Elear, I'm just like you guys. I loved the old Hot97/103. I used to set my stereo up to have it start recording at 10:00 on Saturday nights also. Just like 16, 17,18, 19 year olds are doing now with KTU on Saturday nights to record DJ Scribble, Morales, Denny Tssetos, Thunderpuss, Hex Hextor, etc. 10 years from now those 18 year olds will be talking about KTU the way we talk about the old Hot 103.
But you can't compare Hot 97/103 to KTU. Freestyle fans like you are going to worship the old 103/97 forever. It was our time in the spotlight. It was the music that was in at the time. But you know what, its 12 years later. There is no freestyle out that is worthy of being on commercial radio playlists. I play new freestyle every Sunday night on KTU in my mixshow. Most of it never gets a buzz. Nobody calls asking who sings it. Actually, we get more calls from people bitching to play freestyle music they know. But I still play the newer stuff, hoping it'll help freestyle in some way. Once again, I will ask the question that I never get an answer to...."WHAT NEW FREESTYLE SONG WOULD YOU LIKE KTU TO PLAY ??". If freestyle fans themselves are requesting the old stuff on Sunday night, whats KTU to do ?!? Elear you mentioned to me once that you're a freestyle artist. If thats the case, why don't you come out with a freestyle smash hit yourself and end this whole controversy ????
I get my friends/relatives calling me up quite frequently asking "whats this song KTU is playing right now?". You mentioned the " Hot 97 Saturday night dance party"....but KTU mixes for 9 hours on Saturday night..the old 103/97 mixed for 4 hours. KTU mixes for 5 hours on Friday nights and offer 'mix it up weekends" on holiday weekends where they mix the majority of the weekend.
Don't blame KTU for the demise of freestyle. Most freestyle fans constantly blame radio for the death of freestyle. Nobody should be killing ktu for their support of freestyle. Last time I checked, the average KTU listener wants to hear "Spring love" by Stevie B instead of "Missing your love" by LAW.
Victor your article was very informative, although I don't agree with it entirely. You make it sound as if in 1996 there were tons of freestyle artists/songs banging down KTU's door with radio quality music. I was there in 1996. I've been with KTU since it started. There was no freestyle in 96. Nothing like there was in 1989. There was no demand for freestyle in 1996. So don't kill them for playing the Collage song that was a few years ago. Because it never got airplay when it was out, and in 96, was still the most successful freestyle song at the time.
Accoring to your article, you say "Adding Rockell, Collage and Caprice will not cut it for Latino's." What does that actually mean ??? Now your upset that KTU was ACTUALLY playing freestyle but they weren't Latino's artists !?!??!?!?!?! You also make it sound that KTU doesn't support Latino artists. Well, KTU introduced the radio world to Marc Anthony. They helped make him the superstar he is today. Sure other radio stations played him, but they didn't push him the way KTU did. I'm sure Marc won't disagree with me either if you asked him. Last time I checked he's Latino
James, it looks like you're starting to understand radio a litle more ! YA !!! LOL
. In regards to "Castles in the sky", "sandstorm" and Gigi"......the only one I'll agree with you is the Gigi song. I was pushing that song to ktu for about 8 months. The 2 other songs were imports last year and only became domestic the later part of last year, not too long ktu added them. Also, the Rizzo remix of Tamia is much more radio friendly than the Thunderpuss remix. The hook on Thunderpuss can get very tiring if played on radio 50 times a week. Sure its by far my favorite remix of the song, but its a club remix. I'm sure you have valid points for ktu's programming that i may not disagree with. Do you give them credit for adding a club song like Digital Allies ?? Its obvioulsy not a true radio song and I guarantee you KTU gets calls from people complaining about the song. Also, the only hiphop songs KTU plays are the ones that crossed over to national hits. They HAVE to play Nelly and Missy. They are HUGE national smash hits.
The biggest problem with Freestyle is that we have these discussions once every few months. Blaming radio, record labels. Cursing club dj's because they don't play freestyle in clubs no more. Asking each other why its not like it was back in 1989 no more. The biggest knock on freestyle and its fans is that freestyle fans are stuck in 1988. Well, its 2001. Its not gonna be like it was in 1988. Radio isn't gonna sound like it did in 1988. Those were the best times of my life also. I have the same memories you all have, and probably more.
Threads like this just bury freestyle even more. New Freestyle is now considered underground music. I get all the new freestyle. Although 'SOME' of it is quality music, the majority of it isn't gonna put freestyle back on the map. Instead of blaming radio, dj's , labels, etc, start concentrating on getting a QUALITY PRODUCT first. Then once we have that in our back pocket, then we can attack radio, labels, etc with artiliary. Until then, we just sound like people that can't let go of 1988. We sound the same way the people that call Joe Causi's disco show on Sunday nights on ktu sound like. People who can't get let go of the disco years of 1978. Its great reminiscing about how it was in 88, but we can't demand it to still be like it was back then, because it won't.
