From Artist to Radio Broadcasting: The Journey of Josh "J Pragmatic" Davis
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages, you are now tuned in for your visual and audio hearing unqualified qualifications with me. Me is your host, comedian V Mac. And today, I'm here with Jay Pragg, the host with the mostest. He's a Internet sensation. He got his own Internet radio station, Rebel one zero
Speaker 2:One zero seven point nine.
Speaker 1:One zero seven point nine. He was one of the founding fathers of Soulful Sundays at Red twenty eight. He has multiple accreditations, and he's a tiger eye management. So tell me a little about yourself. How you been doing?
Speaker 1:How's it going on his life?
Speaker 2:Man, life is great. Life is great. What can I say, man? You know, I'm here. Pleasure.
Speaker 2:Thank you for inviting me.
Speaker 1:No. First and foremost. No. Thank you for coming.
Speaker 2:My pleasure, like I said. So, yeah, everything's good, man. Just working, grinding. I appreciate you shouting out some of my accolades and things. Just some of
Speaker 1:those few. You have multiple. This man's been all around here. So are you originally from Charlotte?
Speaker 2:No. Actually, originally from Charleston, South Carolina.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:Geechee Boy. Geechee Boy.
Speaker 1:Oh. That's what
Speaker 2:they call us.
Speaker 1:You down here in the in the in the little island area? Or
Speaker 2:Yeah. I mean, we got multiple islands, of course Mhmm. In my my homeland, if you will. So, yeah, about seven islands out there in Charleston. So yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay. So what brought you to Old Caculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculaculac
Speaker 2:I would say business and education. Mhmm. School, brought me to the, Rock Hill, South Carolina area. So that border, while I was in school, I was always, you know, jumping back and forth across the border over here to Charlotte
Speaker 1:Okay. Starting to plant seeds. Okay. And what couch and how what what school brought you here? Was it, like, middle school, you know, high school?
Speaker 2:No. Actually, college. So, once I graduated in high school in Charleston, South Carolina, I moved to Charlotte. I had a couple other opportunities for colleges, but Winthrop University is the, college I chose. I wanted to still be kinda close to home, but, a reputable name brand school in the area.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. So I went to Winthrop, again, giving me the ability to cross over. I also knew I wanted to be, near the big city. So for us, Charlotte was the closest big city. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So I knew I wanted to be near it.
Speaker 1:So what did you major in in college?
Speaker 2:So I majored in, art, and I minored in mass communication. So Okay. Started off in graphic design illustration, and then, like I said, minoring in mass comm. I studied broadcasting, radio broadcasting Mhmm. And television broadcasting.
Speaker 1:So what what made you go to broadcasting and to the to the arts?
Speaker 2:So art has always been a part of me. I've been drawn since I was four or five years old. Like, I've always I've won multiple, art competitions back in middle school to high school, church leagues. I used to travel for my art, actually, back when I was younger. That's that's what I was known for.
Speaker 1:You was a traveling artiste?
Speaker 2:I was a traveling artiste. Tech. Drawing, building, painting, creating. I was always a creator.
Speaker 1:You could have been architect.
Speaker 2:I actually so that's funny. I went to high school. We had, we actually had tech courses. I went to high school for drafting, which is Yeah. Essentially, yeah, architecture.
Speaker 2:But I found out that wasn't for me. That part. It wasn't as much art and fun as it was, structure.
Speaker 1:Ankles and numbers. Yeah. That was it.
Speaker 2:Percentage. Oh, yeah. I got out of that quick. Yeah. Right after high school.
Speaker 2:So what
Speaker 1:does it mean to go to the mass communications? Why mass communication?
Speaker 2:So that's a funny story, actually. I kinda fell in the radio and fell in the communication. I said I picked up a minor in mask on, but I picked up that minor, my sophomore year. What I found is, going through the art department Mhmm. At Winthrop University, it was very, very strenuous, especially for, I'll just say our kind.
Speaker 2:For the culture. For the culture.
Speaker 1:For the culture. It was a little a little bit much for the culture.
Speaker 2:It was a bit much. What I found is, you know, when you think of art, you think of your creativity, you think, you know, the eye of the beholder. Right? Like, who's viewing the art? You know, what they enjoy, appreciate it.
Speaker 2:But what you don't realize when you go to school for art, there are people literally judging, critiquing, grading you based off of your creativity, your ideas, your visions. Mhmm. Right? Like, you're being judged off of this. Now what I learned is our culture was getting judged and graded a little differently than other cultures.
Speaker 1:Yeah. I feel it.
Speaker 2:So that became an issue for me. So I went to change my major, to what was called general studio rather than focusing on specific, department. I was focused within the whole department of the art department. But with taking this new major, I had to pick up a minor. So I tried, like, four other things just to because at this point, I just like, look, I wanna graduate on time.
Speaker 2:I ain't even thinking about nothing else.
Speaker 1:Just wanna get your degree to serve.
Speaker 2:I wanna graduate on time.
Speaker 1:Showing family, look, I did it.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You know what I'm saying? So I'm just trying to graduate on time. I'm trying to pick something that allowed me to graduate on time.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:Only thing that fit, radio broadcast. Can't even make the story up. So I kinda fell into it and then loved it. You know what I'm saying? And I always knew as a child I wanted to be around entertainment, whether it was music, art, dancing.
Speaker 2:I don't know.
Speaker 1:You was a background dancer?
Speaker 2:No. I just knew I wanted to be around this stuff somehow, some way. I didn't know how. But yeah. So for me, that was a way in.
Speaker 2:It was a door, you
Speaker 1:know, that opened up for me. So did you do radio at the college?
