What a great addition to the Bay Area radio landscape! For the longest time, Northern California…read morehas suffered from a lack of variety on the airwaves, and this new station has come to save the day. Playing a blend of throwback hip hop and R&B mixed in with popular hits from today, Q102 is a refreshing break from the same old, same old from the likes of KMEL, Wild 94.9, Movin' 99.7, etc.
Now, I am certainly not one of those old curmudgeons who vehemently blasts the (lack of) quality of music today, but you must admit, a lot of the stuff out now is absolutely abhorrent (that Tuesday song has got to be the most horrible sound to pierce my eardrums since that one terrible MIA song from Slumdog Millionaire with the random gunshots).
To spare my sanity, I've been frequently using the Tune In Radio app to stream the finest old school hip hop station in the nation, 93.5 KDAY in LA (http://www.yelp.com/biz/93-5-kday-los-angeles?hrid=b68FRyTzDPGxl5Lb1ILddA), but Q102 just might start inching up towards the top of my list. When the likes of LL Cool J - Around the Way Girl, Public Enemy - Can't Truss It, EPMD - You Gots to Chill, Da Brat - Funkdafied, Bone Thugs 'n Harmony - First of the Month, Tevin Campbell - I'm Ready, and Hi-Five - I Like the Way all come blaring through your Alpine deck... back to back to back, you KNOW it's time to keep that dial on lock.
However, the reason why I can't give a full five stars is that indeed, in order to pay the bills, Q102 has to throw in the occasional Iggy, Drake, Big Sean, and whatever else is the flavor of the week nowadays. It's a small price to pay for the opportunity to be graced with the classic hits I haven't heard since high school.
With how cutthroat the radio industry can be, who's to say how long Q102 will be able to survive, but I am glad that finally someone is willing to break free from the monotony. Just as I said in my review of KDAY, Q102 is the "ish!"