Recent Adds Vol. 1
I don’t profess to understand the innerworkings of the music industry at all, but there is truly no underbelly more confusing than the terrestrial radio arm. In this day and age the only place one ever encounters is in cars or diners or on construction sites, correct? The kids all have ipods and youtubes and other crazy gadgets. Yet, apart from the midday old school mixshows, “urban” radio programmers still target the 12-16 demographic almost exclusively. Where are children listening to radio? Or is there some sort of creepy manchild contingent that pushes records like “Stanky Leg” into the upper reaches of the charts?
In an attempt to answer these and other questions, I’ve dug deep into radio playlists, looking not at the major hits, but at weird indie records that have been added to radio recently. (Actually, I don’t think this process will answer any of these questions. I was just bored while waiting to do an interview.)
Nicc Ross f/ Yo Gotti – “Swag It Out” (Indianapolis, IN)
Eighteen year old Indianan rapper spends his paper route earnings on a Yo Gotti verse? Not as bad as one might expect.
Added; KIPR Little Rock KNDA Corpus Christi, WEUP Huntsville, WJUC Toledo
Eightset – “Google Me” (Houston, TX)
Yes, Waka made a better record named “Google Me” this year but it hardly seems like the most original concept. And you have to give these guys credit – they not only made a song about google, but they then got fully decked out in matching, head to toe google gear. Of course, the sad irony is that if you do google “Eightset” very few of the results have anything to do with the rap group.
Added: KNDA Corpus Christi, TX, KBTT Shreveport, WEMX Baton Rouge
Mr. CG – “Boogie Board 9000″ (Carbondale, IL)
CG was a member of the Pop It Off Boyz, who might remember as the only “Crank Dat” spin off group that a major was dumb enough to sign. (Though I cherish the “Crank Dat Batman” 12″ that was born of this union. Beyond that I don’t even know what to say about a record called “Boogie Board 9000.”
Added: WJTT Chattanooga, WJUC Toledo, WJZD Biloxi
Lil Flip – “Heartbreaker” (Houston, TX)
Flip’s career trajectory is the real heartbreaker, am I right? Song is horrible, rapping is better than I would have expected.
Added: KNDA Corpus Christi
Doughboy – “Cake Up” (Atlanta, GA)
Last year Doughboy came out of left field with the brilliantly somber “Birds Flying High” last year. Admittedly that track’s success was driven by its production, but it’s still disappointing to hear him regress to this sort of generic hyper dramatic half retarded Khaled shit here. But I guess that’s what gets the spins.
Added: KNDA Corpus Christi
Da Yungin$ – “It’s The Weekend” (Jackson, TN)
Well this is sort of cute, I guess? It’s disconcerting how the male member seems like he could be pushing his early twenties and the girl looks like she hasn’t even hit her teens. That discrepancy could make for some interesting thematic directions on the album that will never happen.
Added: KIPR Little Rock, WEMX Baton Rouge, WEUP Huntsville, WFXM Macon, WHRK Memphis, WJWZ Montgomery
Of course the best song I found is also the one that I can’t find a link for. Spoon had recorded a before the fame record with Jeezy before he got locked up on a drug charge years ago. He’s home now and has half a verse from Bun B, which is eight fewer bars than Bun has given every other rapper over the past two years.
Added: WFXM Macon
Candi Redd – “Independent Bitches” (Houston, TX)
I’m tired of describing this type of stuff. What do you think? Speak on it!
Added: KKDA Dallas, KNDA Corpus Christi
Tumblin' Erb
December 18th, 2009 at 4:26 pm
I have known Cnady Redd for A LOT of years and am wondering where all this came from. She’s talented for sure, been watching her and such. But this is different from what she was doing a couple years back even. She is killing it out here tho, the song is on the radio in Austin non stop.
December 18th, 2009 at 5:02 pm
“Heartbreaker” is jammin! Looks like the Corpus Christi radio station is breaking a lot of new music and artists. Go figure.
http://screwheadsonly.blogspot.com .
December 18th, 2009 at 5:22 pm
here’s a link to “Put’n Work”, i seen it on a forum not too long ago:
http://www.zshare.net/audio/69397868feece3c1/
December 18th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
“I don’t profess to understand the inner workings of the music industry at all”
Where is industry insider Jonathan Paycheck when he is needed?
December 18th, 2009 at 6:33 pm
“Where is industry insider Jonathan Paycheck when he is needed?”
