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That wouldnt accomplish anything. One thing you fail to mention in that point is that people listen to and watch what they deem to be entertaining. If the stations were to change their material the only thing that would happen is they would lose a ton of listeners and put themselves at risk of going out of business. There have been stations that have tried that before... 97.9 comes to mind... and it didnt work. People would just find a new station to go to to get what they want.
And also... 107.9 and v103 do a lot in the community. I know for a fact that they feed the hungry, provide assistance to needy families, toys for tots, provide DNA testing for those who cant afford it, and even provide child support for single mothers. I mean its like ive said on here before, the blame doesnt fall on these stations.. it falls on the parents for not teaching their kids how to look up to something other than entertainers that 9 times out of 10 never even lived the lifestyles they rap about.
People tend to gravitate towards the garbage... and thats the content they have to provide to stay open. Remember, its a business not a service. And just for the record, BET once did provide shows that would thought provoking such as Tavis Smiley and BET Summit... but when people dont watch it or listen to it... the market is too small for them to support it and when they lose money on it they send it to the can. They could put on a Black Debate show at 9:00 pm and put on some garbage like Frankie and Neffe...Housewives of Atlanta or Tiny and Toya at 10 and the ratings would probably be 100 to 1 in favor of the garbage. That's just how it is.
V-103 and 107.9 arent the only black radio stations in Atlanta, but they are the largest for the reasons I mentioned above... because they play what people want to hear. Now if tomorrow they were to switch and only play Neo Soul, Rhythm & Blues and groove music they would probably lose half if not more of their base. They're like grocery stores, they only supply the material. Even though people go in the grocery store and KNOW they dont need to be eating garbage like chitlins, neckbones, pig ears etc... because of the history of heart disease and high blood pressure in blacks... they still CHOOSE to buy it rather than going over to the health food aisle and getting turkey bacon instead.
It's all about choices and people just tend to gravitate towards the wrong ones.. but the stations definitely arent at fault for that. They simply supply the demand.
I understand what you are saying, but I tend to agree with AcidSnake. I’ve mentioned in another thread in the past that a colleague of mine told me how a popular black radio personality (from 107.9) told her that on "off peak" hours, the DJ has the freedom to play a variety of hip-hop (whether they do is up to them and what people request).
But during peak hours (after school on weekdays and weekend nights), they are forced to play the most gangsta, pro crack-selling, mind-numbing, sexual/money-oriented songs out (usually by local artists). He said that they are mandated by their bosses (who are mandated by their non-black bosses) not to deviate from the selected "pistol-popping, ***** mongering, killa crack slangin'" rotation during peak hours or they would be seriously reprimanded.
Also, how can kids request the good stuff, if they don't even know it exists?
I hate say it, but I think the masses will listen to whatever the radio plays. How many god awful songs that you know of have become hits because they were played on the radio 30 times a day? I agree that Hot 107.9 and V103 do things for the community. But some of the messages sent on air are in direct contrast to their actions off air. It’s like getting paid to give kids poison, then giving them medicine after hours. I mentioned this to Rashawn Ali a while back and she was like, “We don’t like it either, But I got bills to pay too!”
I’m not saying that they have to play sugar-plum-gum-drop rap. But when Goodie Mob etc. talked about drugs and such, it was referred to as ill of the community... of things that they had to do survive. Not like it was fun. They never talked about pushing keys to buy ice, pick up some hoes, and ball out at the club in every song. Listen to the Soul Food album again. The radio didn’t play all their songs, but even the ones they didn’t play were far more substantive than what the radio plays now. And there are plenty of Local rappers on that tip, but they have to front like they’re ignorant because that is all they ever hear on the radio. It doesn’t have to be on some Jazzy NeoSoul tip. They could still have hard beats and hard rhymes, just content that focuses on coming up and overcoming the real forces that oppress them, rather than sell dope, not taking mess from haters, ballin’ out, and getting money by any means necessary. I listen to a fair share of gangsta stuff too, but I feel that there should be more balance.
I understand what you are saying, but I tend to agree with AcidSnake. I’ve mentioned in another thread in the past that a colleague of mine told me how a popular black radio personality (from 107.9) told her that on "off peak" hours, the DJ has the freedom to play a variety of hip-hop (whether they do is up to them and what people request).
But during peak hours (after school on weekdays and weekend nights), they are forced to play the most gangsta, pro crack-selling, mind-numbing, sexual/money-oriented songs out (usually by local artists). He said that they are mandated by their bosses (who are mandated by their non-black bosses) not to deviate from the selected "pistol-popping, ***** mongering, killa crack slangin'" rotation during peak hours or they would be seriously reprimanded.
