1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,040 Speaker 1: This is Latino USA, the radio journal of News and 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: Kurtur Latino USC Latin Latino USA. I'm Maria Nojosa. We 3 00:00:09,400 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered to. 4 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:15,440 Speaker 2: You, overlooked by the wrestler media, and while the country 5 00:00:15,480 --> 00:00:17,479 Speaker 2: is struggling to deal with these, we listen to the 6 00:00:17,520 --> 00:00:21,279 Speaker 2: stories of black and Latino Studio United Latino Front, a 7 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:25,520 Speaker 2: cultural renaissance organizing at the forefront of the movement. 8 00:00:26,239 --> 00:00:33,440 Speaker 1: I'm Maria Inojosa, nose Bayan Gepaso Latino USA. Listener, What's up? 9 00:00:33,440 --> 00:00:41,000 Speaker 1: What's Up? Here's a show from the archives from Futuro 10 00:00:41,080 --> 00:00:46,080 Speaker 1: Media and PRX. It's Latino USA. I'm Maria Hoosa. Today 11 00:00:46,560 --> 00:00:50,320 Speaker 1: Joe Kay reflects on some elections, grassroots beginnings and its 12 00:00:50,400 --> 00:01:02,000 Speaker 1: impact on the music scene. Is a music startup which 13 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 1: over the last eight years has quickly grown to become 14 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:08,520 Speaker 1: a powerhouse with a record label, a popular radio show, 15 00:01:08,880 --> 00:01:13,919 Speaker 1: and worldwide tours bringing together an international group of music lovers. 16 00:01:14,240 --> 00:01:17,640 Speaker 1: It all began as an online podcast created in a 17 00:01:17,640 --> 00:01:21,360 Speaker 1: garage in southern California with a twenty dollars mic no. 18 00:01:21,319 --> 00:01:24,440 Speaker 3: All I got to say to everybody listening, stay shooting yourself. 19 00:01:24,680 --> 00:01:26,680 Speaker 3: Shoot high for this up. I'll leave it at that. 20 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:27,600 Speaker 3: Il Vibes. 21 00:01:28,360 --> 00:01:32,120 Speaker 1: Selection co founder and host Joe Kay was looking for 22 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:35,600 Speaker 1: a way of curating and bringing independent artists, DJs and 23 00:01:35,720 --> 00:01:39,559 Speaker 1: producers to the airwaves. This outlet for new music kept 24 00:01:39,600 --> 00:01:43,000 Speaker 1: getting bigger and bigger. It became an independent radio show 25 00:01:43,200 --> 00:01:46,920 Speaker 1: from college radio station k Beach, then an actual record 26 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: label with over twenty artists, and in twenty fifteen, Selections 27 00:01:52,000 --> 00:01:54,600 Speaker 1: signed on with Beats one, the twenty four to seven 28 00:01:54,680 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 1: radio station on Apple Music. 29 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 3: Oh yeah, Selection Radio. My name is Joe Kay here 30 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:01,400 Speaker 3: on Beats one, coming to you from Los Angeles. 31 00:02:01,480 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 1: This really put the music startup on the map. Joe 32 00:02:04,400 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: Kay joined Doctor Dre, Pharrell, Elton John and Drake on 33 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:12,200 Speaker 1: the Beats one roster. Selection Radio now broadcasts to millions 34 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,760 Speaker 1: of people in over one hundred countries. On this episode 35 00:02:15,919 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: of How I Need It, one of Selections founders, Joe 36 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:22,560 Speaker 1: Ka tells us about selections grassroots beginnings. 