And The Beat Don't Stop: Empress Rah and Tosha Love on the Future of Hip Hop

Episode Transcript

*DISCLAIMER: Transcripts are created using AI, and may not accurately represent the content exactly as presented. Transcripts are provided as a courtesy to our listeners who require them.

[00:00:00] How to Support Queue Points
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[00:00:50] Opening Theme (Music by Danya Vodovoz)
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[00:01:21] Welcome to Queue Points Podcast
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DJ Sir Daniel: Greetings and welcome back. It's Queue Points podcast dropping the needle on black music history. I am DJ Sir Daniel 

Jay Ray: and my name is Jay Ray sometimes known by my government as Johnny Ray Cornegay the third. We doing it again. 

DJ Sir Daniel: It's number three three times what three is a magic number, right? Yes, third time's the charm ladies and gentlemen We are live broadcasting from jb's record lounge in the heart of the west end 898 oak street Sweet f we got to give up some love to jb's for always opening his doors to us And as you can hear we are live we have a live audience And we had to do it big, J Ray.

First of all, it's good to see you, and you know what I would like for you to do? Ladies and gentlemen, J Ray is going to tell you all how you can subscribe, because listen. We need you all to fund J Ray's relocation to Atlanta. And we gotta bring my momma. Exactly. And the only way we're gonna be able to do that is if you subscribe.

But J Ray's gonna tell you more about how you can do that. Absolutely. 

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Tosha Love: relocation back to Atlanta, 

Jay Ray: Atlanta's home. I mean, Atlanta is always home for me. So, uh, so I can bring me and my mom, uh, you can shop our store store.

Dot Queue Points. com. And you see what me and sir, Daniel was rocking. We got this fresh, slow jams can heal us merch over there. You could get mugs. You could get bags. You could get all the things, all of our classic merch as well. And sneak preview. Coming up in the spring, we got some aprons coming because, you know, we getting ready for 

DJ Sir Daniel: barbecue season outside.

So we're going to be ready for all of that. 

[00:03:25] Live from JB's Record Lounge: Celebrating Women's History Month
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DJ Sir Daniel: But, um, you know, again, we wanted to come and be live here in Atlanta because it is Women's History Month. It is. It is Women's History Month. And we were we couldn't let the month go by without doing a special show dedicated to women's history. the industry and to the women that work within the industry, because J.

Ray, we are celebrating Women's History Month, and it's appropriate in this moment because reproductive rights are on the line. They're being amended, uh, as we speak. D. E. I. is being used as a four letter word when it comes to diminish the accomplishments of women and minorities. And we are also on the precipice, Beyonce is about to, she's on the verge of changing and challenging another standard and category in the music industry.

So, there's a, with the release of her 8th studio album. So, there's a lot going on. of historical stuff going on right now in this moment. And we have to, we are blessed to be talking to some dynamic women that we've had the opportunity of meeting and running into and seeing all the work that they do in this industry.

So, uh, Jerry, you want to do the honors of introducing our first guest? 

Jay Ray: Absolutely. So actually I'm going to, I want to go right next to me. So, This is so dope, y'all. Thank y'all for being here and thank our guests for being here. 

[00:04:53] Spotlight on Tosha Love: Trailblazer in Radio and Music
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Jay Ray: So, Tosha Love, also known as the Don Piece of Radio, has had an illustrious career as the Assistant Program Director and Music Director at Atlantis V 103 for a decade.

Her journey in broadcasting began during her high school years at White Plains, New York. Shout out to 

DJ Sir Daniel: White Plains. I guess White Plains is in 

Jay Ray: the building. 

DJ Sir Daniel: Lord, 

Jay Ray: where she was part of the radio station club. She continued her passion for radio as a co host of WRFG Soundroom while attending Morris Brown.

Shout out to Morris Brown. Sweep right down the street for Morris Brown. So shout out later. She transitioned to mainstream radio working weekends at WVEE. The People's Station. From 10 p. m. to 2 a. m. Tosha Love's groundbreaking achievements include being the first female to hold the coveted positions of assistant program director at V103.

Yeah. Tosha's impact extended beyond administrative roles. She played a pivotal role in introducing hip hop to V103, a station that previously focused on R& B. I did, Sir Daniel told me that in history. So, She broke several hit records including Mariah's We Belong Together, Tank's Maybe I Deserve, Avant's Separated, Robin Thicke's Lost Without You, and she championed Atlanta artists like Jagged Edge, 112, OutKast, Sammy, Lloyd, Jarvis, all of that.

Currently you can find Tosha Dabbling in Television as the Music Industry Insider on The Culture With Mariah. Farajii Bahman airing on the Roland Martin Blackstar Network. Welcome, Tosha. Give it up. 

DJ Sir Daniel: Thank you. So, you know, J. Ray, this is a mini, um, reunion for me and Tosha because, Tosha, look, I kind of backdoored my way into V103, but I wasn't Thank we all.

I wasn't like exactly. I wasn't like a legit intern, but I knew somebody that knew somebody and I just kind of was like, let in the back door and learned all that I could. And Tosha was definitely one of those people, one of my teachers up there at the big station. So I'm super excited to welcome you on the show.

Tosha love. Absolutely. Absolutely. 

[00:07:04] Introducing Empress Rah: DJ, Creative, and Music Advocate
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DJ Sir Daniel: So it is my honor now to introduce to you all Empress Rah. Empress Rah is an Atlanta based open format DJ, creative, and entrepreneur bringing a diverse eclectic energy that undoubtedly Unites people from different backgrounds under one sound as a deep music lover and advocate for her culture.

She plays an integral role in the vibrant music community and is one of the driving forces behind controllerize a renowned community music collective. Give it up for that. Cause cause controllerize is lit. With a bachelor's of arts and psychology from the university of Miami and an MBA in digital marketing.

Okay. We might need to chat after this. Empress Rah seamlessly combines her academic knowledge with her entrepreneurial spirit. And through her involvement, she actively supports and promotes emerging artists and creatives in the music scene, fostering an inclusive space for creativity and collaboration.

Her love affair with music has also allowed her to gain global, a global following, and perform on stages alongside notable artists such as Artists such as Oshun, Sky Zoo, Currency, Too Short, Rakim, The Wu Tang Clan, and more. Empress Rah is known for fusing gender bending sounds that create a lasting impression for her audience, and her vibe is as powerful as her name suggests.

And no matter the occasion or event, after an encounter with her music, you will know. You will know what it is to live in the moment. Ladies and gentlemen, Empress 

Jay Ray: Ra! Give it up! 

DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah, we're gonna gas you up on this podcast 

Jay Ray: because, 

DJ Empress Rah: absolutely because And it's genre binding, not Genre bending and gender bending.

Did I say gender bending? I'm not sure what gender bending is. Wow. 

DJ Sir Daniel: for clearing it up. And it's all good. That's a whole other conversation. 

Jay Ray: I don't 

DJ Empress Rah: know. I don't know nothing about that. And it's all right. 

DJ Sir Daniel: And this is why. Okay. The ladies have to be given their props. Yes. And spotlighted. And not just in one month.

Right. But all the time. And we do that here in Queue Points. Yeah. Like 

Jay Ray: one of the things that we pride ourselves with Queue Points is celebrating women 365 days a year and the important work in culture and music. And of course we are in the 50th anniversary of hip hop right now. Shout out to hip hop and. One of the things that has been important, but we're also seeing happen in this 50th anniversary, is celebrating the contributions of women.

