On Thursday nights from 1990-1998, the Stretch Armstrong and
Bobbito Show on New York City’s WKCR-FM was the heart of the city’s hip hop
underground. The show aired once a week, and in spite of its 1-5am airtime,
heads across the city would stay up late with multiple cassette tapes ready
each episode to make sure they got the whole thing recorded. Rappers both
established (Nas, Q-Tip, Method Man) and so far underground that almost no one
knew who they were (Tony Bones, Dark Skinned Assassin, Paula Perry) made sure
not to miss an invite to appear on the show. At such a late hour, FCC
regulations were all but ignored, and unedited versions of songs were played in
between freestyles and interviews from the guests. Stretch and especially
Bobbito’s influence carried on beyond the show, and Bobbito’s Fondle ‘Em
Records was the premier independent hip hop label of the late 90s and early
2000s, along with Rawkus and Definitive Jux. Fondle ‘Em released classic
records by Kool Keith, the Juggaknots, and MHz, along with MF Doom’s legendary
debut Operation Doomsday (the label’s
second and last full-length LP).
The show went off the air in 1998, but the duo has
occasionally reunited to host concert showcases and other events. In
celebration of the 15th anniversary of the show’s end, Stretch and
Bobbito finally made their return to WKCR for a one-time special in their
original Thursday night 1-5am timeslot. Original episodes of the show had to
circulate through copies of cassettes among serious hip hop heads, but
thankfully it’s 2013, so this reunion show was almost immediately posted on
Soundcloud.
Also, an incomplete archive of the show’s original run can
be found here. A show featuring the Roots and Masta Ace Inc. has been a
particular favorite of mine, but there isn’t a dud to be found in this entire
archive.
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