Freehiphopnow.com is on a mission to create awareness about more female artists and general contributors to the culture, so for this Q&A we interviewed one of the hardest working women in New York City, Tasty Keish, co-host of WBAI 99.5 FM's, 'Rise Up Radio' and her own online lifestyles, music and entertainment show,'Taste Of The Town'.What is your fascination with radio, with being a media personality? Are those things truly your passion?
My fascination....with radio... I guess it's from when I was little and it took work and good timing to make a mixtape off songs playing on the radio. I would make these little mixes and periodically add my voice to them doing intros and using fake call letters. I thought radio personalities were Gods and Goddesses, they gave you prizes for calling at the right time, they made you feel special if they gave you a shout out and they talked to and about famous people all day! Back then there was even on-air talent beefs (Wendy vs. Funkmaster Flex, Flex vs. Steph Lova, etc...), I had my ear out for beef like they were rappers!
I also came of age when Hot 97 first started and Kiss-FM was what 'Hot' is right now... All I knew about radio came from listening to the best on-air personalities, especially the women because to get air time in NY, is to be in the top tier of personalities. I have to def say Angie Martinez and Wendy Williams (to a certain point) shaped my persona and built my fascination. They have a connection with people that even in this ipod, computer driven world, people still say "Yo, it's 3pm... I wonder who's sitting with Angie?" and they turn on the radio. I want that to be me one day. (sidebar: I'm such a fan...someone told me they met Angie face to face and that she had clear braces...suddenly I wanted to keep my clear braces forever- lol)
You’ve been doing quite a bit of hosting over the last couple of months. How did the opportunities come about?
I think the hosting came out of opportunities that my co-host, Digo and I made for ourselves outside of Rise Up Radio. We'd already been best friends thru the show and thought if we could merge our energies we could put together our own shows. So we did the Fresh Roasted series and some parties just try to get our names up in the streets. For the live events, he would do alot of the behind the scenes and even performing and I would do customer service and host the event. People were also asking me to host their weekly parties and be a presence that would set it off every week- which I kind of went hardbody doing... I had more fun on a weekday than I ever had in my life...
I think the hosting came out of opportunities that my co-host, Digo and I made for ourselves outside of Rise Up Radio. We'd already been best friends thru the show and thought if we could merge our energies we could put together our own shows. So we did the Fresh Roasted series and some parties just try to get our names up in the streets. For the live events, he would do alot of the behind the scenes and even performing and I would do customer service and host the event. People were also asking me to host their weekly parties and be a presence that would set it off every week- which I kind of went hardbody doing... I had more fun on a weekday than I ever had in my life...
But, from there and thru the radio show, we built a Rolodex so to speak of bands that we liked and that liked our show (big ups to MC Kswift and Divine, my other brothers on Rise Up Radio). On Dec 31st 2008, thru much strife and drama in my life at the time, Tony from ADM called me and decided to harness my hyper active energy and asked me to host their monthly showcase at Public Assembly... From there others have been doing the same. And I love it... Ridiculously love it.
You’re an extremely busy woman. When you get a chance to actually listen to music, what are you listening to? Where are you listening?
If I’m not busy... I’m not working hard enough :) I actually do listen to music though. A lot of my education comes from seeing musicians live shows and other REAL artists co-signing fellow artists to me. I have fallen in damn near love with artists off seeing them live. I get smitten. Right now, I’m smitten over Illa J (who I haven’t seen live...yet), I love my local yokels... Big one time to Homeboy Sandman, anyone in NRO (this means you Kswift), Trezure the Empress (I swear she made me cry when she sang...serious), Daru and Rena, ADM, The Real Live show, and my boy Digo (the king of crack rock) there's A LOT more but I can't think now and if I forget- someone will be mad I didn't say their name. If any of the above tell me to listen to this joint, I will, cuz good musicians listen to good music right??
If I’m not busy... I’m not working hard enough :) I actually do listen to music though. A lot of my education comes from seeing musicians live shows and other REAL artists co-signing fellow artists to me. I have fallen in damn near love with artists off seeing them live. I get smitten. Right now, I’m smitten over Illa J (who I haven’t seen live...yet), I love my local yokels... Big one time to Homeboy Sandman, anyone in NRO (this means you Kswift), Trezure the Empress (I swear she made me cry when she sang...serious), Daru and Rena, ADM, The Real Live show, and my boy Digo (the king of crack rock) there's A LOT more but I can't think now and if I forget- someone will be mad I didn't say their name. If any of the above tell me to listen to this joint, I will, cuz good musicians listen to good music right??
