WBLS_Jock_WebsiteBob-Lee

Dr. Bob Lee, Founder of the Make the Grade Foundation, presents his annual Make the Grade Awards as he honors influential community leaders impacting their communities one area code at a time as they provide the resources for parents, teachers, and other leaders to help our youth make the grade.

Make The Grade Awards 2022

Photo Credit: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

WBLS Magic Marl

The history of New York City, Black music and WBLS are so intertwined that it&rsquo;s hard to discern where one timeline begins and the other ends.
As The Jackson Five&rsquo;s &ldquo;Dance Machine&rdquo; took over dancefloors and middle school lunchrooms alike (thanks in no small part to popularity of the Robot dance), Kool &amp; The Gang&rsquo;s &ldquo;Summer Madness&rdquo; found a home in a freshly minted FM station that almost never was.
Visionary politician and entrepreneur, Chairman Percy Sutton, spearheaded Inner City Broadcasting group&rsquo;s purchase of an AM radio station, WLIB, which later became WBLS, &ldquo;The Total Black Experience in Sound."
While WBLS was not in their initial plans, the legendary Hal Jackson convinced the group to &ldquo;look into the future&rdquo; and invest in the FM station that would become a staple of the Black community.
&ldquo;There would be no BLS if he had not brought this to my grandfather,&rdquo; says Keisha Sutton-James, granddaughter of the late Percy Sutton.&nbsp; &ldquo;They would babysit me in the station back when it was at 801 Second Avenue.&rdquo; The &lsquo;they&rsquo; in question were names etched in WBLS history like Ken &ldquo;Spider&rdquo; Web, Vy Higginsen, Fred Buggs, Dr. Bob Lee and of course, Frankie Crocker.
More than just a radio station, WBLS brought the music directly to the people, enriching their events and marking milestones in a city that was forging its identity in the post Civil Rights era.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll never forget attending the New York City Marathon and cheering on runners in Harlem,&rdquo; says Sutton-James. Her grandfather was instrumental in taking the annual race out of Central Park and making it a boroughwide affair. &ldquo;I remember McFadden &amp; Whitehead&rsquo;s &lsquo;Ain&rsquo;t No Stoppin Us Now&rsquo; blasting from the WBLS van motivating the runners.&rdquo;
As the WBLS airwaves penetrated and ping-ponged across the stone and glass towers of Gotham (thanks to innovations like the aforementioned van)you could feel Hip Hop&rsquo;s sonogram taking form.&nbsp;
Though Frankie Crocker wasn&rsquo;t an early supporter of the burgeoning art form known as Rap, his musical influence is still undeniable.
&ldquo;Once &lsquo;75 comes and the club scene starts to unfold, like Leviticus, Justine&rsquo;s and The Silver Shadow, that Black dance scene interacts with Frankie Crocker,&rdquo; says Bill Stephney, longtime media professional and committee member for the Smithsonian Anthology of Hip Hop and Rap. &ldquo;They fed off one another. MFSB&rsquo;s &ldquo;Love IS the Message&rdquo; is the quintessential WBLS dance record."
"All that Philly international stuff. It became one of those grooves you heard at parties where you had to dress up but the emerging DJS would extend the groove. A good part of why Hip Hop begins in New York is because of WBLS and Frankie Crocker. The reason that Herc, Bambaata, and Flash played different records and music was shaped in large measure by Frankie Crocker.&rdquo;
Hip Hop would have its full reveal on WBLS via Mr. Magic&rsquo;s &ldquo;Rap Attack&rdquo; show on Friday and Saturday nights. After producing his &ldquo;Disco Showcase&rdquo; on WHBI, Magic was recruited by Frankie Crocker to compete with rival station 98.7 Kiss FM. With a stable of DJs that included Marley Marl, Chuck Chillout, Pete Rock and more, Hip Hop&rsquo;s march to mainstream radio dominance began with these baby steps.
In addition to keeping their audience entertained, WBLS has excelled in keeping their listeners informed. Icons like Ann Tripp echoed the voice of the community during times of strife like the Central Park Jogger trial, where five young men were unjustly incarcerated. She pressed then mayoral candidate Micheal Bloomberg if he was going to compensate the exonerated five for the years of the lives they lost if elected. It is that kind of uncompromising journalism that has defined her tenure in radio and the mission of WBLS.&nbsp; 
Over the decades there have been many changes at WBLS, from ownership to on-air talent, even the meaning of the call letters (&ldquo;World&rsquo;s Best Looking Sound&rdquo; is one I recall, says Sutton-James). But one thing that remains steadfast is our dedication to bringing you the best in Black music.&nbsp;
So join us as we spend the upcoming&nbsp; year celebrating the major milestone of reaching 50 years in radio, serving New York City and beyond. We will be revisiting all of the events, like Circle of Sisters, the artists whose careers began on our airwaves and so much more.&nbsp;
WBLS. Still in a class by itself.