[00:09:56] The Importance of Celebrating Women in Hip Hop and Beyond
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Jay Ray: So, and Tosha, we can start with you from your perspective, um, we want to get both of your responses. Why is celebrating the contributions of women centrally important to hip hop? Well, 

Tosha Love: that's easy. We birth everything. I mean, men, music, life. I mean, uh, you know, I think it's important to say with every single album that has ever been made at the forefront of that, especially from a man is a woman.

If we talk in Teddy Pendergrass, if we talk in Luther Vandross, despite what we know right now, um, and Freddie Jackson. I mean, every love song is central to a woman, um, and, and we're talking from Marvin Gaye and, and, you know, just so many artists that we could just name off the top of our head, no matter what the genre, um, there's always a woman that's either, uh, left them.

love them, um, was too good for them, hurt, hurt them, um, birth them. I mean, the woman is central to everything on this earth without us, there is no world. There is no earth. There is no business. There is no money, you know, cause we, we give you that, that, you know, because that's the one to get up in the morning and go make your money.

I mean, it's just, it is what it is. Um, you know, uh, everything in this world is. It starts with Eve, um, and it just, we are, as God would say, I am. It just, it is what it is. All right 

DJ Empress Rah: now. All right. Thank you. What do you, what do you say after that? No, no, no. That's it. I'll only add that there was a great philosopher by the name of Tupac Shakur that says, we came from a woman.

There it is. Got our name from a woman. And you know the rest of the quote. And that is literally everything that she just said. Literally. We are God, we are everything. And so, uh, we have to be recognized. It's mandatory. 

DJ Sir Daniel: Absolutely. I mean, if you, if you just want to break it down to hip hop, um, like we were talking about J Ray earlier, the very first party, the nexus of the culture, the very first party was put on by Kool Herc's sister.

And if it wasn't for her, you know, just handing out the flyers 

Tosha Love: and the flyers that she created. 

DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah. So So, so all of those things are very important to the culture and um, as we move on and progress in the industry, um, specifically talking about, if we're going to talk about women on the forefront as performers, you know, we've moved on from the, uh, from that thinking of there can only be one person, one artist that's at the top right now.

Like, what are your thoughts on the shift of the focus being shifted from You know, at one point it was just strictly, it was all dudes, then all of a sudden, there's a moment where everybody on top is, is a woman. And especially within the hip hop genre. 

DJ Empress Rah: I have a love hate relationship with that. I love to see women of all facets, backgrounds, being the face of hip hop.

I do. Um, I think, you know, When you look at, look at it from an objective standpoint, it's, uh, sometimes I wish it wasn't, you know, so sexualized, um, but I'm probably a little bit more conservative on that end, and so that's my right and opinion. But one of the things that I did notice is that, you know, back in the day, Um, outside of conscious, uh, artists and performers and rappers and singers, the narrative was coming from a man's objective.

A man's, uh, point of view. You know, they would objectify women, and, um, now, I I love to see that women are taking back that narrative. So, um, You know, how they do it and what they choose to do it. You know, that's a different conversation for a different day. But ultimately, um, if we can continue to hold on to that narrative and, and make it really what we want, um, I don't see anything wrong with it.

Tosha Love: You know, I think we're talking time periods here because when I was coming up, you know, it was literally Moni Love, Queen Latifah, MC Light. Salt N Pepa, Antoinette, you know, um, Roxanne Shante, then you had the real Roxanne Shante. Yeah, I mean, so I think it really depends upon, one, where you from, right?

Because if, if, if I were from L. A., I would say yo yo, you know what I mean? I would, I would give homage to, um, the women of the West Coast, but being that I come from, uh, New York, those were my experiences. Um, and it was me, sorry about that. Mom and dad sneaking off to the club with Donna, um, shout out to Donna and Shanna over here, you know, um, going into the tunnel and having these live experiences where I could see these female artists perform.

Um, but back then it was equal. Um, and when I say equal, I don't necessarily mean headline equal. I mean, battle rap equal, um, you know, Roxanne Shantae and Shantae, the real, the real Roxanne, you know, they were going back and forth with you TFO. So I don't have that experience, um, growing up to where it was that we had to fight for the mic.

Um, I, I had it is that we were gonna fight for the mic. Um, so. I think that my experience growing up with that has probably shaped where I am today as far as my outlook on hip hop and, and, and the respect for the women that come up in hip hop. Um, but today I, I, I'm with Ra, you know, I am not mad at the sexuality oneness of the artists for today.

However, I can't listen to that with my kid in the car, you know what I mean? But, but quite honestly, uh, Tramp by Salt N Pepa, you know what I mean? I, you know, me being so young, um, I really wasn't supposed to be listening to that either, but hip hop wasn't my parents forte, so I kind of got away with that.

Um, but, but at the same time, um, Um, I can appreciate what I'm seeing right now. I don't necessarily think we need to lead with that. Um, I do miss Ladies First from Queen Latifah. I miss Who You Calling A Bitch, Queen Latifah. I miss that, um, that, uh, You know, I own my sexuality. I own my femininity. I own my rap style without having to, you know, show as much as let's say Nicki Minaj shows or or definitely what Megan Thee Stallion shows, but I think that it is Even still there's a message in that.

Yeah. Um, so I don't want to take away from what we see in that Um, but I will say that I do miss battle rap. Yeah Okay. 

DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah, and you know speaking of battle rap at least I will say there is Um, an underground culture. Well, it's not even underground. There is a culture for battle rap, and there are people that are still maintaining, um, the battle rap culture.

Remy Ma has her own. She has her own battle lead, Chrome 23, if I'm not mistaken, and she started it with this like an all female rap battle. Well, 

Tosha Love: you know what? You know, I'm so glad that you brought up Remy Ma, because even still, we still, we see her transformation, right? Oh, absolutely. As to how she's come from the baggy jeans into now her full sized body.

Sexiness, which I'm not mad at. Um, but she has stepped full fledged into her femininity, even coming up with Joe, um, coming up with fat Joe though, you know, we still was wearing baggy pants and rocking, you know, the full vests and the Tim's, but she has since transformed because music dictates that she needs to transform as a female.

She's up against Nicki Minaj. She's up against, um, making a stallion. She's up against the city girls. She's up against TNA, you know what I'm saying? So, I mean, I understand her transition, but I still love that. She's still in the genre of battle rap. 

[00:18:02] Navigating the Shifts in Music Culture and Radio
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Jay Ray: I got so many questions, but I'm gonna go here first because Tosha coming from your background in radio, like it's so interesting thinking about radio today versus.

What I grew up with now, it's interesting. So today at my big age, I listened to the classic R& B station that I used to get mad at my parents for 

Tosha Love: having a rap. 

Jay Ray: I literally and it's a regular thing. I listen to so shout out to Philly. I listen to WDAS 105. 3 in Philly who did not used to play rap back in the day.

Now, of course they do, right? My question is and this is for both of y'all. I want to start with you Tosha on this is You mentioned like, I can't play this with my son in the car. Like there's things that are happening in the culture at this moment. Can we just talk a little bit about shifts that you saw in radio at the time?

Sure. And with that, like some of the things that you saw kind of start to creep in that we're like, Oh, that's interesting that we're 

Tosha Love: doing that now. All of it was creeping in. By the time I was, you know, coming up in radio, I mean, my brother at the time was seven when I was at the height of my career.

Janet will recall JJ. But he's a grown man now with his own children. But, but, um, he was my son's age at the time and I still had him in the car. But, so I've always been aware even as the music director responsible for putting in, um, music artists on the air that there were parents in the morning taking their kids to school.

