Meet The Block hosted by Triumph

Posted on Saturday, October 4, 2008
Tags: triumph

With today’s radio personalities buttering up to established artists there not really supporting and showing independent and unsigned artists love. Even when radio stations do provide underground artists a platform, that medium is generally formatted to embarrass the artists.

It is refreshing to know though that someone is looking out for up-and-coming artists. In this case the lookout is podcast personality Triumph and his show Meet the Block. The digital show is dedicated to independent world class Hip-Hop interviews. Triumph interviews the most talked about Independent and unsigned artists in the streets of mainly NYC and remote areas in the country and brings them to 19 countries around the world – now that is commitment.

Hip Hop Ruckus had a moment to reverse roles with Triumph and interview him for change. We politicked about Meet the Block, the state of Hip-Hop in New York City’s underground and earning props. You independent and unsigned cats may want to pay attention and hook up with Triumph afterwards.

YaBoyJavi: Triumph, what’s going down?
Triumph: Bless everyone at Hip Hop Ruckus for their hard work and doing what they do, and to the readers for reading this and allowing me to introduce this important information.

YaBoy: Independent and unsigned artists should know that you executive produce and host one of, if not the, hottest and most respected podcast radio shows in New York City called Meet the Block. Tell Hip Hop Ruckus readers how and why you started Meet the Block?
Triumph: Meet The Block was started based on my inability to expose local artists that had so much skill but were culturally blocked to exposing themselves to an international fanbase that yearns for their music day-in and day-out.

When I first learned about Podcasting, I was blown away by the fact of its potentiality and effectiveness it already had in foreign cultures like Australia, Netherlands, and parts of Europe. It breaks us away from traditional media and gives us a breath of fresh air – if you will – to not only allow us to commercially broadcast digital media to anyone in the world but to allow the interaction of communication between the audience and the producer or feed provider.

YaBoy: Okay, I dig. Meet the Block isn’t a run-of-the-mill podcast; it’s broadcasted in 19 countries around the world. Did you intend on providing such a large and unique international platform for hip-hop heads when you started out?
Triumph: Like Jay-Z said, “You have to imagine your performance exactly the way you want it to be before you can give an extraordinary performance.” I visualized the path of my listeners coming from overseas, to further expose New York City and USA’s independent artist to the monstrosity of the markets that lay out there and their communities. My research began with podcatchers like ODEO, Podcast Alley, Podnova, Google, iTunes, and Yahoo as my foundation to further market Meet the Block in cities I had no homies in to help with the distribution and word-of-mouth for some great all-American New York City Hip-Hop.

YaBoy: Word is that Meet the Block is being nominated heavily by Hip-Hop heads for Best Podcast of the Year by The Online Hip-Hop Awards sponsored by MTV Jams and SOHH.com. What would it mean to you to have your podcast nominated for the award, and more, win the award?
Triumph: To have Meet the Block win the Best Podcast Award would be my second major victory. My first victory as I express on MTB frequently – my audience is my trophy! This would be my first victory aside from that.

I would hope it would give us a lot of exposure, which is what we need, so that many in this small industry of independent Hip-Hop can really benefit. What I want all of you to know is that MTB winning this award, every single artist featured on MTB would be the ones really benefiting.

YaBoy: I understand that. Who are some radio personalities whom have influenced you style? What do you take from each one?
Triumph: Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Garcia when they were on WNYU 89.1; Howard Stern for his boldness and instrumental character; Wendy Williams for her interview skills and suave approach; Star from Star & Buckwild; and I would say Angie Martinez for a bubbly personality that always saves us from interviews gone bad [laughs].

YaBoy: Aight, who has been you’re best interview?
Triumph: I really can’t call it, but the one that I had most fun with as a Hip-Hop enthusiast is with Solid Ground. An interview I have yet to release because it’s so dope! I know that’s wrong but it is what it is in my world [laughs].

YaBoy: You interview a lot of up-and-coming talent from New York and the rest of the East coast. Do you see them delivering Hip-Hop to its birth place?
Triumph: Absolutely! [Laughs] everything is a circle within the business cycle. The birthplace of Hip-Hop cannot be forgotten. The emcees right now are most def poppin’.

YaBoy: Who are some of these artists?
Triumph: I don’t know if you mean the Bronx, or New York City as a whole but I will give it to all the boroughs. So far Liason, Webbafied, Solid Ground, Saratoga Migz, Rebel Starr, City Haze, Catalyst, Bigg Phella, AJ Flow, DJ Bedtyme357, T-Eazy, Kee to Da Game, Ad the General and Gifted.

YaBoy: Not a bad list. Any last words?
Triumph: Podcasting and blogging combined equal the beginning of the independent industry and scene that we have been missing in New York City to bring it all together with the rest of the world. Believe that!

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