Why I Don't Listen to the Radio

I cannot stand listening to the radio. It's not because of those dumb-azz Kathy Hughes public service announcements you hear on Radio One stations. But speaking of those "commercials", am I the only person that feels like I should vote against what she's speaking out for just because those commercials are that friggin' annoying? Maybe it's just her voice, I don't know.

Back to my point though. I have only listened to the radio for a grand total of about 3 hours over the last 4 years or so. I stopped listening to the radio when I realized there was more access to music on the InterWeb and I didn't have to change the channel, I could just go find what I wanted rather than have my music pushed to me or forced on me. I mean, if I had a dollar for every time I was listening to WPGC 95.5 in DC, heard a song I didn't want to hear and turned to 93.9 to hear the EXACT same song, I'd be at least a thousand-aire. Not to mention where I live I get 92.3 (Baltimore's urban station) too and it's pretty much the same effect. Flip from 95.5 -> 93.9 -> 92.3 and you'll hear the same song or set of songs on each channel within a 15-minute window. I remember once hearing Wale call the radio stations in the DMV "Young Money" radio. It probably sounded like hate to a lot of people but the homie Wale had a hell of a point.

I don't claim to understand how radio programming works and I don't care all that much but it's obvious to me that only certain music backed by certain companies even has a remote chance of getting regular airplay. Drake has been a recent exception but even he has some sort of deal with the big time players in the music industry so I'd say he started as an exception but blew up so much that he had to sign-on with or attach himself to one of the big industry players because there was too much money to be made off of him. If Drake planned on being an musical artist rather than an actor he'd be stupid not to sign-on with a major. Unless he just wanted to get what he had to say out there without necessarily being famous in the process (shot out to Scarface by the way).

One very positive thing that I have gained by not listening to the radio is a little creativity. Rather than turning to the radio to hear what they're playing, I'll create my own playlists (half of the niggorant mess I listen to will never make radio anyway) composed of music from artists I enjoy. Sure, I can listen to the mid-day mix on one station or the "wrong songs" on another and they will crank like hell. But it's nothing (to me) like being able to put together some of your own favorites and listen to it, add to it as time moves forward, and share it with friends or people with similar musical tastes.

I post music on this blog a lot and radio is part of the reason for it. Well, the fact that I think the radio sucks anyway. Not to mention the radio has a tendency to subconsciously force you to like/tolerate songs you otherwise wouldn't give two shyts about. How many times can they shove a shiddy azz verse/song from artist X into your ears before you start saying "I don't like the song but the beat is catchy." Or, before someone you know loves the song (or the accompanying minstrel show dance) so much that you trip out laughing at their rendition and end up liking the song just a little, even though it's because the memory/moment that your friend gave you, not the actual song itself? One thing about music is that it IS the soundtrack to our lives. So a song you may hate the first time you hear it could be playing while something fantastic in your life happens and you'll forever have an emotional wire attached to it. But do you really want to have "I Wish I Could Eff Every Girl in the World" attached to the moment your child is conceived?

I think there's something to be said for the person that resists what's on the radio and creates their own "station programming". And that's not because I do it (I'm definitely not the first, the most creative, or the most consistent), but because it's original (and part of human nature if you ask me) to like "what you like" and not what everyone else thinks you should. And if you have some overlap between what you like and what everyone else likes, its all good. But don't be afraid to turn off the radio every once in-a-while and and listen outside the box.