37 00:02:22,840 --> 00:02:25,360 Speaker 3: My name is Joe k and I am from Los 38 00:02:25,360 --> 00:02:30,160 Speaker 3: Angeles and I run a label, a collective and just 39 00:02:30,240 --> 00:02:37,280 Speaker 3: a overall just a community called Selection. Selection is an 40 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 3: independent label and we've been around eight years. The sound 41 00:02:46,360 --> 00:02:55,919 Speaker 3: that Selection brings is definitely global. It's international. What makes 42 00:02:55,960 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 3: selection unique is that we're not just promoting our artists 43 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:07,600 Speaker 3: and only sticking to one sound or one genre. Everything 44 00:03:07,639 --> 00:03:10,520 Speaker 3: that I can find, whether it's old forgotten, can be 45 00:03:11,360 --> 00:03:13,840 Speaker 3: ten to twenty plus years old. The fact that I'm 46 00:03:13,880 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 3: playing it makes it present. If you're unknown, it just 47 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 3: gives so much more incentive for people to want to 48 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:23,160 Speaker 3: come back because they're like, oh my god, I found 49 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 3: these artists through selection, Like when am I going to 50 00:03:26,200 --> 00:03:31,720 Speaker 3: get put on next week? Even if it's only one artist, Hey, 51 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 3: I still that's one artist you didn't know about. I 52 00:03:33,560 --> 00:03:35,320 Speaker 3: did my job. It's one song you didn't know about. 53 00:03:35,600 --> 00:03:37,960 Speaker 3: Guess what you're now streaming that artist that you're now 54 00:03:38,360 --> 00:03:41,600 Speaker 3: maybe going into their show, You're now buying their merchandise, 55 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:43,920 Speaker 3: and you're telling your friends about them. So I feel 56 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:52,200 Speaker 3: like I did my community service. Music in my childhood 57 00:03:53,040 --> 00:03:59,400 Speaker 3: was very diverse. Couldn't say it came from a musical 58 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:03,360 Speaker 3: family who played instruments or anything of that nature. However, 59 00:04:03,560 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 3: music was always being played, especially on my mother's side. 60 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 3: She would be playing Shade too, d m X to 61 00:04:18,200 --> 00:04:23,599 Speaker 3: jay Z to Rage against the Machine. She was all 62 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:27,680 Speaker 3: over and my dad had a cassettes of like Erica Badu, 63 00:04:27,800 --> 00:04:35,800 Speaker 3: like Tyrone Jar, you know, all these different songs. But 64 00:04:36,080 --> 00:04:39,520 Speaker 3: on my mom's side, her brother, he was brillianto house music. 65 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,840 Speaker 3: At the time. The only way for me to hear 66 00:04:46,080 --> 00:04:48,560 Speaker 3: certain songs that I loved on the radio is if 67 00:04:48,560 --> 00:04:50,400 Speaker 3: I recorded it on tape. So I would just have 68 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:53,400 Speaker 3: my little radio with the blank tape that I bought, 69 00:04:53,720 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 3: and I record that and I would play it back. 70 00:04:56,000 --> 00:04:58,320 Speaker 3: And that was when I think I started to really 71 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,240 Speaker 3: get into like the concept of of making my own 72 00:05:01,279 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 3: quote unquote mixtapes and stuff. When I was around like 73 00:05:11,480 --> 00:05:14,600 Speaker 3: ten to eleven, we had a family friend. His name 74 00:05:14,640 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 3: is Nerve. Shoutout Nerve. He's like a godfather like figure 75 00:05:17,440 --> 00:05:20,880 Speaker 3: in my life, and he worked for Universal at the time. 76 00:05:20,920 --> 00:05:24,040 Speaker 3: He was doing marketing for them. Anytime artists came through, 77 00:05:24,400 --> 00:05:25,919 Speaker 3: he would take them on the run, so all the 78 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,560 Speaker 3: stations in LA and he would take me on a 79 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 3: few of his runs. My journey getting to where I'm 80 00:05:35,680 --> 00:05:39,960 Speaker 3: at today with radio, I think originated from Nerve. Being 81 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,159 Speaker 3: exposed to that, I think at a young age is 82 00:05:42,200 --> 00:05:47,599 Speaker 3: definitely what like lit a light bulb. I started getting 83 00:05:47,600 --> 00:05:50,160 Speaker 3: into making mixed CDs and I would pass them out 84 00:05:50,160 --> 00:05:52,280 Speaker 3: to my friends, and I was just always known as 85 00:05:52,320 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 3: a kid in high school that had the new music. 