3 chapters across the catalog
Dr. Logan Westbrook, a former liaison between CBS and Harvard, discusses the 1972 Harvard Report commissioned by Clive Davis. The report served as a blueprint for major labels to penetrate and dominate the black music market, coinciding with the 1973 birth of hip-hop. The discussion explores whether hip-hop was hijacked as a mind-control mechanism through corporate and intelligence agency influence.
Dr. Logan Westbrook explains how black R&B stations were historically relegated to the far right of the radio dial, where signals were weakest. This "radio redlining" forced black executives to seek "crossover" hits on Top 40 stations located in the stronger center of the dial. Adam Curry provides a technical explanation of how frequency assignments and transmitter power affected these disparities.
The hosts examine the 1972 Harvard Report, commissioned by CBS (Clive Davis and Bruce Lundvall). Logan Westbrook describes it as a "blueprint for penetrating and dominating Black music." They discuss Clive Davis's long-standing control over Black artists, including Whitney Houston and Puff Daddy.
