2022: CKUT's Hip Hop History

Compiled in this sound reel are a handful of the most
memorable Hip-Hop shows to grace the CKUT airwaves. It celebrates
the talents of DJs, musicians and lyricists whose output shaped a
sound peculiar to the cultural crossroads of Montreal. As the 90s
brought to light the transmissive capabilities of campus and
community radio, supplying the only substantial airplay for rap
music  in North America, CKUT’s role in Hip-Hop’s formation
within Montreal  is comparable to media legacies emerging
from college campuses  south of the border, such
as Stretch and Bobbito show on 89.9 WKCR-FM (Columbia) and
The Source Magazine (Harvard).


As well as being a stop off for major American acts touring
Canada, CKUT’s studios were the epicenter of experimentation,
where the multilingualism endemic to Quebec
met influences from the Haitian diaspora.
Collectives more openly fused cultures, spitting franglais
lyrics that brought together white and black youth through
harnessing the accessibility of the FM signal.


This culture of openness extended across both age and gender,
offering opportunities for young female rappers looking for a
start in a male dominated field. As Skandal - known for her part
on Rainmen’s ‘Pas D’chilling’- describes in her interview with DJ
Pro V on All Da Way Live, every artist and vocalist, big and
small, contributed to this diverse scene, forming a ‘musical
quilt’ where everyone played and had their part.


Underground Hip Hop is still a big part of CKUT's programming and
can be heard daily on the station.