Racial Profiling AND Quotas?

I'm sitting in my living room in shock right now. I got stopped by the police and got a ticket. ON MY BICYCLE!

Yes, I know. My mouth is still open. I honestly can't believe it.

Was I weaving in and out of traffic? No. Was I drunk? Getting ready to be, but not yet. Was I on the wrong side of the street? No.

I was riding at night.

That's it.

Yes, that is it.

When I saw the police officer slow down, I thought that was weird, but I'm on a bike. I can't be doing something illegal. He swung into a housing complex, so I thought that's why he slowed down. But then he pulled a U-wie (has anyone ever spelled that before?) and came back out right behind me. Since I'm not a nerd, I don't have mirrors on my bike, so I couldn't tell that his lights were on. I finally realized that he hadn't passed me, so I look back and am blinded by the flashing lights. So I stop, wait for him to get out the car and ask what's up.

He cited me for not having flashing lights on my bike at night. Okay, it's a safety issue, I understand that completely, so I'm not mad. I've been wanting to get some lights because in the 'burbs, they don't have street lights like I'm used to in the city. But then he says I have to give you a ticket. WHAT!? A ticket for riding my bike at night without flashing lights. I didn't get a ticket when I was driving my roommate's car and she had no registration in the car and her license plate was illegal! I could have been arrested because it looked like I could have stolen the car… and I didn't get a ticket for that but I got a ticket for my bike? I got a warning for speeding and the officer told me there was a serious accident 5 miles down the road so they are stepping up enforcement. And I can't get a warning on a bike at night?

The officer then proceeds to tell me there is a zero-tolerance policy for this because a 15 year old was killed on a bike recently just up the road. Told me this 3 times. Okay, so my policy is to never challenge a police officer because they have the power, and I don't want to give them a reason to abuse it. But am I wrong to look up the story to see if he was telling the truth? Because I did. Looked up the road he said the kid was on. Looked up "cyclist killed." Looked up "pedestrian killed" in Miamisburg, Miami Township and West Carrollton. I didn't find this story, which to me would seem like a big deal and there would be some story about it on a local news website.

So I believe this is an officer trying to get his August quota. Yeah, yeah, I know… "there are no ticket quotas." Riiiight. Why is it that almost every time I've been stopped it has been in the last 5 days of the month? Plus my roommate is moving out because she doesn't feel safe. She feels the police in this area are racially profiling and she wants to get back to the west side of Dayton. This doesn't make my skepticism of her thoughts look good at all.

Industry Thoughts-August 26th, 2008

How in the hell do you justify taking home this much money when your company is barely making a profit? Don't get me wrong; CBS is one of the only radio conglomerates to actually be visionary, and I appreciate that they pay their talent what they are worth. But wow!

"CBS' LES MOONVES landed at number three on the ASSOCIATED PRESS' list of highest-paid CEOs this year.

MOONVES, at $67.6 million in compensation, trailed only ORACLE's LARRY ELLISON (at $84.6 million) and MERRILL LYNCH's JOHN THAIN ($83.1 million) on the list."
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On another CBS note, I'm glad to see Rob Scorpio getting the job at WPGC. I don't know him, but I've followed his career from afar. Through his interviews he seem to be a good dude, plus he has been successful everywhere he has been given the resources to succeed (let's just forget about the West Coast, shall we?). With Donnie and Big Tigger holding drive time down, there is no reason to think he won't be successful in DC.

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Update on Choice FM-London
I'm still very surprised on how much American music is played on Choice FM in England. I'm going to have to do some research on other Urban stations in that area, because there has to be more talent in the UK than they are displaying on that station. I love the fact that it's an uptempo station; however, one of the things that I have to get used to is their personalities talking over the final 1/3 of the songs. They will talk 45 to 70 seconds over the words of the song! That makes their forward momentum crazy because they never let the music stop, but if you can't hear the final verse of the song, what's the point?

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Kids Arguing About Vocabulary!

I never thought I would see this in my lifetime. I'm sitting in the back of the bus yesterday and I overheard two kids arguing. City living makes you hyper-aware of your surroundings, but I try not to get too much into anyone's business. So I'm making sure they are not getting ready to jump into the aisle and start rolling up and down the bus, but I'm not really listening. Until…

"My vocabulary is bigger than yours."

What?

"No, my vocabulary is bigger than yours."

Okay, so now I have to look. One girl, one boy, from the same school in Dayton, OH, sparring on vocabulary. I did my best Allen Iverson talking about practice in my head ("Vocabulary? They're talking about Vo-cab-u-lar-y).



