first off, lets set the timeline correct. When Von and I came to KMEL in 2001, we decided then and there we were gonna try to play more bay artists. But, as maculent said, there wasnt a lot of stuff that was poppin. Before then, the era from 96-2000, the management at KMEL wasnt havin it. There had been incidents wit Too Short and E-40 at Summer Jams, and other stuff, and they just werent gonna deal with it. 2001, new management. Still, its a slow process. But i know for a fact we started playin Bay shit, in the mixshow at least, Jan 15, 2001. My first mix on KMEL had Sydeways by E-40, Too Hard for the Radio, Garcia vegas, and some other shit. I know it was classic shit, but it was a start.
We had a bitch of a Music Director for a while in 2001 who only wanted R&B. when they finally got rid of her, Von was named music director, jazzy Jim was Asst. program director. Thats when we started openin the doors for more newer bay music.
e-40 dropped Automatic in 2002, and it was all over the air. B-Legit had "whatchu talkin" and So International. Quinn had Give it Up (wit the fake beyonce..lol). We MADE the Grindin rmx in the KMEL production studio. we MADE the WHO YOU WIT Lil Jon / Quinn / Easki record in the KMEL production studios. Sure, we had to play a large cross section of other music, becuase believe it or NOT, not everyone in the bay loves only bay music. Lotta girls like R&B. Lotta guys were into Jay-Z & 50 cent for a while.
keak dropped White T's in 2003, and I was first to throw that on air. You know the rest on that record. huge hit. 2003. then came Hyphy, the federation, which started to pop, but slowed down. then came the Hyphy Rmx, which i remixed myself adding the parts where the beats change etc. Shit blew up. The response started gettin bigger for each record. Now the bosses were startin to see that there was a movement behind these records.
it was also at that time that a couple of radio-investors decided they could make a quick buck by startin a new station, then selling it off fast, which is exactly what happened to 92.7. The owners were never in it for the love of the bay, never in it to play bay music. They were in it to sell the station within a year, and make a profit. and thats exactly what happened. and, on the real, what bay music did 92.7 play that we werent playing? I mean, before he left KMEL, erock STOLE our whole bay catalog to bring over there. wit the exception of that dude Kalasole or whatever the fuck, they didnt play nothin we didnt play. they went down in 6 months, just as predicted. our ratings never even dipped, and in fact, went up during that time. these are facts.
from there, the movement got stronger, and the music got stronger. so many strong records comin out of the bay.
as for mac dre only gettin play after he died. thas bullshit. as a fan of MD, who met and spoke with the man, ill tell you thas bull. His fame was WAAAAY overdue, i will say that tho. I checked the BDS on Thizzle Dance, Get Stupid, and Feeling Myself. All three were gettin spins way before he passed. But i will say that the turning point to him gettin MAJOR play wasnt his death, but rather, the party that Chuck (Done Deal) threw at Mission Rock and MD performed. It was like watchin jesus the way the people worshipped him. Thas when we realized he needed to get a lot more play. yeah, we mighta been late. I always listened to his music. I was always a fan. But i never were sure the "radio" listeners would be into it. if i wasnt, how could i have gone on the air Novemeber 1st, 2004 and deliever an hour-long tribute mix just hours after hearing of him pass. Makin that mix was a fuckin sad experience. so dont tell me I didnt give him respect until after he died. I shook his hand and talked to him str8 up. after he died, a lot of bandwagoners appeared, and a whole other station decided they would also jump on the MD bandwagon, but KMEL was showin love before he passed. I wish he was here to enjoy the success and keep makin more music.
anyways... thas the truth behind the whole thing.