I do listen to the radio to see what people are dancing to and because I love my big money artists too- lol I love mainstream- YEA, I SAID IT!!! How else am I gonna know what to dance to at the club? lol.
In the end, if I like you, you get spun in the car. If not, I frisbee the cd and keep the case. Real talk.
With a name like TastyKeish, and being charming as you are, I’m sure you’re met with a lot of naughty advances. What's the story behind that name? Spill it...
Thank You. Charming....huh? Are you flirting with me? The story is sooo not naughty but the advances are...lol. If had a nickel for the amount of times I’m asked "how tasty are you?" - I would be Scrooge McDuck swimming in money rich!
Thank You. Charming....huh? Are you flirting with me? The story is sooo not naughty but the advances are...lol. If had a nickel for the amount of times I’m asked "how tasty are you?" - I would be Scrooge McDuck swimming in money rich!
The name came up after a loooooooooong series of failed names that didnt stick or wasn't at all me. My family already called me Kiki and it makes me think of Kiki Shepard, the lady from the Apollo dressed in ball gowns that made you touch the wooden stump...and I thought it was weird- lol. Then I had some names, I would rather not say...
As far as TastyKeish goes, I'm a foodie x's ten and it's the word Tasty as a word just perfectly describes the feeling after having devoured a hot plate of fantastic food. And people have a way of describing me as "cute" all the time, which totally of stunts your sex appeal. So what is Tasty? It's the word Cute all grown up! So I joined it to my real name and dropped the "a" off Keisha. Voila!
How’d you get involved with Rise Up Radio? What do you feel your responsibilities are as one host of a show that tackles more then just new music, but also serious human issues and politics?
Rise Up Radio has been on the air about 3 or 4 years longer than we've all been there. And they were looking for new hosts about 4 years ago,...I filled out the paperwork and made it to a meeting. from those meetings other potential hosts kept falling off. It's been a continuous rotation of hosts, but that's how Kswift, Digo, and I met and have been together ever since, its very romantic- lol.
Rise Up Radio has been on the air about 3 or 4 years longer than we've all been there. And they were looking for new hosts about 4 years ago,...I filled out the paperwork and made it to a meeting. from those meetings other potential hosts kept falling off. It's been a continuous rotation of hosts, but that's how Kswift, Digo, and I met and have been together ever since, its very romantic- lol.
On a station like WBAI, there's a legacy to uphold the standards that Pacifica set over 50 years ago. I went in knowing that my responsibilities were to the community first and foremost. With that being said, the youth voice has been undeserved in media as a whole, Pacifica, NPR, CBS, NBC, this includes all of them. What we do at Rise Up Radio with our choice of topics and guests, is strive to bring you our points of view on the world at large no matter how much we clash with each other over them. So to bring attention to economic, social, and political topics is a must. And we (youth, Hip-hop,etc...) have a lot to say.
What’s your Facebook and Twitter game looking like?
MAN, my FB game is WICKED, but my MySpace is all but DECEASED- lol. I hated Facebook at first, people all in your business knowing what you do for a living...it just wasn’t for me. But now, I’ve embraced it and let it do the talking for me and since then I have nothing love for it.
MAN, my FB game is WICKED, but my MySpace is all but DECEASED- lol. I hated Facebook at first, people all in your business knowing what you do for a living...it just wasn’t for me. But now, I’ve embraced it and let it do the talking for me and since then I have nothing love for it.
I just got on Twitter like 2 weeks ago, so I’m not quite there yet. But I will conquer it...feel free to follow me at twitter.com/tastykeish :)
What do you most enjoy about being involved with new media? What don’t you?
I love that you can make your own opportunities in new media... You can build your brand before any agent gets to you and tries to "fix" you. I love meeting people I would never have met, and then actually meeting them in real life, it feels like u should hug instead of shake hands :)
The thing I hate about new media is dating and assumptions. People read into or don't look carefully at what their seeing and draw a lot of false conclusions. And it can be torture if you can't handle all the input.
