To understand this new series, I have to explain a little history first. "From the bungee" (c) Big Boi, while applying for colleges back in high school, I knew I wanted to broadcast on college radio. That love for music and broadcasting led me create Marymount College's first radio station The Mount during my two year stay there and it led me to arguably, the most storied college radio station in the country, Loyola Marymount University's KXLU 88.9 FM. While I never got the chance to host this show on KXLU (more on that later), I found a home at its subsidiary, KLMU. While these two stations may be housed in the same building, their traditions and purpose are day and night.
For over the past 50 plus years, KXLU has made their reputation as always being on the front line in supporting of upcoming, independent artists. The list of artists they have broken and went on to impacting careers is ever growing. However, while KXLU housed Mike Nardone's legendary Hip-Hop show "We Came From Beyond" (a show I had the chance to fill-in as co-host with Key almost a year and half ago) for 21 years, KXLU has always maintained it's sound as a Rock/Experiential station. Sure there are other specialty shows that showcase other genres of music such as The Jazz Journey (What's Up Eddie B?), Alien Air Music (Electronica), and Alma Del Barrio (which has won God knows how many awards), but KXLU is first and foremost, a Rock/Experiential radio station.
Furthermore, to maintain the purpose of the station, once a band achieves a certain level of success and notoriety, their music can longer be played on the air. This was for me, the ONLY major complaint I had about working there; especially in how the industry is structured now. Even on the major labels, artists are STILL struggling and hustling like indies. To me, these type of artists were in some sort "purgatory," where they known and loved by the underground and by a percentage mainstream music loves, but had yet to "blow up," (think The Roots Pre-Fallon for example).
KLMU's real purpose (at least to me) has always been it's a breeding ground for new KXLU DJs. As a stand alone radio station, it's looked down upon, laughed at, and honestly, seen as a joke by many if not most of KXLU DJs. But where many saw as a joke, I saw as a unique opportunity. See thing is at KLMU, the restrictions on what music could or could not be heard over the airwaves didn't exist. I could play Dr. Frankenstein and envision musically what I always wanted radio to be; no labels, boarders, the only criteria in effect was the quality of the music. If it was dope, I was going to spin it; regardless if it's "underground" or "mainstream." Which was perfect for me because I can not stand for the life of me being told what and what not to play. In other words, my vision for this radio show was completely everything KXLU was not. But beyond that, I wanted put my own spin on music interviews.
I am music nerd. It's no secret to anyone that comes into contact with me. Yeah, I'm that guy that reads or listens to a music interview and snaps out "What kind of stupid ass question is that? Fuck who his girlfriend is or who he has beef with? I wanna know the when, the where, the why, and the how behind the creation of the music." I am liner notes junkie. And I know there are people out there who are just like me that wanna know this type of stuff. I am not into Hip-Hop tabloid journalism, which has been the complaint of Hip-Hop Journalism as a whole. My focus has been and will always be the music and human component in which inspires an artist to create it. It has been this attitude that have driven my interviews and has been graciously commended by many of the artists who have sat down with me.
Although my ineligibility financially to continue my education as a student, just eight months shy of a degree cost me my director's position at KLMU, as well as later this show(You have to be a student to broadcast on KLMU), the time I spent in that booth over looking Alumni Mall spawned the 2nd evolution of this company. The places I've been, the people I've met and talked to, the privilege to be heard every single week in an open forum; without H.F.P Radio, Honor Flow Productions would not be what it has become and what it will continue to become.
For a cool minute now, I have promised podcasts/downloads of the shows that contained interviews. Some have been released briefly after it's initial airing, but this will be the first time that my eventful two year on-air stint @ KLMU will be available for your listening pleasure on-demand. Each volume will come with a brief (and I promise, shorter than this intro here, lol!!!) story behind each interview and some of my favorite tracks by that artist(s) spun at the end of the original interview. So regardless if you're a fan or not, by the end of the volume, you'll know what they are all about and how they get down musically.
As the old saying goes, "To know where you're going, you have to know where you have been." So as 20-11 is fast approaching, a year which will bring the 3rd evolution of H.F.P, allow me re-introduce you the "Real Music, Real Talk" ways of Honor Flow Productions Radio... ya dig?