Speaker 2:I did, actually. Did it for the last two years I was in college. One radio show of the year, two years in a row. I built my own radio team since college. This is why I already knew I could do it.
Speaker 2:I had a cohost.
Speaker 1:I
Speaker 2:had a intern who would come run my show when we couldn't make it to the show. Shout out to my man, Young Promisito. He was my cohost back in college. And we had a female cohost as well, Chocolatete. And I had put together a street team, a promotional team.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. And then we landed sponsorship my first couple months as a radio show, went out and find us some T shirt sponsors who would press up all our T shirts and stuff. So
Speaker 1:So how was life as a radio broadcaster on college campus?
Speaker 2:Really nonexistent. I was creating the culture. Me and a couple of people that enjoyed it started to love it were creating that culture on the campus.
Speaker 1:So you was were were was you living like the Dear White People? Like, did you ever see that show?
Speaker 2:It where So explain to me now.
Speaker 1:So Dear White People, it was a a person of our color Mhmm. At an all white school. Okay. And they were talking for us to them.
Speaker 2:I wouldn't say that. No. I was talking for us.
Speaker 1:You know what I'm saying? Like, it was telling our stories and making For them For them to understand us. For them. I know. But just for them to understand it, though.
Speaker 2:I mean, if they were listening, cool. But I don't I was talking to us. My my demographic at that time was What was the percentages
Speaker 1:of us at your campus?
Speaker 2:During that time I was in school, I think, somebody made about maybe 15% at a campus. Yeah. 20 max, maybe. Yeah. You know?
Speaker 2:During my time In tenure.
Speaker 1:Yeah. During tenure. Yeah. I feel you. So you you branched off from that.
Speaker 1:So you was doing the radio scope and all that. So what was next? Like, how did you build from that to go to the next step?
Speaker 2:So I guess, you know, just going through the ups and downs of, you know, going through college. I was, you know, a officer for my, fraternity at the time. I was working a full time job. Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated is the only one. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Yo. Yo.
Speaker 1:Right. Yeah. I'm not a
Speaker 2:Amber one.
Speaker 1:I don't
Speaker 2:I didn't know there was more. You know?
Speaker 1:The divine one.
Speaker 2:Nah. I salute to everybody out there, man. All the Greek organizations. But, cap officer fraternity corporate. I was an officer.
Speaker 2:I was foot working full time. I was building my dream as a radio personality without even really understanding it at the moment. So by the time I graduated, I was kinda, like I said, at that time, I'm already bouncing back and forth Mhmm. Up here to Charlotte. So started dealing with the clubs a lot, hosting clubs, doing promotions.
Speaker 2:Radio personality at the time came to my school, right before I graduated, maybe a year or so before I graduated. And did a speaking or talking engagement on our campus in our you know what? She took a break, and I ran out there on her smoke break. You know what I'm saying? I'll holler at her real quick.
Speaker 2:So I tapped in with her, you know. And it's kinda how I got the first plug in is, you know, we we chopped it up for a second, and, she she collected my information. And she I guess she was kinda taken by me a little bit in a good way, of course.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Of course.
Speaker 2:Within a week later, internship coordinator for Power ninety eight called me. Right up, like, a week later, he's like, hey. Hello. You know? It's like, hey.
Speaker 2:You know, we got an internship opportunity up here at the radio station if you're interested. We got great word and feedback, about you, so we would like to give you, you know, offer you this opportunity. Jump right on it. So, like, that last year, I guess that would have been actually my junior year now I think about. So my junior year and senior year, I was interning, for the number one urban radio station in Charlotte,
Speaker 1:North Carolina. True. So what is interim life for popular radio station like?
Speaker 2:Grant work. I mean, you know, you trying to get in. So, you know, what what you know, a lot of the bottom tier Yeah. Work and stuff. You know, stuff that
Speaker 1:Going getting coffee
Speaker 2:and stuff. Whatever. Whatever. You know?
Speaker 1:You was on the street team too?
Speaker 2:I was on the street team. Promotions. We were out there in the vehicles, passing out pamphlets and flyers and putting out tents and at concerts and all that. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So when did the internship lead you to in so you became a regular personality?
Speaker 2:So, of course, at the time, being a of a fan of the station I was working for, even previous to being an intern, you know, of course, my dreams and hopes were to right away start working for them being on air. Unfortunately, learning this game and this life and how it works.
Speaker 1:How does the game in the life work?
Speaker 2:Man, it's it's it's this is a lot of hard work. There's some politics like this and everything. Yeah. There's about relationships as well. So, you you put all these things together, and you gotta find your way.
Speaker 2:You know? So for me, during that time, I wanted to be down with the number one station. You know? I wanted to hopefully go from this internship into landing that first job and, you know Yeah. Say it all worked out the way I planned it.
Speaker 2:But, unfortunately, during that time, they weren't hiring full time.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So, again, another blessing from God. Somebody called me maybe four months before I'm about to graduate out the blue. Hey. Look. We're calling you from Clear Channel Radio, 961 to beat.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. We heard a lot about you, a lot of great things about you. We'd like to offer you a job position over here. So before I graduated, I'd already landed a radio job
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:With a station that was just coming to the market. They hadn't even been in the market yet. They were building the station, but they called me to be a part of the promotions team. Took that position right upon graduating. So I started my first day.
Speaker 2:After graduation, I was working for a radio station. That at at that time, that radio station was a top 40 station.
Speaker 1:So Explain to the people what top forty is if they don't know
Speaker 2:what it is. So working at power ninety eight is considered an urban radio station, urban urban community. Let's just say culture, the black community. For the people For the people who may not get it or understand. It's fubu radio.