I thought they were going to bust out dictionaries and start an impromptu spelling bee. In a world where most kids are hiding how smart they are because they want to fit it, these kids are flaunting their intelligence!

But I wonder… when they get back to their neighborhood, does the dumb mask go back up? Are they accepted as the smart kids they are, or do they need to dial it back so the other kids don't ridicule them? How many intelligent kids guard their brain power like gold in Fort Knox from their friends, neighbors and even family?

I identify with those kids because I was one of those kids. But I couldn't put up the dumb mask. And I paid for it.

The names: Peabody. Mr. Wizard. Brainiac. At my high school in Chicago, we didn't the "Most Likely To" thing, but if we did, I would have been Most Likely To Become A Rocket Scientist. Even though rocket scientists are paid (or in reality, all the different types of engineers it takes to design, build and launch a spacecraft), that was the ultimate insult. "How dare you actually be smart?"

And the craziest thing? I was a jock! I played Basketball, Baseball and (allegedly) ran Cross Country (my only rules in running: don't come in last and don't let a girl within my eyesight beat me). But I was on the outside of the in-crowd. There were plenty of people who would have loved to trade places with me, but inside the locker room, I was low man on the totem pole. I always say kids are so cruel, because they will say and do things that will keep rattling inside someone's brain for decades.

Okay, so how do I make this about music, DJing, radio or women? Well, all those kids who thought I would be a rocket scientist… were right! But I'm a "Rock-It" Scientist! Instead of being in a lab, I'm in a club. Instead of running computer simulations, I'm running Serato Scratch Live. Instead of using my smarts to place people on the moon, I'm using them to bring them to the club, get them on the dance floor, get them drinking and (most importantly) get them to come back!

So I thank those kids in the back of the bus. I feel good that they felt comfortable enough around their peers to show their intellect. They are going to be highly successful in whatever they decide to put their mind to.

My 5 plus 1 list on how to overcome childhood ridicule:
1. Find people who like you for you
2. Find hobbies that you excel in
3. Find hobbies that you love to do, no matter how bad you are at it
4. Let negative energy roll off you like water off a duck's back
5. Actively remember the good things that people say to you and about you

and plus 1: look in the mirror and say "I love you" to yourself. Watch the smile creep over your face. Internalize that feeling.

Lovin' Me Some Choice FM in London! (Click here to go to their website)

I get so tired of the same music on almost every single Urban station in the country. I was so excited when streaming came about, but there are very few stations that I feel actually give me some variety. And very few personalities I like listening to. Big Tigger at WPGC In DC (or as he says, the DMV). Ryan Cameron on V-103 in the A. Mr. Peter Parker at B96 in the Twin Cities. Doug Banks. Russ Parr. 100.3 The Beat in Philly is exciting. 96.3 Jamz in Albany, NY is exciting. Power 96 in Miami and B96 in Chicago are exciting (I guess I just like 96 frequency stations). I wish Emmis would stream, because I love listening to Angie Martinez and Funk Flex when I'm in New York. And I wish I could figure out why my Mac doesn't work with Clear Channel stations, cause then I would listen to 103.5 The Beat in Miami (another fav).

I don't even remember how I ran across Choice FM in London, but I'm hooked! I was listening to their morning show, which is nothing special, but the music was great. I love the energy. A nice mix of R&B, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Soca and House, plus UK Garage and 2-Step. In an hour I heard 6 songs I didn't know existed. Plus the old school joints they play pass the "oh, shit!" test. I can't wait to listen to their mixshows!

What's crazy is Choice FM is very much an American radio station with English-accented jocks! Okay, an American station with a wider playlist. But the beds are American Hip-Hop, 85% of the music is from North American, and the topics their morning show talked about were about American celebrities! They talked about J-Lo, Morgan Freeman, Mr. T from the A Team… and I just heard a drop from Ludacris, T.I. and 50 Cent. I guess I would have expected to hear a lot more about things I had never heard of before. Even the songs that I hadn't heard before are by American artists! This station really could be a pirate station out of Boston, New York or Miami run by people from England. Maybe outside of the morning show it will be more UK based.

