Hip hop on FM radio does not exist the way it does without Kool DJ Red Alert. On Monday he told the world he is done: his final broadcast is a four-hour farewell DJ set on 107.5 WBLS in New York, on Monday, November 30.
He started in 1983 at 98.7 Kiss FM, back when a rap mix show on a major station was not a normal thing. From there it was Hot 97 in the nineties, five years at Power 105.1, back to Kiss until the station flipped in 2012, and then WBLS and Hot 97, with years on SiriusXM’s Backspin channel along the way. Forty-three years on New York radio, all told.
The resume is the culture’s foundation. Red Alert broke Boogie Down Productions, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah and Black Sheep when breaking a record actually meant something, and he holds the record for the most appearances by a DJ in music videos.
“Thank you for being a part of my journey.”
The timing is its own statement. This year marks 50 years since he first got behind the turntables, and he turns 70 on November 27, three days before the last show.
The week before the finale, Sony Hall hosts a tribute in his honor, with Teddy Riley, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri, DJ Brucie B, DJ Spinna and more on the bill.
He was clear that radio is the only thing ending. The events, the community celebrations, the DJing itself, all of that continues. Just no more time slot.
One more mix. November 30, WBLS. Set a reminder.