WBLS: A Legacy In A Class By Itself

Mike Epps

Mike Epps speaks on why the Richard Pryor biopic never happened.&nbsp;
 
During his <a href="https://www.vibe.com/news/entertainment/mike-epps-richard-pryor-wife-biopic-didnt-happen-1234865862/">appearance</a> on the All The Smoke podcast with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, the actor explained what happened. &ldquo;I was gonna play Richard Pryor and I didn&rsquo;t screw his ex-wife and she got mad,&rdquo; he said jokingly.&nbsp;
 
He continued with the joking matter, &ldquo;You&rsquo;re not gonna play Richard, you didn&rsquo;t spank this a**. I said, &lsquo;Nope, I ain&rsquo;t playing Richard Pryor then.&rdquo; He added, &ldquo;She gon&rsquo; sue me for this. &lsquo;You&rsquo;re going to People&rsquo;s Court n***a.&rdquo;
 
The comedian also talked about attending Pryor&rsquo;s funeral in 2005 after he passed away from a heart attack. He recalled being disappointed that Pryor&rsquo;s friends didn&rsquo;t speak at the funeral, mostly the late Paul Mooney.
 
Epps also shared that on the night of the funeral, Pryor&rsquo;s ex-wife said that she believed that he wasn&rsquo;t ready to play her late ex-husband. &ldquo;I told her, &lsquo;Look here, I love Richard Pryor. I love him to death,&rsquo;&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But my kids don&rsquo;t know who he is. If you&rsquo;re gonna see a Richard Pryor movie with me in it, you&rsquo;re going to see Mike Epps play Richard Pryor.&rdquo;&nbsp;
 
Do you think that Mike Epps should have played Richard Pryor in a biopic?

Mike Epps Says Richard Pryor's Wife Doesn't Want Him To Star In Biopic

Flava Flav

The beloved reality show "Flavor Of Love" might be making a comeback, stirring up feelings of nostalgia among fans. Bunim/Murray Productions, the brains behind the original hit series, is reportedly "in the process" of reviving the show.
 
President of Bunim/Murray, Julie Pizzi, expressed excitement about reimagining "Flavor of Love" for the current era. She mentioned, "We&rsquo;re in the process of working with Flavor Flav to reimagine what Flavor of Love can feel like in this decade, which is very different. The project is really fun, a comedy in the dating space."
 
However, Flavor Flav won't be at the forefront of the new iteration, but he'll play a role in the production. Pizzi indicated, "We have such a deep relationship with Paramount so we will absolutely take it to them first, but we will also shop it around."
 
Former contestant Tiffany &ldquo;New York&rdquo; Pollard hinted at a possible reunion of the "Flavor of Love" cast. She stated, &ldquo;I heard a few rumors going around that they were trying to get a few of the girls together and things like that. But they&rsquo;ve been teasing that for years."
 
"Flavor of Love" originally aired for three seasons on VH1, premiering on Jan. 1, 2006. It followed Flavor Flav's pursuit of love post his breakup with Brigitte Nielsen. Tiffany Pollard, also known as New York, appeared on the first two seasons and later had her own spinoff, "I Love New York."
 
