Rap music isn't my jam, as they say, but there are successful FM stations that have played it for years. But who was the first to program it in a major market in a big way? This story from the LA Times tells the story of the guy who decided to take a chance on the music of the streets on a full time basis, without quite knowing what he was getting into.

His name was Greg Mack and he changed KDAY Los Angeles from an also-ran #5 urban station in the market to #2 in 90 days back in 1983.  

It's quite an amazing story, filled with a lot of chance taking, discovery and complaints -  not to mention outright danger. 

 "...he...weathered criticism from less-than-enthused parents and politicians, and more than a few threats from record executives, angry that their often payola-backed tracks were suddenly getting less and less airplay.

“If you don’t quit playing all that rap music, we’re going to break your legs,” he recalled hearing from a record company exec at the time."

An interesting radio story on a format that doesn't get a lot of attention here.

When L.A. invented rap radio: The rise of KDAY