Betcha Didn't Know!

For years, Hawaii has long stood as one of the top tourist destinations of the world. When people think of Hawaii, they envision white sand beaches, coconut trees, crystal blue waters, amazing sunsets, luaus, and chubby, smiling, shaka-waving locals spreading Aloha! Well, there's another side of paradise you may not know about.

In the great soundscape of the world, if you're thinking about popular music that comes from the great 808 state, your mind may conjur up images of Nicole Schwerzinger, Kehlani, or Bruno Mars. You may think of Common Kings, The Green, Fiji, and a few others. What if I told you, that Hawaii has a solid HIP HOP scene as well?

Oh yes, it's true!

By the time I'd arrived to the islands in 1994, Hiphop was still, relatively, in its infancy. There was a busy battle rap scene, but clubs weren't hosting hiphop acts, and its presence in radio was limited to latenight radio blocks here and there. The videos were shitty, the swag was bleh at best, and rappers weren't taken very seriously at all by major venues.

Through a lot of hard work, scratchin' and clawin', local hiphop artists began to gain traction. Thanks to the information explosion of the internet, artists began educating themselves, and some, like yours truly, grew tired of petitioning radio stations for airplay, and took matters into their own hands, creating podcasts, launching internet radio stations, and, at least in my case, purchased airtime on first AM, and later FM stations to air music made by local Hiphop and R'n'B artists.

That's really what Rudeboy Radio 808 is all about. Being a platform for those who want to, and should be heard.