The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show
Other names | Stretch and Bobbito |
---|---|
Genre | Underground hip hop[1] |
Running time | ~4 hours (1:00 am – 5:00 am) |
Country of origin | United States |
Home station | WKCR (1990–1998) WQHT (1996–1999) |
Starring | Adrian "Stretch Armstrong" Bartos Robert "Bobbito" Garcia |
Recording studio | Columbia University, Upper Manhattan, New York |
Original release | October 25, 1990 January 10, 1999 | –
No. of episodes | 212[2] |
The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show (also referred to as Stretch and Bobbito) was an
History
WKCR
In the late 1980s, DJ Stretch Armstrong was a club DJ in New York, and Bobbito worked as a Radio Show Promotions Rep for
The first episode of The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show aired on October 25, 1990, from 1am to 5am, and featured guests Latee and Def Jeff. The first song played on the program was Ego Trippin' by Ultramagnetic MCs. Armstrong's connections as a club DJ, and Bobbito's connections at Def Jam, gave them access to some of their early guests like MC Serch who helped bolster the show's early reputation. The show continued to air on Thursdays from 1am to 5am on 89.9 and would become informally known as "89tec9" by the hosts and listeners.[3]
Live freestyling became an element of the show on the second episode aired on November 8, 1990, with guests MC Serch, Two Kings in a Cipher, Kurious, and AJ Damane.[5] From then on freestyling became an integral part of the show, and an unsigned emcee's freestyle could get them public recognition and in many instances record deals. Dante Ross, then Vice President of A&R at Elektra Records, signed Ol’ Dirty Bastard after hearing his Shimmy Shimmy Ya verses on the January 28, 1993 show. El Da Sensei and Tame One of the hip hop group Artifacts also claim to have been signed because label reps heard their freestyles on the show.[6] Stretch and Bobbito were also able to air world premiers of songs like Nas' "It Aint Hard To Tell" which aired on October 28, 1993.[3]
Due to the show's twilight hours time slot on WKCR Stretch and Bobbito were unaffected by the FCC's Safe Harbor law, which allowed them to air uncensored material and converse without any feeling of restriction. Lord Sear, who became a co-host of the show and served as comedic relief, took advantage of this with unabashed roasting of callers and guests, which contributed even more to the show's contrast with commercial radio.[3] Celebrity guests like Rosie Perez, Rosario Dawson, and Quincy Jones also made appearances on the show.[2]
As the show's popularity increased, DJ Stretch Armstrong grew uncomfortable with ownership of the show being attributed to Bobbito by fans and interviewers, and the show's name was changed to The Stretch Armstrong Show with Host Bobbito.[3]
Hot 97
On February 11, 1996, Stretch and Bobbito began airing their show Sundays on
Later years
On February 10, 2011, Stretch and Bobbito hosted a 20th anniversary reunion concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York which featured performances and attendances by Raekwon, Artifacts, Buckshot, Masta Ace, The Beatnuts, DJ Premier, and more.[8]
In October 2015, Bobbito Garcia released the documentary Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, which he wrote and directed. The documentary outlines the inception and history of The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show featuring video and audio material from the show's 1990–98 run, as well as reflective interviews with emcees who were connected to the show such as Nas, Jay Z, Eminem, Raekwon, Large Professor, Pharoahe Monch and many more.[9]
Stretch and Bobbito re-united for radio in 2016 and began airing episodes from Samsung's 837 studio in New York City.[10]
On July 18, 2017, the "What's Good with Stretch and Bobbito" podcast began airing through NPR studios. Stretch and Bobbito have used the new platform to continue exploring the realm of hip hop, and have expanded the show's interest to more general pop culture by interviewing actors, comedians, activists, authors, renowned chefs and more. In 2018 The Atlantic named the new show "One of the 50 best podcasts of 2018".[11]
In 2020 the duo released the debut album No Requests featuring The M19's Band.[12] The album has been described as "Latin, Afro-beat, Samba, Jazz, Reggae, and Soul reinterpretations of dance floor bangers".[13]
Cultural impact
In The Source's 100th issue, released in January 1998, The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show was named the "best hip hop radio show", rated above The Wake Up Show with Sway and Tech on 92.3 The Beat, Mr. Magic and Marley Marl on WBLS, and Red Alert on KISS FM.[14]
Freestyles from The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show have been included on artists' albums and compilations over the years. Some examples include "98 Freestyle" from Big L's posthumous album "
In the documentary film Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, Nas states that "at that time, [The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show] was the most important show in the world. I wrote most of my first album listening to [the] show". According to The Source, the total record sales of emcees who premiered on The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show have exceeded 300 million.[18]
References
- ^ The following cite the show as "underground hip hop":
- Scott, Dana (August 22, 2016). "Stretch and Bobbito Speak on the Greatest Hip Hop Radio Show Ever. Their Own". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- Tobak, Vikki (August 3, 2017). "Stretch and Bobbito: kings of New York City radio". Andscape. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- "Squeeze Radio is no more & Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito are reuniting for a live NYC show w/ Lord Sear". BrooklynVegan. November 30, 2010. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- Aaron, Charles (June 2008). "?uestlove - The Spin Interview". Spin. Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c "The Stretch Armstrong & Bobbito Show". Retrieved June 26, 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Stretch And Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, 2015 (Documentary)
- ^ "Stretch and Bobbito Speak On The Greatest Hip Hop Radio Show Ever. Their Own". HipHopDX. 2016-08-22. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ The Combat Jack Show, June 14, 2016, "The Stretch and Bobbito Episode"
- ^ 247HH.COM (2018-02-25), Artifacts - Significance Of Stretch & Bobbito, And Our Hip Hop Influences (247HH Exclusive), retrieved 2019-06-01
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Radio That Changed Lives: The Day Stretch and Bobbito Broke Eminem in NYC". Complex. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "Stretch & Bobbito 20th Anniversary Show". Rap Radar. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives, retrieved 2019-06-01
- ^ "Stretch + Bobbito, Mick, and Scratch Bring DJ Culture to Samsung's 837 Space - Scratch DJ Academy". Stretch + Bobbito, Mick, and Scratch Bring DJ Culture to Samsung's 837 Space - Scratch DJ Academy. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ McQuade, Eric; Standley, Laura Jane (2018-12-23). "The 50 Best Podcasts of 2018". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "On Their Debut Album, Stretch And Bobbito Are Taking 'No Requests'". NPR.
- ^ "STRETCH & BOBBITO JOIN UP WITH ROPEADOPE ON VINYL, CDS & MERCH FOR STELLAR NEW LP 'NO REQUESTS'". Glide Magazine.
- ^ "The Source: 100th Issue". The Source Magazine: pg. 172. January 1998.
- ^ ""Illmatic XX" Producer Noah Uman Details Nas' Work On Project". HipHopDX. 2014-04-14. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "O.C. - O-Zone Originals EP". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ "Necro - Rare Demos And Freestyles, Vol. 2". Discogs. Retrieved 2019-06-01.
- ^ officialdon (2015-10-09). "Stretch & Bobbito Film Highlights NYC Legends Who Put Lyricists On The Map". The Source. Retrieved 2019-06-01.