Um, so I wasn't playing the full version of Eazy E. I wasn't, I wasn't playing the, the, the, the, the dirty version of 50 Cent. You know what I mean? Um, and I can recall. Um, having to go in and manually edit those songs myself. And I'm sure that I let a couple of curse words slip every night again, because the phone lines would ring to Janet.

So, um, Hit that dump button. Right, right, the dump button, the 10 second dump button, where you had to push a button if I missed a curse word. Um, but, but I will say, um, that the responsibility is a heavy weight to bear. Um, and I was very aware of it. And especially during drive time in the morning when the kids are being taken to school between six and 10 with the morning show, um, I could kind of loosen up when it came the magic show, um, from 10 to two.

Um, cause then it was all about the ladies. But once Greg Street got on, I was full game, you know, it's from six to 10 and everybody was getting ready to go to club Chi or visions or. You know, wherever we were going at the time, especially on the weekends. I was, you know, we shown our age 

DJ Sir Daniel: up here. 

Tosha Love: I know. I know.

But listen, I color my hair. So, um, but, but I'm, I'm aware of, uh, our impact, um, as it relates to hip hop, even R and B, cause there's some really, really sexy R and B records that was just reserved for the quiet storm with Joyce and tell, I mean, so, uh, you know, Um, but nevertheless, I still took it back to it's the parent's responsibility, um, as it is my responsibility with my own son.

But now there really are no barriers because you have all types of radio genres from Sirius on down. Um, even YouTube, I mean, uh, I don't pay for a subscription when I could just go online and listen to it for free. I just do. Um, but I'm aware of what version I'm listening to as a parent. But still with the heart of a music director 

DJ Sir Daniel: And you know, um rob before you answer the question Like you and I are djs.

And so we we we approach things with different ears, right? so With what? J ray was asking earlier about the shift in music But we were also talking offline earlier about not feeling bullied to play certain things. Yes, or you know being in environments where you're not, you have to play things that you don't like.

So talk to us about that experience and how you handled the shift of where music was. Yeah. 

Tosha Love: I, 

DJ Empress Rah: um, so I think I'm the youngest person here. 

Tosha Love: Excuse me. I 

DJ Empress Rah: was like, I don't know. Um, But I am aware of my evolving of age, so I'm full transparency. I'm 36. And so I'm a 88 baby, but it's crazy because I'm in an industry where I feel really old.

I feel really old. I'm as a DJ, you know, I'm out in these places and I'm, I'm DJing for these kids, these Gen Z ers, these Tik Tokers, they're like. telling me songs that come out at rapid speed. I had to make a decision in my career of like who my target audience is. And I quickly learned I cannot DJ for children because I cannot agree with the music that they want to hear.

I remember I did like a middle school prom in my early DJ days when I was just hustling. And I was like, I will never again because they were like, play insert the most horrible song ever. And even, even the clean version was horrible. I was, and I'm like, what do you want me to do? And I, I, I have a conscious and I really, music is so important to me.

It's powerful. It's frequency. You know, it's what you, it's what you're consuming is the same as your diet. Um, the same as what you're watching on television. And so what I play, when I put in my, um, my crates is intentional. Um, Now, mind you, I do have a lot of the ratchet ignorant things because I'm a black woman in America.

I can't escape that. There's moments where I would get down to Gucci and Trina and all of that. But there's a time and place. And I had to, you know, make sure that whoever I was playing for, that it just felt good at the end of the day. And I started to shift my audience and I started to attract clientele that appreciated that.

So I get hired by people who know. I'm not, you're not going to get trap out of me. And if you do get trap, it's probably before 2005. You know what I mean? Like, it's this, this, I just, I don't know. I don't, it's old trap, right? I don't know the newest, latest. I can't keep up. It's at this pace of music, it's impossible.

And maybe one or two, I might be able to, you know, catch on. But for the most part, like the Gen Zers, they call me auntie. You know, they're like, oh, and I embrace it because put me in that category because I'm not going to do, I'm not going to play something that's not that. Feed like it doesn't feed your soul.

DJ Sir Daniel: Yeah. And see, I appreciate that. And that's how we feel about this podcast and how it's not, it could be real easy to get salacious and get, and get tabloidy and whatnot. But we know, we feel like we have a responsibility to the culture. And speaking of the culture, um, can we, Give it up like Tosha, you know, we came up in radio.

[00:25:04] The Power of Underground and Community Radio
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DJ Sir Daniel: Can we give it up to community and college radio? because um, I I just watched the um, the freaknik, uh documentary and And they made the point, and we talked about this earlier, about V not playing hip hop at all until the weekend. But thankfully, because of, and I know you had some time at WRFG, I cut my teeth at RFG as well, let's give it up for them.

For WCLK, WREK, WRAS, all those places that were, that could hone hip hop and was a home for hip hop, allow people to come and tour because of those college radio stations and just like share, you know, one or two experiences that you had on the college, on the underground scene and talk about transitioning.

Or helping to the transition at B103 to go from strictly R& B to having a hip hop show on the weekend and then it becoming the full culture and 

Tosha Love: taking over. Sure, I certainly will. I mean, it's so important to not only just the culture of hip hop here in Atlanta, To music, the music industry in radio period.

Um, as it relates to black music, I started at RFG when I was in college because my cousin Chaka Zulu name drop. Um, and I mean, he is just everything. Um, he's Luda's DJ, um, money long, uh, manager, Luda's manager. Um, but just responsible for, for, uh, For, um, getting, um, Hot 107 and 9 off the ground. Um, he was the first program director.

But, but not only that, but he's just a good person. Um, just a good soul and good for the community of music period. But he pulled me into his show. We would, we would actually fill in for his mom at the sound on RFG because she had her own show. And whenever she was traveling, we would jump in on her show and take it over.

Um, and then when she came back, we just weren't on the air cause she was back. Um, but, but I cut my teeth at WRFG, um, Bluegrass and, um, um, and. We were the only hip hop station, um, at, at WRFG and, and we got artists like. Um, Biggie was in the studio. I walked in, didn't see him, literally bumped into him and then he threw me into the wall when I bounced into him.

Um, and, and I, I remember talking to him about, um, me and my bitch. Cause it was just such a, a prolific record at the time because I was like, why are you calling her a bitch? And he was just like, that's just my girl, you know? So, So, so I had the opportunity to interview Biggie, we, we, there were so many artists that came through the sound room, um, hip hop, uh, Swizz Beatz, before he was Swizz Beatz, um, he was nine year old, nine years old, uh, rapping, um, and I might, I, I might even want to say he might have been 12.

Um, so. Cause I don't want to date myself that bad. Um, but, but he literally would come in and we would just let him have the mic and it was him and his brothers and I can literally see them right now and they were just standing at the mic but he just had this He just had this energy that wouldn't stop.

Like he just was like, Da da da da da da da. I can see him right now. Um, and then he grows up to be Swizz Beatz. And then I see him at V and I'm like, Are you kidding me? And, and, and I'm like, Oh my God, I can't believe it's you. Um, but, um, We battled. Meaning when I say we, I mean the sound room. Me, Chaka and Bnut.

Um, as, as DJs, we battled R. E. K., we battled, um, you know, every, every other underground radio station in Atlanta, um, because it were, we were two guys, one girl, I was the only female out of all those shows, um, and we battled for all the rap music coming into Atlanta that nobody else would play. V103 wasn't playing hip hop, not even on the weekends.

Um. When I got to V, JC was the DJ, and he was spinning hip hop, um, but it wasn't in regular rotation. That's when V 103 was only playing it on the weekends. And then I started slowly talking to the program director, Tony Brown, about, Hey, you know what, we should introduce this song, and, you know, OutKast is the new artist.

