Brendan said:

I can dig it.

hotthang319 said:

Thank you for your oppinon. Prince is the one can control the situation.

bwnladybug said:

Payolla isn't the solve all for everything.

Brendan said:

ANd this is the reason why a young Black Guitarist like me will never be on most Black Radio stations. Just like they didn't support nor Play Jimi Hendrix on the radio & STILL DON'T....a young guy like myself has 2 settle 4 making Beats & Rapping 2 get love from the Black radio stations.

It really bugs me how the Guitar has been labled a White Instrument!! Whenever I play a heavy Guitar Prince song or Jimi Hendrix my black friends will say "..whats that white boy Rock shit ur playing?"

I'm sorry 4 rambling. But this just really bugs me how Prince ain't considered Black enough when he plays Guitar!!!

Bishop31 said:

I understand and feel you pain, just remember don't let people define who you are. For those who refer to the
guitaras a white instrument, well I have bad news for you. The guitar originated from Africa. One of the guitars was called Kora and also the Banjo also originated from Africa too. The African slaves brought the technology of making them over to America and the slave owners forced them to stop playing them. Then later on the slave masters took up the instrument and claimed it as their own. People please research your history "African History".

bwnladybug said:

Hey, thank you 4 the encouragement & History Lesson! It really inspires me 2 keep at it & uppercut the Haters.
[Edited 7/3/07 8:50am]
[Edited 7/3/07 8:52am]

Here is a recent article printed in a Twin Cities weekly (City Pages) about the radio station in question. Not sure if you agree with everything in it, but it is where I got the impression that KMOJ was having trouble staying on the air. While I am Caucasian, I've listened to KMOJ a lot in the past, and have learned much from it (especially segments about investing wisely and school issues on the North Side). I think that KMOJ is great community rescource and that the Twin Cities are lucky to have it. However, I disagree, respectfully, that Prince not providing free concert tickets to KMOJ = Prince not supporting Black radio stations. Did he provide tickets to B96? I don't know, and I don't know if they play his music; I only bring it up because, as far as I can see, it is the only station in the Twin Cities that caters to the Black community, other than KMOJ. I don't think it's fair to accuse Prince of not supporting Black radio stations when all he did was provide tickets to the most popular radio stations in town. While the majority of thier listeners may be Caucasian, calling them "White" radio stations is a bit of a stretch; they do not play music made only by White people and I think they're plan is to attract as many listeners as possible, regardless of race. I do see your point, though; thier DJ's are all White, and as the Twin Cities are still overwhelmingly White I know that's who they cater to the most. I just don't think that giving tickets to those stations first, and then giving tickets to a smaller, yet probably more important (as far as community is concerned) radio station later means that he doesn't support KMOJ's mission. That said, I am glad to hear that KMOJ is up and running again; I wish you luck and I thank you for the service you provide the community (not sure if you work for them or not, but if you do keep up the good work). Sorry about the long post; the article follows.



Listeners tuning into KMOJ-FM (89.9) in recent weeks would have noticed nothing out of the ordinary at first. The nonprofit radio station has been featuring a steady mix of contemporary R&B, old-school soul, and hip hop, with public-service announcements aimed primarily at Minneapolis's black community occasionally interrupting the music.

But close listeners would eventually notice something peculiar about "the people's station": no disc jockeys. What's more, KMOJ's signature public-affairs programming, which has provided a forum for the discussion of community issues for nearly three decades, has been conspicuously absent.

The radio station has been in flux since the first week of January, when it was evicted from its former headquarters on Girard Avenue North. The reason: KMOJ's landlord, the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority, determined that the office building was structurally unsound, and therefore unsafe.

KMOJ general manager Kelvin Quarles charges that the end of its rental agreement with the MPHA came out of the blue. He says that the station was aware that it would eventually need to find a new home, but had been assured by the municipal agency that it could remain in the Girard Avenue offices until at least May of this year. Then just prior to Christmas, according to Quarles, KMOJ was suddenly informed that it had to vacate the office immediately. "We weren't negligent in reference to making decisions," says Quarles, who joined the station two and a half years ago from Atlanta. "We were told one day that we had to move the next day. Anybody who's ever been in a rental situation understands how difficult that is."


Since then, most of the station's gear has been locked up in storage while Quarles and the KMOJ board of directors search for a new home. They're also contemplating legal action against MPHA. "At this point for me, it's not a matter of wanting to fight or make MPHA look bad," says Quarles. "We just want to make sure that we get the benefits that we're entitled to based on the abrupt move that we had to do."

The MPHA, however, tells an entirely different story—and its version of events is bolstered by numerous letters and emails between the two parties. According to agency officials, it first became known that the building on Girard Avenue was structurally unsound in 2005. As documented in correspondence with KMOJ, the foundation of the building rests on clay and is gradually sinking. "The building's basically falling in on itself," says Tom Streitz, the agency's deputy executive director. The housing agency officially notified KMOJ and the building's other tenants in August of 2005 that they would be required to move in the near future. MPHA officials say they worked diligently to help the station procure a new home, even offering design assistance on a couple of possible locations.

