eminem freestyle.

December 1998: Last show.

1998-2003

January 1998: The 1-5am time slot is renamed to The CM Radio Famalam Program.

1998: Yak Ballz freestyle.

The CM Radio Famalam Radio Program hosted by Bobbito Garcia, Lord Sear, August 5, 1999: Cannibal Ox and Sucio Smash freestyle.

March 2003: Garcia and Lord Sear leave the show and Sucio Smash takes over.

Above: Stretch Armstrong, Bobbito Garcia,

Pictured left: Squeeze Radio in the studio

Lord Sear, DJ Homicide, DJ Eclipse, DJ Soul and Sucio Smash

2003-2010

Squeeze Radio hosted by Sucio Smash and Timm See 2010: Rap Cat’s Radio was created, the first show since 1998 to feature solely student programmers.

2010-Present

Rap Cat’s Radio/Offbeat hosted by student programmers

March 2003: Suce and Timm rename the 1-5am time slot to Squeeze Radio.

August 19, 2004: Roc Marciano freestyle, making his radio debut.

October 2010: WKCR cancels Squeeze Radio.

2014: 40th Anniversary of Hip Hop broadcast.

Founders and students gathered for a Notes from Underground show, 2019, image courtesy of Amiri Tulloch.

May 21, 2023: Mavi performs on Live Constructions.

2019-Present

Notes from Underground created by Angelo Hernandez-Sias and fellow student programmers OnAir · November 2023 11

MEET A MEMBER

Interview with Satchel Peterson

by Georgia Dillane

C

an you introduce yourself and your involvement at WKCR? My name is Satchel Peterson. I am the co-Head of the jazz department at WKCR. I’ve been here for about three years now. Besides being the co-Head, my goal is to preserve, as best as possible, the jazz legacy that we have here. [It’s] easier said than done: I think we have a very rich legacy, which is a good thing, but that can be hard to fill the shoes of Phil Schaap and others who have contributed so much to the music and the culture, especially in New York. My goal isn’t to be Phil Schapp by any means, but to hopefully do something similar with the music.

Can you speak to your experience with jazz on a personal level?

I play guitar. I started playing when I was about five. Mainly doing Blues and Rock until I heard this Cannonball Adderly record with Miles Davis [Something Else]. They play “Autumn Leaves,” and once I heard that track I said, “I want to learn how to do this. I want to make music that sounds like this.” There was something about it I could tell I didn’t understand but that I wanted to understand.

And I guess I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. I was about 12 when I started listening to jazz.

What does performance look like for you now?

It took me a while to realize that I wanted to do music professionally. I think I always knew inside that that’s what I wanted to do but I had doubts—reasonable doubts. But now I’m performing with a group that has violin, guitar,

12 OnAir · November 2023

bass, and drums and really trying to focus as much as possible on listening to music, writing music, making music.

What was it like then and how is it now different?

Being here three years ago compared to now, I definitely understand a lot more about the music and the station and what I want to do here—and, I guess, what my role is among all of that. [What is ] the same [is the] feeling of being excited to come here and program music and discover new music and go into MC and not know exactly what’s going to happen during my show, who’s gonna call in. If they have something to say about who I’m playing with, if they know them, how [the music] is contributing to their day, if they’re going through a tough time or something.

You host Out to Lunch weekly on Fridays. What do you enjoy most about that slot? What kinds of things can listeners expect you to play?

It’s always surprising to get someone calling in and saying that they listen to my show, because sometimes I can feel like I tune out and not realize that there’s anyone else listening to the music. In terms of what’s most exciting to me, just sort of not knowing who’s listening and not knowing what’s going on in their life. It’s sort of fun for me to imagine what people on the other side are experiencing, while I’m just sitting in a chair listening to music that I’ve been listening to for the past, you know, however long.

You do a lot of stuff with shows in the station, particularly with jazz.

I’m trying to do more. Speaks more to how

Drawing by Tanvi Krishnamurthy.

I’m trying to represent more what’s going on currently in the New York Jazz scene. I try to use live shows as a way to introduce artists who are doing interesting stuff that I think more people should be aware of.