The bomb shelter.
December 18th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
the only thing that can save rap is if jesus comes back and picks up a mic….
December 18th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
“Where are children listening to radio? Or is there some sort of creepy manchild contingent that pushes records like “Stanky Leg” into the upper reaches of the charts?”
I was really hoping you would answer that question, because it is fucking perplexing. The kids aren’t listening to the radio. From my extremely unscientific observations, the biggest radio listenership lies with people working 9-5s, where radio is the only source of side entertainment. I listen to radio most during the summer where the Forest Service vehicles I’m in usually don’t even have tape decks.
What mystifies me, then, is why the radio plays club tracks. Are people really in the mood to party while they’re driving or at work? Are people really popping Patron and swinging Louis rags during rush hour?
December 18th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
R, A, D, dont forget the I O,
everytime you see me, i’m with a new ho…
December 19th, 2009 at 2:34 am
Were only southern stations checked or is this showing that mainly southern stations support their region compared to NYC, the East & LA?
December 19th, 2009 at 3:53 am
Popping up as the second result in google is not too bad for Eightset, though…
December 19th, 2009 at 4:15 am
@August
I be thinkin the same thing bout club tracks played on the radio during rush hour. I remember when they were only played during “the Friday Night House Party” here in ATX.
But yall gotta remember, college cats are driving a lof of these tracks to be played on radio. It ain’t really teenagers.
December 19th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
A Mom, a Dad, their little girl, and their three happy meals roll up to the Bingo spot on San Pablo bumpin the Stanky Leg as loud and distorted as their stock 89 Tercel speakers can manage.
As far back as I can remember, there was always some dood pushing 30 wearing young dood clothing leaning up against some kind of modified sedan bumping whatever was fresh while waiting for his 16 year old fuck piece to get out of school.
The mistake we’re making with demographics here is, we’re assuming these different age groups don’t directly interact with each other, and, instead, independently of eachother, latch onto this or that as the new hotness. Whereas hiphop the club phenomenon is much more complicated then that. It’s doods in their late 30s trying to dress like doods in their 20s so they can spit game on 16 year old girls trying to look like the 21 year old on their fake ID.
Shoot- the stanky leg? We did that at the cousin’s wedding this past September in Florida. These older folks wanted to show the younger folks they knew exactly how to do that shit.
As always, everybody’s interested in what the kids are listening to. But it’s like the ragtime era now, almost, in that there’s no sense that their should be a music to grow into. A music for grown folks. Every year a whole host of songs devoted to some new hokie-pokie type dance- and grown folks working their dreary 9 to 5′s with KMEL their soundtrack to some fantasy about a consequence free youth which had never actually existed, their own youth leading of course to their dreary 9 to 5.
Basically, entertainment sells escape, and youth is the great escape.
December 19th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
you can get that sonny spoon and bun b on sonny spoon’s myspace
http://www.myspace.com/sonnyspoondollyhood
December 19th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Good points, Tamam.
December 19th, 2009 at 11:10 pm
When my little sister was in high school, she used to turn on her radio in her room while she did her homework. Also, obviously, when she drove to school. And also when just driving wherever. So while you’re right about 12-16 year-olds, I would question whether the taste of the 16-20 demographic is any more mature. There are a ton of people in that age group who love people like Drake, Yung Berg, Soulja Boy, etc.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
this was a hilarous post, this music depresses and entertains me at the same time
tamam was really on point with that shit 2
December 21st, 2009 at 1:35 pm
it would be extra lullz if it was white people on sp albany
December 21st, 2009 at 4:45 pm
I went to college at Fort Valley State University…which is about 20-30 mins away from Macon.
Sonny Spoon was the first rapper I ever wrote a print article on.
It was a cover for this mag called Georgia Up & Coming. He had a jammin ass song with TI back around 01-02.
December 23rd, 2009 at 9:53 pm
About Yo Gotti & Nicc Ross..
Give the kid a chance.. he would have to had spent alot of money to get the kind of airplay he’s getting.
I checked mediabase,bds and mediaguide after i saw ur post.
1000 mediaguide spins, 160 mediabase spins, #5 on the urban mediabase charts with 24 FM stations and now #11 over all on the “big picture” which im sure u know what that is..
Just thought u might wanna take another look at his numbers, and charted twice.
Chris
KISS FM
December 24th, 2009 at 10:46 am
chris is right
March 23rd, 2011 at 11:12 pm
HAHAHAHAHA