Other names | Stretch and Bobbito |
---|---|
Genre | Underground hip hop [1] |
Running time | ~4 hours (1:00 am – 5:00 am) |
Country of origin | United States |
Home station | WKCR (1990–1998) WQHT (1996–1999) |
Starring | Adrian "Stretch Armstrong" Bartos Robert "Bobbito" Garcia |
Recording studio | Columbia University, Upper Manhattan, New York |
Original release | October 25, 1990 – January 10, 1999 |
No. of episodes | 212 [2] |
The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show (also referred to as Stretch and Bobbito) was an underground hip hop radio show broadcast in New York, originally on 89.9 WKCR-FM, the student radio station at Columbia University, and later on 97.1 WQHT-FM. The show was hosted by Adrian Bartos (DJ Stretch Armstrong) and Robert "Bobbito" Garcia, and functioned as an alternative to commercial hip hop radio by airing unsigned artists, rarities and B-sides from commercial artists, and live freestyles and DJ scratch sessions. The show has been credited with introducing the world to Biggie Smalls, Eminem, Jay-Z, Big L, Big Pun, Fat Joe, Wu Tang Clan, Fugees and many other names which would rise to prominence in the mid to late 1990s. [3]
In the late 1980s, DJ Stretch Armstrong was a club DJ in New York, and Bobbito worked as a Radio Show Promotions Rep for Def Jam. Armstrong had the idea to DJ his own hip hop radio show while attending Columbia University as a freshman, and recruited Bobbito to host the program. WKCR had already aired a hip hop radio show from 1986 to 1988 called "We Could Do This Show", hosted by Pete Nice from 3rd Bass and DJ Clark Kent with DJ Richie Rich filling in at times. Although Stretch and Bobbito reportedly weren't influenced by this predecessor show on their station, Bobbito has cited Pete Nice's 3rd Bass counterpart MC Serch as integral to his career trajectory. [4]
The first episode of The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show aired on October 25, 1990, from 1am to 5am, and featured guests Latee and Def Jeff. The first song played on the program was Ego Trippin' by Ultramagnetic MCs. Armstrong's connections as a club DJ, and Bobbito's connections at Def Jam, gave them access to some of their early guests like MC Serch who helped bolster the show's early reputation. The show continued to air on Thursdays from 1am to 5am on 89.9 and would become informally known as "89tec9" by the hosts and listeners. [3]
Live freestyling became an element of the show on the second episode aired on November 8, 1990, with guests MC Serch, Two Kings in a Cipher, Kurious, and AJ Damane. [5] From then on freestyling became an integral part of the show, and an unsigned emcee's freestyle could get them public recognition and in many instances record deals. Dante Ross, then Vice President of A&R at Elektra Records, signed Ol’ Dirty Bastard after hearing his Shimmy Shimmy Ya verses on the January 28, 1993 show. El Da Sensei and Tame One of the hip hop group Artifacts also claim to have been signed because label reps heard their freestyles on the show. [6] Stretch and Bobbito were also able to air world premiers of songs like Nas' "It Aint Hard To Tell" which aired on October 28, 1993. [3]
Due to the show's twilight hours time slot on WKCR Stretch and Bobbito were unaffected by the FCC's Safe Harbor law, which allowed them to air uncensored material and converse without any feeling of restriction. Lord Sear, who became a co-host of the show and served as comedic relief, took advantage of this with unabashed roasting of callers and guests, which contributed even more to the show's contrast with commercial radio. [3] Celebrity guests like Rosie Perez, Rosario Dawson, and Quincy Jones also made appearances on the show. [2]
As the show's popularity increased, DJ Stretch Armstrong grew uncomfortable with ownership of the show being attributed to Bobbito by fans and interviewers, and the show's name was changed to The Stretch Armstrong Show with Host Bobbito. [3]
On February 11, 1996, Stretch and Bobbito began airing their show Sundays on Hot 97, the prominent commercial hip hop radio station in New York, while continuing to air late Thursdays on WKCR. The transition to Hot 97 resulted in new FCC restrictions on the hosts and guest lyricists who could no longer use profanity, which altered the show's overall vibe and created a schism in their core listenership. While the show had changed its time slot and demeanor for Hot 97, the artists who appeared on the show continued to be prominent and relevant. Guests on their Hot 97 show included DJ Premier, Black Star, De La Soul, Common, Xzibit, Noreaga, Brand Nubian, and more. Eminem and Royce da 5'9"'s October 11, 1998 appearance was on the Hot 97 Sunday show, which was considered his introduction to the New York City hip hop scene before the release of his debut LP in 1999. [7] Stretch and Bobbito began developing creative differences, and Stretch experienced a loss of enthusiasm for contemporary hip hop from 1997 to 1998 which resulted in his frequent absence from the show, at which point Bobbito began DJing under the name DJ Cucumber Slice while hosting the show. The hosts' creative differences and ambivalence toward the work came to a head and the show eventually ended on January 10, 1999. [2]
On February 10, 2011, Stretch and Bobbito hosted a 20th anniversary reunion concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York which featured performances and attendances by Raekwon, Artifacts, Buckshot, Masta Ace, The Beatnuts, DJ Premier, and more. [8]
In October 2015, Bobbito Garcia released the documentary Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives , which he wrote and directed. The documentary outlines the inception and history of The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show featuring video and audio material from the show's 1990–98 run, as well as reflective interviews with emcees who were connected to the show such as Nas, Jay Z, Eminem, Raekwon, Large Professor, Pharoahe Monch and many more. [9]
Stretch and Bobbito re-united for radio in 2016 and began airing episodes from Samsung's 837 studio in New York City. [10]
On July 18, 2017, the "What's Good with Stretch and Bobbito" podcast began airing through NPR studios. Stretch and Bobbito have used the new platform to continue exploring the realm of hip hop, and have expanded the show's interest to more general pop culture by interviewing actors, comedians, activists, authors, renowned chefs and more. In 2018 The Atlantic named the new show "One of the 50 best podcasts of 2018". [11]
In 2020 the duo released the debut album No Requests featuring The M19's Band. [12] The album has been described as "Latin, Afro-beat, Samba, Jazz, Reggae, and Soul reinterpretations of dance floor bangers". [13]