And then we would start playing OutKast, and then we would, of course, we would play Luda, because now, um, Hot 107. 9. Which was, uh, developed by Chaka. See, Chaka left me, went straight to the sound room, and he, he, I mean, went straight from the sound room into 107. 9. And so, everything that we were doing there, he now took to a major platform.

And then I went to the competitive station. And now me and him are fighting against each other. So, I'm trying to catch this heritage station up to par as to where All the kids were like what we got a hip hop session finally in atlanta And so when you think about that, that's absurd, right? Um coming up in new york.

We had kiss We had bls, you know Um, so right and then hot 97 came and so here I am at the forefront like oh my god I'm really at this bubble under Right. Um, and so it's my responsibility now is this music director slash on air personality on a weekend Who's actually in the clubs who can see what people really are dancing to?

And and how can I make that happen onto this heritage station, which was really still in the bible belt Right. Cause we're still in the Bible, but we still got Larry Tinsley. We are playing gospel, you know, strictly on Sundays. There's no, no alcohol sales before, you know, 12 o'clock even. I remember when there was no alcohol sales on Sundays.

Yeah. So, but here we are coming from the clubs on Sunday, you know, so I'm having to, excuse me. I'm having to, I'm fighting against the machine, um, to get hip hop recognized. Um, and so it, it was really a gift to me, um, because it, it really was a passion of mine, um, to make it safe for our kids, but make it safe for us to rock too, too.

Because we were, we were coming into the millennials, like, come on now we, we behind the ball. Um, so it really was a gift and, but it was hard. It was hard. I was battling, um, record labels. I was spending, Jana can tell you, you know, every Wednesday, my music day, uh, there were hundreds of, you remember trying to get to the lobby.

Everybody's trying to get into my office. There's 50 people standing outside. Like I'm waiting to see Tosha. And I'm like, look, we got two hours to get through all this. Um, you know, and then I haven't had lunch yet, so we need to move this along. Um, but I'm trying to find these hit records to appeal to the masses.

Mass appeal, right? Gangstar. 

DJ Sir Daniel: So something just really okay, so I'm glad you brought up music days and rod This is this gonna pertain to you also because you're a DJ and I'm sure people approach you about playing their records as well so at that time Tosha as the music director It's because it's not just hip hop.

It's the industry now. And so it's, there's people banking on making money. And so now because you're, because you're a woman, the new music director that hasn't happened before. So now there's a lot of these, um, radio reps coming by. They've never had to deal with a woman. 

Tosha Love: Well, no, I take that back because before me was Rajia Shabazz.

So I do want to honor Regia Shabazz, I was just the first assistant program director, which was a step up from music director. So I was the first female assistant program director, my next role would have been program director. Music director, before I got there, thank you Janet, which should have been my Um, That's 

DJ Sir Daniel: a whole nother story.

That's a whole nother show. That's 

Jay Ray: another podcast. That's 

Tosha Love: another podcast. I'll be back. I'll be 

DJ Sir Daniel: back. Um. But listen, so yeah. So they're coming. They're seeing you. Yeah. And like you said, they, they're, they're bugging Janet up front. I got this record. I need to see her. Like, how did it ever, like, was your gangster tested?

Because you're, you're the woman here in this, um, music director role. All 

Jay Ray: the time. 

Tosha Love: Oh, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, no gang. I mean, my gangster was tested all the time because. Um, one I'm green coming in, right? I'm green coming in for the passion of the record. Like raw, like raw gets a record. Now she's passionate about it.

I'm passionate about it without knowing the politics. I wasn't used to the politics as usual. You know what I'm saying? If this, this was new to me, I'm coming in like, well, it's a hit record. You know what I'm saying? I'm looking for the next. I wasn't looking for the, um, for what the record labels were feeding me.

Um, I wanted to hear something that was mind blowing, something that I had never heard before. Um, but I will say that, um, I want to give shout outs to Janet, the front desk diva, because Janet really helped me to get through. There were just so many people lined up to see me on a Wednesday. Like I would come into work at nine and they would already be waiting for me to sometimes by my car.

Um, I've had people follow me into the bathroom. Um, I've had people wait outside the building. Um, I would have people in the clubs looking for me, um, just to give me their music to play and I understand it. I do, um, because you know, you know, music doesn't always come with nepotism. Like, you know, it's not like Michael and Janet and Jermaine, you know, cause we were only playing Jermaine and LaToya because of Michael and Janet, right?

So, so we still have that nepotism going on, but, um, when you are dealing with. Commercial radio that is a make a break a do or die, you know, that is a label Paying their artists or paying their entire staff based upon something that I said Um, and i've had people to this day say oh my god, you helped me get that record on Because of you, I didn't lose my job.

It wasn't because of you, it was because I believed in the record. Um, I believed in that song. And I believed that that song was gonna go number one. Um, which it did. Um, but, it really was about the listening ear. See, men listen to music for the beat. Women listen to music for the lyrics and how it makes you.

And it makes you, you know, am I gonna go in the cry, in the shower and cry. Over this dude that just broke my heart or am I going to put my dress on and and go out like freak him dressed like So it really is the passion behind the record and and you know the unfortunate part about Male program programmers is that they don't they don't feel that You know, you guys are just looking for the spins where we're looking for something that's going to motivate and move us.

And so, you know, that's pretty much how I operated. I operated on feelings. Did it make me cry? Did people come in my office and be like, yo, what's that record? Um, and I moved off that. So, um, you know, it's a really loaded question, but at the end of the day, it really was, um, those days are gone. Corporate corporate radio stations are just that.

Their own by. White owners of black radio stations and they just want what sells So if the city if the city girls are selling We're gonna we're gonna play this ratchetness and we're gonna play it all day a million times You know, we're not gonna play the queen latifah's lady first. We're not gonna play mc light who you you know, whatever Um, so it's you know, um, you know, georgie poisey.

We're not we're not we're not gonna play those records to uplift the community We're gonna play what sells in your community whether it tears you down or not Um, and I was just a different programmer. 

DJ Sir Daniel: And so, you're talking about Boundaries, Ra, as a DJ on it. Look, what's happening, um, at the club and people are like, are you going to play this record?

Owner 

Tosha Love: of the Dance Floor, that's who she is. 

DJ Empress Rah: Yeah, um, I found myself in spaces. This is no shade to the radio industry, but because of how it has changed. 

[00:37:21] Embracing the Underground: A DJ's Perspective on Music and Culture
---

DJ Empress Rah: corporate conglomerate as a DJ, I'm, I'm almost anti radio now because I, what you So I really, I really lean into the underground community. There is an amazing pool of talented artists.

in the city. I mean, that are just hungry and they don't have resources to get their music out. And so I, you know, one of the things that I'm really passionate about, as you mentioned in my bio is this organization that I'm a part of called controllerize, where it's a producer based collective of individuals that focus on instrumental based music beats production style.

However, it attracts an audience and artists MCs. Cause if, if, if it's a, platform that plays beats. What, what happens? You attract rappers, you attract R& B singers, you attract, you know, people who are like, want to be affiliated with that, especially if it's like high quality content. And so, uh, what I do is I, you know, I definitely think that I have like an A and R ear and I take what I hear and I, I, I, I categorize it and I push it and we created this platform to give a space for some of these artists to grow.

And so when you kind of like dig into our archives, we've been around for seven years. A lot of the producers and even some of the MCs, they're getting booked, they're on tours. And this is when we started by Georgia State, you know, in 2017 and it was just 50 of us. You know, watching anime and playing beats, and now these guys are in Dubai doing tours, you know, they're DJs and producers.

