The Baka Boyz

Last updated

The Baka Boyz, brothers Nick and Eric Vidal, are American radio personalities, music producers and remixers from Bakersfield, California. The duo first achieved fame on the hip-hop/R&B radio station KPWR (Power 106 FM) in Los Angeles.

Contents

Background

The Baka Boyz were originally DJs in Bakersfield, California, before moving south to Los Angeles. [1] They first began at Power 106 in 1992 with their show creation, "Friday Nite Flavas". They also developed Power's live mixing "World Famous Roll Call". After achieving high ratings in the morning [2] and afternoon [3] slots at Power for seven years, the duo grew disaffected with Power's move to R&B, at the expense of hip-hop, and left. Shortly after leaving Power 106 in 1999, the duo briefly had an afternoon show on KKBT. [4] Later, they decided to move north to KMEL in San Francisco. [5] They are hosts of the nationally syndicated "Hip Hop Master Mix", broadcast on over fifty stations nationwide. [6] [7] Finally, the Baka Boyz acted as talent scouts, discovering future LA radio star Big Boy, Dj Eman and Tito among others. [8] In addition, they have also produced tracks for various artists. They produced and co-wrote the track "Scandalous" by Psycho Realm on the 1994 Mi Vida Loca original motion picture soundtrack, "Pistol Grip Pump" by Project Blowed rapper Volume 10, and other tracks.

The Vidals later relocated to WMIB The Beat 103.5 in Miami in March 2003 as the station's morning hosts. [9] But by 2005 The Baka Boyz returned to Los Angeles to do afternoon hosting at 93.5 KDAY. [10] They were there until May 2007, when the Baka Boyz moved to Blazin' 98.9 in San Diego to do their morning show there. [11] The Duo left the station in 2008 and continues to focus on their weekly syndicated Hip-Hop mix show "The Baka Boyz Master Mix."
The Baka Boyz returned to Los Angeles in 2017 and started "Live From Cybertron" on Dash Radio. Live From Cybertron was a daily 3 hour show which was heard on Dash Radio. Live from Cyberton had guest from the EDM scene along with Hip Hop acts. This show gave birth to "The Most Interesting Mix In The World."
After Live From Cybertron ended, In 2018 The Baka Boyz Moved to a Daily Morning show format on Dash Radio's The City. The morning show saw all kinds of guest stop by, keeping the theme that Live From Cyberton had, but also inviting people from Hollywood. The Baka Boyz Morning show on The City was streamed on Youtube, Facebook and Twitch for one year before a station remodel happened which lead to the morning show going on a hiatus.
Currently The Baka Boyz have made their return to Los Angeles FM radio on 93.5 KDAY. The Hip-Hop Master mix is on every Friday Night from 9pm pst to 12am pst. Two Giant Los Angeles radio Stations are in negotiations to bring back "Baka Boyz Morningz" with Uncle Tito January 4, 2021.

Related Research Articles

Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of Black genres such as R&B, pop-rap, quiet storm, urban adult contemporary, hip hop, Latin music such as Latin pop, Chicano R&B and Chicano rap, and Caribbean music such as reggae and soca. Urban contemporary was developed through the characteristics of genres such as R&B and soul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPGC-FM</span> Mainstream urban radio station in Morningside, Maryland, serving Washington, DC

WPGC-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Morningside, Maryland, and serving the Washington metropolitan area. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs an urban contemporary format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKTU</span> Radio station in New York City

WKTU is a rhythmic adult contemporary formatted radio station licensed to Lake Success, New York, a suburb of New York City. WKTU is owned by iHeartMedia and broadcasts from studios at 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan; its transmitter is located at the Empire State Building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPWR</span> Rhythmic contemporary hit radio station in Los Angeles

KPWR – branded as Power 106 – is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, broadcasting to the Greater Los Angeles area. KPWR is owned and operated by Alex Meruelo's Meruelo Group, through licensee KPWR Radio Holdings LLC, and airs a Rhythmic Hot AC format. KPWR's studios are based in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, and the transmitter is on Mount Wilson. Meruelo acquired KPWR from Emmis Communications for $82.75 million in May 2017, officially bringing the station under common ownership with KDAY, KDEY-FM, KWHY-TV, and KBEH on August 1, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKLQ (FM)</span> K-Love Christian radio station in Los Angeles

KKLQ is a non-commercial FM radio station owned by Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and carries the contemporary Christian music format of its nationally syndicated network K-Love throughout the Greater Los Angeles area. Licensed to Los Angeles, California, KKLQ's transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson and has a booster in Santa Clarita, KKLQ-FM2 at 100.3 MHz, to extend its coverage into the Santa Clarita Valley and other areas north of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KXOL-FM</span> Spanish-language radio station in Los Angeles

KXOL-FM is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California. It is owned by the Spanish Broadcasting System and airs a Spanish CHR radio format. KXOL-FM's studios and offices are on West Pico Boulevard. The transmitter is located in the Verdugo Mountains, near Glendale, California. KXOL-FM is also heard on a 14-watt booster station in Santa Clarita, KXOL-FM-1 at 96.3 MHz.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRRL</span> Urban contemporary radio station in Los Angeles

KRRL – branded Real 92.3 – is a commercial urban contemporary radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, serving much of the Greater Los Angeles area. Owned by iHeartMedia, KRRL serves as the flagship for Big Boy's Neighborhood. The KRRL studios are located in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank, while the station transmitter resides on Mount Wilson. Besides a standard analog transmission, KRRL broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and is available online via iHeartRadio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KZCE</span> Radio station in Cordes Lakes, Arizona

KZCE is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Cordes Lakes, Arizona, which is 66 miles north of Phoenix. KZCE is owned by Sierra H Broadcasting and broadcasts a classic hip hop radio format. Its radio studios are on Indian School Road in Phoenix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KALV-FM</span> Contemporary hit radio station in Phoenix

KALV-FM is a commercial radio station in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and it airs a top 40 (CHR) format. KALV-FM's studios are located in downtown Phoenix, and its transmitter is in South Mountain Park.

