Ebro on the Combat Jack Show

[Tetris v2.0]

Tetris I dig + personally feel what you are saying, but on the flip side I think you are really downplaying the impact of the preference of the listeners

Over the last couple of years media has realized people don't want substance. And they have much more feedback on what people respond positively to... and what the radio plays is what their listeners want

To keep it 130%, Ebro really doesn't even need to be there... the whole shyt is worked out by algorithms, feedback apps and dollars... if this thing did anything it showed how useless he is in the whole equation

No doubt, I see your point but I honestly think that people truly cant decide for themselves and are so used to being spoonfed shyt that they dont know what a home-cooked meal tastes like. They dont even want to think about it and develop a weird inferiority complex towards things that make them think and question themselves. Seriously, put someone who likes ONLY garbage in a room with educated people having a discussion and watch them squirm and their defence mechanisms go wild....they know its wrong and are ashamed

Its not even about being lyrical, or fighting the establishment, but the amount of music that actually has some sort of "meaning" is so few and far between on urban radio and it makes you wonder, or me wonder at least, why that is the case. Its not even generic love songs anymore like it was for DECADES.... now its purely materialistic, consumeristic and basically demonic forreal. I love some of it without question but in moderation. When you think about how the business works, and how closely the messages match the business model, its clear that theres an agenda. Stunting, having the latest "whatever" requires you to spend money, and when you start to think about how dumb it all is at a certain point....things fall apart

Being that stations like Hot97 are basically businesses as we've established, aren't the artists and music being played an "extension" of that business model and the advertisements? They present an image that they feel resonates with listeners, keep the music as simplistic and unchallenging as possible, and sell, market, sell. Record companies, A&Rs, advertisers and Clear Channel work together to keep the wheels greased. Most of the artists stop caring, so long as they're revered by fans and paid.

Its harmless marketing in a passive sense (just like every other saturated mass media source) and turning off the radio solves that particular problem temporarily but it sucks to know that some people are just feeding off Hot97's bullshyt (that the PD doesnt even like) while they laugh to the bank and listen to good music that they cant promote

 

[Tetris v2.0]

For him to play what he and a few thousand others enjoys, is selfish. What about the millions of other people? It's not only selfish, it's bad for business.
The wonderful thing with technology is that you don't even need radio anymore until you wanna take it to that other level of fame..

Your last point about not needing radio is spot-on, but @ him being selfish for playing what he LIKES. He's in a position to expose to people to artists that they might actually like too, artists that might not actually appear on a DJ Khaled album tho, but can still provide high energy or wtv

Not everyone is a bytchass party DJ that simply regurgitates Top 40 at every event they do. If youre real about the craft, you'll play the shows where you can unleash what you love on a crowd of strangers and watch them go wild. A DJ is supposed to be a music aficionado, no?

Ive DJ'd a few weddings for older folk in my family as well as a few frat parties and Ive played some pretty atrocious stuff, but I'll be damned if I find myself doing that as a full-time job and being able to live with myself

Listen to some of the old broadcasts Newark88 posts on here, theyre loaded with gems. I like DJs that open my mind to new material and throw in exclusives and rarities into the mix. Having to ask someone "what song is that " or scramble to open Shazam on my phone before it ends is a great feeling

 

[Abstract83]

Listened to that whole interview and Ebro broke that whole shyt down like ...he pretty much told told the truth....

The realist quote in that whole interview is


That quote reflects this website and twitter to a tee..especially when he said that even through rappers like Hov, Diddy, Nicki, and other NYC artist have successful records the NYC rap scene doesn't recognize them with that "Oh they don't count " bullshyt..

Or when their favorite artist who was once underground make it to the mainstream and then when they sign to a label, them hipsters call them "sell outs"....

I mean seriously..ask Drake, ask J. Cole, ask Wiz, ask K. Dot...as SOON as they became very successful and get playing time on the radio they call them "wack"...

That's probably the reason why alot of nikkas won't fukking with WTT because they wanted Hov and Ye to rap about that struggle life and pretend that they aren't millionaires...

The game is fukked up..and the fans are one of the reasons..

Didnt hear the interview just skimmed the thread. When artists switch up their sound and try to sell records instead of stickin to what got them attention in the first place thats what turns me away from them.

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

Again Tetris I think you're really discounting how much people's personal tastes play into what gets played.

The truth is the majority of Hot 97's listeners want to hear what's being played... the proof is in the response

I guarantee when they broke records like Exhibit C, as much as you feel that's a better record than a Nicki Minaj song, people tuned out. And when people tune out, thats $$$s out the window. Enough $$$ out the window is advertisers going where the listeners go. Its math brae, as painful as it is

People have choices for where they go for music. Back in the day you either had to buy a disc or wait for them to play it so you could record it on a tape. Now theres Youtube etc. Its fukked up that radio no longer breaks records, but they can't afford to. Its a different game

 

[Busby]

Didnt hear the interview just skimmed the thread....

