Jay Smooth facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jay Smooth
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Jay Smooth at the Giant Steps conference
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John Randolph
1972 (age 52–53) New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation | Writer, DJ, radio personality, blogger |
John Randolph (born 1972), known by his nickname Jay Smooth, is an American writer, DJ, and online commentator. He is famous for his Ill Doctrine video blog, where he shares his thoughts on different topics. Jay Smooth also started New York City's longest-running hip-hop radio show, called Underground Railroad, on WBAI radio. He left WBAI in July 2018 because the station hired someone who had been let go from another job due to serious concerns about their professional behavior.
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Early Life and Nickname
Jay Smooth grew up in New York City. His mother was Jewish and his father was Black. He went to the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. When he was a teenager, he started his radio show and chose the name "Jay Smooth" as his stage name.
Jay Smooth's Career Highlights
Starting in Radio and Online
Jay Smooth began his career in media when he was 18 years old. He created his radio show, The Underground Railroad, at WBAI in New York. He interviewed many important hip-hop artists at a time when there weren't many popular hip-hop radio stations. He talked to early hip-hop stars like TLC and The Fugees on his show. He also helped create one of the world's first hip-hop websites, called hiphopmusic.com.
His Popular Video Blog
Jay Smooth creates video blogs on his personal website, Ill Doctrine. In these videos, he shares his opinions on hip-hop music, politics, and ideas about fairness in society. One of his well-known videos is "Soulja Boy Presidential Debate Remix." He also sometimes talks about music on NPR, which is a national radio network.
He became very well-known to a wider audience in 2008. This happened when he released a YouTube video called "How to Tell Somebody they Sound Racist." This video has been watched over a million times!
Teaching Media Literacy
In 2018, Jay Smooth hosted a series of videos about media literacy on the YouTube channel Crash Course. Media literacy helps people understand how to think critically about the information they see and hear in the media.
Leaving the Radio Show
Jay Smooth decided to leave his radio show, The Underground Railroad, in July 2018. This was just before his 30th anniversary at WBAI. He explained that he quit because the station hired someone for a paid job who had been fired from another radio station (WNYC) due to serious concerns about their professional conduct.
External Links
- illdoctrine.com, Jay Smooth's video blog
- hiphopmusic.com, The hip-hop website Jay Smooth founded
- WBAI archives
