Interview: DJ Red Alert on KISS-FM, Hip Hop Radio and His Legacy [via Villiage Voice]

With the recent shuttering of 98.7 KISS-FM, DJ Red Alert, radio icon and hip hop broadcast pioneer, spun his last mix, and left a generation of radio listeners teary-eyed at his emotional departure from the New York radio airwaves. Whether or not Uncle Red will reappear at once-rival 107.5 WBLS (now to sport the ‘KISS’ moniker and absorb some of 98.7’s leftover staff and shows) remains to be seen, but his impact on hip hop, New York music and the radio game in general, cannot be denied.

The Village Voice’s Phillip Mlynar just published a Q&A with the Propmaster, who spoke a bit about his legacy, how he got into the radio game as well as the rivalry with Mr. Magic and Marley Marl, telling Mlynar, “Between him and I, it was a rivalry, but it was never disrespectful. The way Mr. Magic and I was, it was like a Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.”

Red Alert spoke about his track record of breaking new songs and artists, his part in the “Bridge Wars” and how he wants his radio career to be remembered.

It’s a good Q&A, and we wanted to pass it along.

Read “Q&A: DJ Red Alert On Kiss-FM, The Bridge Wars, And Breaking “Rappin’ Duke” on VillageVoice.com