 

[Newark88]

Ok, let me try to break all of this down. Kids coming up today have youtube, itunes, pandora, spotify, datpiff, etc. Radio is their LAST resort to hear music. And usually the only time they listen to radio is if they're in the car with their parent or older cousins/siblings. With that being said, majority of the music kids are bumping are from artists like a Chief Keef, 2chainz, ASAP Rocky, Drake, Meek Mill, Trinidad James, etc. You have some that like a few underground artists like Joey Badass and his crew, and even Kendrick is real popular with them but for the most part, kids are fukking with that "ratchet" shyt. So I say all that to say, the radio in 2013 isn't influencing what these kids are listening too today. Majority of the time, before these songs hit radio, these kids are already bumping it via the net. All the radio is doing is adapting to what's hot and trying to gain as much profit over it as possible. With the new rating system (PPM) it's harder now to take risks. Before, with the whole diary system, DJ's and the stations themselves were allowed to get away with more stuff and could risk being edgy. Plus the whole regional sound in Hip Hop is practically dead right now. And the average listener could care less. The regular 16/17 and even 21 year old from NY ain't talking about bringing NY back or bringing the NY sound back. Everything is so intertwined right now, it don't matter where your from. To them, having a hot song that makes them dance in the club is what solely matters. fukk where you're from, fukk what you rapping, is this song you got gonna get the club live and have all the bytches on me? So if this new generation don't give a fukk, why should the radio? Speaking on the subject at hand, Hot 97 isn't the same Hot 97 that I grew up on during the 90's in High School. But the same can be said for Hip Hop as a whole. Do I think Hot 97 can do MORE with breaking NY artists that do have an actual following? I sure do. Do I feel there's politics when it comes to airplay? Hell yea! Just like any business. But overall, I feel we (NY/NJ audience) are spoiled when it comes to this radio thing. Compared to other commercial stations that play hip hop across the country, WE got it a whole lot better then them. I'm old enough to remember back in the 80's when WBLS and Kiss FM were in their prime, the only time you would hear rap was on Friday and Saturday nights from 9 to 12. Everything else during the day was STRICTLEY R&B. I even remember certain songs that Red Alert would play in the clubs like Latin Quarters, he wouldn't play on the radio or wait a few months after the fact. And this was when Hot 97 was a DANCE station. Hot 97's competitor Power 105 (who's owned by Clear Channel) caters more to a female demographic. Meaning, they play more R&B or Hip Hop/R&B friendly records in their playlist. And it has proven to be successful because more women tend to listen 105 over Hot 97. If anything, Hot 97 is more of a rap station then 105. If you compare the two (Hot 97 and 105), Hot plays more variety of Hip Hop then 105. Every weekday, Hot has the throwback at noon which plays joints from back in the 80's, 90's, and early 00's (105 doesn't have that). Every Christmas, Hot has 5 hours with Flex playing straight 80's Hip Hop and 70's breakbeat records (105 doesn't have that) Hot has 2 specialty shows that cater to unsigned, underground, and street music with Kay Slay and Rosenberg (105 doesn't have that) You have had DJ's on Hot like Enuff and Camilo who have played an Action Bronson or Sean Price song during their daytime mixshows (I guarantee that you would never hear an Action Bronson or Sean Price on 105) Hot still have rappers come up to the station and freestyle (105 never has that) So compared to other stations, atleast Hot tries to cover all the angles.

 

[prophecypro]

Its a symmetrical relationship between the radio and those alternative channels of music listening in the digital age. I do think the traditional outlets like radio are still what the masses tune into and therefore influence what they look up on the web, and in turn if something is buzzing with a certain demographic, radio is gonna give in a go.

 

[Danie84]

You could tell he's a camel jockey, bringing up that old Nas and Kay-Slay video shoot fallout.

It was interesting to hear the insight of how radio works, but don't insult my intelligence with payola being myth, where it was documented how Sony used to offers favors for a J.Lo song to be played at nauseam.

 

[TLR Is Mental Poison]

You could tell he's a camel jockey, bringing up that old Nas and Kay-Slay video shoot fallout.

It was interesting to hear the insight of how radio works, but don't insult my intelligence with payola being myth, where it was documented how Sony used to offers favors for a J.Lo song to be played at nauseam.

As financially weak as labels are, I don't think they have the cash to compete w/companies that can spend millions on advertising

 

[Danie84]

Of course not now, but in the past the way ONLY CERTAIN SONGS were playing at nauseam, it was quite obvious the jig was up.

Star used to allude to it too. He'd be like I saw Dash and the brink truck in the back, but I'm still not playing his shyt.

 

[Rohiggidy]

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[TheJet]

A really interesting bit was when they were talking about how the demographics of New York have changed, and its so true. Basically, the gentrification and extremely high-rent caused a lot of working-class people (not specifically black folk, but obviously its the focal point in a hip-hop discussion) to move elsewhere

Atlanta has a hip-hop CULTURE now that NY cant compete with. LA is starting to really embrace its own scene again too and it shows. The South fukks with itself, heavily. And the fact that so many people have moved down there can account for the cultural unity. The drawl, the slang, the imagery etc...its refreshing and they salute the shyt they identify with. The artists stay close to where they grew up and still gain popularity organically by touring the local clubs and spots.

The New York "experience" that made 90s music so special and united doesnt seem to really exist anymore. Instead, a more privileged sound like Asap Rocky and Das Racist seems to be more relatable. The living conditions are better, places that were poorer are more gentrified, and the resulting music is a mash-up of other media influences and styles. Theres a lot of big business-influence mixed with wide-spread ethnic diversity over a massive area. Its like there are socio-economic reasons for why music is coming out of certain regions the way that they are.

As a brooklynite who lived down south, I can def see your point. But the conditions in Nyc that existed in the 80s /90s are still present here. Newer rappers just choose to overlook them. People should demand more from spitters."go to every station murder the DJ"

 

[Robbie3000]

Good listen. But fukk Radio. I can't tell you the last time i listened to radio.

 

[newarkhiphop]

10 min in

he dropping knowledge already

 

[TheJet]

What really pisses me off is that no one from the old guard has really stepped up to take them to task a la Mos Def, Talib, David Banner or Chuck D. They got n*ggas like Papoose up there talmbout "but but my records be hot sometimes". I need someone to eloquently get in that @ss