86 00:05:55,360 --> 00:05:57,560 Speaker 3: I think that's when it began, like that feeling, that 87 00:05:57,960 --> 00:06:01,080 Speaker 3: intuition of just putting people go on to new music 88 00:06:01,200 --> 00:06:03,160 Speaker 3: and also curating mine. I like being in control of 89 00:06:03,200 --> 00:06:10,599 Speaker 3: the music. My mom we butted heads at times and 90 00:06:10,760 --> 00:06:12,200 Speaker 3: she's just like, you know, it's not for you to go, 91 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:15,040 Speaker 3: and she kicked me out of the house at in nineteen. 92 00:06:17,640 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 3: It was very instrumental to my life. That motivation of 93 00:06:22,160 --> 00:06:25,040 Speaker 3: being kicked out of your crib and not knowing what 94 00:06:25,120 --> 00:06:27,039 Speaker 3: to do, what's going to happen next, and just being 95 00:06:27,120 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 3: kind of like on your own. From that point on, 96 00:06:29,560 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 3: I was just on fire, like mentally, like I had 97 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,080 Speaker 3: this urge to like make it in life. I didn't 98 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:35,520 Speaker 3: know what I was going to do, but I knew 99 00:06:35,560 --> 00:06:45,839 Speaker 3: that music was what I wanted. Back in two thousand 100 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:47,560 Speaker 3: and seven, two thousand and eight, I was Once I 101 00:06:47,560 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 3: got into college, I started getting into djaying. I was 102 00:06:50,520 --> 00:06:52,719 Speaker 3: making these podcasts and I came up with this podcast 103 00:06:52,760 --> 00:06:57,919 Speaker 3: called ill Vibes. People thought I was weird, but I 104 00:06:57,920 --> 00:07:00,679 Speaker 3: didn't care. But I was able to build thirty thousand 105 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:04,520 Speaker 3: subscribers within the first year, and so I saw that 106 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:06,400 Speaker 3: and I was like, wow, this is I'm building something. 107 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,840 Speaker 3: My friend inspired me to kind of like step my 108 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,520 Speaker 3: game up, and I bought like this twenty dollars mic 109 00:07:16,920 --> 00:07:19,840 Speaker 3: and then from that point on I started speaking. It's 110 00:07:19,920 --> 00:07:22,280 Speaker 3: kind of defined itself. I'm gonna leave it at that. 111 00:07:23,240 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 3: Enjoyed the show. When people started hearing my voice. I 112 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 3: think it just kind of added another like side to me, 113 00:07:29,160 --> 00:07:32,080 Speaker 3: and I would speak about the music. People just wanted 114 00:07:32,120 --> 00:07:36,160 Speaker 3: to know who was behind this interesting, unique music that 115 00:07:36,200 --> 00:07:42,160 Speaker 3: like no one has ever heard. I got hit up 116 00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:47,520 Speaker 3: by this guy named Santana over at KPFK ninety point 117 00:07:47,560 --> 00:07:48,720 Speaker 3: seven FM. 118 00:07:48,520 --> 00:07:52,080 Speaker 1: KPFK ninety point seven FF heard globally. 119 00:07:52,760 --> 00:07:56,559 Speaker 3: He invited me on his show to do a guest mix, 120 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 3: and I remember I was in the middle of like 121 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 3: summer school, so I was just grind and literally that 122 00:08:01,520 --> 00:08:04,120 Speaker 3: same day, like no lie, within four or five hours, 123 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:06,440 Speaker 3: I had a mix turned over to him, stopped all 124 00:08:06,480 --> 00:08:16,840 Speaker 3: my studies. It was music over everything. He interviewed me, 125 00:08:17,440 --> 00:08:20,320 Speaker 3: and I just remember listening back to that show. My 126 00:08:20,400 --> 00:08:22,400 Speaker 3: parents at the time didn't really understand I was doing. 