What are you most proud of either from your time at Columbia or at WKCR? WKCR, for sure! This has been my favorite part of Columbia. I went to a music high school with 50 people in our graduating class. It was definitely a life changing experience and not necessarily in a positive sense all the time

when I came to Columbia. I just felt like “what is going on” “there’s so much happening” and I’ve never really experienced this. I don’t really know how to engage with this community. And then I found WKCR. I remember my freshman year I was just always here, maybe four nights a week. Going into the library, listening to records in CA and that was really great for me because it sort of gave me a sense of like, 'OK I have something at Columbia that I’m really passionate about.' When I hadn’t found that yet, WKCR was that place. So yeah, joining WKCR was definitely my proudest moment.

OnAir · November 2023 13

5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNE

Jazz ‘til Dawn (cont’d)

Daybreak

Field Trip

8:00 am 9:00 am

Amazing Grace

Monday Morningside

10:00 am 11:00 am

Cereal Music

The Moonshine Show

12:00 pm 1:00 pm The Tennessee Border Show

Out to Lunch

2:00 pm

Sin Fro

3:00 pm 4:00 pm 5:00 pm

Sunday Profiles

Afternoon New Music

6:00 pm 7:00 pm 8:00 pm 9:00 pm 10:00 pm 11:00 pm 12:00 am 1:00 am 2:00 am

Raag Aur Taal SoundStage Live Constructions Back in the USSR The Celtic Show

Free Samples Caribe Latino Urbano Latinx

News + Arts P Honky Tonkin’

Nueva C

Tuesday’s Just as Bad

Som do

Night Train

Transfigur

Coordinated Universal Time

3:00 am 4:00 am

Jazz Alte

Phil Lives

14 OnAir · November 2023

Transfigured Night

ESDAY

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY Transfigured Night (cont’d)

k Express

Sounds of Asia

5:00 am 6:00 am 7:00 am 8:00 am 9:00 am

Birdflight Eastern Standard Time Early Music

10:00 am 11:00 am 12:00 pm

Across 110th Street

Out to Lunch

onteras

2:00 pm

Something Inside of Me

Bach Hour

Programming

Canción

o Brasil

red Night

Hobo’s Lullaby

Middle Eastern Influences

Sonidos Colombianos

Saturday Night at the Opera 11:00 pm 12:00 am

The Mambo Machine

Transfigured Night

8:00 pm

10:00 pm

Notes From Underground Offbeat

7:00 pm

9:00 pm

Workaround The African Show

5:00 pm 6:00 pm

Traditions in Swing

ernatives

3:00 pm 4:00 pm

Afternoon Classical

Extended Technique

1:00 pm

El Sonido de la Calle

1:00 am 2:00 am 3:00 am 4:00 am

Jazz ‘til Dawn

OnAir · November 2023 15

Special Broadcasts BIRTHDAY BROADCASTS

50 Years of Hip Hop Festival

Midnight on Wednesday, November 15th 8am on Saturday, November 18th

WKCR is proud to announce an 80-hour celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hip Hop, the genre that revolutionized our societies and minds and remains an unfettered celebration of Black joy, creativity, and liberation. The formal birth of hip-hop at WKCR began in 1986 with We Could Do This Show, hosted by Pete Nice and DJ Clark Kent. Following Nice and DJ Clark Kent came the transformative The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, which first aired on October 25, 1990. Hosted by Adrian Bartos (DJ Stretch Armstrong) and Robert “Bobbito” Garcia at WKCR, they introduced the world to Wu-Tang Clan, Fugees, Jay-Z, Eminem, Biggie Smalls, and many other, then underground, hip-hop artists that would rise to fame in the 1990s. Freestyling became an integral aspect of the show, and the late-night time slot they occupied allowed for unrestricted, unapologetic, authentic creativity in their programming—a legacy that WKCR continues today with the shows Offbeat and Notes from Underground.

Coleman Hawkins

Tuesday, November 21st, all day

Celebrate the legacy of the tenor saxophone giant Coleman Hawkins. Born on November 21, 1904, in St. Joseph, Missouri, Hawkins revolutionized jazz with his powerful and innovative saxophone playing. Known as the "Father of the Tenor Sax," he played a pivotal role in the transition from the early jazz and swing eras to the more modern sounds of bebop.

Hawkins' influential discography includes classic recordings like "Body and Soul," which remains a landmark in jazz history, and his collaborations with jazz luminaries like Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman. Join us as we explore his remarkable career and timeless contributions to the world of jazz.