Also, how can kids request the good stuff, if they don't even know it exists?
I hate say it, but I think the masses will listen to whatever the radio plays. How many god awful songs that you know of have become hits because they were played on the radio 30 times a day? I agree that Hot 107.9 and V103 do things for the community. But some of the messages sent on air are in direct contrast to their actions off air. It’s like getting paid to give kids poison, then giving them medicine after hours. I mentioned this to Rashawn Ali a while back and she was like, “We don’t like it either, But I got bills to pay too!”
I’m not saying that they have to play sugar-plum-gum-drop rap. But when Goodie Mob etc. talked about drugs and such, it was referred to as ill of the community... of things that they had to do survive. Not like it was fun. They never talked about pushing keys to buy ice, pick up some hoes, and ball out at the club in every song. Listen to the Soul Food album again. The radio didn’t play all their songs, but even the ones they didn’t play were far more substantive than what the radio plays now. And there are plenty of Local rappers on that tip, but they have to front like they’re ignorant because that is all they ever hear on the radio. It doesn’t have to be on some Jazzy NeoSoul tip. They could still have hard beats and hard rhymes, just content that focuses on coming up and overcoming the real forces that oppress them, rather than sell dope, not taking mess from haters, ballin’ out, and getting money by any means necessary. I listen to a fair share of gangsta stuff too, but I feel that there should be more balance.
Funny you bring that up. Few days ago this dude pulled at the publix, right by the front gate no parking zone (guess you can call it loading zone) blasting some lil wayne unreleased song to high heavens while waiting for some fatty to walk out i guess since she couldnt walk the 50 feet to the parking lot. That stuff was 1000x "worse" than what 107 has ever played.
You want to count how many "children" heard that? So again, before blaming the media, blame the people! Before blaming the people, blame the criminals. If music made you go to jail, you weren't bright to begin with!
Funny you bring that up. Few days ago this dude pulled at the publix, right by the front gate no parking zone (guess you can call it loading zone) blasting some lil wayne unreleased song to high heavens while waiting for some fatty to walk out i guess since she couldnt walk the 50 feet to the parking lot. That stuff was 1000x "worse" than what 107 has ever played.
You want to count how many "children" heard that? So again, before blaming the media, blame the people! Before blaming the people, blame the criminals. If music made you go to jail, you weren't bright to begin with!
Interesting note, But guess how many times Lil' Wayne is played on the radio? A WHOLE LOT! What helped make him become so popular? Underground mixtapes didn't do it alone...
Plus, If Wayne had more of a catalog of music about say, going against police brutality, or getting his homeboys off the street, or even selling drugs in other communities and bringing the profits back to develop their own hoods (just an example guys - not my suggestion), with a good beat and dope lyrics and i think that same guy would bump that too. People rode around bumping "Georgia Bush" and "My President" just as much as "Where Da Cash At?" and "Trap Star" but it was only limited because they were only token songs on Wayne and Jeezy's albums. If they added more stuff like that to their resume, people would bump that in the Publix parking lot too...
So again, before blaming the media, blame the people! Before blaming the people, blame the criminals. If music made you go to jail, you weren't bright to begin with!
Unfortunately, many minority youth don't have good male role models. Many times, the youth look up to rappers and athletes. Just like kids in the ghetto look up to the dopeman. Now the rappers (and sometimes athletes) act like the dopemen (even if they are not). Kids still look up to it so it's taking a ghetto mentality and expanding it to the mainstream...
I'm not saying the kids aren't smart or music makes them go to jail... But it is the soundtrack to our lives, what is the soundtrack saying? When young black males look for an example of a MAN they (subconsciously) aspire to meet that standard in the MEN around them many times. If the standard is low-lifes, dopeboys, pimps, and jailbirds, you think it has ABSOLUTELY NO AFFECT on a youth without a father figure, or whose father may be in jail, estranged, a criminal, or murdered himself?
This is not true for many people, But if there is little, or poor parenting involved, the streets, the tv, and the radio [THE MEDIA] has raised many children... and when the media raises kids, the outcome is never good. Let's address the parents and community AND the media (it's not like they are innocent here)...
I take it you didnt notice my point that there ARE other stations here that play those types of music... people dont listen to it. 97.9 tried that, it failed miserably. Theyre forced to play certain types of music because its a business and they have to play what people want to hear to get ratings. Almost every radio station builds their playlist off of REQUESTS they dont just make it up. If people were calling in asking for neo soul in mass thats what theyd play but thats not a reality. The demand for that type of music is small thats just a reality. Thats why most of that type music is underground because its not heavily supported.
