Tone-X leaves Power 98 for BET

Photo by Moye

By Kia O. Moore (kia@mingleberry.com)

Anthony Besler, 41, better known as Tone-X, said goodbye to Power 98 on Friday, Oct. 16. He is moving on to the land of television to work for BET’s The Mo’Nique Show.

No Limit Larry and the Morning Maddhouse played a barrage of hilarious Tone-X radio moments to send off this member of the Maddhouse brethren. As the cast laughed and reminisced, listeners called in expressing how much they would miss their “Uncle Tone.” As the listeners spoke to Besler, many had a tremble in their voice as they said goodbye.

When the morning show wrapped, arms began to wrap around Besler’s neck as his co-works said teary eyed farewells. He hugged and shook hands with over a dozen people before exiting the recording rooming he had worked in for so long. He then walked to the waiting area to greet two fans who decided to come to the studio since they could not get through the Power 98 phone lines. He laughed and joked with them for a moment.  Then he thanked them for taking time to come to the studio while waving goodbye as they entered the elevator. He then walked over to me, extended his hand, smiled and said, “You must be the writer.” He lifted my computer bag from the floor and led me to a spot he felt would be nice and quiet: the control room.

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Nate Quick Past Away

Former WPEG Power 98 on-air personality, Nate Quick, passed away late Wednesday night from apparent liver complications. Quick was currently the program director at KRNB and was the marketing director at K104-FM, both in Dallas, Texas.

An obviously emotional No Limit Larry and Tone took the airwaves at 5:50 a.m. with the announcement during the first break of their show, The Morning Maddhouse. No Limit calling him “the greatest radio personality ever,” and the reason he’s on radio today. No Limit flew down to Dallas on Monday to see Quick and said, he was at peace with that.
During today’s show, No Limit Larry and Tone recanted some of their fondest memories of Quick, which seemed to helped both personalities get through the show, with No Limit talking about how Quick paid him out of his own pocket and gave him a platform to get better…
Who knew in celebrating an achievement of a current QC legend, No Limit. We’d also be celebrating the home going of the man responsible for his career Nate Quick. Please come out @ 6pm to Ice to celebrate w/Larry but also to pay homage to the closest person to him in his industry, this is a very bitter sweet time for Larry so let’s come out to hold him & ourselves up during this moment of mourning, thanks in advance!

Drake takes a second shot

Drake used to roll around in a wheelchair before his single “Best I Ever Had” became a favorite on Top 40 Hit radio and Urban radio.  He caught a bullet in his back during a school shooting. He lost the use of his legs.

Okay… this did not happen in real life, but it happened to Jimmy Brooks, the character Drake played on the popular teen drama Degrassi: The Next Generation. Back then Drake went by his government name, Aubrey Drake Graham.

He began acting in the teen Canadian drama back in 2001. The Jimmy Brooks role ended in 2009 when the show producers pulled a Menudo (popular Spanish boy band). They cut the whole Degrassi cast for a new group of younger teen actors. His acting role on the Degrassi series may be over, but Drake seems to be doing okay with his rap career.

His new single “Best I Ever Had” is not his first rap effort. Back in 2007 Drake became the first unsigned Canadian rapper to have his music video featured on BET. The single “Replacement Girl” was introduced as the New Joint on 106 & Park in April 2007. The video was never seen again on BET and the single never got radio airplay. Drake is now taking a second shot at his rap career and it seems to be paying off.

Drake as Degrassi Character "Jimmy Brooks"

Living the Pop Life

Kia O. Moore

Pop Life is a social networking event that showcases eclectic soul music on a weekly basis. It occurs every Wednesday after 6 P.M. at Apostrophe Lounge, an upscale bar located at 1440 South Tryon. Pop Life is an event that allows people to search for money, sex or that pop to make their lives a little more interesting.

It is the creative spawn of Carlton Hargro and Mike Kitchen. Hargro is the current editor and chief of Creative Loafing Charlotte. Kitchen, better known as Kitch, is the owner of the soul music promotion company Sol Kitchen.