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THEMED SHOWS

SUNDAY PROFILES Sundays 2:00-7:00 PM

TBD

November 5th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: TBD

TBD

November 12th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Sid Gribetz

Aaron Copland

November 19th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Host: Casey Lamb

Labeled: Columbia Records November 26th, 2:00 - 7:00 PM Hosts: Steve Mandel & J Cohn

SPORTS

Saturday, November 4th, 12:30-3:30 pm Football vs. Harvard Tuesday, November 14th, 6-9 pm Women's Basketball vs. Duke Wednesday, November 29th, 6-9 pm Men's Basketball vs. Loyola

FREE SAMPLES Mondays 9-10pm Host: Ted Schmiedeler

Midnight Marauders - Tribe November 6th, 9:00-10:00pm

SATURDAY NIGHT AT THE OPERA Saturdays 9:00 PM-12:30 AM Host: Ale Díaz-Pizarro

Rodelinda (Handel)

November 4th, 9:00pm-12:30am

Guillaume Tell (Rossini)

November 11th, 9:00pm-12:30am

Der fliegende Holländer (Wagner) November 18th, 9:00pm-12:30am

Awawkenings (Tobias Picker) November 25th, 9:00pm-12:30am

Show Listings

JAZZ

Daybreak Express, weekdays 5-8:20am Out to Lunch, weekdays 12-3pm Jazz Alternatives, weekdays 6-9pm These three programs comprise the core of our jazz offerings. Programming consists of everything from New Orleans jazz, jazz age, swing era, bebop, hard-bop, modal, free, and avant-garde. In short, you’ll encounter the entire range of recorded jazz on these programs.

Hosts rotate from day-to-day, offering an exciting variety of approaches, some of which include thematic presentation, artist interviews, or artist profiles Birdflight, Tues.-Fri. 8:20-9:30am Archival programs from the late Phil Schaap, one of the world’s leading jazz historians, who hosted this daily forum for the music of Charlie Parker for about 40 years.

Traditions in Swing, Sat. 6-9pm Archival programs hosted by the late Phil Schaap, this award-winning Saturday night staple presents focused thematic programs dealing with jazz up until about World War II. Schaap presents the music, much of it incredibly rare, from the best sound source, which is often the original 78 issue.

Phil Lives*, Mon. 3-5am This overnight show features archival broadcasts of longform programs from late NEA Jazz Master Phil Schaap.

CLASSICAL Cereal Music, Mon.-Thurs. 9:30am-12pm An entirely open-ended classical show to start your weekdays. Tune in to hear the most eclectic mix of classical music on the New York airwaves!

The Early Music Show, Fri. 9:30am-12pm Dedicated primarily to European medieval, Renaissance, and baroque music, all from before 1800 (±50 years).

Extended Technique*, Wed. & Thurs. 3-6pm WKCR’s first interdepartmental show (in the New Music and Classical departments) dedicated to contemporary classical music. You’ll hear everything from 12-tone and minimalist compositions to film and video game scores, and all things in between.

Afternoon Classical, Fri. 3-6pm.

Similar to Cereal Music, most of Afternoon Classical has no restrictions on what type of classical music to play.

The last hour of the show, however, is dedicated fully to the music of JS Bach.

Saturday Night at the Opera, Sat. 9pm-12:30am.

One of NYC’s longest running opera shows, Saturday Night at the Opera is a 3.5 hour show that allows operas to be played in their entirety, with room for commentary, descriptions, and some history.

NEW MUSIC Afternoon New Music, Mon. & Tues. 3-6pm Our daytime new music program features a wide variety of music that challenges boundaries and subverts categorizations. Shows include everything from seminal new music compositions to the most challenging of obscure deep cuts and new releases.

Transfigured Night, Tues./Thurs./Sat. 1-5am Our overnight explorations into the world of new music, Transfigured Night rewards our late night listeners with a wide range of sounds and experimental music.

Workaround*, Fri. 9-10pm WKCR presents live DJ sets from Columbia students and local artists.

Live Constructions, Sun. 10-11pm This weekly program features a live in-studio performance or a performance pre-recorded specially for the show.

