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Hip-hop radio station debuts today

By: Staff Writer

14/12/2009 7:00 AM | Comments: 48

Miss Melissa and J-Boogie AKA Melissa Spence and Butch Sunglao host the radio program Rise Up at the launch of Winnipeg's only Urban/Hip-Hop radio station STREETZ 104-7 Monday morning.

WAYNE.GLOWACKI@FREEPRESS.MB.CA Enlarge Image

Miss Melissa and J-Boogie AKA Melissa Spence and Butch Sunglao host the radio program Rise Up at the launch of Winnipeg's only Urban/Hip-Hop radio station STREETZ 104-7 Monday morning.

WINNIPEG - It's time to get your Hip Hop on.

Winnipeggers will have a new place to go on the FM dial with Monday's launch of Streetz 104.7.

The station will offer Aboriginal Hip Hop/urban music with a 40 per cent commitment to aboriginal content.

"It's been a crazy morning. It's great to see the announcers and watch their faces light up," said CEO David McLeod. "Our DJ J-Boogie has had 70 hits on his Facebook page. It's constant and immediate feedback."

The morning show, Rise Up, will be hosted by Miss Melissa and J-Boogie while Sadie holds down the afternoon slot and Elie drives The Ride each night.

Winnipeg Jules will deliver the issues that matter to Winnipeg youth with The Word while Josh hosts the All Night Party each weekend.

DJ Jeremy Harper will broadcast in his Native tongue, Oji Cree.

McLeod says there's a huge appetite for ubran music among Winnipeg's aboriginal youth.

"When we did our research, we had a number of focus groups and Hip Hop/urban music is clearly the choice among young aboriginal people," said McLeod. "We pride ourselves on being local, Canadian and aboriginal. There's a trend all over the world and Streetz recognizes that. As far as we know, Streetz is the only station in Canada of this kind. We're very excited. There were some naysayers early on when we started talking about this station and we think we're going to prove them wrong."

History

Updated on Monday, December 14, 2009 at 9:15 AM CST:
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48 Commentscomment icon

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As an aboriginal youth in my 20's, I can't help but be extremely upset about a lot of these comments. This stereotyping needs to stop. Ever since I moved to Winnipeg I have never felt so out of place and judged by the color of my skin. I would also like to say that I wish STREETZ all the best, although I don't listen to that much rap/hip-hop.(Like I should?) And guess what? I have a very well-paying job that I worked hard for and don't live in the North End.. Shocker isn't it??!!

Why is it when aboriginal people come into the equation it's "tax-payer money" this, "gangs" that?

@GBTRU - I can relate
@danmaximo - well said
@DKP - "Aboriginal youth acting like black kids" - ENOUGH WITH THE STEREOTYPES.

By the way... Judging by the comments a lot of people didn't even READ this article.

Good luck STREETZ!

Note to self: Next time the "aboriginal" word comes up in a Freep article; don't read the comments and spare yourself the shame and embarrassment... that you have for others.

Wow. You're a real group of bigots, aren't you? Very "Friendly Manitoba" of you.

Who cares what kind of music a person listens to?

"Next time a member of the Winnipeg Police Service examines a vehicle that was hot wired, check the radio station the punks were listening to, bet you dollars to donuts it will be this new station."

Wait, so what if they find someone listening to Power 97? Does this mean that we should take Power off the air because of who listens to their radio station? Why don't we take a survey in the jails - whichever radio station comes up most often will have to answer for the crimes of those men. Yeap. Real smart.

If you're not interested in the radio station then - genius suggestion here - maybe you shouldn't listen to it? No one is forcing you. At the very least, allow others the freedom to choose what music to listen to as they allow you, even if you can't embrace the idea of more variety in Winnipeg's radio market.

I can't believe all these curmudgeonly senior citizens learned to use the internet! "All those hip hoppers listening to a rap concert thats full of cusses, wearing their baggy pants and backwards hats! Lord knows what kind of crime and vandalism they'll get into when they get all intoxicated on their rap-a-hol. I hope some rap-fuelled hoodlum doesn't steal my Toyota Camry, or else how will I visit the grandkids or go to market to buy some prune juice!? And lord help me if I am driving with my windows down and I hear a rap lyric!"

All you grey-hairs should be able to remember a time when Elvis was not allowed to grind his hips on TV, The Beatles were blackballed for claiming to be 'bigger than Jesus', and these and other bands which are now featured on adult contemporary stations (like Pink Floyd and Grateful Dead) were seen as the cutting edge of rebellion and youthful destruction. All the noise that YOUR parents made about these classics amounted to nothing. In turn, your commotion on the current state of music will be duly ignored by the people of today.

@Jason Wayne: I'm scouring the website to find the gang symbol(s) you mentioned... can't seem to find it. Can you link to the pic plz?

@Malleen.....it's an observation. Pictures of the DJ's throwing up gang symbols and talking like they're from South Central shows that they obviously are identifying to the African American "gangsta" life. Can't they find their own identities? What's the point in glorifying dead rappers and the street hoodlums of Los Angeles?

Yeah, that's really a positive thing for a group of people who claim they are already repressed.

This is a good idea, I just hope that the dj's will set a good example. I had a listen to it this morning and the dj's sounded like they spent the morning googling urban phrases in order to sound cool.

"one thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain. White folks say it controls your brain."

"Youse kids and your hippity-hop music! It's too loud and EVIL! EEEEEEVIL!!! Drowns out my Coronation Street!"

Quote from 1984's "Footloose":

"If our Lord wasn't testing us, how would you account for the proliferation, these days, of this obscene rock and roll music, with its gospel of easy sexuality and relaxed morality?"

I guess we’d better shut down all those Classic Rock stations too, before we have a real angry-youth revolution and those crazy kids, with their questionable morals and “gangsta” life-style join up with the “rock & roller’s” to run rampant in the streets. Aerosmith and Run DMC prophesized this joint union of our restless youth in “Walk this Way”, if only we’d listened…

Way to open up and shed some light on your backwoods ignorance Winnipeg, nicely done!

Congratulations to STREETZ for trying something new. Hopefully the DJ’s know the difference between quality Hip-Hop and junk, and don’t succumb to pumping out the misogynist, consumerism-driven drivel some companies try to pass of as Rap/Hip-Hop these days. Good luck.

Oh! Great! Another radio station that will be blasting hip/hop as you drive home! Keeping the windows up in the car does not help, either!
No, it is not Aboriginal music, it is Black/American.

Jason Wayne, how come you are so allured to it...to make a comparison? Obviously, it's not only Aboriginal and "another group of repressed visible minorities"?

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