Um, and I just, I, I like to focus on the underground community because they're often very neglected. 

Tosha Love: Well, you know what, I just want to piggyback off of something that she said, and then not only that, I, I want to pay homage to the DJ. Okay, because, um, when I was at RFG, I would go into, there was a cypher that we used to do at Underground.

But there was a cypher that we used to do at the underground and literally it was a cage. It was, it was a cage match and, um, we would go in and, um, you know, um, there was a host and then I would just come in and kind of play the background cause I was just in entrenched in hip hop and I just wanted to see what was happening.

Um, but. 

[00:39:39] EThe Uncomfortable Shift to Strip Clubs and Its Impact
---

Tosha Love: In order for me as a music director to step outside of what the record labels were bringing me, I spent my time in the club. Um, and my family's here and they can tell you that. Um, my husband is here, um, who was my boyfriend at the time, um, could never catch up with me, because I was always, um, in a club.

And, and, and then there was a time when I had to step, step into the strip club. Um, and that was an uncomfortable that was in a music shifted. Yeah. No, there was an uncomfortable in this 

DJ Sir Daniel: rocket road. Yeah, rocket road. I remember that. Oh my God, 

Tosha Love: there was an uncomfortableness. of having to step into that particular genre for me to where I had to call on Chaka and say, maybe I shouldn't have said that, but I had to call on a certain someone to take me into my first strip club because I was so green.

Um, and I didn't know what to expect. So we went down to the, um, infamous magic city and I was not prepared. Okay. 

Jay Ray: I was visually not 

Tosha Love: prepared. I mean, I literally was in the corner like, Like, I was literally like, Oh my God, like, And I'm in my, I'm in my twenties, right? And I'm like, Oh my God, Oh my God, This is so terrible that I'm even having these experiences.

[00:41:03] Navigating the Music Scene: From Clubs to Radio
---

Tosha Love: However, Little John was bubbling. Um, you know, the Atlanta, Uh, drop it scene was, I mean, Miami, everything coming out, uh, Trina, I mean, I've, I've, I've done concerts where I opened for Trina and I was just not prepared for what I saw. Um, I just wasn't, I'm a New Yorker. I'm doing a WAP. What am I doing 

Jay Ray: a 

Tosha Love: WAP?

What do I 

Jay Ray: know 

Tosha Love: about this scrub the ground? And making it clap and making it clap. What is that? Like, I'm like, okay, let's see. You know, y'all, y'all was way above me. 

[00:41:42] The Power of DJs and the Influence of Club Music
---

Tosha Love: So, so what I'm saying is I relied heavy, heavy on the DJs. Um, I relied heavy on Dino's, um, million dollar record pool. I relied heavy on DJ herb, DJ hell, um, DJ jelly.

I relied heavy on DJ cowboy, DJ chip. Um, because I had to go to what clubs they were at. Even though I got off the air at two o'clock. So I was on from Friday and Saturday on the 10 p. m. to 2 a. m. And then I would ride out by myself to go meet them at the club to hear and to see what people were dancing to Which goes back to what you were saying, that's why I said you own the crowd I have to see what records you're playing So I rely heavy on the DJ Because That's what makes me say, okay, people want to hear this at this time.

I remember when Rob played and then everybody got up after they see it and went into the dance floor. Um, you know, so, so that was my experience. Um, and you know, it, it was, it was those records like, um, You remember that time we threw that party for the, um, the dude that did the slide, Mr. C, Mr. C rest in peace.

Um, but we did a whole big party at Vegas night. No, it wasn't Vegas. Nice. It was a club kayak at the time. Do you remember that? So, so what I'm saying, I know I'm dating myself. Everybody's just work with me. But what I'm saying is, Is that because of what was playing in the club it forced me to play it on the radio So the record labels didn't have to come up to me to say yo Tosha is a banger I already know because I saw rob play it in the club So I would immediately I would move on mjg records just because of what I saw greg street play Whatever club he was at and we talk at mjg we talk at eight ball Even my husband he's my boyfriend at the time.

He put me on to so many Uh, you know, hip hop records that I just wasn't used to because I'm in New York. I'm looking for Big Daddy Kane. I'm looking for Nas, you know what I'm saying? But he put me onto so many different records that it forced me to step outside of my box as a music director, because there were at the time 4 million people in Atlanta.

So you, you think I'm programming radio for 4 million people. Everybody's like, why do you always play the same music? I'm not, you're just listening all day. You listening all day, so you hearing the same songs, but if you turn the radio off, I'm playing it for the next person to turn the radio on. So now I have to step outside my box and play what Rob plays and what Greg Street would play in the club and what Jelly would play.

So it was, it was a mixed bag of constant stress on my shoulders every time I walk into the club. 

Jay Ray: Thank you for that history. Like, no, real talk. Especially because, and Sir Daniel will tell you this, DJ, DJs,

Yeah. I literally choose what places to go to based on who's playing there. And if you're not playing it right, I'm leaving. Literally upset. This person's up there. I don't know what journey they're taking me on, but I don't like it here and I'm leaving. So thank you so much for that history and just wanted to give honor to the DJ.

[00:44:57] Radio BSOTS Mid-Roll Ad
---

Radio BSOTS Mid-Roll Ad: There are two types of people in the world, those who complain about the state of today's music and those who dig. I'm Jason Randall Smith, and I invite you to check out Radio BSOTS, Both Sides of the Surface, a music podcast championing the work of independent artists from around the way. The primary focus on Creative Commons licensed music, think of this show as a never ending virtual crate dig through a parallel universe of online labels, seeking out the hip hop, soul, jazz, funk, and electronic music gems that are often hiding in plain sight, and hopefully demystifying the world of Creative Commons along the way.

One song at a time. You can find Radio BSOTS wherever you listen to podcasts. For more information, visit the website at BSOTS. com. That's B S O T S dot com.

[00:45:57] Navigating Revelations and Morality in the Music Industry
---

Jay Ray: We are in this moment of big 

Tosha Love: reveals, 

Jay Ray: revelations, revelations, And I'm not going to worry about saying names because that's not the important part. What I would love to get both of your insights on is this moment that we're in, um, and the information that it seems like on a monthly basis, stuff is happening and we're having to grapple with like, Oh my goodness, I did not know that this thing might be happening in the world.

Um, Um, thoughts on this period of time that we're in, um, and how you both are kind of grappling with it and personally working in the industry. 

DJ Empress Rah: I don't know if I, I feel like I need to, that's an ambiguous question. It is. Because big reveal can be applied to many things. Uh huh. Um. So I guess in relation to the industry, I, it's tough as a DJ when it's related to the industry.

Um, because now we're, we're dealing with moral morality and ethics, I believe. And, uh, I live in that space. Because I'm very conscious about how I live and how I treat people and how I move through life. And when I don't see other people aligned in that way, regardless of what they do, it's tough for me personally.

So, um, I, I, I lead with, um, intuition. Shout out to women because we're very intuitive. And so, I, uh, anytime I, I'm sharing energy or I'm receiving energy from, from anybody, That's kind of what I, that gut feeling, um, and in regards to what's happening around the industry, you know, I, I take it as it comes. I am, I'm an observer, you know, I am not a person to judge anybody because I'm not God.

[00:48:01] The Complexities of Supporting Artists Amidst Controversies
---

DJ Empress Rah: Um, but, you know, whatever happens as it comes out and whatever the, whatever the The circumstances are I just kind of watch and I I move and you know, so I'll name drop for an example The R. Kelly situation and I'm sorry, but I'm just gonna bring it up, right? So, you know I am I was a huge R Kelly fan and that whole situation was so unfortunate for so many reasons and then you know as it unfolded and then kind of Finalized.

