Billy Jam
Don't Give A Damn!
by -
2/17/00 9:40:47 AM

Props goes out to veteran DJ Billy Jam and his upcoming Pirate 'Fuckin' Radio broadcast that is scheduled to take place this Friday at SF's Justice League. This broadcast will coincide with an event featuring performances from artists like Peanut Butter Wolf, Beat Junkies,Visionaries, DJ Design, Breakastra, Lootpack, Foreign Legion, and Sub Contents to name a few. The pirate signal can be heard on 91.3 FM and will cover a two-three mile radius around the club.

For those who don't know Billy Jam, he's a longtime Hip Hop icon. His work within radio is unprecedented. He's the largest collector and perhaps one of the most definitive historians for Bay Area Hip Hop. He started out doing a unique mixture of Hip Hop and punk on Berkeley's KALX and San Francisco's KUSF back in the mid 80s. He was one of the first deejays I had ever seen to have live bands and rap acts perform in his on air studio. He was also the first deejay to feature rappers freestyling on air over the phone. In fact Billy Jam's popular freestyle phone sessions went on to influence local Bay Area commercial radio stations. Some of the Bay Area old schoolers may recall the now defunct Battle of the Rappers. That was a direct bite from Billy Jam's radio shows. Billy is also known for his establishing the Bay Area Rapline which features everything from a Top 30 countdown to announcements of upcoming events, concerts, record releases and Bay Area Hip Hop news. Call 510-658-4293 to peep it.

Billy was also the first Bay Area deejay to ever hold a Bay Area wide rap contest. This was as far back as '86 when MC Quik now known as Naru came throw and won the crown by busting a funky track called 'Rap-A-Holic'. Not only did Quik win the contest but also his song went on to be the first Bay Area rap song to ever be aired on Bay Area commercial radio. It wasn't a bad cut at the time.

Billy Jam along with fellow KALXers The Ricky 'The Uhuru Maggot' Vincent and the late Natty Prep were the ones who help get me my start in radio. In fact, the way I got my first on air shift was when Billy Jam snuck me on to sub for his then popular, Monday afternoon Hip Hop/punk show. That formula went on to become known as Hip Hop Slam. I wasn't officially approved to work at that time slot but Billy was one to always push the envelope. It was this aggressive attitude and disdain for censorship of any type, which led to him being kicked off several stations. The thing that Billy is most notorious for is playing aPublic Enemy album in its entirety, which led to him being booted off of KUSF. It caused quite a bit of controversy several years ago when it happened. Local papers ran the story accompanied with a photo of Billy Jam and Chuck D. Nowadays Billy has making his mark doing 'pirate radio'. He's been heavily involved in the fight to make the airwaves more accessible to the average citizen. He has also remained a strong advocate for local Bay Area artists. Over the past couple of years, Jam has been releasing a series of albums and videos called The Shaggar Fraggar Show. These CDs and videos feature some of the best turntablist both from the Bay and around the world.. I think he was up to Volume 5 or 6. Jam's association with Hip Hop deejays goes all the way back to the early 80s when he would feature turn table tricksters like Bay Area Rhymeo Rob to come through and cut up beats on his KALX show. He has just released a slamming new LP called 'Pirate Fuckin' Radio' which features an assortment of turntablist including Eddie Def, DJ Killahoe, The Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Peanut Butter Wolf, The Space Travelers and the Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters. It also features songs from artists like Zion I, Money B and Kool Keith. It's really a dope album..and well worth peeping. For more info on Billy Jam and his Pirate Radio projects drop him a line at mailto:BillyJam@aol.com or call the Hip Hop Slam Rapline at 510-653-4293.