About Me
THE WAKE UP SHOW IS THE MOST LISTENED TO HIP-HOP RADIO SHOW ON THE PLANET. HEARD IN OVER 19 MARKETS AND THREE COUNTRIES, THE SHOW REACHES OUT TO HIP-HOP LISTENERS ACROSS THE WORLD. ELEVEN MILLION PEOPLE TUNE IN WEEKLY TO 'WAKE UP!' OF COURSE THIS WAS NEVER THE MASTER PLAN FOR SWAY AND KING TECH. WHEN THEY DECIDED THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE THIS RADIO THING A SHOT ELEVEN YEARS AGO, THE IDEA WAS TO MAYBE GET ON THE AIR A FEW TIMES A WEEK AND INTRODUCE THE UNDERGROUND SOUND OF HIP-HOP TO THE LISTENING AUDIENCE. BUT THAT WAS JUST THE BEGINNING.
KING TECH STARTED THE WAKE UP SHOW IN 1991 AFTER WINNING A BAY AREA DJ BATTLE IN SAN FRANCISCO CALIFORNIA. THE WINNER OF THE BATTLE WAS TO MIX LIVE ON KMEL RADIO FOR 15 MINUTES. IN THAT 15 MINUTES, KING TECH DISPLAYED SUCH INCREDIBLE DJ SKILLS AND VERSATILITY THAT THE RADIO STATION INVITED HIM BACK AGAIN, AND AGAIN, AND ONE MO' AGAIN. PRETTY SOON, KING TECH KNEW HE HAD SOMETHING THERE. HE BROUGHT ALONG AN MC IN HIS CREW TO DO THE SHOW WITH HIM; THIS MC, OF COURSE, WAS SWAY. THE SHOW SOON SPAWNED MANY IMITATORS, BUT NONE CAME CLOSE TO CAPTURING THE ORIGINAL STYLE AND FLAVOR THAT THESE TWO BROUGHT TO THE AIRWAVES WEEK AFTER WEEK. WHAT MAKES THE SHOW SPECIAL IS THEIR GENUINE LOVE FOR THE HIP-HOP WORLD. EVERY ELEMENT OF HIP-HOP IS REPRESENTED ON THE WAKE UP SHOW: DJING, B-BOYING, GRAFITI ART AND MCING. BY JULY 1994, THE WAKE UP SHOW BEGAN SIMULCASTING TO LOS ANGELES AND EXPANDING TO WEJM CHICAGO IN THE SPRING OF 1996.
FLASH FORWARD TO THE PRESENT. COAST TO COAST, THE NATION IS TUNING IN TO THE "WAKE UP SHOW" IN RECORD NUMBERS. THE MCS HAVE SUPPORTED THE SHOW THAT SUPPORTED THEM BEFORE THEY BLEW UP. SOME ARTISTS THAT HAVE MADE THEIR WAY TO THE WAKE UP SHOW INCLUDE THE WU-TANG CLAN, TUPAC, NOTORIOUS B.I.G., XZIBIT, KRS ONE, EMINEM, RAKIM, GOODIE MOB, THE FUGEES, OUTKAST, JAY Z, NAS AND BIG PUN. THE LIST READS LIKE THE HIP-HOP HALL OF FAME. THESE ARTISTS KNOW WHAT ALL THE LISTENERS KNOW: THAT YOU STILL HAVE TO KEEP IT REAL, REGARDLESS OF HOW MUCH YOU BLOW UP.
SWAY AND KING TECH HAVE A GOAL TO BRING TRUE HIP-HOP HEADS THE TIGHTEST FREESTYLES ANYWHERE. THE 11 O' CLOCK BATTLES HAVE INCLUDED CHINO XL, SUPERNATURAL, JUICE, GRAIG G, RAS KASS, MOBB DEEP, KOOL G RAP, AND, OF COURSE, THE INFAMOUS HEIROGLIPHICS/HOBO JUNCTION BATTLE. LISTENERS SEND IN THEIR DEMOS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR THE BATTLE, OR FOR THE "DEMO OF THE WEEK" SEGMENT. WITH MILLIONS OF PEOPLE LISTENING TO YOU, THEY KNOW THEY BETTER COME CORRECT. WORLD PREMIERES ARE ON DECK EVERY WEEK, SO YOU NEVER KNOW WHO MIGHT DROP BY TO PLAY THEIR LATEST CUT. THE WAKE UP SHOW LISTENERS ARE THE FIRST PEOPLE IN THE WORLD TO HEAR UNRELEASED TRACKS FROM JAY Z, DJ QUIK, TECH N9NE, CAPADONNA, LORD TARIQ AND PETER GUNZ, THE BOOT CAMP CLICK, SLICK RICK, AND TRACKS STRAIGHT FROM THE PRODUCER'S STUDIO. CLARK KENT, QDIII, PREMIER AND PUFF DADDY HAVE ALL PLAYED TRACKS SO HOT OFF THE PRESS THEY WERE STILL STEAMING WHEN THEY CAME IN.
THE WAKE UP SHOW IS DEDICATED TO THEIR AUDIENCE; THEY'RE WHY SWAY AND KING TECH STARTED IN THE FIRST PLACE, TO EDUCATE THE WORLD ON THE POWER OF HIP-HOP. THE WAKE UP SHOW IS READY TO ENTER HIP-HOP'S FINEST HOUR IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM, AND THEY'RE BRINGING THEIR LISTENERS WITH THEM. THE WAKE UP SHOW IS A FAMILY, ALWAYS READY TO ADD ONE MORE MEMBER. IT'S LIKE THAT Y'ALL ON THE FATTEST SHOW IN THE PLANET.
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