In October 2006, KMOJ sent a letter to the housing agency announcing that it had found a new home and would be out of the Girard Avenue space by the end of the year. Signed by then-board president Sarita Turner, the letter thanks MPHA for all of its assistance over the years. "Thank you so much for the time, energy, and support the MPHA staff members have provided to [KMOJ], not just in these most recent activities regarding the move but over the past years as well," she writes. The letter also asks for $20,000 to help with relocation costs. The MPHA agreed to that request and provided a check for $20,000 in October.

The acquisition of the new property, located on Lyndale Avenue North, eventually collapsed, however. Quarles says that after seeming to reach a purchase agreement with property owner Chou Thor, the deal fell through. "The gentleman just decided he didn't want to sell to us," he says. Quarles estimates that the nonprofit group is out almost $10,000 on the deal and is considering legal action. However, Chou Thor told the neighborhood paper North News earlier this month that KMOJ missed its closing date and that the building is no longer on the market.

According to the MPHA, it became clear near the end of last year that the building on Girard Avenue presented an immediate safety risk and needed to be evacuated. "Frankly, what it came down to is a health and safety issue," says Streitz. "We're not going to put people's lives at risk." KMOJ and the other tenants were then notified that they had to be out of the building by January 5. (The Girard Avenue property is slated to be demolished on February 8.)

Regardless of where the blame lies, KMOJ's eviction has fueled rampant rumors and speculation regarding the station's future. Veteran DJ and North Side activist Travis Lee, who worked at the station for years, says that KMOJ's board of directors has not been accountable to the public. "You could be picked in the NBA lottery quicker than you could get on that board," he says. "It's like a cult almost." Lee further complains that the station's current programming fails to live up to the organization's mission as a forum for the community. "No news, all music," he scoffs. "Might as well be B.E.T.... The issue is, nobody wants to touch KMOJ because it's black and it's the only thing we've got."

Indeed, the station's history is deeply intertwined with that of Minneapolis's black community. Founded in the late '70s, KMOJ was the flagship project of the Center for Communication and Development. Housed amid the former Glenwood-Lyndale housing project on the city's near North Side, KMOJ was the first station in town to predominantly feature R&B, hip-hop, and gospel music, as well as a host of public-affairs programs aimed at the surrounding neighborhood. From a measly 10th of a watt at its inception, the station eventually grew to its current strength of 1,000 watts. "KMOJ was basically birthed at public housing," says Streitz. "It's been a really long and great partnership."

Quarles is keeping information about the station tightly guarded. Calls to board and staff members were directed back to the station manager. Quarles insists that this is simply because too much misinformation has been circulating about KMOJ, including rumors of its demise. "Though I'm not really concerned about public opinion that much right now, the community does have a right to know what's happening and where we are," he says. "But at the same time I want to make sure that some of the inaccurate information that's been floating around out there gets corrected."

Quarles promises that the station is on sound footing and will eventually return to full programming. The plan is to first find temporary quarters for the station and then look to eventually purchase a permanent headquarters. "KMOJ needs to look for its own space," he says. "We need to purchase our own building, so we don't have to worry about being subservient to other organizations like this station's been for the last 30 years."

bwnladybug said:

The guitar is a different instrument than the Kora. The modern guitar started in Spain. The Kora is still played by many in Africa. Bishop31, it doesn't matter. Play what you want to play, and play it well. The supposed "whiteness" or "blackness" of music or other artistic venture is only useful for those who are afraid to think outside the box society puts them in.

http://en.wikipedia.org/w...nstrument)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar

megamann said:

Yes B96 were giving out tickets and they don't even play his music.

megamann said:

Please do your research in a book and you will find what I am telling you is the truth not on Wikipedia. Wikipedia is watered down.

megamann said:

What I was referring to was the white owned stations not station that play only white music. Prince knows KMOJ's history and he should be more supportive of the station. Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis has always supported the station even when the station was on the verge of shutting down because of the lack of funds. Flyte Time came in help the station out. They didn't turn their back on the station that help them get to where they are at now. I am not trying to take from Prince on how Jam and Lewis got started, but they relied on the station to promote their music.

There's been black radio stations that have participated in recent giveaways.Tom Joynor, for one. Isn't there a large white population in Minneapolis anyway? So it would not really be a surprise that more white radio stations are promoting the 7/07/07 event in Minne. I also heard that some stations in Philly, especially since the company that manufactures his perfume is based in Philly and are affiliates with promoting the 07/07 show as well. I believe there were black radion stations in DC and NJ also involved in the giveaways. I don't think it's a black/white issue at all.