Here is the track listing for about 2 hours of listening (new favorites in bold):
I'll Be Lovin' You Long Time-Mariah Carey f/T.I.
Stressed Out-Mass Destruction
Confessions (Part 2)-Usher f/Twista, Kanye West
She's Like A Star-Taio Cruz f/Sugababes, Busta Rhymes
Only You (Bad Boy Remix)-112 f/The Notorious B.I.G., Mase
Dance With Me-Dizzee Rascal f/Calvin Harris
80s Joint-Kelis
Do You Mind-DJ Paleface f/Kyla
Won't You Stay[not sure of title]-[don't know artist]
Sunshine-Jay-Z
Superwoman-Alisha Keys
This Is The Girl-Kano f/Craig David
The Bongo Jam-Crazy Cousins
Miss Independent-Ne-Yo
Hypnotized-Plies f/Akon
When I Grow Up (Remix)-Pussycat Dolls f/Rodney Jerkins, Diddy, Fatman Scoop, Lil Wayne
Body-Nelly f/Akon, Ashanti
Mary Jane (All Night Long)-Mary J. Blige
Dangerous (Remix)-Kardinal Offishall f/Akon, Sean Paul
Low-Flo-Rida
Defense (The Anthem Remix)-Pitbull f/Machel Montano, Lil Jon
One More Chance-Will.I.Am
Saturday Night Hustle-Sway f/Lamar
Heard Em Say-Kanye West
Love Tha Girl-Raphael Saddiq
Run It-Chris Brown f/Juelz Santana
Oochie Wally-QB's Finest
Juicy-The Notorious B.I.G.

Do you see what I mean? Even the new music is from America! My mouth dropped open when I heard Raphael Saddiq's new song, because it REALLY sounds like a song from the 60s! Hot!

Advanced Dance Therapy Podcast

Urban Jam Session Podcast

I Want To Work For Diddy… My Thoughts

I've never really been a reality TV show type person. I'm proud to say I've never watched Survivor more than 5 minutes in total. Big Brother, the Amazing Race, the Real World… couldn't care less. I did like the Biggest Loser, but really because there were some sexy big women on that show! ;-)

But now I've run across I Want To Work For Diddy. I like the show, but I don't like the people on it, probably because I feel they are playing up for the cameras (which is exactly the reason why I can't stand reality shows). For people who want to work for a person who doesn't tolerate bitchassness, all I see… is bitchassness! Right now, I feel like the person who wins won't last 6 weeks as Diddy's assistant. But maybe by the end of the show that person really will deserve it.

But the reason why I like the show is because I'm in the music industry (on the radio and nightclub side), so I've met Diddy. He was the very first interview I had on the air at WILD-AM in Boston! BTW, probably the worst interview I ever had, not totally because of me, but because of him. He had an earpiece in for his phone, and he was talking on the phone in between being interview by me! Multitasking. So I couldn't ask him what he wanted to talk about, or even get warmed up with him before we hit the air. PLUS I had never done an interview on the radio before! This wasn't just a train wreak. It was a missile hitting a jet plane crash landing on a train falling off a bridge onto a ocean liner!

Okay, back to the subject. I know the inner workings of radio, and I want to see how similar behind the scenes is on the music side. Plus it's a great opportunity to see a highly successful Black man and find out what makes him tick. It's almost better than reading a book about Diddy, because you are seeing firsthand how hard he hustles to be that successful. A lot of the things he talks about are so over the top, it's hard to believe, but many highly successful people in every field imaginable are hyper-driven like he is. It makes me look at myself and my life and say, "Do I want to work THAT hard?" How hard can I work to make $500,000 instead of $5,000,000?

But I then think of one thing that Diddy said on the show that makes the difference for me, that makes me say, "Yes, I CAN and WILL work that hard." He said (and I'm paraphrasing, since I can't find the actual quote) that he can't sleep because he is that excited about what he needs to do that day because he is in love with what he is doing. Well, I love spinning, and I will go anywhere around the world to do it. I love podcasting, and I have to hold back all the mixes I want to post because it would be a flood. I love radio, and I am determined to get in front of the right people to get me back on the air. And now, I love blogging, and it is 5:14 am and I'm writing about I Want To Work For Diddy! Maybe I should be working for Diddy, because I naturally don't sleep! :-)

The Black & White of Reggie Beas

I love doing podcasts! It is so liberating to just play music for myself, and find other people who love what I do. Not just because I'm playing "Today's Hottest Music," but they like the WAY I'm playing the music. They like the new music I'm introducing to them. Even when I go left, they will go with me because they trust me. I have a podcast called the Lost Classics. Man, I'm yelling and screaming on this because I am FEELING IT! I had so much fun making that podcast.

My Urban Jam Session podcast is for the Black side of my fan base; the Advanced Dance Therapy podcast is for the White side, but feel free to switch sides! :-) Really though, the Urban Jam Session is more thugged out with mostly Hip-Hop with a little R&B and Reggae. Advanced Dance Therapy is more uptempo, with Hip-Hop, Dance, House, Rock, Freestyle, R&B and Top-40 all mixed together.