According to Hargro, Pop Life is a classic case of the event theory. Hargro says that every event is really about sex or money. “People come to try to increase their money, or try to find somebody to have sex with. We [Pop Life] do both. And it might be the same person.” Sex and money may be the underline objectives of Pop Life, but the main goal is to provide  a different type of Charlotte nightlife experience.

Back in 2000, Kitch and a partner already had an event like Pop Life going.  “Flirt Wednesdays was an after-work event that played no mainstream music. Just like we do here [at Pop Life].” Kitch and his partner eventually ran into creative differences. Fast forward to May 2007; Kitch found Hargro to be a great partner to bring an event like Flirt Wednesdays back. The two shared the same views when it came to soul music and Charlotte nightlife. Flirt became Pop Life’s blueprint.

The idea of Pop Life emerged during a conversation between Kitch and Hargro.  Hargro expressed his desire to bring something different to Charlotte.  He wanted to create an event that served the public regular helpings of soul music. Hargro was use to hearing good soul music on a dailay basis before moving to Charlotte in 2006. “In Atlanta you could hear soul music every single day. You can go to any little, raggedy establishment and they’re playing incredible music and it has a great mix of people.” A week before Hargro’s moved, he was introduced to Kitch.  Hargro says, “When I came down Mike took me under his wing and showed me all around Charlotte.” Hargro  instantly noticed the lack of soul music nightlife events.

Kitch and Hargro decide that they would be the ones to create an event that regularly exposed Charlotte dwellers to alternative soul music. When creating Pop Life, the two wanted it to have a name that was different. ”The named Pop Life is suppose to be a satire about Charlotte’s nightlife,” Kitch explained. He feels that Charlotte nightlife mainly caters to individuals interested in being part of popular culture. “It [Pop Life] is making fun of popular culture. Everything you see here is not popular culture.”

Hargro gives an additional reason for the events name. Hargro says the song by Prince titled ”Pop Life” inspired the events name too.  He explains, “There was a line in the song that says, ‘Life ain’t very funky unless you got that pop.’”  This line describes people that need that extra something to make their lives more interesting.

Pop Life is an event that changes venues as often as Prince changes his image.  Hargro and Kitch feel each venue shows a different side of Pop Life.  “When it was at PreVue, it had more of a dance feel. When it was at Loft, it was a little more expansive. It was bigger and people could go outside. Now here [at Apostrophe] it’s a little loungier and a little more intimate,” says Hargro.

Jimmy and Myk have attended Pop Life since it began, back in May 2007. Myk feels that Pop Life has transitioned from Charlotte undeground status  to Charlotte pop culture status.  Myk says, “Now it’s changing up. It is growing in a good way and it’s growing in a bad way too. People are not really trying to dance. They’re not trying to have fun, as we [Jimmy and I] would say fun. People are worried about what they look like and not really trying to sweat. I think that kinda is a problem.”

Jimmy agrees. “When it was at PreVue, it was more of a mix of people. You got the urban professional, you know, the grown & sexy people, and at the same time you got the people that were just there to have a good time, like the b-boys [breakdancers].” Jimmy feels that Pop Life no longer has the kaleidoscope of personalities it once did. Jimmy thinks the event is now geared toward “urban professionals.”

Jimmy’s perception of  Pop Life’s “urban professionals” target market is somewhat correct. Kitch, however, uses the term loosely when describing the attendees.  Kitch hates the term urban professional. “If you work and know how to conduct yourself, you’re a professional.” Kitch says that Pop Life’s target market is open minded people, no matter their background.

Hargro says Pop Life is a place to provide all people a “shelter from the mundane BET ‘106 & Park’ bulls**t and MTV crap.” Jimmy’s view of Pop Life’s contradicts the anti-mainstream theme. He describes Pop Life as becoming a more mainstream nightlife event. He says people who attend mainstream events rely on MTV and BET to define their culture. “Pop Life is trying to expose people to another type of culture of: art, music, dress and so forth,” says Kitch.

The question: Is Pop Life mainstream Charlotte nightlife or not?

It is up to those who attend Pop Life to decide.

This is my Reality …J.M Benjamin

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