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 Subterrain host Oja doing what he does so well... |
Broadcasting live from an NYU studio, the sound of rare grooves reverberate off walls covered with promos for De la Soul (circa '89), Common, Non Phixion–and the occasional "Giuliani's a Ass" flyer. The underground radio show's only been on for 10 minutes–and the phone lines are already blowing up like a Silvers 'fro. "Yo, y'all playing some funky shit," says one caller who's obviously feeling Bus Stop's "Fatback" and Incognito's "It Ain't Easy." "Is Nixon still in the White House?" he cracks. |
Nope. Actually, you've just happened upon The Subterrain Radio Revolution. Hosted and produced by NYU student and DJ Oja, some would call it an underground, Tuesday night NYU radio show that showcases funk, spoken word, soul (not R&B–there is a difference), African funk, jazz fusion–you know, those conscious, herbal, coffee-shop vibes. Others would perhaps call it an audio experience, combining the sounds of those dusted-off classics from your parents' basement with guest appearances by some of the scene's rising poets, speakers and musicians.
In a sense, it's The Subterrain's mission to let the young ones know that Notorious B.I.G. wasn't the one responsible for "The Big Payback." "I wanted to do something that looked into the history of music," says Oja, whose musical knowledge and insight belies the tall young brother's 21 years of age. "It's the music that's given inspiration to what we listen to today, and the producers who made that music. A lot of older heads, b-boys, grew up listening to the originals, and if you look at the youth today, they really don't know where the music is coming from; they just know about DMX and the commercial artists. I just want to educate them to what's going on, as far as the family tree of music goes."
Broadcast on 89.1 FM, The Subterrain can be heard throughout the tri-state area. Way supplies the sister-energy as Oja's co-host, and DJs Ron Paisley and Chris Logan (aka Blessed Productive) add old-school flavor with their rare beats. When the show premiered a little over a year ago, it was originally on AM radio, which was practically wavelength Siberia–many would-be listeners didn't know the show existed, at first. But steadily, The Subterrain's been gaining fans who are starving for something other than the commercialism that often saturates "urban contemporary" radio. "I just stayed with it, and it happened," says Oja. Way adds, "Our idea for The Subterrain was to connect people to the root and to give light to upcoming events and artists."
Although intense, the atmosphere inside the studio during a Subterrain broadcast is anything but heavy. It's more of a festive vibe than anything; friends and guests of the show's members are forever stopping by to say "what's up," catching up on old stuff, bringing curious heads by to see exactly what doing a radio show is all about, or just plain chilling. The atmosphere is kind of reminiscent of that kid on your college dorm floor who had the "hangout"–the one whose room everyone always seemed to naturally gravitate to. Add a couple hundred thousand dollars of studio equipment, and you pretty much have a Tuesday night with The Subterrain–its crew getting down to business in a laid-back, yet focused way.
Another element you'll see (and hear) in the studio are artists, poets and musicians stopping through to do their thing; Oja feels it's important to show them love. "The people you see at the Tea Party, Nuyorican, uptown–anywhere you see an artist who's dope and who wants to be on the radio, we can make that happen. These people need to be heard." One of the first Subterrain guests was Abiodun Oyewole, one of the original members of The Last Poets. "He's just like, a complete elder," says Oja, obviously still blown away by the wisdom that the spoken word legend dropped during his visit. "It's strange–his soul is so old to me that it's young." Oyewole's appearance paved the way for other guests such as Amel Larrieux and Roy Ayers. They hope to get Angie Stone, Mos Def and funk legend George Clinton to stop by in the future.
Although it's in vogue right now to decry the increasing commercialism of hip-hop, Oja feels that we shouldn't throw in the towel just yet, and that artists such as Common and Mos Def are raising the bar once again both politically and creatively. "I feel like hip-hop is coming back to that level, but to be ready for it, you need to hear some of these older joints and respect them. And that's what The Subterrain is there for."