I would love for you to subscribe to my podcasts! Go to www.ReggieBeas.podOmatic.com and/or www.AdvancedDanceTherapy.podOmatic.com, and scroll down until you see "Subscribe to this Podcast." Click either button; it takes you to another page. Look on the right side for "Subscribe in iTunes." Then you will get the Reggie Beas vision every time inspiration strikes!

Long Legs, Stilettos and A Peach Dress

One of my simple pleasures in life is finding that woman who takes my breath away every time I see her. I have found that woman. Her beauty is so exquisite all I can say is "oh my God." Her smile makes me smile, and she's not even talking to me! Her personality shines so brightly. She is incredibly graceful on the dance floor. And to top it off, she is 6 feet tall… and is so secure with her height that she wears heels! I have to say, never in this lifetime would I have thought that I would see a woman in Dayton, Ohio, whose style is so on-point every… single… time. I'm sure that when she is at home she's chillin' in sweats and a t-shirt (and probably making that look hot too), but when she steps out… let's just say she would look right at home on a red carpet somewhere. I am completely and total amazed by this woman!

Now I know looks are not everything. I don't know the first thing about her. She could be a complete prima donna in her private life and is impossible to deal with (I've had a few in my life)! But I've gotten to know some pretty amazing women, and my track record is pretty good with getting to know good women vs. whack jobs. From the outside, she seems like a good woman, but that's only based on how she interacts with the world around her. I'm not basing it on how good she looks. She will prove whether her beauty is only skin deep or not by her actions.

My friends tell me I'm waaaay too picky. I know my standards are high, but I want to adore my woman. Put her on a pedestal. She makes me want to be a better man. And it is attainable, because I've had these feeling before for women who I felt (and feel) are exceptional. Julia. Joanne. Crystal. Shannon. Christine. Angel. Cathy. Nicole (all 4 of them!). Shero. Maria. Mijelle. Brooklyn. Kelly. Zuly. Tasha. Darla. Some of these women I've dated. Some were just friends. Some became girlfriends. One because my fiance. All blew me away with their style, poise, intelligence AND beauty. And the funny thing is, non of them fit a "type" (which my friends also accuse me of). Two of them were 6 feet. A few where under 5'3'' (one was 4'11''!). A few were Double DDs (and up). Some could barely push out an A cup. One was 240 pounds when I was dating her. Another had more belly than breasts! Two were Puerto Rican (with the sexiest accents!). But each of them I was attracted to for what they brought to the table, not because they reminded me of someone else. One I even suspected was working as an escort! That should have been a deal-breaker. But I didn't judge her because I got to know her from the inside out. I helped her think about how she wanted her life to play out, and she ended up going back to school.

But I do have a type of personality that gets me every time. Highly intelligent (I seem to have a thing for lawyers, even though I don't like to argue). Loves to laugh. Is the center of attention because of who she is, but doesn't demand to be the center of attention (if that makes any sense). Conversation between us is completely natural and easy. And very flirty, for want of a better term. She always lets me know she's near. Sitting close enough to touch. A hand on my thigh. A quick hug. A lean-in to talk in my ear. A slap on the ass. :-)

I call it "irrational love" (as in "I have an irrational love for Mariah Carey"), but there is nothing irrational about wanting to fall in love. When I get to know someone who I can envision walking down the aisle with, it's hard for me to date what just falls in my lap. I wish there was a term stronger than "love" because it is thrown around so cavalierly. The woman I decide to pursue a relationship with will be so exceptional it will be easy to wan to work out any issues that come up. I want to be 150% sure that I want to move forward through the whole "getting to know" process.

Okay, so I just went on a serious tangent. I need to take my but to bed and dream of long legs, stilettos and a peach dress. Hmmmmmmmmmmm…

Superstar DJs vs. No-Name DJs

What is the difference between a superstar and a no-name DJ? Not much. A break here. Talking to the exact right person that can get you to where you need to be. A lot of times it has nothing to do with your talent. "Right place at the right time," as they say.

I've been looking up the bios of various major DJs. I'm amazed at how many of the stories are the same. DJ plays at small club. Big name celebrity just happens to come to said club. Celeb loves DJ, brings him/her to private upscale party. DJ kills it. Now DJ is in the inner circle, and it builds from there. The crazy thing is, almost all the major touring DJs are from New York or LA. Like Atlanta, Miami, Houston or Chicago don't have world-class DJs.