Speaker 2:Now, top 40 is more of your pop music. That's more of your, more acceptable, I guess, you could say, by a lot of different open genres.
Speaker 1:It's MTV.BET. There you go.
Speaker 2:So you got your BET, which is urban, and then you got your MTV version, of course, which is top 40. So at this point, I'm able to say, okay. Well, dang. And now I got urban radio in my background. I'm also moving into a space now.
Speaker 2:I have top 40 radio in my background.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:Which in this game is like I said, the game is is like that. Like, what I learned in radio is about moving around. It's about keeping options open. Mhmm. Especially until you land those contracts that you're looking for.
Speaker 2:So for me, that was a great opportunity to go from interning at the number one station to now being employed by, I guess, you could say the the new kids on the block, if you will
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:In radio stations. Because here they come. They're spending money. I'm driving the vehicles out here. Before they ever flew the program director in from LA, I'm already driving the vehicles around for the next four months before he comes in town.
Speaker 2:So I'm essentially working, you know, I'm answering to myself as long as I'm, you know, following the schedule.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Just so that you don't point with everything you need to do. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Right. You know, I'm doing my thing. So, you know, I built over there for about three, four years. You know, hit kind of a glass ceiling, I guess, you could say with that situation.
Speaker 1:So let me ask a question. At this point right now, you was doing top 40 and you just came from Urban Radio. What were the differences as far as the business structure and the background of everything that you were doing, like, from the urban side to the top 40?
Speaker 2:That's a good question. From the urban side, I guess you could say it was the the business structure side, I think, was different in the fact that, you know, the culture is different. Right? Like, there are different people running this business over here. Their motto is a little different than the motto over here.
Speaker 2:You gotta get used to certain personalities. You know what I'm saying? So I think with the urban side, what I learned a lot from the business structure was being able to handle business, but have a little bit of fun. Mhmm. But then I think when I went to the, top 40 side, I learned a lot more about the business side.
Speaker 2:Like, you know, this is business. This is big business. I learned I learned in the top 40 radio station is where I learned in radio. You can't worry about friendships. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:Like, I've seen the best
Speaker 1:of
Speaker 2:buddies go from hanging out to this one is now coming to tell the other one, hey. It's nice to have known you here.
Speaker 1:You know? Best of luck in all your future endeavors.
Speaker 2:Best of luck. We we wish you well with a with a smile. Yeah. And I'm like, hold on. That was just meds.
Speaker 2:That was just meds in there.
Speaker 1:We got you for the next week, and then from there, we'll holler at you.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So, I mean, I learned that, wow. Like, this is a it can be cutthroat. It can be real. Like, you know, you gotta really, you know, cover your ass as they say Yeah.
Speaker 2:In this game.
Speaker 1:Like So when you started off, how many people were coming for you in your position? Because it seems like you were growing faster. You had to be making enemies or not say enemies, but people who were jealous or wanted to do what you were doing because it seemed easy for you. It probably wasn't.
Speaker 2:It seemed. It might've looked. I mean, I make things look good. You dig what I'm saying? What can I say?
Speaker 1:I don't look good. You dig I don't know about all that.
Speaker 2:But, no, it was a grind, baby. Like, in that means I earned everything I got. So it was a struggle.
Speaker 1:So but people were probably looking at it like, boom, boom, bam. And how how did that build in friendships and relationships throughout both sides, 40 and urban?
Speaker 2:I think what on the top 40 side, I don't think it was as consistent with worrying about friendships or relationships. It was I I learned, like I said, over there, this can be cut through this business. So I'll just keep it business. You know what I'm saying? So by the time, you know, my story goes back into urban radio because, like I said, after three years, I left that top 40 station because now opportunity opened back up at the urban station that I wanted to be at initially.
Speaker 2:So in four years, I went back to them being now hired as an employee for the first time. So position to give you? I started off in promotions. But,
Speaker 1:back when you went back to the urban radio?
Speaker 2:When I went back to the urban radio station. So in the top 40 station, I started off in promotions and earned my way, onto on air. I was actually the fastest, I guess you could say, employee to go from promotions to on air. They actually Mhmm. They were it was a big deal during that time, to be honest, that I had earned my way on air with the top 40 station within three months.
Speaker 2:They were
Speaker 1:like This is the LeBron James. It's Kobe Bryant straight out of high school. We gonna
Speaker 2:go right to the top.
Speaker 1:That's that's kinda that was the vibe, to be honest. That's the way
Speaker 2:they looked at me at the top 40 station because they were like, yo, you're so talented. You're you people know you. People love you. You know, we wanna give you these opportunities. We think it'll be a great fit.
Speaker 2:And and I took it. Yeah. I
Speaker 1:took you.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I took it for a moment, you know, and until it it felt like it wasn't beneficial to me anymore. So I went back to the
Speaker 1:urban states. Was it that made it feel unbeneficial? Like, what changed the mood? It was a couple of things.
Speaker 2:I think I was growing as a person, as a talent, understanding now the differences of urban radio and top 40 radio, and like you said, how they're operated and ran. I think even on a personal level for me, during that time, honestly, I had, I had dreads.
Speaker 1:I've been I could never imagine that.
Speaker 2:A lot of people say that. So during that time, I had dreads. And so I felt even the stigma, if you will.
Speaker 1:So how was it so having dreads at the top 40 station?
Speaker 2:Right. Now in the beginning, it didn't seem like it was a problem. Mhmm. But that's what I had to learn about the game. Okay.
Speaker 2:In the beginning, it didn't seem like it was a problem. However, as time grew and I was growing Mhmm. With the station, it seemed like it might have became somewhat of a hindrance.
Speaker 1:So they were dropping hints clues?
