The Warmup FM | Giving an antenna to rap and hip-hop

There is a growing network of radio shows dedicated to broadcasting rap and hip hop in Greater Montreal. Founded in 2018, The Warmup FM is part of this movement.

William Theriault
The Press

“We’re shining a light on the local music scene and hip-hop culture,” said project founder Antony Dagger. It’s not put forward enough, but we have a lot of talent in Montreal. »

With his co-host Freddy Lloyd, Antony receives every week heavyweights of Quebec rap or European artists, whose songs are mainly French-speaking, and sometimes English-speaking. They also welcome emerging talents, as well as public figures who gravitate around the milieu, without being rappers themselves.

When they receive artists, they invite them to perform live. When passing from The Press, Antony and Freddy insisted on the importance of this concept. Several hundred listeners tune in in real time, then the segments are shared in video format on social networks, where thousands more people listen to them.

Among fans of urban music and for rappers in the province, the station is already a reference brand. Fact, The Warmup FM has already received several established names from the domain: the collective 5sang14, Tizzo, Izzy-S, Rowjay, Kay Bandz, Benny Adam, M-Press Live, Soubillz… these are just a few examples, and one could draw up a similar list with French artists.

The Warmup FM has such credibility that some young rappers sometimes offer to pay to be interviewed. “That’s not our goal,” says Antony Dagger. We want your goal to be to move on Warmup because you stand out. You must be persistent and patient. »

Create a platform

After studying communications at Bois-de-Boulogne college, where he mainly spent his time on student radio, Antony Dagger joined the team at Radio Centre-Ville 102.3 FM, a multilingual community station. He then created his own image, that of the Warmup FM.

Today, he rents the ground floor of Radio Centre-Ville and broadcasts three shows a week. “Without them, we wouldn’t be where we are now,” he says.

According to the 26-year-old host, his project ticks a box that was not filled by any other “traditional” media. The prime time television sets only occasionally receive rappers.

Freddy Lloyd, 38, grew up listening to this kind of music. After studying communications at an American university, he believes that artists benefit from participating in the Warmup FM. Why ? He and Antony are hip-hop connoisseurs who genuinely care about their background, who can ask off-the-cuff questions, and who come from two different generations.

“Of course it’s an advantage. It will give a better interview, ”he believes. The host gives an example: “Loud, let’s say, probably won’t be as comfortable on the set of The week of the 4 Julies that [dans notre studio]. »

” We have [notamment] made a legendary show with Lost and his team, the COVID did not stop us, and this is only the beginning, ”adds Antony Dagger.

keep growing

For the rest of the things, the animators of the Warmup FM aim to have a continuous broadcast: seven days a week.

On the guest side, Freddy Lloyd has several names in mind. Well-known faces of the Quebec hip-hop scene like Loud, Enima, Souldia, FouKi, Koriass and Zach Zoya are all in his sights for interviews and live performances.

For the rest, Antony Dagger evokes the possibility of creating a gala or a festival. Always in the same perspective: to promote rap and hip-hop.