In The Source's 100th issue, released in January 1998, The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show was named the "best hip hop radio show", rated above The Wake Up Show with Sway and Tech on 92.3 The Beat, Mr. Magic and Marley Marl on WBLS, and Red Alert on KISS FM. [14]
Freestyles from The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show have been included on artists' albums and compilations over the years. Some examples include "98 Freestyle" from Big L's posthumous album "The Big Picture", "The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show on WKCR October 28, 1993", featuring Nas, 6'9", Jungle & Grand Wizard, on the album Illmatic XX , [15] "Live from the D.J. Stretch Armstrong Show", featuring Black Thought, Common, Pharoahe Monch & Absolute AKA Xtra, from Lyricist Lounge, Vol. 1, "Stretch & Bobbito Promo (Intro By Serch)" from O.C.'s 2010 O-Zone Originals EP, [16] "Stretch and Bobbito INI freestyle" from Rob O's 2006 album Rhyme Pro , and three tracks from Necro's 2001 album, Rare Demos and Freestyles, Vol. 2. [17]
In the documentary film Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, Nas states that "at that time, [The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show] was the most important show in the world. I wrote most of my first album listening to [the] show". According to The Source, the total record sales of emcees who premiered on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show have exceeded 300 million. [18]
3rd Bass is an American hip hop group that was most active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Formed by MC Serch, Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich, the group was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip hop acts. Along with Beastie Boys and producer Rick Rubin, MC Serch and Pete Nice were two of the very few white hip hop artists who were widely respected in the community. The group dissolved in 1994 and again in 2000 and 2013 after short-lived reunions. The group released two studio albums in their initial career and both of them were certified gold by the RIAA.
Michael Berrin, better known by his stage name MC Serch, is an American rapper and record executive. He gained fame as part of the hip hop group 3rd Bass, who were active in the late 1980s and early 1990s and released three studio albums.
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Non Phixion is an American hip-hop group from Brooklyn, New York City. Though the group did not become a household name during their initial period of activity, the Village Voice said Non Phixion was "integral to the timeline of underground hip-hop." The group endured a series of missed opportunities on their way to their only LP release and broke up after their first decade. In the months leading up to the 20th anniversary of their formation, the group reunited and as of 2021 was still active and touring. Their logo is a direct nod to the Canadian metal band Voivod.
The Cenobites LP is the eponymous debut album by the American hip hop duo the Cenobites, composed of rapper Kool Keith and producer Godfather Don. It was first released as an EP in 1995 via Fondle 'Em Records and was later expanded for LP in 1997 and CD in 2000. Percee P and Bobbito Garcia made guest appearances on the record.
Aston George Taylor Jr., professionally known as Funkmaster Flex, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer, and host on New York City's Hot 97 radio station. In 1992, he became host of the first hip hop radio show on Hot 97 in New York, which was a pop radio station at the time.
Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9", is an American rapper. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hip hop duo, Bad Meets Evil the following year. Their 2011 single, "Lighters" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and preceded the release of their debut extended play (EP), Hell: The Sequel (2011). The song and its parent EP, which debuted atop the Billboard 200, have yielded Montgomery's furthest commercial success.
James Christopher D'Agostino, professionally known as DJ Green Lantern, is an American hip hop DJ and producer from Rochester, New York. In 2002, D'Agostino was signed by American rapper Eminem, to become the official DJ for Shady Records, after DJ Head stepped down for undisclosed reasons.
Yo! MTV Raps is an American two-hour television music video program, which first aired on MTV Europe from 1987 to mid-90s and on MTV US from August 1988 to August 1995. The American version of the program was the first hip hop music show on the network, and was based on the original MTV Europe show, which first aired one year before the American version. Yo! MTV Raps produced a mix of rap videos, interviews with rap stars, live in-studio performances, and comedy. The show also yielded a Brazilian version called Yo! MTV and broadcast by MTV Brasil from 1990 to 2005.
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WKCR-FM is a radio station licensed to New York, New York. The station is owned by Columbia University and serves the New York metropolitan area. Founded in 1941, the station traces its history back to 1908 with the first operations of the Columbia University Radio Club (CURC). In 1956, it became one of the first college radio stations to adopt FM broadcasting, which had been invented two decades earlier by Professor Edwin Howard Armstrong. The station was preceded by student involvement in W2XMN, an experimental FM station founded by Armstrong, for which the CURC provided programming. Originally an education-focused station, since the Columbia University protests of 1968, WKCR-FM has shifted its focus towards alternative musical programming, with an emphasis on jazz, classical, and hip-hop.
Robert "Bobbito" Garcia, also known as DJ Cucumber Slice and Kool Bob Love, is an American DJ, radio host, author, and member of the Rock Steady Crew. He is known as a former co-host of hip hop radio show The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, alongside Adrian "Stretch Armstrong" Bartos, from 1990 until 1999. He later moved to Washington, D.C., where he currently hosts a new podcast on NPR called What's Good? alongside Bartos. Garcia was the announcer for the video game NBA Street Vol. 2.
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Adrian Bartos known professionally as DJ Stretch Armstrong is a New York-based DJ and music producer, known as a former co-host of hip hop radio show The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show, alongside Bobbito Garcia.
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