As far as Prince supporting black radio stations, I can't say he doesn't support them and I doubt very seriously if he doesn't like them, I mean why wouldn't he? Many Black radio stations have been supporting Prince's music for years. 98.7 Kiss fm in NYC, definitely shows their support. They have been playing many of his classics, like Adore, How Come You Don't Call Me;Call My Name;I Wanna Be Your Lover, Kiss;they played "Call My Name" for over 2 years straight on a daily basis, so that's just to name a few. They sometimes have an hour special playing only Prince music as well. They have been playing many of his classics for years now. So I definitely have to say Black radio stations have been supporting Prince's music for years.
[Edited 7/3/07 10:37am]

PANDURITO said:

Yes we have.....we're just that lucky and very "diverse" at that..we get to experience different cultures from around the world.
[Edited 7/3/07 10:30am]

2elijah said:

Thanks for your oppinon. All I needed to know in what cities does he support black owned radio station? We don't hear about all the stations that he supports. We just know that he gives tickets to all of stations with a larger listening audience mostly white owned stations.

2elijah said:

In the past before civil rights the white owned stations wouldn't support black music; now that time has changed that is all that you hear is black music, but in the past when the black stations would play R&B, Blues, Jazz and Gospel, the only support that they had was from their own people.

bwnladybug said:

You are absolutely right, not to mention, black people weren't allowed in white clubs as well. I'm from the old school, pretty much from Prince's era so I know all about "when we were colored, negro, Afro-American, African-American and Black American" and when black artists received little support from white radio stations.

I can tell you that you were lucky if you heard any Black artists on white radio stations, so yes, I do know about how those times have changed. I remember in NYC there really being mainly WWRL and WBLS being the 2 most popular, if not only black radio stations at the time in the late 60s-70s. Thanks to them I was able to get the Motown Sound all day long..if you wanted to hear rock or pop, then you turned to the white radion staions.
[Edited 7/3/07 10:55am]

bwnladybug said:

That's true, Wikipedia is watered down. I still think we're talking about two different instruments, but my point before is that it doesn't matter. People should play what they want without worrying about whether or not it fits in with what people expect of them. That's what Prince did. I've been lucky enough to live in other parts of the world and different parts of the US, and I can tell you that while I may prefer the food, lifestyle, politics, movies, etc. of other countries, the US has definately got the best music, largely because it is a bunch of cultures that have gotten blended together, even though that blending has been both confusing and painful. In the end, all people come from Africa, that's where the human race started, so we can say the guitar started there too. And it would be nice if Prince would just go ahead and buy KMOJ a new space.

megamann said:

AMEN. Hey better yet donate a place so that it won't be a conflict of interest.

2elijah said:

Hell yeah. First time I heard 'I Wanna Be Your Lover', 'Sexy Dancer', 'Controversy' & 'Let's Work'(long versions) were on 'black' stations like 98.7 KISS & 107.5 WBLS in NYC. Except for the 'Dirty Mind' LP, black radio here in the metro area always played Prince.

Bishop31 said:

I feel you on that. You should see the looks I get when folks hear me jam Alice in Chains & Soundgarden(my two favorite rock bands).

alwayslate said:

But the competitors a few clicks lower on the dial only seem to use him as a point of jokes.....and you know who I'm referring to. Weekly parodies.....

Bishop31 said:

Keep doin' yo' thang B.....Martyrs aren't always chosen!

They played "Call My name" so much I wanted to call and tell them to change the cd out the cd changer seriously, black radio supports his music. Even more so since he hooked up with the record industry in 04, stations are more likely to play his back catalog. ALSO a small side note, I've noticed since radio has taken a nose dive in ratings, stations have been spinning lots of those jams (80's and further back) to get listeners back on the station.

I remember one night I kicking it with my boo, and KMOJ was playing The One and Adore and it set the night off right. So KMOJ still keeps up on his latest music.
[Edited 7/3/07 15:13pm]

Bali said:

Thanx 4 the encouragement Bali. I will continue 2 do my thing. Playing my guitar is all I know...its who I am. I'll blame that on watching that damn Lets Go Crazy video Millions of times when I was little.

Bishop31 said:

Ha Ha Hee Hee

Bishop31 said:

Remind them from time to time about Robert Johnson, Lightnin' Hopkins, Buddy Guy, T-Bone Walker, Jimi Hendrix, B.B. King, Chuck Berry, Eddie Hazel, Bo Didley and Prince -- just to name but a few.

These legends knew that they were playing a musical instrument; not a white one.

Just keep doing what you do and you will be the one reaping the benefits.

Ignorance never did a damn thing but roll over and go to sleep.

Brendan said:

Thanks for encouraging Bishop31. That is what we need to do is uplift one another.

alwayslate said:

Please. Donnie may be a fan but he mostly plays old stuff. If it hasn't charted somewhere or is being played excessively by the competing station 93.9 Donnie doesn't really play new Prince stuff. But, low and behold when P comes to town they're giving away tickets and playing... the old stuff. The exception in rencent years would be the 3121 album which he played on the air when it came out.