And it is what it is. I made the conscious decision to delete all of his music. That is very controversial in the DJ community. You can go on any Reddit thread and have hours long, you know what I'm talking about? Hours long of debates. Uh, well, it's just the music versus the purse. Yada, yada. It's a personal decision for me.

You know, when people come up to me like, Hey, can you play step in a lame love? I'm like, unfortunately I don't have it. I can't even be tempted to play it, you know? And that's just something that I, Um, because I like to, you know, I'm very conscious of the energy that I put out. So, you know, whenever it comes to big reveals, I just take whatever information I see and then I kind of deal with it on a case by case scenario.

Thank you for sharing. You 

Tosha Love: know, I feel so old and I, and I, and I, and I was going to say that because she said I deleted R. Kelly's music, yet I have a whole box of his CDs that are unopened. I just didn't open the CD and I have the entire catalog. Um, so I feel you more on the morality level. Um, The R.

Kelly situation hurts my feelings, um, because I'm so tired. Um, I'm tied into Aaliyah's story. Um, there was a situation where Aaliyah was coming into Atlanta and I didn't make it to that event that night. Um, and then she passed away, but I was on air. When she passed away, I was with you and I delivered the news to Atlanta that she passed away.

And I happened to pick up the phone, but I was talking to a caller and she heard me say Aaliyah was dead. But I was confirming it with another DJ friend of mine out of Miami. And she said, Tosha, Aaliyah's dead. And I had to say yes. I don't know if I sent you to my office. I sent someone to my office to go get Aaliyah's CD and I'm playing her brand new CD and I'm, and I'm playing all the slow songs and people were calling in and they were grieving on air.

So I have, uh, that moment sticks out in my mind, um, to, to, to, as it relates to R. Kelly, because, you assaulted her when she was a child, not a kid. She was a child. Um, so no, when I hear beep, beep, I'm like, okay, you was outside her house, sneaking her outside the window. Like what was your thought process? Um, and then even dating back to, um, you know, A.

J. Nuttin but a number, like, you know, we, we can go so deep and this is, I was explaining this to Farajii the other day when I was on his show on the Culture on Roland Martin's network, name drop. 

[00:51:17] The Role of Gatekeeping in the Music Industry
---

Tosha Love: Um, but, but I'm saying that to say, um, there's a responsibility that we have as gatekeepers of music, um, to where all of it seems wrong, but now we're dealing with, you know, Puffy and all of Puffy's catalog, which includes Craig Mack's best Biggie, one 12.

How much gatekeeping are we actually doing in the music industry? Um, so. You know, when it comes to that, we have to listen to what the listeners say. Um, but it's the majority of the listeners. If I got 4 million people in Atlanta that I'm programming to, I'm not just going to listen to 10.

Hmm. So when you call me talking about you want to hear too short, but I got 4 million people saying they want to hear too short. I'm going to play too short. Um, because my ratings depend on, um, but as it relates to the undercurrent of music right now, I think we're in a dangerous position, um, because it can get too far, um, with the scantily cladness of naked women that are constantly, um, patrolling or, or trolling on the internet, because we're not, uh, We don't have MTV, right?

Um, we don't have VH1 that we grew up with. Sorry, Rob, just waiting for you. Hold on, I grew up with VH1. Well, no, I know, but you didn't see Thriller by Michael Jackson. I did! I was young. 

DJ Empress Rah: I was 

Tosha Love: young. I was a little kid. I'm not age checking. We gotta tease the little sister. What I'm saying is, the amount of videos that we had back in the day are no longer the same.

there is no censorship. There is no bar across the top when, you know, Megan was just on, she, she just on tick tock the other day. She had her jean outfit on, but the gene was just above her breast and she had the cowboy hat on and now they're relating that back to Beyonce. But what I'm saying is there's no censorship with the internet.

It's just a free for all. So we can't really protect the black woman. We can't, we can't protect her sacredness. Right. Um, You Where we put put her up on a pedestal where where men don't they don't objectify her, right? We're not talking Bahamadea Okay, we talking Beyonce so Consciously self consciously, I'm concerned about what my son sees what my nieces see But then I also play in my mind, girl, you owe, you know what I'm saying?

So, because I can remember fighting my parents about salt and pepper, you know what I'm saying? In, in the tramp video, you know what I'm saying? It's just so, so it is really self consciousness that that we fight on a regular basis. And, um, I'm concerned about, I'm concerned about where the music industry is going and I'm concerned, um, when my little niece is, is like, make me swear, make me, and I'm like, girl.

Um, but she don't know what she's saying. Right. She doesn't know what she's saying. Uh, I know what she's saying. I like what she's saying. Um, but, but it's not for my eight year old niece. Right. It's just not. Um, but at the same time, I don't, I don't, I don't own that position where I can police that anymore.

DJ Sir Daniel: It's such a, it's, it's really, all of us are like, all us music lovers, you know, we Right? We're we're in a really tough position. And then when you get to us, the Gen Xers, when we see the news unfolding about, you know, Diddy and all these things that are happening, then we're just like, we're watching our whole young adulthood being just, it's like being scorched.

It's unraveling. It's being scorched. But then at the same time, we, you know, we are, we got to support. Victims that are in, you know, that are in and I'm hearing somebody off say saying we all knew we had that we literally had a show that we all knew we all knew. We kind of saw it. Yeah, we saw it happening.

There was things going on. And, you know, even the reality show kind of gave us a peek into how people how people were being treated and I don't know. It's just, it's just this. Conundrum of how we treat each other. 

Tosha Love: At puffy sending them to get the cheesecake, right? That's what we're talking about. We really looked at We 

Jay Ray: brought into 

DJ Sir Daniel: that sleep later and grind now and get in, you know, hustle hustle hustle we bought into that But now we're understanding that that was slowly killing us.

Yes Yeah, because we're growing. We're getting grayer earlier. Yes. And you know, we still look good. Wait, 

Tosha Love: speak for yourself. We still look 

DJ Empress Rah: good, 

Jay Ray: but we're getting gray. Wait a 

DJ Sir Daniel: second. But we're getting gray. I'm getting, 

Jay Ray: look, I'm making an I statement. I'm getting gray earlier. 

DJ Sir Daniel: And, but we all stressed out, right?

And, and on top of that, there we go. And then on top of that, we are, all our music heroes are being, You know, things are being challenged in the, in the media and whatnot. And something that we held so sacred is now being trashed by outsiders. I think that's the worst part to me is that outsiders are trashing our culture because of, you know, what they like to say, a few bad eggs.

But, um, and then we're going to have a conversation offline when we get, when we, we say goodbye to our viewers online, because this is how you, this is why you need to subscribe. So you can see the real, the real tea, the real. conversation afterwards, but something happened on stage here just now between Tosha and Ra.

There was a, a sharing, uh, there was a thing that women do and we hope more women do that. 

[00:57:04] Fostering Relationships and Navigating the Industry as Women
---

DJ Sir Daniel: I want to talk to you all about the relationships you formed with other women within your respective lanes within the industry and how important that is because when we talked about there, there can only be one.

That would be a cause for cattiness and some divisiveness, divisiveness. But talk to, but I think things have changed and you can tell me if that's true. Like, how do you, um, foster those relationships with other women in your respective industries? I 

DJ Empress Rah: use the word intentional a lot in my answers. It's for a reason.

I love to live my life with intention. And that means anybody that I meet. Um, regardless of whether or not their intention for me is bad, good or whatever. And so my personal experience in this industry as a woman DJ in the city of Atlanta. Um, I started DJing in 2011, um, has been phenomenal. Um, and that's because I don't look at other women as competition, but more so as inspiration.