AMERICAN Honky Tonkin’, Tues. 10-11pm One of WKCR’s longest-running American music programs, Honky Tonkin’ lands in the harder side of Country music. Emphasizing the greatest voices in the genre, Honky Tonkin’ is a country music dance party every Tuesday night.

Tuesday’s Just as Bad, Tues. 11pm - Wed. 1am Tuesday’s Just as bad explores the world of blues prior to World War II. Shows weave their way through the first decades of recorded music history and turn to the postwar years in the final half hour.

* Indicates show was created after January 2022

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LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS Night Train, Wed. 1-5am All aboard! One of our two overnight programs in the American department, Night Train rolls through the postwar R&B and soul tradition, from the genre’s emergence in the 1940’s and 50’s through the funk revolution in the 1970’s. Shows often feature extended live recordings and concerts.

Offbeat, Fri. 1-5am Offbeat is committed to broadcasting undiscovered new hip hop music. Shows typically focus on exposing underplayed or up-and-coming new artists, including experimental instrumental artists not typically played on mainstream hip hop radio.

Across 110th Street, Sat. 12-2pm Kicking off our Saturday afternoon American music run, Across 110th Street airs soul, funk, and dance music from the 1960’s through the 1980’s and 90’s.

Something Inside of Me, Sat. 2-4pm Something Inside of Me is WKCR’s Saturday afternoon blues show, focusing mostly on the electric and post-war styles.

Hobo’s Lullaby, Sat. 4-6pm Rooted in the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s, Hobo’s Lullaby airs American folk and traditional music styles from the early 20th century through the present day.

From old staples like Leadbelly, Elizabeth Cotton, and Woody Guthrie to contemporary stalwarts like the Carolina Chocolate Drops and lesser known artists, domestic traditions are alive and well on Hobo’s Lullaby.

Notes from the Underground, Sun. 12:30-2am Notes from the Underground showcases contemporary hip hop and rap music with an emphasis on emerging and experimental artists. The program also hosts local and visiting artists for interviews, freestyles, and guestcuration.

Amazing Grace, Sun. 8-10am Greeting listeners on Sunday morning, Amazing Grace shares with listeners the world of the African-American gospel tradition.

The Moonshine Show, Sun. 10am-12pm On the air for nearly 60 years, The Moonshine Show showcases the American Bluegrass tradition, from the earliest roots in vernacular string-band music, through * indicates show was created after January 2022

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the genre’s pioneers in the 1940s and 50s and advancements in the 60s and 70s, through the leading innovators and stars of today.

The Tennessee Border Show, Sun. 12-2pm One third of WKCR’s country music programming, along with Honky Tonkin’ and the Bluegrass Moonshine Show, Tennessee Border highlights the singer-songwriter tradition, from Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt to Lucinda Williams.

LATIN Caribe Latino, Mon. 10pm-12am Caribe Latino is a music program that features the diverse, upbeat music from numerous Latin communities in the Caribbean. Popular Latin rhythms such as Salsa, Merengue, Bachata and Latin Jazz take center stage throughout the program.

Urbano Latinx, Tues. 12-1am A weekly Latin show airing contemporary sounds from Latin America, the Caribbean, and the diaspora, Urbano Latinx features mixes of salsa, merengue, Latin punk rock, and more.

Sin Fronteras*, Wed. 12-3pm Falling in the space of Out to Lunch on Wednesday afternoons, Sin Fronteras explores the tremendous Latin Jazz tradition.

Nueva Canción, Wed. 10-11pm Nueva Canción is an exploration of protest music created throughout Latin America during the 60s and 70s and its numerous other manifestations throughout other countries and time periods.

Som do Brasil, Wed. 11pm - Thurs. 1am From samba and bossa nova to MPB, hear the numerous and enchanting sounds and rhythms of Brazil.

Sonidos Colombianos, Fri. 10-11pm Sonidos Colombianos presents music from one of the most culturally diverse countries of Latin America: Colombia! Our bilingual musical tour is guaranteed to include not only cumbia, but also the guitar-based bambuco from the Andean region, the harp llanero music from the Eastern Plains, the marimba-infused currulao from the Pacific Region, and the accordiondriven vallenato of the North Atlantic Coast.

LISTINGS FOR LISTENERS The Mambo Machine, Fri. 11pm - Sat. 2am The Mambo Machine is the longest running salsa show in New York City. The program presently plays a wide spectrum of Afro-Latin rhythms, combining new and old into an exciting, danceable mix.