127 00:08:23,120 --> 00:08:24,840 Speaker 3: My dad wanted to be a lawyer. He wanted me 128 00:08:24,840 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 3: to be a doctor, you know, just the traditional professions. 129 00:08:27,440 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 3: And my mom she didn't really get it. But when 130 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:32,120 Speaker 3: I presented that guest mix and then them hearing me 131 00:08:32,160 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 3: being interviewed by somebody, I think psychologically they're like, oh, 132 00:08:36,080 --> 00:08:44,360 Speaker 3: they get it now. That was a moment that was 133 00:08:44,400 --> 00:08:47,800 Speaker 3: like a staple in my mind. Where after that, I 134 00:08:47,880 --> 00:08:49,440 Speaker 3: never looked back, and I felt like they kind of 135 00:08:49,440 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 3: respected me after that, where they're like, Okay, I get 136 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:58,400 Speaker 3: that he has like some potential here. I knew that 137 00:08:58,520 --> 00:09:00,920 Speaker 3: in order for me to have my radio sho, I 138 00:09:01,000 --> 00:09:03,800 Speaker 3: needed to be at university, because in order to have 139 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,240 Speaker 3: a show, you have to be a student, and so 140 00:09:06,280 --> 00:09:09,320 Speaker 3: I was going to kal State Long Beach. It was 141 00:09:09,360 --> 00:09:11,400 Speaker 3: known as k Beach at the time. Now it's known 142 00:09:11,480 --> 00:09:16,720 Speaker 3: as twenty two West Radio, and they hired me on site. 143 00:09:16,840 --> 00:09:18,640 Speaker 3: Right after the interview, they let me go on there. 144 00:09:19,000 --> 00:09:22,480 Speaker 3: Today's the first official show of Selection Radio. Fast forward. 145 00:09:22,600 --> 00:09:26,160 Speaker 3: January twenty four to twenty eleven was the first week 146 00:09:26,400 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 3: of my first semester and I launched Selection. I want 147 00:09:31,520 --> 00:09:34,040 Speaker 3: to thank you all for tuning in. It's finally official 148 00:09:34,120 --> 00:09:36,200 Speaker 3: now due my name is Joe k by the way, 149 00:09:36,240 --> 00:09:40,080 Speaker 3: and I'm broadcasting a lot from kbyg out here in State. 150 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:44,000 Speaker 3: Everything we do comes from within, Everything is a choice. 151 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:46,679 Speaker 3: We knew that we wanted the word soul in it, 152 00:09:47,120 --> 00:09:49,200 Speaker 3: so it just kind of came stem into this thing, 153 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:50,880 Speaker 3: like how can we put two words into one? And 154 00:09:50,880 --> 00:09:53,400 Speaker 3: then that's where selection came from, because it comes from 155 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:55,800 Speaker 3: the soul, meaning the heart, and it's all about your 156 00:09:55,840 --> 00:10:03,920 Speaker 3: choices in life. We put out a compilation of artists 157 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:05,640 Speaker 3: that we really believed in that we came up with, 158 00:10:05,800 --> 00:10:09,160 Speaker 3: and that's when it kind of respawned into this record 159 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,240 Speaker 3: label and radio show as like a double headed monster. 