<h2 id="h-flavor-of-love-isn-t-the-only-show-being-considered" class="wp-block-heading">Flavor of Love Isn't the Only Show Being Considered</h2>
 
Julie Pizzi, the President of Bunim/Murray Productions, is making waves in the reality TV landscape. Under her leadership, the company is not only considering rebooting "Flavor of Love" but also exploring new territories.
 
Pizzi's involvement with various reality TV ventures, from "Below Deck" to "The Family Stallone," demonstrates her versatility. She has a keen eye for what works in unscripted content, evident in her collaboration with Lisa Vanderpump for "Vanderpump Villa."
 
"Vanderpump Villa" marks a significant step for both Bunim/Murray and Hulu. Pizzi highlights Lisa Vanderpump's role, describing her as a "master of hospitality" deeply involved in the show's creative process.
 
While Pizzi cherishes nostalgia, as seen in her work on "The Flavor of Love," she's also forward-thinking. She aims to distinguish between the offerings of Bunim/Murray and its sibling company, 51 Minds Entertainment.
 
For Pizzi, the success of reality TV lies in evolution and adaptation. She emphasizes the importance of creating a safe work environment for cast and crew, as exemplified by the protocols developed for shows like "Below Deck."
 
Looking ahead, Pizzi hopes to replicate the success of franchises like "The Challenge" with shows like "Buddy Games." With her track record and vision, she's poised to continue shaping the landscape of reality television.
A 'Flavor Of Love' Reboot Without Flavor Flav Might Be in The Works

A 'Flavor Of Love' Reboot Without Flavor Flav Might Be in The Works

Beyoncé & Stevie Wonder

Beyonc&eacute;&rsquo;s latest album, Cowboy Carter, dropped with a splash, and the surprises keep coming. The production and songwriter credits were revealed recently, but Beyonc&eacute; had more to share about the musicians who contributed to the record. At the iHeartRadio Music Awards, where she received the Innovator Award, Beyonc&eacute; disclosed a <a href="https://www.wbls.com/news/beyonce-covers-dolly-partons-jolene-on-cowboy-carter-album/">special collaboration</a>.
 
She announced that Stevie Wonder played harmonica on her cover of Dolly Parton&rsquo;s &ldquo;Jolene,&rdquo; a reimagining of the 1973 classic. Wonder, who presented the award to Beyonc&eacute;, was lauded by the singer for inspiring her. Beyonc&eacute; expressed her admiration, saying, &ldquo;Thank you so much Stevie, I love you. I love you and I honor you. I want to thank you for making a way for all of us.&rdquo;
 
During her acceptance speech, Beyonc&eacute; reflected on the essence of innovation. She emphasized the importance of dreaming big and persevering through challenges.
 
&ldquo;Innovation starts with a dream. But then you have to execute that dream, and that road can be very bumpy,&rdquo; she said. The singer also highlighted the resilience required in the face of criticism, stating, &ldquo;Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength.&rdquo;
 
<h2 id="h-beyonce-s-artistic-transformations" class="wp-block-heading">Beyonc&eacute;'s Artistic Transformations</h2>
 
The revamped version of &ldquo;Jolene&rdquo; on Cowboy Carter features rewritten lyrics and an altered song structure. Parton&rsquo;s original was a plea to a woman not to take her man, while Beyonc&eacute;&rsquo;s rendition serves as a warning to a suitor eyeing her husband. Despite mixed reviews, the track showcases Beyonc&eacute;&rsquo;s artistic innovation.
 
Acknowledging the pioneers who blazed trails before her, she thanked artists like Rosetta Tharpe, Tracy Chapman, and Prince, among others, for defying labels. She also thanked her husband, Jay-Z, and their children for their support.
 
Act II: Cowboy Carter includes collaborations with Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Willie Nelson, Shaboozey, and others. The album, which arrived less than two months after the surprise release of its first singles, showcases Beyonc&eacute;&rsquo;s musical versatility and dedication to innovation.