El Sonido de la Calle*, Sun. 2-4am A companion show to Saturday night’s American Notes from Underground, El Sonido de la Calle highlights the diverse world of contemporary Spanish-language hiphop and dance music.

IN ALL LANGUAGES The Celtic Show, Mon. 12-1am Music from across the island of Ireland throughout the era of recorded music, particularly focusing on traditional folk and vernacular music forms.

Coordinated Universal Time, Mon. 1-3am Coordinated Universal Time brings our listeners the latest cut of music from anywhere in the world, especially highlighting music that does not get attention in America.

Our programming tries to bring the hottest and the most recent tunes to WKCR’s airwaves.

The African Show, Thurs. 10pm-12am The longest running African music radio show in the United States, the African Show brings you a variety of music from the entire continent of Africa.

Middle Eastern Influences, Fri. 12-1am During the hour-long show, Middle Eastern Influences features a wide range of beautiful tracks from regions of the Middle East, North Africa, and even, at times, South Asia.

Sounds of Asia, Sat. 6-8am Rechristened from Sounds of China, Sounds of Asia explores the recorded musical traditions and innovations of Asia and the Pacific islands.

Eastern Standard Time, Sat. 8am-12pm One of New York’s most popular Reggae programs, Eastern Standard Time takes listeners through Saturday morning from 8 am to noon with the hypnotic sounds of Reggae and Jamaican dance music.

Field Trip, Sun. 6-8am Field Trip focuses on the music and practice of field recordings: music recorded outside of a studio. Tune in and you may catch field recordings that were recorded fifty years ago, others that were experimented with by your favorite Afternoon New Music artist, or even those documented in New York City by WKCR itself.

Raag Aur Taal, Sun. 7-9pm Raag Aur Taal explores the sounds and rich cultural heritage of South Asia. The term “Raag Aur Taal” roughly translates to “melody and rhythm,” indicating the classical nature of this program.

Back in the USSR, Sun. 11pm-12am Back in the USSR features music from across the former Soviet Union and soviet states across Eastern Europe and East and Central Asia, from the mid-20th century through the present.

NEWS & ARTS Monday Morningside*, Mon. 8:30-9:30am Monday Morningside is WKCR’s morning news broadcast to kick off the week, featuring news segments on events around Morningside Heights and upper Manhattan.

If you’re not an early bird, all episodes are available as podcasts on Spotify!

Free Samples*, Mon. 9-10pm Explores landmark hip hop albums and their place in history and music at large by playing a selection of songs and breaking them down into the samples that make them up—meaning this show often crosses over with other genres, such as jazz, soul, and funk.

SoundStage*, Sun. 9-10pm SoundStage features audio dramas and radio plays from the WKCR archives as well as new compositions by students and contemporary writers. Some shows also feature interviews with dramatists and directors.

SUNDAY PROFILES Sunday Profile, Sun. 2-7pm* A WKCR classic, programmers use five hours to showcase longform profiles of pioneering artists. While the primary focus remains on jazz music, we also feature other styles and traditions from across WKCR’s different programming departments.

* indicates show was created after January 2022

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CLASSICAL

Harmonizing America: The Life and Legacy of Aaron Copland

L

egendary composer, educator, and musicologist Aaron Copland turns 123 this November 14th.

A lifelong New Yorker (hailing from Brooklyn), Copland is often credited with “finding the American sound.” It’s clear from his music to anyone that it is extremely American, from Lincoln Portrait to Billy The Kid. But can we really credit this to Copland? His contributions to American music are immense, that much is undeniable, but to what can we really accredit the “The American Sound”—and if not Copland, who?

Born in Brooklyn in 1900, Copland, the youngest of 5, had begged his father for music lessons after his four older siblings had failed and wasted the lessons.

Aaron, however, showed strong commitment and promise. His father finally gave in, and there began Copland’s music career.

In his adolescence, Copland traveled to Paris to study music at the Fontainebleau School, where he became familiar with the European tradition of classical music and learned how to compose in that convention. There as well, he studied with the famous Nadia Boulanger: a trailblazing composer and teacher, she taught virtually every 20th century composer we now revere, from Elliot Carter to Leonard Bernstein.

