Fresh Listen: Where Hip-Hop Lives

When the Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop format began to decline sharply in the early-’00s era, Urban One’s WERQ (92Q) Baltimore was one of the major-market outlets that remained solid for the longest. Eventually, however, the station saw its own fluctuations, falling to a 3.3 at the end of 2021, according to ratings expert Chris Huff.

But in the just-released September PPM, 92Q was up 7.6-8.6 for its best share in more than five years. 92Q was second in the market only to Adult R&B sister WWIN-FM. Two other format powerhouses have managed similar trajectories: Audacy’s WZMX (Hot 93.7) Hartford, Conn., (up 7.6-9.0 in August) and Audacy’s WJMH (102 Jamz) Greensboro/Winston Salem (up 10.2-10.3, also behind only sister WQMG.)

Those stories are gratifying because Hip-Hop/R&B radio has been buffeted by almost every radio challenge of the last 15 years. When the format’s traditional major-market dominance declined in the early days of PPM, even some owners chose to accept that as a new reality and not a possible measurement failure. It was thought to be the first format fragmented by the rise of streaming, and disproportionately affected by the use of earbuds. 

The travails of Hip-Hop/R&B radio have contributed to fewer rap or R&B crossovers at CHR radio and on the Hot 100. Country, CHR, and Hot AC now create the sort of chart wedge once driven by Hip-Hop, Rhythmic Top 40, and Mainstream Top 40. Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” was able to parlay a streaming-driven debut into a multi-format radio hit. Even songs from major albums, e.g., the new Future release, generally enter outside the top 10. So I was happy to see The Weeknd & Playboy Carti debut at No. 3 a few days after I first wrote this.

Even successful stations like 92Q, 102 Jamz, and Hot 93.7 are dealing with many of the product challenges of the format — less tempo, streaming hits that don’t necessarily work as radio records, and label consolidation that reduces available product overall. That said, the three stations have all shown musical enterprise and acknowledgement of regional differences over the years. 

All three stations have the advantage of being relatively unfragmented, unlike those in some markets that have two Mainstream and two Adult R&B outlets. (All do have signals from adjacent markets, however.) It is also likely significant that all three stations are able to have local morning shows: 92Q’s Quicksilva Morning Show, Hot’s Buck ’n’ Regg, and Jamz’s Roxie & Drankins.

Here’s 92Q on September 27 just before 2 p.m. with middayer Persia Nicole, whose sweepers proclaimed “the power of the P!”:

• Doja Cat, “Agora Hills”
• Glorilla & Meghan Thee Stallion, “Wanna Be”
• Kodak Black, “Super Gremlin”
• Inayah, “For the Streets”
• Future & Metro Boomin, “Like That”
• Latto, “Big Mama”
• Weeknd & Playboy Carti, “Timeless”
• Chris Brown, “Residuals”
• Future f/Drake, “Wait for You:
• Megan Thee Stallion f/Yuki Chiba, “Mamushi”
• Kendrick Lamar, “Humble”
• Glorilla, “TGIF”
• Saweetie, “Is It the Way:
• Lil Uzi Vert, “Just Wanna Rock”
• Tink & Summer Walker, “Songs About U”
• Scarlip, “No Statements” 

Here’s Hot 93.7 on October 1 at 10 a.m. with DJ Bigg Mann:

• Arianna Grande f/Brandy & Monica, “The Boy Is Mine”
• Tommy Richman, “The Devil Is a Lie”
• Lola Brooke f/Jeremih, “No One Else”
• Polo G, “Rapstar”
• Tyga & Sabrina Claudio, “No Question”
• Drake, “You Broke My Heart” — “by request”
• A$AP Rocky f/Jessica Pratt, “Highjack”
• Fat Joe f/Anitta & DJ Khaled, “Paradise” — a stager declared that Hot was “always breaking bran’ new music”
• Pras f/ODB & Mya, “Ghetto Supastar”
• 21 Savage, “Prove It”
• Megan Thee Stallion f/Yuki Chiba, “Mamushi”
• Saweetie, “Nani”
• YG, “Toxic”
• Fivio Foreign f/Queen Najia, “What’s My Name”
• Mustard f/Travis Scott, “Parking Lot”
• Real Boston Richey, “Help Me”
• Glorilla, “TGIF”

102 Jamz in particular has gotten my attention in recent months with an unusual combo of traditional over-the-intros pacing, but more-offhand imaging and jock delivery. (One sweeper declares simply that it’s “almost hoodie season.”) MD/middayer Big Mo mentioned that he’d be at the Smith/Dudley H.S. football game this Friday. He also set up Cordae’s “Saturday Mornings,” a song receiving major local airplay only on Jamz, by saying that the song “makes me feel like Hip-Hop is alive and well.” (He also talked about the devastation of Hurricane Helene, the worst of which was several hours west of the Triad.)

Here’s 102 Jamz on October 1 just before 10 a.m. with Big Mo. 

• Jordan Adetunji, “Kehlani”
• Future & Metro Boomin, “Like That”
• YFN Lucci, “Wet (She Got That)”
• Megan Thee Stallion f/Yuki Chiba, “Mamushi”
• Moneybagg Yo f/Morgan Wallen, “Whiskey Whiskey”
• J Cole, “Work Out”
• Glorilla, “Hollon” — frontsold as new music
• Jack Harlow, “Lovin’ on Me”
• Sexxy Red f/Drake, “U My Everything”
• Gunna, “One of Wun”
• Bryson Tiller, “Exchange”
• Glorilla & Megan Thee Stallion, “Wanna Be”
• Mustard f/Travis Scott, “Parking Lot”
• Cordae, “Saturday Mornings”
• Lil Durk, “What Happened to Virgil”
• Cash Cobain, “Fisherr”