Speaker 2:The hints and clues is me picking up on things. You don't gotta I'm very intelligent. Like, I I I pick up on body language. I pick up on energy. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:So when I can feel like the energy is different, if I feel like you're talking to me different, you know, I'm starting to think to myself, well, what did I do first and foremost? Is it something that I did? And then I'm a evaluate for that purpose.
Speaker 1:So you was taking it personal?
Speaker 2:No. Not taking it personal, but what realizing that other people might be taking something personal.
Speaker 1:Yeah. Yeah. Or you were
Speaker 2:a threat or whatever. I'm a threat. There you go. Yeah. So that's what I encountered a lot with in this game, I would say, is top 40 even into the urban.
Speaker 2:I've experienced threat for different reasons. Yeah. You see what I'm saying? For top 40, I think me growing and then visually knowing where I could go if I'm going to be a visually personality for the station, I think that became an issue. If you're thinking about, oh, dress.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You can't You know? During this time, especially, right, you
Speaker 1:Yeah. That that
Speaker 2:yeah. So I had to make decisions. It were decisions that had to be made, that I had to make personally Mhmm. You know, for myself.
Speaker 1:I hope we wouldn't cut in your hair.
Speaker 2:That was one of the decisions. That was one of the decisions. But it wasn't for them. It was for me.
Speaker 1:For your creative growth?
Speaker 2:For my creative growth. Again, I learned from the situation. I learned that I could be hindered for certain things. Now, unfortunately, I didn't want to do it wholeheartedly. However, I did understand the game Mhmm.
Speaker 2:I'm playing. Right? Yeah. And once you understand the parameters and the rules and regulations within the game, you adjust. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So I knew that I had to adjust in order to continue to go further. I needed to adjust. I can grow my head back. Yeah. I might not get certain opportunities again that I might need at the moment to catapult to the next step.
Speaker 2:I grow my head back when I'm ready. Okay. You know? I didn't do it for them. However, I did it for myself knowing where I'm trying to go.
Speaker 2:I didn't want anything to to be a hindrance or a threat, if you will. So for that reason and just keeping it funky, I got tired of sitting in that chair for for hours. So it's not
Speaker 1:this is when you was the promo or you was a lot on air?
Speaker 2:I was both. I was promotions and then went to on air. And as I could see that they wanted me to do more and be groomed for more Mhmm. I felt like certain things could be hindered.
Speaker 1:So explain our on air personalities, job description duties, and how do you format a show? So on air personality actually is
Speaker 2:the person that delivers the information to you, delivers the music to you, content. Usually a character of sorts. You know, they usually have some type of energy or personality
Speaker 1:about that.
Speaker 2:You know, whatever that thing is, they got something
Speaker 1:A gimmick.
Speaker 2:A gimmick, if you will, that helps to draw in people. What was yours? I me. I mean, if you if you actually look up what my name means, I'm the gimmick, j prag. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:Pragmatic is short for pragmatic. Practical. Down for practical resolutions. I'm I'm very downer realistic. Like, I'm not I'm not Hollywood.
Speaker 2:I'm not, you know, I'm not any of these things that some people feel like they have to be. I'm very I'm I'm comfortable in my skin. I'm comfortable being me and not putting on a show and being a character, if you will.
Speaker 1:So So that's the only radio name you've ever had?
Speaker 2:That's the only radio name I've ever had. Mhmm. J Pragmatic. J Prag for sure. Prag?
Speaker 2:It was. J Prag. That's what I thought. So yeah. No.
Speaker 2:It's, you know, it's just stuck with me.
Speaker 1:How does the format of a show go? Like, how many songs? How many, like can you have to play a song. I heard you had to play a song once every hour. You can't play it back to back in the same hour and all that.
Speaker 2:Well, I I first off, you would have to say what form what platforms are we talking about? 40. 40? Top forties. Oh, so okay.
Speaker 2:So if you're talking about terrestrial corporate what is known as corporate radio, if you will, for those that don't understand the term terrestrial, they have certain guidelines, rules, and regulations that they have to abide by. They have certain things that they have to do. Mhmm. Yeah. So some things may include the music.
Speaker 2:A lot of it, of course, is gonna include the advertisement and the way it's ran, which is your commercials. So they have to because of their business structure and the way they're set up, they have to, operate in such a way where they try to appease the audience, the the average listener, but then appease their advertisers, the people that are funding, and and making sure that the bills get paid.
Speaker 1:Is it the same for urban?
Speaker 2:It is the same for urban. I mean, the setup pretty much the the the business structure is is fairly the same. When it comes to urban versus top 40 versus sports versus, you know, I don't know. Political. Any other political any other format.
Speaker 2:Those are considered formats. No. Those are, you know, those speak to certain audiences. Your format is what would speak to a specific audience, which is why advertisers would pick specific formatted stations depending on who they're trying to target. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:You know? So when it comes to, I guess, the audience of the terrestrial radio, you know, their goal is to accommodate with the music, but then accommodate the advertiser, like I said, on paying the bills. So they have a fine line of trying to be creative and trying to be fun, but then Yeah. Having to produce business, you know, and handle business, if you will, which is what led me, you know, growth wise to my place of how I'm operating in my brands and what I'm doing. I'm all about taking what people aren't doing and taking what's not working and then recreating it.
Speaker 1:So what's not working? How did you re what's not working?
Speaker 2:I think when it comes to your terrestrial radio, what's not working now is for one, the generations are different. You have to be willing to evolve and change along with your, your listenership or your viewership. Things have to change. We have to evolve enough to give people content the way that they're now used to receiving content. People are on their phones all the time.
