This week, I had the chance to talk to Romano Jesus, a senior from Denver, Colorado. He studies Communications, and his show, The 52-80, comes on every Wednesday night at 9PM.
Your show name is unique. Where does it come from?
The name of my show is a nod to where I'm from. The elevation in Denver is 5,280 feet, so it's kind of a nickname for the city. I love my city and always try to rep it; it just seemed like a perfect fit to call the show The 52-80. (Just to clear up any confusion, it's pronounced “fifty-two eighty”.)
How would you describe your show?
My show is a hip-hop show, and I play the hot songs that might not get played on the bigger stations and newer artists that are popping. I also do some album reviews, and if I can be in my bag real quick, I play the best hip-hop tracks on the Plains.
You’re up on the latest and greatest music, of course. What, do you think, has been the best release of 2017 so far?
There are so many dope releases that have dropped so far this year, but in my opinion, I'd have to go with Culture by Migos. The obvious answer would have been DAMN. by Kendrick [Lamar], but Culture had way too many bangers to ignore.
What’s your favorite track these days?
My favorite track right now is “Moves” by AP—he’s from Denver.
Speaking of new music, which up and coming artist are you most excited about?
A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie is somebody I'm excited about, because he's one of the newer artists coming out of New York with a different sound than the older New York artists. Another artist I'm excited about is Trev Rich. He's another dude putting on for Denver. He got signed to Cash Money recently and he's been putting out dope projects all year, so it's cool to see someone from my city out here making noise.
You’re an expert at making awesome playlists. What makes a playlist great?
In my opinion, there's two things that make a good playlist: diversity and understanding of the setting. A good playlist will have diversity in the artists, like you don't want to here the same artist 15 times in a row, and you gotta have a good mix of artist from West Coast, Down South, East Coast, and Midwest so you get different types of sounds. And understanding the setting is huge because if you're making a playlist for a function, you're not gonna want to have some slow, thought provoking songs. You're gonna want to play music that's gonna get things lit.
What music releases are you most excited for, and what can listeners expect in your upcoming shows?
The two albums I’m really excited about are Gucci Mane and Big Krit’s new albums that are both dropping this month. Future shows will still be lit. I have some things in the works—I’m trying to get some guests in—so stay tuned for that.
Be sure to tune into The 52-80 every Wednesday at 9PM to hear more from this week’s featured DJ!