160 00:10:14,920 --> 00:10:18,920 Speaker 3: Twenty fifteen. I'll never forget. This was prior to Apple 161 00:10:19,000 --> 00:10:21,439 Speaker 3: Music and they were trying to really like bring in 162 00:10:21,440 --> 00:10:27,520 Speaker 3: influencers and taste makers. I thought at that time they 163 00:10:27,520 --> 00:10:30,679 Speaker 3: were just gonna ask me to curate a playlist for 164 00:10:30,720 --> 00:10:33,760 Speaker 3: Beats Music, but he was just like, look, would you 165 00:10:33,840 --> 00:10:35,240 Speaker 3: like to be a part of this? But anyone could 166 00:10:35,240 --> 00:10:37,440 Speaker 3: go out and lock in any big artists, but we 167 00:10:37,520 --> 00:10:40,440 Speaker 3: need selection. You guys are close to the streets. You 168 00:10:40,520 --> 00:10:43,560 Speaker 3: know what's next, and we would love to have you 169 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:49,360 Speaker 3: on to be a part of that launch And you 170 00:10:49,400 --> 00:10:50,960 Speaker 3: have all these big names and then you just see 171 00:10:51,000 --> 00:10:54,439 Speaker 3: like this Hispanic kid, You see the face of Selection 172 00:10:54,559 --> 00:11:00,840 Speaker 3: right there. The feeling was surreal. I mean, I remember 173 00:11:00,840 --> 00:11:03,360 Speaker 3: it like it was literally yesterday, and I don't think 174 00:11:03,400 --> 00:11:08,320 Speaker 3: I'll ever forget that. From that point on, my life 175 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,000 Speaker 3: changed from that moment. That was a moment of clarity 176 00:11:11,080 --> 00:11:14,640 Speaker 3: that was changed everything. Like my family's life, it changed 177 00:11:14,640 --> 00:11:17,720 Speaker 3: my life, It changed Selections life, and I felt like 178 00:11:17,720 --> 00:11:19,640 Speaker 3: I was like all that hard work, at least on 179 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:23,480 Speaker 3: the radio side, where I felt like all my sleepless nights, 180 00:11:24,200 --> 00:11:28,079 Speaker 3: my stress, my anxiety, sacrifices that I had to go through, 181 00:11:28,840 --> 00:11:33,840 Speaker 3: and I just felt like it all paid off. I 182 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:39,680 Speaker 3: think that people continuously come back to Selection because we 183 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:47,280 Speaker 3: are constantly putting people on to new music. Music. Discovery 184 00:11:47,640 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 3: will never be outdated, the. 185 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:57,679 Speaker 1: Words of Selection co founder Joe k. You can hear 186 00:11:57,720 --> 00:12:00,920 Speaker 1: him on Selection Radio on Beats one every week on 187 00:12:01,000 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 1: Apple Music. This episode was produced by Gini Montalbo and 188 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,600 Speaker 1: Jennie Jamoca. It was mixed by Julia Caruso. The Latino 189 00:12:20,679 --> 00:12:26,160 Speaker 1: USA team includes Andrea Lopez Cruzzalo, Marta Martinez, Mike Sargent, 190 00:12:26,480 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 1: Daisy Contreras, Victoria Estrada re Renaldo Leanos Junior, Patricia Sulbran 191 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:36,600 Speaker 1: and Elizabeth Lental Torres. Our editorial director is Fernande Santos. 192 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:40,559 Speaker 1: Our director of engineering is Stephanie Lebau. Our associate engineers 193 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:44,040 Speaker 1: are Gabriel le Biez and JJ Carubin. Our marketing manager 194 00:12:44,120 --> 00:12:48,199 Speaker 1: is Luis Luna. Our theme music was composed by Saniel Rubinos. 195 00:12:48,240 --> 00:12:50,880 Speaker 1: I'm your host and executive producer Maria Jojosa Join us 196 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:53,439 Speaker 1: again on our next episode. In meantime, you can look 197 00:12:53,440 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: for us on all of your social media and remember 198 00:12:56,400 --> 00:12:58,520 Speaker 1: not tevayas Jao. 199 00:13:00,120 --> 00:13:04,080 Speaker 4: Latino USA is made possible in part by the Heising 200 00:13:04,160 --> 00:13:11,320 Speaker 4: Simons Foundation, unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities more at hsfoundation 201 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:15,280 Speaker 4: dot org, The John D. And Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, 202 00:13:16,120 --> 00:13:20,560 Speaker 4: and the Ford Foundation, working with visionaries on the front 203 00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:22,640 Speaker 4: lines of social change worldwide.