Speaker 2:Right? It's all everything's online digital now. So you have to play today, you know? And terrestrial radio has been in a position for so long of, I guess, dominance
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:In the space in which they were in to where now you have this online space. And it's like, oh, now they're seeing that, you know, again, this newer generation, they're more into online. They're not sitting at home turning on a radio. No. You know?
Speaker 2:Things are different now. Mhmm. So you have to play towards that. If you're gonna survive anyway, you have to play towards that, versus running away from it. So I think it's big that they you know, terrestrial radio has to adjust in order to survive.
Speaker 2:And they've already been making certain adjustments. I've seen it in this space where they're trying to make certain adjustments. However, I think, you know, being the digital radio space, people are already creating and finding what they're liking in those spaces. So it's gonna be harder to draw your attention back to local when you've now gotten so used to this platform that brings you not only maybe some local stuff, but they're bringing you national information and news and and music. You know?
Speaker 2:So So when did
Speaker 1:you jump on the on the alternative wave?
Speaker 2:For me, it was probably about, I guess, you could say eight years ago. And then I really jumped in that space probably about seven years ago, testing it out. Tried a couple of different partnerships in the past that didn't work out, unfortunately. But I learned a lot from it. So that's all that matters to me, as I took the jewels that I was supposed to take in order to continue the to grow and build what I envision as, you know, new radio is what I call.
Speaker 1:So what your vision for new radio?
Speaker 2:So my vision for new radio, is to, for one, be I'm trying to teach people what new radio is. So new radio is the culture. It's becoming the culture. I like to say for my radio stations, Rebel one zero seven point nine and the Soul one zero five point three that we are, I like to consider us not just a radio station, but more of a multimedia radio station. More of a, a station for the culture.
Speaker 2:We're not limited in limiting ourselves on the way that we provide content or making sure that just like I spoke, we're putting ourselves right in that space. Mhmm. So we wanna make sure that you can see everything that's going on. We wanna be able to pull up on you. Like, we're not limited to one studio anymore right nowadays.
Speaker 2:You can pull up and and set up shop on a basketball court and interview people. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, you could pull up with it at the mall and and post up nowadays and do interviews and ask questions and crack jokes.
Speaker 1:Right?
Speaker 2:So it's like you're not limited to anyone's space, any studio. So that's the way you gotta sell radio is we can pull up where you at. You know what I'm saying? Like, my top five markets right now for rebel is in this order is New York, LA, Chicago, Charlotte is number four, and, Philadelphia was last time we checked our numbers. Those are the top five markets.
Speaker 2:My goal is to pull up in these markets. Yeah. Do events in these markets. We're going to where the people are listening to us at. See, terrestrial local radio, they're limited.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. They can't do that. You know what I'm saying? They can't focus outside of The city today. Of the city.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? And so for new radio, now we pulling up in different countries. If we they're listening to us over here in this country, we we setting up an event in this country. Rebel one zero seven point nine out here in Tulum. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:Everybody on vacation must be pissed.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Tulum is better, baby. But that's the beauty of it. Not to mention, we're not governed by certain laws, you know, like the FCC, like with terrestrial corporate radio. We're not governed by certain laws, you know, being in this online space.
Speaker 1:So, you know Are you basically allowed to play whatever, whenever, how
Speaker 2:play I have no I'm you're not gonna hear the same seven, eight songs with me an hour. You know? I can play, b side. You're gonna hear some b side. You might hear some mixtape songs.
Speaker 2:You're gonna hear some songs. You're like, oh, man. They playing that on the yeah. I want you to, you know, I want you to feel that the energy of, wow. This is what new radio is.
Speaker 2:Like, you can hear anything you wanna hear. You You know what I'm saying? From fitting this format.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know? With with less interruptions, less commercials, more raw content. Beautiful thing about this space is we can go and edit it. So on my radio station on Rebel, I have unedited hours. So after 10:00, say from five in the morning till 10PM, we're clean.
Speaker 2:But after 10:00, I'm going after a different market.
Speaker 1:Yeah. 10:00,
Speaker 2:we can go unedited. It's almost like uncut. BTUs, they have the uncut. Same concept. Why not have it uncut?
Speaker 2:We're online. We don't have to be so strict about everything. I wanna loosen it up. That's why I called it rebel.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We're rebels. We're doing things differently.
Speaker 1:You know? Attacking the market from a different angle.
Speaker 2:From a different angle. We're opening up the playing field. Just like I said, see, terrestrial radio, they're limited. They're playing edited music. That's one market.
Speaker 2:Okay? I'm playing edited music. That's one market. But then I'm playing dirty content and music after a certain time. That's a whole another market I just opened us up to.
Speaker 2:Plus from what is that? I think we're doing from two to five. We're doing more of, like, a TikTok kinda dance vibe. Mhmm. So that's a third market I'm attacking for one platform.
Speaker 2:I'm able to hit three markets, you You know what I'm saying? Of listenership.
Speaker 1:And then what content do you have on your website? What content? Yeah.
Speaker 2:So you'll be able to catch a lot of our shows visually. So some of our shows are here locally. A lot of our shows aren't. They are broadcasting outside of Charlotte. So we'll be able to not only, you know, catch what's going on here locally in our studios, but then we'll be able to throw it out to New York and what our DJs are doing out there in their home studios.
Speaker 2:You know, and their their studios in in in in Chicago. You know, the goal is to be able to again, it's like passing the baton. We're showing our arms are reaching more than just Charlotte. You know? Not to mention, I wanna know what's going on in New York.