I'm sitting here at Therapy Cafe in Dayton listening to some no-name DJs that are really good. What's the difference between them and Tiesto? I'm sure Tiesto had to start at a small club and work his way up, but at the type of venues he plays at now, ANY good DJ could rock the crowd. The real difference between a superstar DJ and a no-name DJ? The superstar DJ has the trust of the crowd, so they can play whatever they want and the crowd is receptive to it. The superstar can play Mary Had A Little Lamb and the crowd will lose its fuckin' mind. The no-name DJ can play the hottest set, top it off with the #1 song in the country, and the crowd will go "ahhhh… I'm not feeling it. I need a drink."

I love it when people complain that I play the same songs every week, but when I try to be adventurous and play some new music, the crowd looks at me like my head just split open. "Are you gonna play this all night?" "Umm, I've only played the first verse of this song." "Well, can you play?" "Umm, it's 10:30 right now, I'll play it later when there are more people in the club." "But there is no one here, can't you just play it for me?" "I don't play songs twice, I have 11,000 songs in my computer, I don't want to play the same songs over and over again." They look at me like, "but you're my personal jukebox. You're supposed to play the songs that are in my head. If you don't, you suck!"

The superstar DJ doesn't have that problem. First of all, they don't open up, they are the headliner. If the promoter did their job, there is a crowd waiting for the superstar to get on stage or in the booth, which is inaccessible. Don't even think about asking for a request. Their playlist is all set, because once they are finished, they are on to the next city. The crowd there doesn't know superstar DJ played the exact same set in Pittsburgh last week, and they will play that set again in Sacramento next week. And the best part about being a superstar DJ? You can play a bad song and get away with it, because the crowd will think you meant to play that!

The craziest thing is when someone from another city asks me to play a song from a local artist out of the city they are from. True story: "You got Do That Shit by Chip Tha Ripper?" "No, the only Chip Tha Ripper I have is Get It Gurl." "How can you not have Do That Shit? It's the hottest song in Cleveland right now." "Well, I'm not in Cleveland, he's not a major national artist yet, no one has sent me the MP3, so I have no way of knowing about the song." "Well, you need to get up on your game and expand your music." Riiight. I've worked a year and a half on making sure I had what Dayton wanted to hear, and because I don't have YOUR song by an out-of-towner I suck? (BTW, Do That Shit is hot as hell and I'm making that another Dayton anthem, but that's besides the point).

People really don't realize how hard it is to be considered a great DJ. I can play the best music, bring in each song perfectly, rock the mic and keep everyone's head nodding, but if there are 100 people in a 1000 person club, and those people don't want to dance on an empty dance floor, I suck. I can have a packed house with a full dance floor, but if the promoter/manager/club owner's friend doesn't like what I'm playing and complains, I'm perceived to be not that great of a DJ. I can play 30 minutes straight of great songs, play one song that bombs, then play 30 more minutes of great music, and "the music was up and down all night." One more difference between the superstar DJ and the no-name DJ. You go hear the superstar DJ for the experience of hearing them spin. "I can't wait to hear what he is going to play next." You go hear the no-name DJ to hear the songs you already like. "I want him to play my favorite song right now!"

What is so amazing to me is how unique different areas are in terms of music. Perfect example: Nann Nigga by Trick Daddy and Trina is a classic up and down the East Coast. Here in Dayton I almost got tomatoes thrown at me! Billie Jean by Michael Jackson is a party starter in Boston. That song got me blackballed for 4 months in Dayton! I learned my lesson: don't assume that because something works in one city it will automatically work in another. A couple of weeks ago I played at a really nice club in Cincinnati. I'm not in the city on a regular basis, so I had to feel out what people wanted to hear. The night didn't go as well as I wanted it to (it didn't help that the owners didn't get a crowd in there… I can't rock a party if there is no party to rock). The really messed up thing is that was my first and probably my last opportunity to spin at that club. Since I'm basically brand new to the area, I had one chance to make a good impression. Now I'm my own worst critic, but the people who came up to the DJ booth let me know they liked the music, there just wasn't enough people in the club to make it feel like a party, so they didn't want to dance. Now the club owner won't return my messages. I asked for feedback from him. No call back. I asked about the party he told me he would talk to me about coming the next week. No return message. I even went to his club on a Saturday (when I should have been at my own club!) to see what the club looked like packed, and texted him a compliment. No return message. I know the night I was there wasn't the hottest, because I do my best work when I have a crowd to feed off of. But I definitely wasn't bad enough for the owner to completely ignore me!