Hello,
I understand that 96.1 is a commercial, mainstream radio station and it must provide the most popular music to the majority of listeners to win the 'ratings war.'
However, dont you think, being a proclaimed 'HIP HOP and R&B' radio station, that you guys should also seek credibility amongst hip-hop and R&B fans. In saying 'hip hop and R&B fans' i mean fans of NON-GENERIC hip-hop and R&B, the hip-hop and R&B that many (actually 'few' is probably a more appropriate word) in Sydney grew up with and hold close to their hearts. REAL hip-hop and R&B.
This aforementioned credibility is NOT achieved through only playing 50 cent, game, chris brown, cassie and other POP artists and then throwing the occasional hip-hop song in the mix at like 1am. By 'pop' i do not mean the term 'popular' but rather generic and exploitative of the genres.
Why does the program persist on including stereotypical wannabe-gangster characters like 'habib' or shows like 'pizza radio.' This will only perpetuate the problem we have of 'posing' or 'hip hop role-playing' (as i like to call it, just think of how little kids like to role-play their favourite movies like harry potter...this teen 'gang' formation we are seeing is just a more dangerous form of that) that is so dominant amongst teens. The more you associate stereotypical wannabe-gangster teenagers with 'hip-hop' the more wannabe-gangster behaviour we will get.
Why do you allow 'shout outs' to poser gangs throughout Sydney, this is not helping the problem of hip-hop posing at all.
Instead of educating the mindless trend-following teenyboppers that constitute the majority of 96.1 listeners on what hip-hop and R&B actually is you continuously have generic songs on repeat to reinforce their ignorance. Or maybe the 96.1 crew are ignorant to hip-hop and R&B too and just got together and said "hey urban music is cool now let's contribute to the death of the genre to make alot of money off of it." Tell me, which one is it? And no paying Clinton Sparks to DJ for the program isn't going to save it (he doesn't give you exclusives anyway).
These complaints really just stem from the claim of 96.1 to be a 'hip hop and R&B' station. Misrepresentation really pisses me off. If your going to claim to be a hip hop and R&B station then how about playing some offerings from the following artists (and no, not their mainstream songs either, because a few of them are forced to create mainstream songs in order to get paid nowadays):
hip hop:
mos def
the roots
The Pharcyde
KRS-One and Boogie Down Productions
Juice Crew
Big L
Jay-Z (some of his hip-hop tracks like those from the album 'reasonable doubt')
Nas (some of his hip-hop tracks like those from the album 'illmatic')
Common (some of his hip-hop tracks like those from the album 'like water for chocolate' or 'one day itll all make sense)
De La Soul
A Tribe Called Quest
Binary Star
Goodie Mobb
Scarface and Geto Boys
Beanie Sigel
Notorious B.I.G (no not songs from 'duets', songs from 'ready to die')
Big Daddy Kane
This is, of course, to supplement your 'old school' music, as most of these artists hip-hop songs are old.
R&B:
anthony hamilton
luther vandross
alexander o'neil
the four tops
brian mc'knight
babyface
the temptations
al green
D' Angelo
Musiq Soulchild (he has a new song called 'impossible' so don't go saying 'oh but theres no new stuff).
THAT is what hip-hop and R&B is
not:
50 cent
chris brown
game
cassie
christina milian
savage
nelly
pussycat dolls
bow wow
juelz santana
black eyed peas
ying yang twins
massari
young joc
t-pain
Otherwise, to avoid misrepresenting the genre, name your program 'the number one station for mainstream generic urban music'
For your information, none of the songs on 96.1 are exclusive, they are all a few weeks/months behind.
Yours Sincerely,
Chris
P.S The song 'git it' is by 'bun-b' FEATURING the ying yang twins...NOT just 'ying yang twins' as it lists in your top 100 played. Or maybe Bun-B, a legend in Southern Hip-Hop, hasn't sold enough records for you to include him on the list?