Speaker 2:I wanna know what's going on in Chicago. I wanna know what's going on in LA. You know? So now I've created a platform where I have talents that can bring this to me. You're gonna play that music from LA that The Carolinas don't know yet.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I want you to play that music in New York that The Carolinas don't know yet. Like, and vice versa. We're gonna play some music from The Carolinas that you guys haven't heard yet. The goal is to to share the wealth.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? Open up the open up the playing field a little more for ourselves.
Speaker 1:So how is the Internet radio community as far as the ownerships go? Are y'all all on the same wave, or is it more like because from what I've I'm kinda figuring that traditional radio is a competition where I want all the views. I want all the listens. Is it the same in the Internet radio situations?
Speaker 2:It it could be viewed the same.
Speaker 1:Or y'all bonding to to take out?
Speaker 2:I I would say there's a little bit of both. I've had some conversations where there's some Internet online radio stations that would like to work with us to some capacity, share relationships, share clients, things of that nature. But then, of course, you have some people that would prefer to be stand alone and do their own thing. I'm not against anything. I'm open minded to working with different people as long as it makes sense, of course.
Speaker 2:But, of course, my brand is always gonna be the first of of my attention. Like, that's gonna be my thing that I'm focused on. It's it's how is it gonna benefit or help what I'm doing with my station.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:And then making sure that you're on the same level as my station. Because here's the kicker. You just mentioned a lot of online radio stations. Well, see, I'm not an online radio station. I am a multimedia radio station.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:Like I said, I'm full of the culture. I'm we were licensed. We're insured. I had to get insurance. I'm iHeartRadio.
Speaker 2:I'm certified. See, there's a lot of these other guys, they don't have these accolades and these So
Speaker 1:they're basically backing. So you're basically pirates?
Speaker 2:Pretty much without being yeah. If you don't pay licensing to artistry, to the people that are creating this music, if you're just playing their music and you're not giving back to them, you're essentially stealing.
Speaker 1:I never knew that you had to do all that. I didn't know. I thought, like, for the inner I thought, like, Internet or
Speaker 2:It's their music. It's still content. Would you want somebody playing your your comedy No. At at their own disposal and making money and having fun with it and getting
Speaker 1:No. Hell no.
Speaker 2:Views off of it, but you're not benefiting at all. No. No. Okay. So I am a licensed and insured radio station.
Speaker 1:So what's insurance for a radio station?
Speaker 2:So insurance is just in case, man. Like, it just like anything else. You'd something is said or done in such a manner. Mhmm. You wanna be able to protect yourself.
Speaker 2:So So
Speaker 1:how did you get on with IHRT?
Speaker 2:So with IHRT, they kinda watched us, during our beta test mode. We beta tested our radio station for about a year. And growing the station, the listenership, gaining a lot of notoriety just off of being independent, somebody like myself having the years of, radio and entertainment in my background, they just watched us for a moment. And, because if you know anything about iHeartRadio or any major brand, they're not just gonna pick up anybody. So they kind of vetted us for a little while, gave us the opportunity.
Speaker 2:I wanna say it was this year, 2024, we signed our contract with IR radio. So Congratulations. Gave us our our our major deals situation. I appreciate that. Top of this year, 2024.
Speaker 2:And it and it means a lot to us because I know that not everybody can get that. So I I I wanna be clear that they are online radio stations, and then there is a station such as the brands I have, which are multimedia radio stations, which come with paying the proper people to make sure that we are official. You know, we're not just the audience saying, oh, we're online station playing all this music and content, but can get shut down on suit at any given time. No. That's not us.
Speaker 2:We're actually and we're tracking our music. So we are considered I am a Pandora. I am a, you know, for those locals in Charlotte, I am a power ninety eight. I am a big dog independently. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:I can do everything they can do independently.
Speaker 1:Are they noticing you, like, the big radio stations here?
Speaker 2:Definitely. Not only just here, but abroad. They see what I'm doing. A lot of these guys know my background. You know?
Speaker 2:They know I'm a self starter. They know I ain't even gonna invest or move on something unless I believe in it. So, you know, I've gotten a lot of good support, though, to be honest. Like, it's not it's not even been a bad thing.
Speaker 1:It's a lot of great support, to be honest, from a lot of people I've worked with, a lot of counterparts. Okay. So how does it feel well, first of all, for me, because because of you, I built up a comedy career. Right? I've learned how to perform at your venues.
Speaker 1:It was, soulful summits at Red twenty eight. My first year in the game, I was up and down, sucky sometimes. Sometimes I wasn't. But it was your venue that got us going. So how does it feel to be a gatekeeper to build brands to help other people move forward with their careers from poetry, music, everything?
Speaker 2:I I take pride in it now. In the beginning, I didn't really understand it, but I think now more than ever, I've accepted my responsibility. I'm a I'm a spiritual person. You know? I I believe in a high being.
Speaker 2:So for me, I believe I was put in a position to help. There's a reason I've had to endure and go through a lot of things and pitfalls that I've went through, I think, is to be able to help other people hopefully not have to go through that. People that I see value in. So for me, it's big to be able to have created a lot of platforms, a lot of different stages for people to give them their opportunities. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:I I cherish that, man. And I I take that, you know, I'm a take that all the way to the top with me because I believe in helping people. I believe I I wish somebody was around to have helped me a lot of times along my journey. So I feel like, you know, I I look at other gatekeepers who prefer to keep the gate closed and, you know, to each his own. But for me, I don't I'm not gonna be hurt by allowing somebody else to get in.
Speaker 2:Like, I don't I'm again, I'm a believer in a higher being, and I've been placed in position. You know, I'm I'm of him, and he's blessed me thus far. So I believe I'm here to help and bless others and give others jewels, you know, again, so they hopefully don't have to see some of the things I've had to experience and see.
Speaker 1:I see.
