Though hiphop went mainstream in the 90s, it wasn't until the early 2000s that gangsta rap dominated all other sub-genres and effectively monopolized the landscape. This was in no small part due to support from radio stations like Power 106 in LA and Hot97 in New York. Damion "Damizza" Young had influence over both and was the Senior Director of Programming at the former. By keeping artists like Jay Z, Eminem, Ja Rule, Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre in constant rotation, he helped establish their careers and mainstream appeal. But this came with pushback from not just his employers, but even major labels who were uncomfortable with the power he wielded.

Damizza and I talked about some of the challenges he faced from 1997 - 2004 whilst employed at Power 106, from issues with the station's parent company to threats from executives at Sony Music to stop helping certain artists.