IN 1994 three San Francisco DJs -- Winston "DJ Wisdom" Bailey, Justin "DJ J-Boogie" Boland, and Rob "DJ Raw B" Blach -- joined forces to produce an all-live underground hip-hop mix show out of sheer love for the art. Together the trio bring Beatsauce to the Bay Area on KUSF, 90.3 FM, every Sunday from 6 to 8 p.m. The show has been important in providing listeners with a fresh yet traditional perspective on hip-hop. No other radio DJs in San Francisco offer up the originality, on-the-air improvisation, and all-around skills that these three bring to the airwaves. There are no specific set lists, no barely concealed marketing schemes, no Top 40 chunks of filler. Just dope music, intelligent hosts, and positive vibrations. On any given show you can hear Raw B "speaking with his hands," J-Boogie testing listeners by playing snippets of songs that have been sampled in the past, and Wisdom blessing listeners with beautiful reggae dancehall sets. "The show is becoming a lot more second nature to us now," Wisdom said. "We all work well together, we have a good time, and we have earned respect from a lot of people." Who, you may ask? The guests who have stopped by to pay tribute read like a hip-hop all-star roster, including KRS-One, Mobb Deep, Group Home, Jay-Z, Company Flow, Tracey Lee, Tha Alkaholiks, Xzibit, Loot Pack, Jungle Brothers, Latryx, Masta Ace, DJ Cut Chemist, and DJ Disk, to name just a few. "We try to explore the roots of hip-hop every week," J-Boogie said. "Whether it's Wisdom bustin' out some reggae cuts one week, or Z-Trip cutting up a Van Halen song on the air, we try to show that hip-hop is not just some tiny box. The doors are wide open, and that's the way we do it."
SOURCE: Jon-Paul Shiver SF Bay Guardian
WEBSITE: http://www.beatsauce.com