Copland moved back to America after his

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by Casey Lamb studies. It was clear that Copland had widely studied the academic tradition of composers, writing serialist pieces sounding much more like Webern or Schoenberg than anything he wrote otherwise.

Somewhere throughout his career, however, his compositional philosophy changed.

As he grew as a composer, Copland began to change his ideas, he began to write increasingly for the audience. He wrote pieces for young children, and began writing these programmatic pieces like Billy the Kid and El Salón Mexico. These pieces began his fascination with the American Frontier, and he began to write these Aaron Copland, 1962. recognizable pieces, which became distinctly associated with The American Sound. Turn on any one of his pieces from this era and they are just bursting with American Idealism, from Lincoln Portrait to Appalachian Spring and maybe the most characteristic of them all: Fanfare for the Common Man. Now, we can examine the characteristics we now associate with this American Sound.

Key ones that come to mind with Copland are earnest but expansive brass solos, percussion (especially the snare drum and timpani), and— of course—the use of American Folk songs, most famously his use of the Shaker Melody in Appalachian Spring (more widely known as the

Simple Gifts melody).

This may all sound very familiar to those familiar with Czech composer Antonín Dvořák.

Dvořák set out on a similar mission when he moved to New York to direct The National Conservatory (later Julliard) in the late 19th Century. Dvořák noted that the US had not yet established a distinct national identity musically, and sought to aid in finding one.

National identity was extremely important in classical music at the time: German music was distinctly German, English music was quintessentially English, Italian wholly Italian. America, as a new nation, had yet to find this identity. Through this mission, Dvořák incorporated many of the same tactics that Copland would later use in his music, especially in his “New World” Symphony which later became renowned. Dvořák also integrated spirituals from the American South. Dvořák's efforts were extremely important in cultivating what became American Classical Music: folk music was at the heart of every culture’s distinct sound, and this Aaron Copland conducting at Lewisohn Stadium in New York, 1964. was especially true in the US. Jazz is what clearly became the Copland’s synthesis of traditions made great original and distinct style of American music— contributions to the American Classical music the only form of American music at the time that scene, such that everyone could again begin to could be called truly American. What Copland enjoy the art and much wider audiences were did was create a distinct synthesis of American exposed to it. traditions, and European Classical traditions, along with his own compositional voice, to create a classical music appealing to the public To hear more about Copland and his career, largely disillusioned with the academic and as well as his works, make sure to tune in esoteric works of the avant garde and abstract on 89.9 FM November 19th at 2pm-7pm to composers of the time like Schoenberg, Berg, hear a Copland profile hosted by the author, and the other serialists. Copland made it so Casey Lamb. that classical music could speak to anyone, from children to the academic composition circles at Princeton and Yale. In this sense,

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Sam Seliger, Librarian & Archivist, host of Tuesday's Just as Bad: "Swagger tighter than a yeast infection / Fly, go hard, like geese erection" ("Dr. Carter" - Lil Wayne).

No explanation necessary.

Benjamin Rothman, programmer: "Spaceships don't come equipped with rear view mirrors / They dip as quick as they can / The atmosphere is now ripped" ("Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You)" - UGK).

A great example of how hip hop can be used for really unorthodox metaphors.

Ann Vettikkal, In All Languages Head: "Still strangled the king 'cause it's now or never / It's a freedom in admitting it's not gonna get better / Washing your hands off people you known forever / I'd be a liar if I feign surprise, a goat eats where it's tethered / Treat African proverbs like flyers, I float above the peasants" ("Remorseless" - billy woods).

Close your eyes and pick any billy woods verse—it’s probably more incisive, elegiac, and witty than most poetry coming out of publishing houses.

don't waste my time tryin' to get what you got / I work at pleasin' me 'cause I can't please you / And that's why I do what I do / My soul flies free like a willow tree" ("Appletree" - Erykah Badu).

These are words to live by, and at times when I’ve felt less grounded in my choices or the environment I was in, I’d repeat these lyrics in my head.

Erin Suh, programmer: "I'm not no alpha male, I'm Carly Rae, you Braden Walker" ("Free the Frail" - JPEGMAFIA).

This bar always hit for me because I am a short Asian woman and I feel sometimes that my stature and body lends itself to an inherent power imbalance in some interactions.

