Anyone who’s listened to 104.7 The Drop knows that every time they tune in, they’re bombarded with high-energy, fun-filled hosts and one-of-a-kind hip-hop and R&B tracks. But the station’s host is also adept at throwing parties. His first annual block party kicks off in the summer of 2021. And it’s back on Saturday, June 10th, when The Drop’s third annual block party takes over Denver’s Levitt Pavilion and hosts Triiip, Danae Simone and SWV (Sisters With Voice) on set. ) and 2023 Grammy Award winner Muni Long.
Known as “People’s Radio” for R&B and hip-hop, The Drop debuted in 2019, Westward Mixing regular hits with fresh, up-and-coming local music, it won the 2020 Best of Denver Award and Best New Radio Station Award. Despite being a young agency, the agency has already broken through some barriers. It is just one of five “urban alternative” public radio stations in the country, and program director Nikki Swarn (who also deejays under the name America Jones) is the first woman. She is the general manager of an African-American radio station in Colorado history.
Consisting of SWV, Lee Lyons, Coco Clemons and Taj George
Photo credit: Kirk Sully
“When we created this radio station, we had the idea that it was really a radio station by the people, for the people,” Swarn says. “They named us. We talk about it all the time. They chose the name The Drop. That’s it.”
Swan wanted to thank the community for their unwavering support. And then there was Block Party. “It got bigger and bigger and it became this idea,” she recalls. “Big love letter [The Drop’s] Celebrate birthdays, broadcast excellence, and give it back to the community for free. ”
Unique, assistant program director for The Drop and KUVO, was the one who suggested having the party consist of all women. “It’s really special because it’s rare to hear people of color coming forward to produce a concert or a live show,” he says. “All the shows are very intentional…and given the political climate surrounding women and the attacks on femininity and female individuality, this seemed like the right thing to do at the right time. I did.”
The Drop called on listeners to decide which local hip-hop and R&B artists would take Levitt’s stage. The station hosted a freestyle cryptography contest titled “Battle for the Block” in April, filmed at the Buell Public Media Center. “Finding an independent artist for that cipher was amazing what we did,” Unique says.
Crypto like this “isn’t new to the hip-hop world,” he added, “but it was something new that we brought to the city, and it was also the way we brought it to the city. . [putting] Nearly 7,000 listeners watched the performance video and local legend Triiip (formerly Jay Triiiple) won the coveted performance spot.
“The competition was crazy,” recalls Tripip. “I remember people saying to me, ‘Oh, you’re well known here, so you put it in your bag.’ And I was like, ‘No, that means nothing. No. They’re really going to get it because it’s a great opportunity.’ Getting the undercard for SWV and Muni Long? Anyone would work hard for that. ”
Triiip will return to Denver.
Photo credit: Kirk Sully
Triiip began rapping and freestyling with her cousins as a child, but soon discovered she had a knack for creating music and loved the creative outlet it gave her. . “I was always quiet and misunderstood, so that started as a healing for me,” says Triiip.
She began recording in high school and her music career snowballed with numerous performances around Denver. But her recent admission to the Los Angeles Academy for Artists and Music Production has changed all that.
Since launching at LAAMP in September, Triip’s production process has evolved dramatically. What was once a solo career, writing music at home and recording alone in the studio, has transformed into a collaborative production. LAAMP combines his Triiip with various artists and producers every week, and everyone contributes ideas to each other as the production progresses.
Talking about his relationship with The Drop, Tripe said he’s been listening to the station since it started. “Nikki is like a mentor to me, like a sister. She always supports me, believes in me and is always very encouraging,” stresses Tripip. “Sure, I love The Drop.”
Triiip plans to live in Los Angeles after graduation, but although the LAAMP program ends two days before the block party, she’s there whenever you call from Denver or The Drop. “She feels like she’s coming home, and it’s like, ‘Done, done, let’s go to work,'” she says. “There are a lot of people who are so excited about my return and I am too.
Local R&B neo-soul artist Danae Simone.
Photo credit: Kirk Sully
The 3rd Annual Block Party will also include a more local vibe with R&B and neo-soul singer Danae Simone, who curated Women’s Clash Wednesday Live in 2017. Simone has been immersed in jazz and gospel since he was three years old and released his first solo song. “We got a lot of feedback from the city and they were very supportive. They loved the video,” Simone said. “And that’s where it started, and I thought, ‘I can start this.’ And the rest became history.”
Simone weaves her personal experiences into the lyrics of each song. But she must find a beat that matches her own emotions in order to unleash her iconic lyrical flow. “It starts with what I’ve been through, or perhaps the mental space I’m in,” she explains.
Her team then sends her packages of beats and she sifts through them until she finds one that resonates with her emotions. And she vents all her emotions in her studio through her powerful raw lyrics. “I think that’s what sets me apart from a lot of other artists, because I’m not trying to make hits,” she says. “I’m just trying to express myself and be able to empathize with what people are really going through.”
Simone’s new single “Crown” was produced by Mick Coates and FDotLawless and was released on June 2nd. She describes the song as a freedom song, a summer anthem for women that transcends relationships. “When you leave those relationships and hang out with your friends again or go out, you feel more alive and better,” says Simone. “And people say, ‘Oh, you look different, you have a new aura.’ That’s the ‘crown.'”
Simone praises all the other artists at Block Party, highlighting that they are “super-legendary women, not only for women in the industry, but for dark-skinned women as well.” “It’s going to be an R&B night. We’re excited to celebrate women and black women and represent R&B in a little-known state of Colorado.”
Drop 104.7 3rd Annual Block Party, Saturday, June 10, 7-10pm, Levitt Pavilion, 1380 West Florida Avenue. The event is sold out, but tickets are still available through The Drop.
