About Me
Hailing from Bakersfield, California, brothers Eric and Nick Vidal turned their love of music into a profession in radio. The duo began their radio careers as weekend talent on 1350 AM, a small local station, where the boys hustled to maintain their show by selling advertising to businesses door to door. After proving they had a natural gift for DJ’ing, Bakersfield’s KKXX FM took notice and the two landed a weekend slot earning them their first FM position. Although the two enjoyed a tremendous run in Bakersfield, they knew they had only scratched the surface of their success. The Baka Boyz first made their mark in Los Angeles radio in 1992 at Power 106 with their creation of “Friday Nite Flavasâ€. This signature specialty show not only remains a mecca for young starving hip hop artists, it quickly propelled the brothers to the prestigious morning show position. Since that time they have continued to influentially impact the hip hop music industry. Their raw talent and passion for originality gave birth not only to live mixing in Los Angeles, but to the inception of “The World Famous Roll Callâ€. After dominating the ratings in afternoons and the coveted morning show slot at Power for seven years, the duo headed to rival Los Angeles radio station KKBT, The Beat, where they enjoyed continued success hosting afternoons. Feeling the need to expand, The Baka Boyz set their sights north to wake up listeners every morning at KMEL San Francisco. Once again, they controlled the air waves by becoming the 1 morning show in the bay area. Proving that their act is truly a national phenomena, they headed East and they enjoyed success as morning show hosts of Clear Channel’s WMIB in Miami. Now, the dynamic duo is hosting mornings from Rick Dees’ studios in LA for MEC’s XMOR in San Diego.In 2001, they teamed up with Superadio and Gary Bernstein to create their nationally syndicated "Hip Hop Master Mix", which now broadcasts on over ninety stations from coast to coast. The Baka Boyz audience now tops over 2.5 million listeners weekly, well establishing themselves as hip hop radio gurus and the owners of the most successful mix show in contemporary music radio history. Because they are the architects of the new sound of broadcasting, many have attempted to duplicate the blueprint they have created. Yet, no other mix show has even come close. Eric and Nick were trained by Rick Cummings and other legendary programmers to play the hits along with new music that is on the way to becoming national hits, and surround it all with just the right amount of talk, info, and spectacular production (thanks to super producer J Love ). And that’s part of the story of what makes the Baka Boyz Hip Hop Mastermix number one on over one-third of their affiliates ( 31 at last count! ) . Current syndicator Gary Bernstein’s Oceanic Tradewinds Media Group along with advertising media giant Dial-Global are teaming up to create a huge National Contest called “The Next Hip Hop Star†. Indeed, Eric & Nick's sharp eye for talent has opened the doors for many to pass through and their dedication to producing a quality show has allowed them to continue to break down barriers in radio. From producing hip hop classics like "Pistol Grip Pump" to working with artists like Aobie,Tommy Redding,Wylde Bunch,Cypress Hill,Ice Cube,The Pharcyde,Yo Yo and House of Pain, to alternative group, The Offspring, The Baka Boyz continue to prove their talent isn’t limited to radio alone.
