For Hip Hop artists in the 90s, newcomers and seasoned vets alike knew that just as Funkmaster Flex and Hot97 were stamps of approval if they had a respected stop at NYC’s number station for Hip Hop and R&B, the same respect was given to King Tech and Sway on 106.1 KMEL in the Bay Area on The Wake Up Show.
One specific interview that stands out above the rest is when The Notorious B.I.G. visited Sway and King Tech in a Los Angeles, California studio on March 1, 1997, roughly one week before the Brooklyn rap legend was murdered in the midst of the East Coast/West Coast beef. Already an extremely tense and volatile climate in L.A. because of Tupac’s passing six months earlier, Biggie’s real-life “Goin’ Back To Cali” campaign was brave.
In the interview, Big talked about the rumor of him being connected to ‘Pac killing and even addressed Shakur’s claims that Biggie stole his persona from the famed rapper/actor.