Um, when I first got into the city, you know, I saw Princess Cut, uh, you know, doing her thing and I reached out, you know, and not every DJ is going to give you the love back because women, you know, it is, it is a competitive space, you know? Um, so not every woman is going to be like, oh, here's my whole catalog, or here's the.

All my clients, you know, but, but cut was, was pivotal in, in, in sharing wealth. And so my first experience working with another DJ was just like, okay, you know, and then I got to meet, um, Aquaria, DJ Aquaria, and, and so, you know, she's, uh, a force to be reckoned with. And she took me under her wing and, um, then Ross Sirius and, um, you know, it's just, and the list goes on.

You know, I, we recently just, I just went to a dinner last night. Um, tributing those, some of the women DJs in Atlanta who are currently driving the culture forward despite all the obstacles that are in our way. And you know, we were all talking about, there's like over like almost a hundred women DJs in the city, uh, that are doing, you know, there's different levels, different industries, there's a strip club, you know, whatever, but there's a space for everybody.

And I feel like that is important to recognize. Um, it's not, it's not a competition, you know, it's, it's a collaboration and anyone that knows me knows that I'm. Always trying to put my sisters on if I can't do it. I know somebody that can It's important. It's vital and it's it's called reciprocity because every time I put it out it comes back to me So I don't ever feel a type of way when someone gets a gig that I could have you know Oh, you got booked for the festival and I couldn't you know I try to not lead with ego because that can be the downfall of man 

Tosha Love: You know, um, I, first of all, I love that there's now hundreds cause there were literally like four, you know, way back in the day.

Um, but, um, it's been a journey. Yeah. Um, because not all women, yeah, we just got to say it. We ain't nice. You know, women can be really bitchy and really protective and really catty, um, as unfortunate as that is. But I'm coming from the days of, I got into radio because of Angie Martinez and Wendy Williams, and I remember when they fought, I was upset.

Um, Um, and that was when I was in high school, you know what I mean? My, my career started in high school in my fifth grade period of the lunchroom. Um, my, my school just happened to have a radio station and I was like, huh, I'm going to try it. Um, but they were pivotal, pivotal in my life. In my advancement, and so when I did get to V, and I, and Wendy came up to the station and I got to talk to her and see her, which, which is why her story breaks my heart right now, but, um, at the same flip side of that, now I've seen that, uh, Angie now is moved into the podcast space, and you have so many females that are coming up behind her, but, um, it's not easy.

Um, and for every female intern that I've ever had and I can name them off, Janet can name them, um, from Amber to, um, Michelle to Nicole, like I just had so many, um, that I've always said, don't mess with nobody up here. Don't mess with no record labels. Don't mess with anybody in the music industry. Do not let it get it back to me that she was at the club at such and such and such.

And I wasn't there. Do not come into my office after you've left the club. I set standards for the young girls that were coming up after me because somebody had to do it. So they didn't get caught up in the industry, um, the bright lights, the flashing lights. Um, so it was really important that. I told them, don't do that, um, don't go by yourself, um, if I'm not there, you know, don't do that.

If, if you're going to do research for me, say this is, you're here for me, but I'm going to make sure that somebody that I know is there. Um, so it really was that I set expectations for the females that I worked with and I enforced that and the minute I heard something come back, we had a talk in my office behind closed doors, but that really was to keep them safe.

Um, now you hear so many women coming out saying I was abused and nobody talked to me enough. That didn't happen. Um, not on my watch. It really was not on my watch. Um, and, and I think, um, and even now when I speak to those women, that's the first thing they say is that you taught me so much and it was never, it was never about the bright lights and the glitz and the glamor and the VIP list and the, you know, get me behind the velvet rope.

It was like, yo, we here to work, stay sober because you know, uh, men don't do that. They, they don't get the reputation. You do. Um, and that was always my expectation for as many guys as I had tried to talk to me because I was the music director, I was like, really? You got a mixtape? Okay. Yeah. Or, you know, uh, or, or you got, you know, an album release, right, right.

I had so many of that happened. Um, so, so many times that happened to me, um, but I was just not interested, um, and I can see through the BS. Um, and so the difference with that is, is that now. So, you know, the females coming up, that's the first thing they're promised. They're promised you get the role as wifey.

You're going to get the money, you the wife, you get the money, you get the social media, you get the glitz. Everybody's going to know that you with me. That doesn't impress me. You know what I'm saying? Um, you got a 401k, uh, you know what I'm saying? Like, what's your dental plan like? You know what I'm saying?

So, so, um, There were those barriers, however, you know, I was blessed enough to be able to navigate it because I saw the bigger picture of what I wanted my dreams to be, and that was to be, um, you know, just a great programmer. 

Jay Ray: Awesome. Man, oh man, 

[01:03:57] BREAK
---

DJ Sir Daniel: There's a lot to be You said about this industry and this culture that we've cultivated called hip hop.

And as we wrap up, um, I would like for you to just give one wish of what you would like to see different about hip hop as we move forward to another 50 years. And then also, please let people know how they can find you and let them know what you're up to and, you know, all that good 

DJ Empress Rah: stuff. 

[01:04:28] Closing Thoughts and Future Wishes for Hip Hop
---

DJ Empress Rah: Yeah, I'll go first.

I'll be brief. I think to the previous question and comment and conversation, to answer this question about what I wish to see is the gender wars to stop, you know. We do need more hugs. We do need more conversations. And it's frustrating when, you know, the pod in the podcast era, as I'm on a 

Tosha Love: podcast, right?

Um, more, more of the big We're like the 

Jay Ray: anti podcast podcast era. 

DJ Empress Rah: More of the bigger podcasts are just kind of adding, you know, fuel to the fire on these gender wars. And, and, and, and this needs to happen more. Where we can really just talk about how it doesn't matter what you identify as just like we need to heal.

Let's start there. We need to heal. We need to really uncover why the hell you're projecting so much on the world and why the things that you're experienced or you've experienced you're now, you know, hurt people hurt people. And so we're all hurting. Once we acknowledge that and we acknowledge that You we need each other, especially now more than ever, in this climate of a world where everything is unknown.

It's just, it's just anxiety ridden. We live in the United States of America. And, um, you know, as, as a, as a black community, like there's just a lot of things that we need to really address. Um, I think the quicker we do it and the more vocal we become, especially the, the, the people who have voices, um, you know, that next 50 years.

Could look different. I, I don't know if I'm gonna say I'm optimistic because I, I see how humans work, but I don't, I definitely don't want to lose hope. Um, I don't want, I don't believe in that. You know, I wanna have a inkling of faith and hope that, you know, 'cause I see it, you know, the Amanda Seals, they're gonna, we're gonna get backlash.

We're gonna get kicked back. Um, but to hear a conversation with a man. express himself in a safe space and to be received well, like more of that, please, you know, and then that'll translate to our children, to our nieces, to our nephews who are then going to be making this next 50 years of music. That'll, that'll be it.

Uh, stand the test of time, hopefully. 

DJ Sir Daniel: Love that. 

DJ Empress Rah: Oh, and you can follow me. Yes, please. So, uh, EmpressRaw. com and everything DJ Empress Rahw on all social media platforms and Controllerized. com at Controllerize on all social media platforms. Every Monday, I, um, hang out at Monday Night Taproom with all the coolest creatives in the city.