WJMH is an urban contemporary radio station serving the Piedmont Triad region. It broadcasts with 99,000 watts of power and is licensed to Reidsville, North Carolina. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station's studios are located near the Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, with a transmitter site near Stokesdale, North Carolina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDAY</span> Radio station in Redondo Beach, California

KDAY is a radio station that is licensed to Redondo Beach, California and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Meruelo Media and airs a classic hip hop format. The station's studios are located in Burbank and its transmitter is in Baldwin Hills. KDAY also extends its signal coverage into the Inland Empire by adding a full power simulcast, KDEY-FM in Ontario, California to fill in all of the overlapping and gaping issues and problems in its eastern coverage area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Boy (radio host)</span> American radio host and actor

Kurt Alexander, better known as Big Boy, is a nationally syndicated American radio host and actor. From 1997 he has hosted the morning show at Los Angeles Rhythmic contemporary station KPWR until his move in February 2015 to KRRL. His stage name derives from his formerly large build, which he modified through duodenal switch surgery in 2003, leading to a nearly fatal weight loss of over 250 pounds. Big Boy is culturally recognized as a prominent figure in Urban radio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRCD (FM)</span> Spanish-language radio station in West Covina, California, United States

KRCD is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Inglewood, California, and broadcasting to Greater Los Angeles Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBLA</span> Radio station in Santa Monica, California

KBLA is a broadcast radio station in the United States. Licensed to Santa Monica, California, KBLA serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Multicultural Broadcasting, through licensee Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Licensee, LLC, and operated by pending owner Tavis Smiley with an urban/progressive talk format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KJLH</span> Radio station in Compton–Los Angeles, California

KJLH (102.3 FM) is an urban adult contemporary radio station licensed to Compton, California, and serving the Los Angeles area. KJLH is owned by Taxi Productions, which in turn is owned by musician Stevie Wonder and operates from studios located in Inglewood, with its transmitter situated in a portion of unincorporated Los Angeles County in View Park-Windsor Hills.

KRQB is one of four Southern California radio stations branded as "Que Buena" and which all play Regional Mexican music. Its owner is Estrella Media. KRQB shares the same weekday morning show as the three Los Angeles-area Que Buena stations, but has local DJs the rest of the day. KRQB is licensed to San Jacinto, California, and serves the Riverside-San Bernardino radio market.

Classic hip hop is a music radio format focusing primarily on hip hop music from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early to mid-2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mando Fresko</span>

Mando Fresko born in Los Angeles raised in South Gate, California to a Mexican family is an American Radio Host, DJ, Actor, Television Host and Entrepreneur. At the early age of 14, he began to deejay his high school's talent shows and dances. He graduated from South Gate High School in South Gate, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDEY-FM</span> Radio station in Ontario, California

KDEY-FM is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Ontario, California and serves the Inland Empire area. The station is owned by Meruelo Radio Holdings Ltd. and broadcasts a classic hip hop format. The KDEY-FM transmitter is located on Heaven Mountain to the north of Ontario. KDEY-FM simulcasts with co-channel station KDAY in Redondo Beach, California to fill coverage gaps in KDAY's eastern coverage area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KMEL</span> Urban contemporary radio station in San Francisco

KMEL is an urban contemporary radio station that is licensed to San Francisco, California, serving the San Francisco Bay Area. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia.

References

  1. "Boyz Hip-Hop to L.A. Big Time Radio: KPWR deejays Nick and Eric Vidal are straight outta Bakersfield". Los Angeles Times . 1994-06-18.
  2. "KLAX knocks Stern on his private parts". Los Angeles Daily News . 1995-01-07.
  3. Michaelson, Judith (1998-05-14). "Radio; Like Night and Day; More often than not, big ratings in the evening don't translate to the morning". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 31, 2013.
  4. "DJs Shuffle Between Hip-Hop Stations; Radio: The Beat and Mega100 compete for listeners in the Southland's changing market". Los Angeles Times. 1999-08-28.
  5. "Bakersfield nurtured KMEL hip-hop duo". San Jose Mercury News . 2001-04-03.
  6. "iLoop Mobile, The Baka Boyz and Education is Freedom Partner with Celebrities to Launch Hurricane Mobile Relief Fund for Kids". Business Wire . 2005-09-28.
  7. Hip-Hop Master Mix station list
  8. "RADIO; Big Boy Keeps Growing; KPWR's morning deejay is moving into television, rap and movies". Los Angeles Times. 1997-12-04.
  9. "Hip-hop's air war". Miami Herald . 2003-05-06.
  10. "Radio: Stations set to celebrate". Orange County Register . 2005-11-13.
  11. Blazin' DJ's