AROUND TH

What is you hip hop bar, or ser

Perry Wakatsuki, host of Offbeat: Serious: "You are hiding a child let that boy come home / Deadbeat motherf*cker playing border patrol" ("The Story of Adidon" - Pusha T).

Said it with such menace and clarity. Ended the beef right there on the spot, and now Adonis [Drake's long-unacknowledged son, who Pusha T's diss was about] is freestyling on Drake's YouTube.

Humorous: "Real g's move in silence like lasagna" ("6 Foot 7 Foot" - Lil Wayne).

It's the truth!

Melisa Nehrozoglu, Classical Head: "See I picks my friends like I pick my fruit / My granny told me that when I was only a youth / I don't walk around tryin' to be what I'm not / I

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Rachel Yuan, host of Extended Technique: "I came fast like 9-1-1 in white neighborhoods; ain't got no shame 'bout it" ("No Role Modelz" - J. Cole).

I know this sounds unserious, but this lyric genuinely changed my brain chemistry because it's so unserious but touches on a very serious topic.

Rachel Smith, host of Daybreak Express: Serious: "Have me a good time, before my time is up" ("Time of Our Lives" - Pitbull).

The goal of life, according to Pitbull. Way to take on almost every philosopher ever.

Humorous: "She my Velcro, uh-huh, guess I’m stuck with her" ("Bandit" - JuiceWRLD).

Reasons evident.

David Gonzalez, host of Urbano Latinx: Serious: "On Doomsday, ever since the womb / ‘Til I'm back where my brother went, that's what my tomb will say / Right above my government; Dumile / Either unmarked or engraved, hey, who's to say?" ("Doomsday" - MF DOOM).

I was going to try to find an MF DOOM bar to point to, but the way he lets his verses melt into each other to tell a story without the choppiness that is found in a lot of other Hip Hop makes it hella hard to isolate one bar! That said, I think my personal favorite is the very simple

HE STATION

The syncopation makes it stick out so much in the song, even though it’s super mundane. The emphasis on the lyric really adds to the story telling and gives you the random details you’d expect to hear from a kid who went on an adventure with his friends—like of course he’d tell you he ordered enchiladas and he ate them! It completely breaks the flow and it is not ashamed.

Leon Zhou, programmer: Serious: “Yo, it’s 1 universal law, but 2 sides to every story / 3 strikes and you biddin’ for life, mandatory / 4 MC’s murdered in the last 4 years I ain’t tryin’ to be the 5th when the millennium is here / Yo, it’s 6 million ways to die from the 7 deadly thrills / 8-year-olds gettin’ found with 9mils” ("Mathematics" - Mos Def).

It seems simple, but having the concept of counting up through the bars just adds so much to the build up of the verse. Especially how Mos Def changes the numbers to mean so many different things from sins to years to guns, and how that fits into his overall theme about statistics.

ur favorite r, humorous rious? repeated bar from the chorus of "Doomsday." The way he expands on the phrase “word to my death” and gives it his own spin, shouts out his brother Subroc who had recently died, and still goes on to build the DOOM character while keeping a solid flow was pretty indicative of what he would go on to do in his later projects. Also, as a side note, the way he pronounces Dumile sounds like “doom will lay” which I always found to be a sick double meaning.

Humorous: “I ordered enchiladas and I ate ’em” - ("I Left My Wallet in El Segundo" - A Tribe Called Quest).

Humorous: “Don't you ever leave the side of me, indefinitely, not probably / And honestly, I'm down like the economy” ("Down" - Lil Wayne).

Yeah!

Ted Schmiedeler, Student Life Director, host of Free Samples: "Last wish, I wish I had two more wishes / And I wish they fixed the door to the matrix’s mad glitches / Spits so many verses sometimes my jaw twitches / One thing this party could use is more …. booze" ("Great Day" - MF DOOM).

DOOM is a master of subverting expectations, and does so here by setting up the ending of the last bar to rhyme with the previous 3, but by not doing so he calls more attention to the implied word that is left out than he would have if he had included it.

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Stephen Dames, programmer: "Serious:" "Play softball with the guys, wife made curly fries / drink about four O’Doul’s, grounded out, two pop flies" ("Dennehy" - Serengeti).

