Hip station plays aboriginal tunes

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This article was published 15/12/2009 (6064 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s time to get your hip hop on.

Winnipeggers have a new choice on the FM dial with Monday’s launch of Streetz 104.7.

The station is offering 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,” CEO David McLeod said following Monday’s debut. “Our DJ J-Boogie has had 70 hits on his Facebook page. It’s constant and immediate feedback.”

The morning show, Rise Up, is hosted by Miss Melissa and J-Boogie, while Sadie holds down the afternoon slot and Elie drives The Ride each night. Jules delivers 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 urban 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.”