Even after Rob edited the interview, we still ramble for close to 2hrs about how I got started, my influences, the highs, the lows, and even who are my top 3 emcees. Its a LONG sit-down if you care to listen to the entire podcast here. I've marked the main points below
click to listen - DIRTY NEEDLES - THE DOSE - EP 4 - Drew Atlas
click to listen - DIRTY NEEDLES - THE DOSE - EP 4 - Drew Atlas
00:00 - 34:15 - Early days in radio and how I got my start
34:15 - 58:05 - Club life, the music biz & what Radio taught me
58:05 - 71:00 - Going from Power107 to Vibe vs Kiss (just my opinion)
71:00 - 87:30 - Thoughts on Hip Hop today (explicit - NSFW)
87:30 - 91:20 - My top 3 emcees
91:20 - 95:30 - Where my taste in Hip Hop comes from
95:30 - end - After I left the radio biz & what I'm up to now.
For the sake of posterity, there are a a few things I want to correct myself from the interview:
For the sake of posterity, there are a a few things I want to correct myself from the interview:
- You CAN you Google AM 106!
- Black Pearl productions became Niche Entertainment before it became BeatMatriX
- Maizun Jayoussi was Program Director and then Station Manager of CJSW when I was first there. (not Music Director)
- The Groove was 3-6pm on Sunday not 4-6:30pm. (Caribbean Linkup was 4-6:30pm Saturday)
- Go Listen to DJ Pump 'Golden Era' mix NOW!
- Kendal W. was my co-host before he got his own show. He was DJ Incognito before he became DJ OSUM. (He'll always be 'the man with the Gucci socks')
- Our long weekend parties were not exclusively held at The Embassy, but it was a definitive space for us.
- When did Capital start? I'm not really sure '97, '98? :(
- I was a 'street-rep' for BMG music a couple years before I got on with Universal music
- The 5 Major record labels I hounded constantly - BMG, Universal, Warner, Sony, EMI.
- I started promoting at 21 in Calgary, but BeatMatriX was at its height when I was 27.
- Before I ever got onto Vibe, I was given my first mixshow on Friday nights on Power 107 called Power Jamz, thanks to Rob Mise at the urging of Carter Brown.
- Standard Radio didn't send me a ticket to Toronto. I was in Toronto to see my family, but they did get me box seats to a Raptors game to meet the president of Standard radio at a Raptors game. I believe I met Mastermind there as well.