2 PISTOLS - Ozone Magazine

Orlando
With over 10 years in the game
and a PD position with WiLd
98.7, Orlando has reputation
as a powerful record breaker.
Along with hosting the Orlando
& the Freak Show 6am-10am,
he also gives a helping hand to
the youth and hosts some of the
biggest parties in Florida.
What do you have going on right now
I have a lot going on right now, especially with
the Super Bowl coming up and Wild Splash
right after that. Wild Splash is our spring break
concert that we’ve been putting on for the
last 8 years that caters to over 15,000 people.
We’ve had headliners such as Jeezy, Digital Underground,
Wyclef, Beanie Man, 50 Cent, Ziggy
Marley, Sean Paul, Rick Ross, Plies, and T-Pain.
What songs are getting a lot of buzz in
Tampa right now
Gorilla Zoe’s “Lost” is heavy right now with Lil
Wayne. Keri Hilson’s “Turning Me On” is banging.
We just premiered Eminem, Dr. Dre, and
50 Cent’s song called “Crack a Bottle.” This local
joint called “All The Way Live” from Military is
pretty big around here.
What other local artists are blowing up in
your city
Tom G is major. His track “I’m There” set him up
as the next one to blast off. Javon Black has
“Tear It Up” ft. Lil Kee that’s heating up. We’re
pretty much the only station that really grabs
local records and gives them true shine on the
air. We broke artists like Plies, Mims and got 2
Pistols signed, to name a few.
How has your station been able to maintain
your reputation for breaking new records
We listen to the audience. We get songs that
we like, but we’re not going to gamble with
the audience. It has to be proven. We have
a good system of finding those right records
and they blow. I’m not gonna share the exact
recipe, but it includes PDs actually seeing
these records pop off in the club. A lot of PDs
aren’t on the air, and a lot of them ain’t hosting
no clubs late Friday night. If I see 2,000 people
in the club jamming to it, I know it’s time to
play it on the air. A lot of people think they can
drop the song of at the radio and it’s going to
blow up, but it doesn’t work like that.
With you being on the radio for 10 years,
how do you feel about the music and how it
has changed
The music is still the same because it’s still a
reflection of the streets. You have artists out
there who tell their story, and you have some
who talk about what they’ve seen or what
other people have been through. It’s still the
best hustle we got as far as this generation. It’s
kind of like the movie Devil’s Advocate when
Pacino said, “There’s more people in law school
than lawyers walking the earth.” Well with the
rap game, there’s more people that claim to be
in the rap game than there are rappers.
Besides being on the radio, do you do anything
else within the community
I’m an honorary Deputy Sheriff with the Sheriff’s
department. I work with the juvenile offenders
and gang unit. I work with Everyone’s
Youth United who help a lot of St. Petersburg
kids with their marching band, computer
labs, and care. I also host their Tampa Youth
Conference every year with Rev. Run, Justine
Simmons, Dr. Benjamin Chavis, and many great
speakers. As far as TV, I work with our local NBC
affiliate. I’m shooting a pilot for a new show I’m
hosting during the Super Bowl week. I’ll be on
Extra with Mario Lopez and Carlos Diaz. //
Words by Jee’Van Brown
OZONE MAG // 15