In The Studio With Bobb Mohammed Hip Hop Hour
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The biggest question of 2016 has been posed, “Who is Bobb Mohammed?!”.
Inside the Fedder Industrial complex dwelt Saxon Studios, an institution in the eyes of Rochester musicians that held its own as a full service one stop recording solution for 30 years. Nowadays the instruments and amps that once occupied that live room has been replaced with theater seating and the drum room now functions as a production suite. The racks of gear and vintage Coronado console in the control room have been replaced with a fully outfitted professional broadcast studio with room for 5 and ample expansion possibilities.
This is WAYO 104.3 FM; ‘a free-form, low-power radio station in Rochester, NY providing diverse and idiosyncratic arts and cultural programming’ and operates as an affiliate of the Multi-Use Community Cultural Center (MuCCC). After an incredible show of support through crowd funding and local events the station began streaming over the web at wayofm.org on November 30th 2016, with the FM broadcast beginning January 1st 2016.
I was invited inside the city’s newest FM station to check out the “Bobb Mohammed Hip Hop Hour” hosted by Cello Brown, Mush, and Capt. CEE from 5-7 Friday afternoons. Our three hosts are each seasoned hip-hop aficionados and trusted confidantes of Bobb Mohammed who has, through unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, not yet been able to get on the air. He made a brief appearance Friday before the show but had to excuse himself after a phone call to which he simply commented, “I need to run to the store“. With Bobb having not made it on air to give direction Cello, Mush, and The Capt. throw the windows open, point the speakers to the street and let loose the hip-hop that they know from decades of personal experience. That rush you get when you hear your favorite artist and think, “This is it! This is what I’ve been waiting for” only to have it stop spinning on your local station, it’s natural to feel some sorta way about that but it is behind us, your wish has been granted, real hip-hop is back. Cuts from The Roots, Wu Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes, OutKast, Foxy Brown, and Kendrick Lamar keep the wide world and vast history of the genre attainable and local artists like MDot Coop, Moses Rockwell, and Kidd Called Quest guarantee this 2 hour radio show is non stop bangers.
This is the way to kick off your weekend; work is over and the bills are paid, everybody is talking about the plan, and in the background you hear the volume swell “Ahh ha, yeah yeah, baby, hell yeah, ahh ha, hell yeah, uh huh, baby” and the whole scene goes berserk! Nobody plays ‘Rosa Parks’ anymore but it will be a sad day when there is even one person who isn’t moving when OutKast comes on. That’s when you know the night is going to be good, and it is reassuring to know programs like “The Bobb Mohammed Hip-Hop Show” are going to keep hitting you with that good stuff. We had the good fortune of being present on the day that Moses Rockwell was set to be interviewed and there was a mutual excitement in the air. This is the real deal, the people of Rochester were able to pull off something really special with WAYO, a nonprofit radio station that promotes the communities interest by letting the community create the content. The “Bobb Mohammed Hip-Hop Show” reaches even deeper into the hip-hop scene and brings relevant commentary to the mix showcasing local talent, discussing the trials and tribulations or successes and achievements of notable mentions from hip-hop and beyond, promoting events and shows in our area, addressing local issues and topics, and of course… bringing you the best afternoon ride any true head or casual listener will find.
If you don’t know, now you know. Fridays from 5-7pm on WAYO 104.3FM and streaming at wayofm.org, The Bobb Mohammed Hip Hop Show is your source for it. And if you have to ask what ‘it’ is, that means you need to tune in.