Um, we hit every demographic. So it was Gen Zers to, to Gen Xers, um, to even Boomers hang out, um, because we really dive into soul, funk, jazz, progressive rock, uh, sample based music, hip hop. Uh, we, we stay away from mainstream, not that it's, it's, it's not allowed, but, you know, there's just hundreds and hundreds of millions of records in the world that we don't hear a lot.

And that's a place to kind of just come and hang out with video games, coloring stations, vendors, and uh, it's a little black ecosystem. So every Monday, uh, you know, and if you, yeah, see it. And if you want to pull up this Monday, we're, we're streaming, um, a different world. We always play a cult classic. We really play a lot of anime because our audience loves anime.

I think B culture and anime, if you're familiar, they go, they go hand in hand. So, you know, we did Dragon Ball Z, but I'm really into, uh, enhancing feminine energy. And so the creative, the collective started as two producers, very male driven, you know, beats. It's producers. It's like a whole bunch of backpackers.

This isn't a J Dilla beat. Every variation of a J Dilla beat. You're like, Donuts is my thing. It's just, you know, how many times can we, you know, flip a J Dilla beat? And I love that. But, uh, I noticed when I joined, in 2017 that none of the women were there. They were just like, uh, I can't, I can't do that. So I kind of brought that feminine energy and I'm just, you know, trying to make it in a more inclusive space so we can end gender wars.

That's it.

Tosha Love: So I think, um, one of the things that I definitely would love to see Talent. 

Jay Ray: Say that again 

DJ Sir Daniel: for the people in the 

Jay Ray: back.

Tosha Love: Say it again. Talent. Uh, because it is literally the hip hop pound puppies from love Jones. I mean, from, um, uh, you know, I'm talking about the movie with, um, oh gosh, you know, I'm talking about where I was the music director in the movie. Yes. Brown sugar, brown sugar, brown sugar. That is literally what it is.

All the artists right now, they really are the hip hop pound puppies. It's like who is going to fill this space to make this next hit records that just sound like the last hip hop record that made top 40 and, you know, crossed over. We don't have enough pure, authentic talents, um, coming up, which is why Kanye is so pissed off.

Um, we don't get the Talib qualities. We don't get the, You know, the Bahamadees. We're not getting the Roddiggers. We're not, we're not getting, um, females that are talking about Something other than make daddy breathe, you know, 

DJ Empress Rah: I will say, I will say not to cut you off, but the talent is here. It's just not being pushed.

I it's so it exists. It exists. And there's a generation, the younger generation, they are doing all of that. They're just not getting pushed. And so that's the issue 

Tosha Love: that leads back to my main point is that we don't You know, there is, the talent pool is so scarce, um, to where record labels are not seeking that talent.

Um, the record labels are, are literally going for, because you have to remember, Beyonce's country album is not being pushed by the label, it's being pushed by TikTok. And so, radio stations are being forced to play it because of TikTok, and the white kids that are dancing the dance, Forget the black kids that are dancing the dance, but the white kids that are dancing the dance that are making their parents radio stations play Beyonce.

Um, so again, you know, um, it is the talent pool that's missing to the major labels because the major labels are not seeking that. They are seeking the cookie cutter that came before them. to get that. We need another Megan Thee Stallion. We need to know how far you're going to bend over and how short is your skirt?

Um, that's what they want. Um, which is why it's so deafening. You know what I'm saying? Is it, you know, we need the creativity of whisper by yin yang twins. You know what I'm saying? We, we need the creativity of Run DMC when they did the, you know, walk this way with Aerosmith. We need the creativity of hip hop music that's gonna, uh, Cross over different genres without it selling our soul.

Um, and so that's why I'm saying I would like to see the talent. I know the talent is bubbling in the streets. However, that is not what's making it to mainstream because mainstream is dictating. We don't want the people with talent. We want the people that's going to sell records. People that are going to sell records are the cookie cutters that come after you.

The ones that's already up here on the chart So that's really what I would want to see. I would hope that somehow the And I don't think it's ever gonna happen. I just don't because of the technology and the way that broadcasting is happening. Um, terrestrial radio is no longer the, the, the number one source for hip hop.

It's no longer the number one source for breaking records. TikTok is, and I just can't. Got a TikTok account and thanks for my son, Ted, who helped me get that TikTok account. Um, because technically I'm out of the demo, right? Um, you know, so for me, um, I'm looking for, um, talent and it is, Um, Tiffany Good, that's playing the trumpet right now, she's coming up and Tiffany's coming off of Facebook and, and I know her personally, but, um, I mean, she literally picked up a trumpet and, and, and her brother also does music, but.

They are literally going through the chitlin circuit, and it's ridiculous that we having to do that now, whereas radio used to go find the artist. I used to go find the artist, um, and that's not happening anymore. So I'm a champion and hoping and wishing and I'm hoping and wishing and praying, um, that the talent would come back to the surface.

NaTosha, 

DJ Sir Daniel: how can they find 

Tosha Love: you? Oh, um, You can find me on the X platform at Tosha T O S H A. Die in peace. Peace is with a P C. Love, L O V E. Um, you can find me there. So Tosha Dunn, peace, love on X. 

Jay Ray: Man. 

DJ Sir Daniel: Oh man. 

[01:14:01] Acknowledgments and Community Highlights
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DJ Sir Daniel: Listen, we said we wanted a powerhouse show. And we got it. We asked for it and we got it. I, you know, I personally can't thank both of you enough for agreeing to do this and sharing this moment with us and our audience here.

Um, thank you so much. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you so much. Let's give it up for Tosha Love and Empress Rah. Um, we can't go, we can't close this out without giving more love to our brother, JB. We're constantly opening his 

DJ Empress Rah: doors to 

DJ Sir Daniel: us. JB's Record Lounge is not just a record store. It's a community epicenter.

Yeah, it's a lot of stuff that goes on here. It's a library. It's a archive of history and it is a is a cauldron for talent. As you can see, we are on a full stage with full sound. So if you are in the Atlanta area, please make sure you come visit 898 Oak Street Suite F, JB's Record Lounge. Thank you, man. We appreciate you.

So real quick 

Jay Ray: though. Yes. So this Saturday. DJ Sir Daniel is going to be on those wheels back there. So we doing what, Rick James, 

DJ Sir Daniel: MJ, Prince. I call it super bad and erotic. It's just a live mixtape of me just playing some flips and edits of like some really dope Michael Jackson, Rick James and Prince James, just for a couple hours, you know, just while you're in here shopping and enjoying your Saturday, please come by if you're if you're available and see if we can live stream or something.

I don't know. We're trying to do that.

And just have a great time. So I appreciate that alley. But back to you, Jay Ray, let the people know what they need to do before we get up out of here. Yo, 

Jay Ray: for everybody who is joining us, if you haven't followed Queue Points, follow Queue Points. Q-U-E-U-E points. If you visit Queue Points.com, everything is there. So our social media, all of our shows, you can search the archive.

It's a. This is like, we are up to like 140 something shows because we have shows that are like bonuses. So we might be closer to like 160. So there's a lot of shows and a lot of topics, but, um, follow us. So visit our website. Queue Points. com. You can shop our store at store. Queue Points. com and you can follow Queue Points magazine at magazine.

com. And that's where we get into the nitty gritty. We write some articles, we share some additional stuff that we don't do on the show. 

DJ Sir Daniel: All right. There it is. Jay Ray. What do I always say in this life? You have a choice. You can either pick up the needle or you can let the record play. I'm DJ Sir Daniel.

I'm Jay Ray. We want to thank Tosha Love and Empress Rah once again. This has been Queue Points podcast, dropping the needle on black music history. We will see you on the next go round. Peace. Peace, 

Jay Ray: everybody.

[01:17:07] Closing Theme
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