101
MTVJams
Words // Randy Roper
Tuma BasA & Buttahman
RY UST IND
T
wenty-six years ago when MTV first launched, they played music videos (in 2007, not so much). Reality shows like The Real World and Diddy’s Making The Band have taken over the station originally launched to broadcast music videos. Luckily, to appease the viewers that would rather watch T.I.’s latest video over a spoiled 16-year-old’s birthday party, MTV parented channels like MTV2, MTV Hits and of course OZONE’s personal favorite, MTV Jams. Under the guidance of their Music and Talent Director, Buttahman, and Music Programming Manager, Tuma Basa, MTV Jams, which launched in May 2002, features Hip Hop and urban music programming that true Hip Hop fans can appreciate. In 2005, MTV Jams partnered with OZONE for the 25 Greatest Southern Artists countdown and continued to support OZONE by airing the first and second annual OZONE Award shows. As they say, real recognize real. What are your positions and duties at MTV Jams? Tuma Basa: I’m manager of music programming initiatives. So basically, I do MTV Jams’ record label relations. We schedule the music programming for [MTV] Jams. Buttahman: Basically, both of us are in charge of developing the channel, coming up with ideas for programming. We really wanted to take it to the next level. And what we’re doing is collectively coming up with ideas, the OZONE Awards being one of them, in terms of ways to bring more eyes and attention to the channel. What was the basic reason for launching MTV Jams? Tuma Basa: Basically, they wanted to super-serve that audience that wanted Hip Hop/urban music through the digital channels. And it also acted as an incubator for up-and-coming urban artists that weren’t necessarily ready for MTV2 at the time but to be able to super-serve that audience by introducing them to new faces and new trends in the music. Buttahman: And when he says, “weren’t ready,” it means they were unknown to the mass audience but were well loved by the core Hip Hop fans.
(l to r): Buttahman, Tuma Basa
different things that go on in the streets. Like what kind of cellphones people are using, how people shake hands, tattoos, sneakers. We also have artists give us their tidbits, like Kia Shine talked to us about how he keeps it fresh. And Lil’ Scrappy had his G’s Up TV. Another program that we have coming up in the fall is called Parker Report. Eric Parker will be hosting, it’s driven on different people’s opinions on Hip Hop. We have Jam of the Week, which is a video we play on the hour, every hour. It airs 168 times in one week, so if a song is hot we will make sure that it’s seen. Buttahman: We have a lot of short form programming that doesn’t interrupt the music video experience but also gives you a glimpse into the culture, lifestyle, everything that we feel the audience can relate to. Buttahman, can you tell me more about the Hood Fab program that you host? Buttahman: It’s the first ever interactive Hip Hop trivia game show. And we’re on the streets, going to different hoods and testing people’s knowledge of Hip Hop and giving them prizes. We managed to incorporate some of the rappers into the game. So far we’ve had Eve, Snoop, Common, Khia, and Kanye. So what have you found out so far? How good is people’s knowledge of Hip Hop? Buttahman: It’s surprising because you see a lot of people that say they represent Hip Hop and then you ask them a question like what’s EPMD’s first album and they don’t know the answer. Even some artists, you’d be surprised at the questions they’ve gotten wrong.
Who are some of the artists you’ve helped break? Buttahman: Rich Boy, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Jim Jones. It was never really about radio stars, it’s always [been about] giving them that video support to help put them out there. Also, a cool thing about Jams, we try look for those regional artists that are making videos that may not be big budget, Hype Williams [videos] but they’re good enough to air those music stories on visual.
What was it about OZONE that made you guys want to connect with this publication? Tuma Basa: It’s authentic and it’s comprehensive. When you pick up an OZONE Magazine there’s so much in it. Buttahman: Also, we felt that if Jams were a magazine then OZONE would be it. It’s very grassroots, it kinda started off that way where Julia was off doing her thing with these artists before anyone knew who they were. And then the culture of Southern Hip Hop exploded. And Jams is kinda the same way, where we’re that little operation, very grassroots, still underground where a lot of people may not be aware of the channel but the people that have it really love it a lot. Like the OZONE readers and the OZONE artists really love that magazine because it gave them that exposure when no one else was doing it. We did the first thing, which was the 25 Greatest Southern Artists with [OZONE] and as the relationship grew, it just made sense to continue with the awards show.
Is the MTV Jams programming just videos? Tuma Basa: No, it’s a mix of videos and specials. With our programming, we’re not trying to interrupt anyone. We want you to be able to have the music on in the background. So we play a lot of music videos and we also have programming like Hood Fab which is a Hip Hop game show that Buttahman hosts. We have Look Around, it’s kind of like a cultural piece where we talk about
Do you have anything that you want to say to the MTV Jams viewers? Tuma Basa: They’re a lot of people that show a lot of love to MTV Jams. There are a lot of people that kept Jams on all day long on their TVs and just let it run. And it becomes a part of their lives and households. And we want to say thank you to them. Buttahman: And shout out to my mom. (laughs) //
42 // OZONE MAG