Speaker 2:So yeah. That's I I love it,
Speaker 1:to be honest. So how long did it take you to find your radio voice?
Speaker 2:I guess that's the first year of radio, man. I had to figure it out. I I mean, it it sure wasn't in my earlier days of college radio. I was kinda playing with it then, but, I guess you could say my first year is really touching the airways started in ninety six one to be when I started playing around. I figured I had to find it.
Speaker 2:You know? What better way than start over here? Top 40 and play around. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 1:Yeah. So how that that that's dope. So I don't I ain't even throw away like that, but, you know. So I always wanted to know, like, I know they use a Nielsen race radio a Nielsen rating system for TV and regular radio. Mhmm.
Speaker 1:So how do you track your your viewers or your listeners on this platform?
Speaker 2:So, of course, yeah, they are different tracking systems, for television and radio. Some of them are household. Some of them are meter, assisted. So some so you might have some situations where, they give people meters in the different areas.
Speaker 1:Oh, like how to give people the Nielsen boxes?
Speaker 2:There you go. So to pick up, you know, transmissions of what you're listening to.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:You know? So that's that's a different that's definitely a way. And then tracking systems in general, I mean, it's it's beautiful to have because you want the analytics. You wanna know who's listening, where they're listening, why they're listening. That's what's gonna help you make your product better.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So these tracking systems are very important. Now do I believe in them a %? Not always. Because I mean, you know, like anything, you you can play with these things. Right?
Speaker 2:Like You can
Speaker 1:play with the numbers.
Speaker 2:Yeah. You can play with numbers.
Speaker 1:You know
Speaker 2:what I mean?
Speaker 1:Actual numbers, the numbers you give out.
Speaker 2:The the ones you give out, especially. Yes. You're hoping that your actual tracked numbers are your actual tracked numbers. But, yeah. So the the tracking systems are set up to help the business grow.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. It's to help the business know who their listeners are, to keep up with their target listenership. Mhmm. It's a way for them to get gain insight, if you will, to the market in their community and who they're trying to service. So, yeah, they put them out different ways, from their side to, like I said, putting them actually into the community to allowing the community to track themselves and see what they're listening to and or watching.
Speaker 2:Okay.
Speaker 1:So tell us more about Tiger Eye.
Speaker 2:So Tiger Eye, full service marketing, promotional, entertainment, and advertising, I guess you could say, firm. Birth back in 02/2007, I just I I kinda wanted to speak to, you know, again, helping people. I saw a lot of people feeling, you know, I guess, like, they didn't get everything they wanted from different, entities, when they would come to buy services with these different entities I've been around. I've witnessed people not be happy. I've also witnessed, starving artists.
Speaker 2:You know? So Tigard was kind of the it kinda embodied a little bit of marketing promotions, advertising with a little bit of grooming development for artistry talents, to just being a a brand that helps curate, you know, major events, cultural events for the for the market, for the community. So marketing, promoting for businesses, doing our own events, assisting peoples with their concerts and their events, development management of artists. Shout out to Desimaj, our R and B artist. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:She's on fire right now, making a lot of headway, gaining a lot of attention. Make sure you look her up at. But just, you know, really doing a lot to to to build what we see, as that should be noticed. You know? That's where the whole name comes from.
Speaker 2:Tiger eye. We feel like we got that eye. Like, you should pay attention. Yeah.
Speaker 1:So what makes you choose what made you choose her as a artist in comparison to anybody else who came up to you?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah, man. Because I've had numerous artists over here trying to get me to work with them and sign them. But
Speaker 1:Why you tell them no?
Speaker 2:Well, I when I first started Tie Guy Management Group, I actually have worked with a lot of artists back in the day that I signed under my management company that I did develop, invest into, and work with. And it came with a lot of ups and downs, mainly a lot of downs. I've I've had those bad experiences.
Speaker 1:What were those downs?
Speaker 2:Well, you come to find out that somewhat sometimes playing a management, you're like babysitting. Right? So you gotta know the type of person you're you're you're dealing with. So what I've come into contact with is either I'm wanting it more for you than you wanted or I'm more invested financially and other than you are, so you're, like, you know, you you do pick and choose and take days off. I've endured dealing with people wasting time, wasting money, wasting studio time, missing shows, getting arrested, going to speak on behalf of artists to get them out of jail.
Speaker 2:It's just been a lot. Mhmm. And that was the earlier
Speaker 1:years. Jail.
Speaker 2:Man, listen, bruh. I done I done had to do it all. Get them out get people out of street fights, get like, I done had to beat, man. Listen. I've had to do it all, brother.
Speaker 2:Essentially become the parent. In some cases, you essentially become the parent.
Speaker 1:You know?
Speaker 2:And that's what I had to learn from managing certain artists is that you kinda become the everything to a certain extent.
Speaker 1:Point, how many did you have?
Speaker 2:I would say the my biggest roster under Tiger Eye was three artists at one time. Three artists.
Speaker 1:And how many you have now?
Speaker 2:I have one on purpose. On purpose with purpose. So I started off hip hop, you know, rap. I had a lot of now don't get me wrong. I had some dope artists, which is why I signed them.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:It was just a lot of, I guess, like I said, either the business side wasn't working out or the personal side wasn't working out. And not always to a negative, sometimes to a positive in their personal life. You know, some guys, you know, got married, moved on, had kids, you know, had lived life.
Speaker 1:Mhmm.
Speaker 2:So, you know, life goes on. Life happens. So for me, I just took a break in managing artists just because it was so it's intrusive. Like, you have to be you gotta know everything. You gotta, you know, I gotta be up your butt essentially.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So so
Speaker 1:is this artist easier? Oh, a lot easier.
