7 years strong! Come through and celebrate at Mic Check
7 years ago I was gifted with a platform to promote the local hip-hop scene with a weekly radio show on 107.1FM KZME. Every Tuesday night I played new music and classics primarily featuring NW artists covering Hip-Hop, Funk and Soul.
I had artists calling in from the road on tour, fans calling in to show love, I played exclusives & unreleased material, promoted new music and events and on numerous occasions hosted artists in studio that featured some amazing live performances.
My goal has always been to provide support via a place for artists to share their art and tell their story, always feeling like they had a place they could be comfortable and call home.
Fast forward 5 years and KZME went away and with it went Welcome to the Neighborhood. There was still a need to provide this platform and there was a new station in Portland where that could happen - 91.1FM (& later 107.1FM) XRAY FM. In response to and with the help of the local scene, I started a movement to have XRAY not only adopt KZME's vacant 107.1FM signal, but also provide a new home for WTTN.
Artwork courtesy of Casso Dinero
XRAY saw the the outpouring of support and was gracious enough to bring WTTN into the fold and in September I'll celebrate two years of being a part of the XRAY FM family.
But I still look at this journey's beginnings 7 years ago and want to celebrate it's growth into something special. The official anniversary date is July 28th 2009, and this year that date coincides with a new monthly event that I am blessed to help with, Mic Check, at Portland's McMenamins White Eagle. This month, Mic Check features artists who've all been a part of my journey with WTTN including headliner Serge Severe and Emcees Matty and Rasheed Jamal along with resident DJ Trox and host StarChile.
It's another avenue to provide space for great artists to perform and share their gifts and now we're doing it with even more community partners including XRAY FM, Yanagida Projects, Pabst Blue Ribbon and a generous contribution for XRAY's own Jefferson Smith.
So come through for a great night of hip-hop and help me celebrate 7 years of working to help grow the scene through Welcome to the Neighborhood and now Mic Check. Let's make this next 7 years together just as impactful, promoting positive vibes, great music and love. #IRepTheNW #LouderThanWords