Behind my Obama interview

full interview

So tuesday I get the call from Bossman that there will be a "cluster call" with Barak Obama. In radio language that means that Me (the beat) Moshay (wrnb) and Lonnie Hunter (praise1039). We were told that we would each have the opportunity to ask the Senator 2 questions. Then we could use each other's questions to make 6 (basically edit out moshay and lonnie's question and put my voice in). So when i found this out I asked everyone around me "if you could ask 1 question to Barak Obama what would it be?"

I asked my mom

She said I should ask him about the working middle class and how he plans to KEEP young people motivated

Then I asked my friend Tayyib (cuz i was already on my way to the studio to pick up some Obama posters from him, his magazine's office is there).

Tayyib is also one of my uh "smarter" well uh more politically aware friends and well now i forget what he asked me to ask but it was good and real smart.


So anyway since I was in the studio I went to Ahmir (Questlove's) room to ask him what I should ask.

So he gets all deep on me and says I should ask about prison labor and how Victoria's Secret and other companies use prisoners for cheap labor. When they could be hiring honest working folk instead. Then he said i should ask him about rights of an individual when it comes to "Stop and Frisk". Oh and steve (the guy hiding in the background) wanted me to ask Obama what is his IQ (yeah i know, hes crazy lol).


So then I spoke to my bestfriend who just happens to be gay and she wanted me to ask about his respones to Gay Issues


So then I went to Fusion to Kamal's bday party

and James Poyser (refer to dude in the camel tux) says

"You should ask him about music education in schools and then ask him if I can be the Secretary of Music"

Then I go home to my sweetie and he says I should ask Obama how is he prepared to address the community if he wins or more importantly if he looses.

My point is all of these are great questions, but again I remind you that I could only ask 2 questions. So i thought of one myself already. I wanted to ask him something about Dr. King because I have been watching so many specials about his assasination and the parallel's of their career is amazing.

Anyway so then I come to work. Im ready....i got 1 question and a whole bunch of alternates. Then I run into the station's local in house revolutionary also known as the head of Production, Brother E

and if you dont know there is a lot of drama right now in radio and the entertainment industry as a whole. Sales are down. The way we get ratings has changed, not to mention TV, radio (can we talk syndication), billboards, and newspaper being bought up by this big bad companies, aka Disney, controlling "our" information. So I decide one of my 2 questions will be about "media consolodation". I already knew Moshay would ask about the working class and schools. Well now Im feeling some type of way because I was told by one of my "higher ups" that thats "not what our listeners care about", which offended me. Because here we go again assuming folks who listen to urban radio are dummies when I know that even if you didnt care you should at least know that your information is being fucked with "tainted". So then I started to doubt myself and my question and now im working on my self esteem lol. You cant imagine how hard it is to ask Obama 2 questions. I hope I get another chance. Anyway I just wanted to give yall a behind scene look at not only this radio game, but also my mind lol....We will do this again soon!

Laiya