In a squat, red-painted storefront near 17th Street and Summit, just up the street from a home for elderly Hispanics and across from the swank Blue Bird Bistro, the sickest hip-hop records in Kansas City are made.
Jaz Brewer answers the door of 64111 Studio in his socks. A gold chain around his neck dresses up his guy-at-home appearance. He's between sessions on this Monday afternoon, and the studio is quiet. Past the Coke machine is where the beats happen — a control room stocked neatly with mixers, computer monitors, speakers, amps and a multitude of other devices.
Brewer estimates that he has recorded roughly 2,000 hip-hop artists in the dozen years since he set up a mic in his mom's living room in her house on 39th Street. Given that Brewer's mom is hiphopkc.com pioneer Necia Gamby and his brother is the rapper Joe Good, Brewer had no trouble starting up a business. He moved to the brick building in the 64108 zip code five years ago but kept the original 64111 name.
Here he has engineered albums for some of the biggest names in local rap. Some songs that Brewer has produced, such as Cash Image's "In My Chevy," have made it to Kansas City's only commercial hip-hop station. The vast majority, however, have not, and it's not because they aren't up-to-par productionwise. "When I go to other markets, I hear local music on the radio," Brewer says.
One day in October, while running errands and listening to the daytime stream of commercial hits on KPRS 103.3 (Hot 103 Jamz), Brewer wondered aloud, via Twitter, why the biggest urban station in the market — a privately owned station with 60 years of local history, no less — so rarely played Kansas City music. A flurry of re-tweets and discussion ensued among Brewer's friends. All of the chatter inspired plans for a live meet-up.
On the evening of October 19, two dozen rappers and DJs met at 64111 Studio with Hot 103 DJs Kenny Diamondz and Brian B. Shynin', who host Underground Heat, the station's only show that plays local music. Another 100 or so artists and supporters participated in a conference call on speakerphone.
"People expressed their concerns as far as the lack of support radio's showing the urban-music scene," Brewer says. Discussion continued over the next few days, especially online (52 comments appeared on a Wayward Blog post about the summit on Summit Street, many by people who had participated in the conversation).
The issue of Hot 103's relationship with local musicians had reached, to use Brewer's phrase, "critical mass."
But was it enough to move Carter Broadcast Group to change the format of its station?
By all accounts, Diamondz and Shynin' were game spokespeople on behalf of Hot 103, but they made it clear that their hands are tied when it comes to programming decisions. That's the province of program director Myron Fears. (Fears did not return a phone call or an e-mail requesting an interview.)
Over the phone last week, Diamondz pointed out that during the past 30 Arbitron rating periods, Hot 103 has held the number one spot in the local market all but six times. The subtext: The station will do whatever it takes to keep its hold.
Commercial radio is not a democracy. Stations do what they must to remain competitive, not just within their local markets but nationwide. If that means playing Miley Cyrus "Party in the USA" alongside the new 50 Cent single, that's exactly what the station will do — and what it has been doing, to the chagrin of discerning listeners.
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