The great rap song ever written about the 2nd best city in America. If anyone wants to hear a rap song that has multiple Mike Ditka references in it, that’s the one for you.

Humorous: "Tow away zones? I don't get a ticket / Any crime committed, Pesci is acquitted / I'm a goodfella, I'll tell ya if I did it" ("Wise Guy" Joe Pesci).

THE Joe Pesci.

August Phillips, Sports Head: Serious: "No one’s mixing words, vicious verbs emerge from being this disturbed / As a kid observed on curbs where they twist the herb / Was wrapping the present years before the gift was heard / My quarters wasn’t in calm waters, the ships perturbed" ("Mourn at Night" - Ka).

These lyrics really epitomize the way that every Ka verse on this album unpacks some connection between his childhood and his artistry in a way that never gets stale or predictable, and when I go back to this album I always find something new in his words.

Humorous: "I just slapped the f*ck out of my cousin and took his toaster strudel / And punched my little brother in the jaw and took his ramen noodles" ("Dynamic Duo 2" TeeJayx6).

Sorry if too violent. :(.

Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Station Manager, host of Saturday Night at the Opera: Serious: "I heard, "Son, do you know why I'm stopping you for?" / Cause I'm young and I'm black and my hat's real low / Do I look like a mind reader, sir? I don't know / Am I under arrest or should I guess some more? / "Well you was doing fifty-five in a fifty-four / License and registration and step out of the car / Are you carrying a weapon on you, I know a lot of you are" / I ain't stepping out of shit, all my papers legit / "Well do you mind if I look around the car a little bit?" / Well my

24 OnAir · November 2023

glove compartment is locked, so is the trunk in the back / And I know my rights so you goin' need a warrant for that / "Aren't you sharp as a tack? You some type of lawyer or something?"

"Somebody important or something?" / Well, I ain't passed the bar, but I know a little bit / Enough that you won't illegally search my sh*t / "Well we'll see how smart you are when the K-9 come" / I got ninety nine problems but a b*tch ain't one" ("99 Problems" - Jay-Z).

I know this is a little long, but this verse is such a classic that entire legal papers have been written analyzing the legal standing of the exchange in it.

Every time I hear it I feel mad for Jay-Z, the verse does such a good job of encapsulating the absolute ridiculousness of American police treatment of Black drivers. But every time I hear it I also feel triumphant by the end—Jay-Z's cheeky hook, which changes the meaning of "b*tch" with the context of every verse (a move clever enough to write a whole lot more about), is as good of a vindication as any.

Humorous: "I don't need your p*ssy, b*tch, I'm on my own d*ck" ("POWER" - Kanye West).

Goes to show Kanye's gift for the absolutely absurd—as well as encapsulating the scale of his ego pretty well.

Eva Beeman, programmer: "Silly Bandana / Where the silly Fanta / We got silly hammers / I'm a silly scammer / Bitch from Alabama / Call her silly Hannah / Pull up fucking hit it / Like a damn piana / Ooh shawty got me harder than a fucking puzzle / Rolling up a joint like a fucking muscle / Every song banging put this shit on shuffle / Tisa got some hoes (hose) like a fucking puddle / Oh you like to squirt / Oh I like to flirt / Oh you in a skirt / Eat her like dessert / She an introvert / I'm an extrovert / Off a silly perc / We gon' see who do some dirt" ("SiLlY BaNdAnA (iNtRo).Mp3" - TisaKorean).

His unconventional wordplay evokes a feeling of silliness in the listener, playing into rap’s long history of revolutionary creativity and playfulness.

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OnAir · November 2023 25

26 OnAir · November 2023

WKCR 89.9 FM

2920 Broadway New York, NY 10027

Sp e c i a l t ha n ks to Ale Díaz-Pizarro, Amiri Tulloch, Ann Vet tikkal, August Phillips, Benjamin Rothman, Casey Lamb, David Gonzalez, Erin Suh, Eva Beeman, Georgia Dillane, Heather Hayes, Isabelle Fishbein, Leon Zhou, Maria Shaughnessy, McKenna Rober ts, Melisa Nehrozoglu, Ovid Santoro, Perr y Wakatsuki, Rachel Smith, Rachel Yuan, Sam Seliger, Satch Peterson, Stephen Dames, SUCE, Tanvi Krishnamur thy, Ted Schmiedeler, & Timm See.