Meet Your DJs: The Riot
By: Elorm Nutakor
With all the chaos and confusion, organizing a riot may seem like an oxymoron, but this is exactly what DJ Lil Love & DJ Swoove do on The Riot every Friday from 6-8pm on KCOU.
The show had its humble beginnings in 2012 as a rotation show when, like a boy band, the DJs were randomly paired with one another by the station. Eventually The Riot rose to become one of KCOU’s most vivacious specialty shows, providing a wide variety of music ranging from Van Halen to Lil Wayne and, more recently, Tim McGraw and Carrie Underwood. As with true riot, listeners are in for a surprise every time they tune in.
On the Friday of Mizzou’s 2014 Homecoming Weekend, The Riot was as live as ever. Along with the DJs, the studio fostered 5 other people, including local rapper NicDanger and creator of mixtapemonkey.com, Mark Serrano. For this many people to be in the studio is not uncommon – The Riot performs interviews just about every week. The Riot is also known for segments such as “Verbal Media News” in which DJ Lil Love breaks down amusing local and celebrity gossip. Other popular segments include DJ Swoove’s “Riot Poem” and the “Bet You Haven’t Heard” song which showcases generally unknown songs for the listener’s pleasure.
The Riot is held together by many aspects, one of them being the “No Shade Policy” which declares: “There is no shade thrown on The Riot Show … Except for when shade is thrown on the Riot Show.” This rule was definitely in effect Friday night as slight jabs were taken at the likes of Miley Cyrus, Iggy Azalea, and Ariana Grande. Regardless of the show’s provocative edge, The Riot also has its tender moments when they spout inspirational phrases like Jackie Moon’s, “everybody love everybody.”
The Riot allows listeners to let loose and is a great start to any weekend. It’s lighthearted, fun, and, in the words of DJ Lil Love, “a hot mess good show.”
The definitive “The Riot” playlist:
Listen to The Riot, Fridays 6-8pm on KCOU 88.1FM.
Follow The Riot on Twitter for updates and playlists.
Elorm is an English major at Mizzou in his first year with KCOU. Born in Ghana and raised in Illinois, he enjoys listening to a range of different music, from popular to obscure, as well as making music productions of his own. He is also a drummer and an amateur dancer.