Another sad story - BUT, I certainly would not walk alone along Dobbs at 12:15am. The colleges need to drill a little common sense into some of the younger students, it would seem.
Things happen. I'm certainly not condoning any of these recent armed robberies. But the students need to realize they are in the middle of a big city, with all that ensues.
I take it you didn't notice my point that there ARE other stations here that play those types of music... people dont listen to it. 97.9 tried that, it failed miserably. They're forced to play certain types of music because its a business and they have to play what people want to hear to get ratings. Almost every radio station builds their playlist off of REQUESTS they dont just make it up. If people were calling in asking for neo soul in mass thats what theyd play but thats not a reality. The demand for that type of music is small thats just a reality. Thats why most of that type music is underground because its not heavily supported.
okay, okay... I think our misunderstanding here is that I'm not talking about Neosoul... I'm talking literally, T.I., Jeezy, Gucci Mane, O.J. Da Juiceman, Young Ralph, and the Dirty Boys with the same music over the same beats talking about different stuff... Not soft "let's everybody hold hands and pray/sing" type stuff. I mean the same hard, catchy stuff that is out now without (so many of) the damaging messages. For example, I'm an adult educator and i still think Jeezy's Thug Motivation 101 is ridin' out. But if instead of "motivating the thugs to get this money" he was "motivating blacks to come up for real" you think the kids would shut him out? Wanye did some rock songs and has his fair share of sappy love songs and his fanbase is bigger than ever.
You really, think the 107.9 audience would say, "He didn't talk about slangin' dope, I don't wanna hear this crap". If that is the case, i think it is only a select few - and they can hit the 'net. Listen to the songs "Dopeman" and "Tell 'Em I Said That" off T.I. vs. T.I.P. If rappers made entire albums with stuff like that, i think the youth would respond positively. If the rappers themselves gave other options besides trappin', instead of glorifying it, I think the kids would listen and respect that.
Trick Daddy, as well as, Gucci, Jeezy, Young Dro, and other lesser known Atlanta artists have all said on different occasions that they want to talk about other stuff on their albums, but their RECORD LABELS FORCE THEM to stick to the same subject matter. They even dictate what they can and cannot say in interviews. It is planned brownhornet, you're a good dude, but you gotta see the big picture... Why are all the hip-hop/r&b stations bought out by one entity. To monopolize the airwaves. Remember Payola? People don't request the songs until the radio breaks it... Who decides what songs to break or what singles to put out? Not the fans... the RECORD LABELS.
Now the youngster local artists just follow suit and make either catchy dance songs or more trap rap (whether it's true or not) 'cause they think this will give them instant success. I think the people will gratiously accept real, reality rap over, fake, materialistic, wasteful, misogynistic, pseudo-reality rap anyway... I just don't think they know that choice is out there. My original comment was to boycott the station in order to compel the gutter rappers to talk about real come-up type stuff (and they'd get airplay, which results in sales, which results in money - so everybody's happy, and just not at our children's, people's, women's, or culture's expense.) Feel me?
Removed by Moderator: Sorry, regardless of who's saying it, youtube videos that use the N-word multiple times (or at all) won't be permitted in posts, as offensive.
Last edited by atlantagreg30127; 09-07-2009 at 01:40 PM..
I take it you didnt notice my point that there ARE other stations here that play those types of music... people dont listen to it. 97.9 tried that, it failed miserably. Theyre forced to play certain types of music because its a business and they have to play what people want to hear to get ratings. Almost every radio station builds their playlist off of REQUESTS they dont just make it up. If people were calling in asking for neo soul in mass thats what theyd play but thats not a reality. The demand for that type of music is small thats just a reality. Thats why most of that type music is underground because its not heavily supported.
Some of these radio may not have the frequency power to reach all the areas of Atlanta. Also, what garantee is there that when you call a station that you will get thru? Some of stations will pick only certain types of callers to get on the station... usually the most ill-informed, not-so-bright kind tend to get on the "urban" radio stations. Many of my friends have called V-103 and Hot 107.9 a lot of times with requests and opinions to no avail.
That happens ESPECIALLY when there is a controversial issue going on in Atlanta. When these radio stations want to perpetuate a certain type of viewpoint for a certain type of community, they have a nack for being very selective about the caller they want on. Call me a conspiracy nut if you want, but that's what it looks like to me.
The bottom line is stations play what the majority of people want to listen to. If im a McDonalds owner and people demand angus burgers and hardly ever buy veggie burgers then my emphasis will be on angus burgers. People used the same types of arguments against them and blamed them for people being overweight as if they make folks buy it. People have choices man... im just not biting off the whole music creates violence thing. When they go shoot up schools you dont hear anyone blaming marilyn manson.
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