Speaker 2:So for one, like I said, I started hip hop. She's r and b. Right now, I'm I'm all about going along with the wave. Right now, we know that music is coming to where good music is coming back. Like, the the Yeah.
Speaker 2:Energy, the season for good music is coming back around. So that was key for me in selecting an artist is I knew that it had to be good music. It had to be R and B. It had to be soulful. It had to be something along the lines of that.
Speaker 2:Mhmm. Not to mention doing soulful Sundays for thirteen years. Yeah. Hint hint. The longest lasting event in Charlotte history.
Speaker 2:History. Dope too. Thirteen years. Do your research.
Speaker 1:Brooklyn.
Speaker 2:No other no other event has lasted that long. And I normally don't toot my horn, but I'm a take this opportunity toot that horn. Thirteen years, longest lasted event in Charlotte, North Carolina history. Do your research. Tag eye manager group Soulful Sundays.
Speaker 2:Take
Speaker 1:time. Let's get it.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? Because, you know, sometimes you gotta remind people and let people know. But Damn. Yeah. So Yes, sir.
Speaker 2:For me, man, you know, is I I took a lot of time to really figure out what I wanted to do when it came to the artistry side of who I wanted to work with if I was gonna work with somebody. So, you know, she was brought to my attention, over a year ago. I like the way she work, her work ethic. She had a great, you know, head on the shoulder. She, you know, I I had the opportunity to meet her mother.
Speaker 2:Mother was great people as well. Got great energy from both of them. You you know, it started working. It started just the working process with her. So, grew into a great working relationship to where I really feel confident in what she's capable of doing.
Speaker 2:You know? And I'm a whole I'm behind a 10% because I believe in the music. I believe in the artistry. And I believe in the fact, you know, like I said, on a personal and I believe in her as a person. Mhmm.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? I had to take that into consideration. This go around with working with an artist is the person. You know? Like I told you, I had some Yeah.
Speaker 2:Some stories. I just I know earned stuff.
Speaker 1:Fucked up people.
Speaker 2:Man, I've dealt with some stuff. Like I said, good to bad. But the bottom line is I had to use my discernment this time as far as what I think could benefit myself, the brand, and who I could be beneficial to. You know? Like, even helping and supporting her,
Speaker 1:I felt like I'd be
Speaker 2:in So what would
Speaker 1:you so what would you tell up and coming radio personality who wants to be an entrepreneur? What would your statement be to them? Oh, definitely do it. Never put all
Speaker 2:your eggs in one basket. I learned that early, which is why I created Tag I Management Group while I was working in radio. It's because I figured I'm not gonna tell myself no for one. Right? Like, if I believe in it, I it's my creativity.
Speaker 2:It's my idea. I wanna invest in it. I wanna do it. I'm a just do it. I don't wanna have somebody tell me, no.
Speaker 2:Wait. Let's see. Let's figure it out. I've I've dealt with that, which is the reason I created this company. So, I would say go for it, man.
Speaker 2:Don't let nobody stop you. I don't care what your background is. If you have an idea to do something that's, you know, away from your normal, what you're you're doing, your your nine to five or whatever. I always say, believe in your dreams, believe in yourself, man. You got to.
Speaker 2:Like, if you don't take a chance on you, who gonna take a chance on you?
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:You know what I'm saying? Like, you yourself. Yeah. You have to invest in yourself. You know?
Speaker 1:Alright. So we about to get about it here, and this is a question I always ask people who come here. The name of the show is Unqualified Qualifications. Right? So when was it a point in your career, point blank from radio, entrepreneurship, anything, that you believed in yourself and the rest of the world didn't?
Speaker 2:I was there from the gate from college radio. Shoot. Go back further than that. Middle school, man. And Ben, I ain't know your dog.
Speaker 2:No. I'm just Still are. Yeah. This is a lot. You know what I'm saying?
Speaker 2:Nah. Real tall, though. Like, I I've always dealt with some form of hate or somebody feeling threatened by me even when I have no interest in whatever you thinking that I have interest in. I've never I've never worried about myself being a threat because I know who I am. I know, you know, I know what I'm about.
Speaker 2:You know? You what you see is what you get with me. So it's take it or leave it. So, I'm not here to impress anybody. I'm not here to to be anybody but myself.
Speaker 2:You know? Like, I'm here. You know? I'm I'm a a blessing to some. And, you know, I I look for those that are supposed to be around me to help bless me.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So I'm just here to be a mirror, man. You know what I'm saying? Be a good person and and receive good energy back. You know?
Speaker 2:I wanna see everybody win. I don't I don't I don't hate on people. So although I know it happens to me, and it's been happening for some time, I I stray away from that, man. So, you know, I wish everybody well regardless what they wish me. I wish them well.
Speaker 1:Alright. Well, we about to be out here giving your socials.
Speaker 2:Make sure you follow the kid at j pragmatic one. That's at j pragmatic, the number one. Make sure you check out the website, tieguymanagement.com. Check out Desimaj, my dope r and b artist. Alright?
Speaker 2:At Desimaj. You can check her out, or you can go to the website and get more information on her as well.
Speaker 1:Alright. Give her information about the the radio stuff.
Speaker 2:Please, please at rebel underscore one zero seven point nine. That's the Instagram. At the soul one zero five point three. Make sure you, follow those Instagrams. And then, of course, the websites, rebel one zero seven point nine, .com.
Speaker 2:Excuse me. Rebel107.com, and thesoul1053.com.
Speaker 1:Alright, everybody. You heard that. Make sure you get those notes out and write that down. You can always press rewind. Thank god for coming out and listening and watching, unqualified qualifications.
Speaker 1:Peace. Be great, y'all.