What was the last book that you read? Did you take anything valuable away from it?
The last book I fully read was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini...I read it because of the hype around it, it was much deserved... The book I’m reading now and slower than I usually do is: "An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, From Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President" by Randall Robinson. I'm always amazed that a people that I come from continue to be to disrespected the way they are. Can you imagine...? F-ck that, can you FATHOM, WINNING your independence from a more powerful country (France) to be made to pay THEM for the rest of your existence? And for that to be backed up by ALL other world powers, thus NEGATING the win and setting them up to fail all the way up to the present....All because for black slaves to win its independence from the white super power of its time was just too much of a threat. A threat that slaves of America would hear of and organize and do the same. I just wonder what would have happened if Haiti had gotten a fair chance...
The last book I fully read was "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini...I read it because of the hype around it, it was much deserved... The book I’m reading now and slower than I usually do is: "An Unbroken Agony: Haiti, From Revolution to the Kidnapping of a President" by Randall Robinson. I'm always amazed that a people that I come from continue to be to disrespected the way they are. Can you imagine...? F-ck that, can you FATHOM, WINNING your independence from a more powerful country (France) to be made to pay THEM for the rest of your existence? And for that to be backed up by ALL other world powers, thus NEGATING the win and setting them up to fail all the way up to the present....All because for black slaves to win its independence from the white super power of its time was just too much of a threat. A threat that slaves of America would hear of and organize and do the same. I just wonder what would have happened if Haiti had gotten a fair chance...
Are you a pet person?
Nope, I’m a people person. Let me know when you can keep people as pets, then I’m all for it...lol
Nope, I’m a people person. Let me know when you can keep people as pets, then I’m all for it...lol
Favorite meal?
I don’t have a favorite meal. But my favorite things to eat, are mac and cheese, peach cobbler, lobster, conch, and really awesome steak.
I don’t have a favorite meal. But my favorite things to eat, are mac and cheese, peach cobbler, lobster, conch, and really awesome steak.
What were you like in high school? In college?
In HS, I was a complete tomboy... I never made it to the more-than-friends window and I wasn't cool enough for the girls. But I had my school newspaper that I wrote for and by senior year became editor-in-chief. I used to write music reviews and one sexual health piece that my mom framed- lol. I even eulogized Biggie when he died, I was such a spazz...
In HS, I was a complete tomboy... I never made it to the more-than-friends window and I wasn't cool enough for the girls. But I had my school newspaper that I wrote for and by senior year became editor-in-chief. I used to write music reviews and one sexual health piece that my mom framed- lol. I even eulogized Biggie when he died, I was such a spazz...
In college I was learning how to be a lady finally... I only enjoyed the classes I wanted to and stayed awake just enough for the classes I didn’t. I was part of the school radio station, peace to BCR, Brooklyn College Radio and I even had the pleasure of interviewing Immortal Technique, I'm not sure I realized what was happening at the time. But now, I fully appreciate that moment...maybe he'll come on Rise Up :) Since it’s a commuter school, nobody was around long enough to make fond memories...
Where’d you get that blue dress you were rockin in the last installment of, ‘Taste Of The Town’. (Dug the stockings.)
Ohhh my word...so you like the dress? I'm such a rack rover, I got that dress at Express, stockings from Target...straight suburban living it at the mall! I usually wear t-shirts from local designers but I felt that night called for something people don't usually see me in.
Ohhh my word...so you like the dress? I'm such a rack rover, I got that dress at Express, stockings from Target...straight suburban living it at the mall! I usually wear t-shirts from local designers but I felt that night called for something people don't usually see me in.
When’s the new album droppin? :)
No album, ever. Maybe a mixtape :)
No album, ever. Maybe a mixtape :)
Thanks for taking the time to answer our questions?
THANK YOU for asking! I had a great time, let's do this again-lol
THANK YOU for asking! I had a great time, let's do this again-lol
Watch, 'Taste of the Town' on TotalBlacktv.com
Rise Up Radio airs every Friday night from 9 to 10pm on WBAI 99.5FM in the New York metro area and streaming live on WBAI.org
