The chances are if you live in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area you’ve heard of Konan and no, I am not talking about the “guhvernor” who resides on the other side of the country.
I am talking about Konan, the voice you would hear on one of the hottest radio stations throughout the land, 92 Q (WERQ), which is based in Baltimore, Maryland.
This brother is so diverse that no matter what time slot he’s in, he’s always #1 in ratings. That’s a huge accomplishment! Not to mention that he has been on air for over 15 years. That’s 15 plus years on top of the charts and 15 plus years doing his thing. Jay-Z would be extremely proud of these numbers.
We finally caught up with Konan, who’s always on the move. We sat down with him during one of his weekly events and got him to tell us more about the man behind the voice. We got him to spill the beans on what drives him to be so successful and one of the most sought after radio hosts in addition to what he thinks about the music industry now.
I could tell you more about what he said, but why don’t you see it for yourself…
TheUrbanTwist: Who is Konan?
Konan: A hard working guy who struggled all his life. I grew up raised by a single parent, my father. My Father hates for me to tell this story but I remember when me and my brothers, it was four of us, we would have to shovel the snow and put it in the bathtub for water to bathe. So needless to say, times were hard.
TheUrbanTwist:You’ve had a different experience than most being raised solely by your Father as opposed to your Mother. With you being a Father yourself has that given you a sense of respect for how hard it is to be a Father?
Konan: Definitely, I’m a positive guy but I don’t think I could ever be what my Father was. I mean for him to have four boys. All of us were into sports and other activities and every time I looked up he was there. He was at all of our games and taught us how to cook as well as numerous other things and it was hard for me to understand how he was able to do it. When people talk about parents doing incredible stuff, I think about my Father.
TheUrbanTwist: “Plan your work, work your plan” is one of your mottos. Coming up in the DC area what was your plan?
Konan: My plan was to try to be successful, stay out of trouble, and make sure the crowd followed me. I was never a follower. To this day I always try to lead people in a direction where we can all be successful together. My plan was not to be broke and live the way I grew up and I knew that I had to stick to what I believed in and work hard at it.
Konan breaking it down to Mike Jones
TheUrbanTwist: Being in the game as long as you have (15 plus years) what changes have you seen in the industry?
Konan: Music!!! As far as the explicit lyrics and stuff it has changed tremendously from the K Solo’s, Public Enemy’s, and the DJ Premiere’s. The positive message in Rap has been lost, but I think its going to come back. Another big change is Rappers learned how to bypass record industry people and make their own money and set their own rules and standards. They have really turned this business into a money making machine from clothes to cars and everything in between.
TheUrbanTwist: How have you managed to stay on top and be number one in your spot?
Konan: I have a love for what I do and I just stayed local and current with what’s going on. I have a passion for this. I’m going to always be in this business.
TheUrbanTwist: Being since you speak with and interview stars all the time, do you ever get star struck?
Konan: Yes, it happened when I met Quincy Jones. He sat down with me to introduce Tamia to the United States. I interviewed her about coming from Canada and somehow the interview focused on him and the album “Q’s Jook Joint”. I asked him all the questions I wanted to ask and when I was done he turned to Cathy Hughes (media mogul) the owner, and said this guy is going to be a star.
TheUrbanTwist: Have you made a lot of friends in the industry?
Konan: Yeah (laughing), a lot of friends and a lot of enemies.
TheUrbanTwist: So who would you say is the coolest Hip Hop artist and why?
Konan: Jay-Z, because he doesn’t forget people. He and I talked off and on since 96, he would always address me by name every time I see him and I remember when he came to town for the Tour with him and R. Kelly, he was in the middle of a song saw me, stopped what he was doing, and gave me a pound.
Tupac also was cool. We hung out in New York and at the time he was with Digital Underground. I actually got to freestyle with Pac; it was him, me, Money B, Treach from Naughty by Nature, and couple of other people and we were doing this thing called pass the freestyle and I taught I was a Rapper too so we all rapped while waiting for our pizza.
TheUrbanTwist: So you Rap? I actually heard a CD with you spitting on it. What was up with that?
Konan: My man Diamond K said “Yo, I’m going to give you some beats. Let’s see what we can do with them.” I had written like three verses, he used one because it was actually a mixtape and there were other guys on the song as well.
TheUrbanTwist: Alright let’s put somebody on blast right now. Who was the worst artist and why?
Konan: L.A. Star, she was from back in the day so I’m not going to just say her cause a lot of people is going to be like, who the hell is L.A. Star. She was on Profile Records and she cursed out the audience because they didn’t show her any love. Heavy D had to be the worst person. He was very arrogant and really smelled himself, he was talking about how hot he was and if every radio station wasn’t playing his records they were stupid jerks.
He’s focused man!
TheUrbanTwist: You along with Lana and the KIS Models are becoming Baltimore’s elite when it comes to nightlife and entertainment, what work ethics have you brought from the radio to the club scene?
Konan: Hard work and Persistence. Just tonight I was talking to her and saying that I was going to meet you guys and she was getting flyers ready for Saturday night. Even though Saturday is running smooth, we can’t just relax. I told my boss I would never lose my job due to my work efforts, I might lose it because they want to replace me but I will never be out hustled. I like the competition and the grind and I hate losing.
TheUrbanTwist: There’s a rumor out there that you can’t work with anybody and everyone who has worked with you has been replaced.
Konan: That is a rumor and I told my Boss that every time you make a change people going to think “can’t nobody work with Konan.” I’m a deal with it because it comes back to me but it’s their work effort that my boss talks about. I don’t have the power to fire someone. That’s ridiculous. My check is cut from the same people that pay them. If they don’t do what the company wants them to, you know, it’s the company that makes the decision.
TheUrbanTwist: What are your latest, current, and future projects?
Konan: My latest project is Financial Destination Inc which deals with credit restoration and real estate. I’m doing things with the radio and the club. I also have a travel company and photography business. I’m a firm believer in ideas making money and having multiple streams of income.
TheUrbanTwist: Is there anything else you would like to say to The Urban Twist readers?
Konan: Believe in what you do, keep God in your life, and don’t worry about haters because you’re always going to have them if you’re doing something right.
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For more info on Konan and his business ventures, please visit the following sites:
