Careeres In The Music Biz That Don’t Actually Require Any Musical Ability
By Johnny Spice
Most of us dream of being music superstars, but most of us can’t string together enough
guitar chords to join the Dead Boys (a bad I love), but there are still plenty of cool jobs
you can have in music. Lets talk to somebody about their’s...
Headkrack
The Rickey Smiley Morning Show/Dish Nation
1 – What is your exact job title?
Media Personality. I co-host The Rickey Smiley Morning Show and Dish Nation on
FOX.
2 – What are the duties you perform in a typical workday?
The day begins with me compiling all of the stories that piqued my interest the day before
and figuring out which ones my listeners would be engaged in the most. From that point I
run the board (which keeps us on the air), all while searching the Internet and social
media for additional content to add to the show. Basically, I keep things entertaining and
fun while sharing news.
3 – What is the hardest part of your job?
There are a couple things that are hard about my job. For starters, getting up so early. It’s
actually possible to oversleep and miss work entirely (even though it hasn't happened
yet). Also, sometimes the music choices are a little tough. There are some good joints and
some awful joints, both get played at nauseating levels of rotation due to the current
landscape of radio. Being a music enthusiast makes it very tough because I'm aware of
the many other great artists and records that are out there that don't get any love due to
"politics" and such. When you look any other genre besides hip hop, there is pretty much
a continuous pool of great songs which will be future oldies. The last 15 years have
produced a lot of songs with very limited shelf life. It's gotta change, not necessarily for
enjoyment’s sake, but for the preservation of the genre as a whole. I feel a majority of
what's showcased makes a large portion of people not respect hip hop.
4 – How did you first learn about this type of job (schooling, mentor, practical
workplace experience, etc, etc)?
I've always been a fan of radio. I grew up on New York radio, and listened to the major
contributors (Frankie Crocker, Star and Bucwild, Ed Lover and Dr Dre, Wendy Williams,
Red Alert, etc.). When I was a kid, Hip Hop was being slowly integrated into radio,
which allowed me to see two things I have a passion for come together organically.
5 – What type of schooling would you recommend for someone who wanted to go
into this career?