![]() ![]() We were green in the television industry just trying to figure it out but at the same time always being fans of the culture!” On AJ’s Instagram post back on September 11th, 2022, Calloway described 106 & Park as, “We had no idea that it would have the global impact that it did. Five years strong and hopefully it will continue with whoever’s in the reigns without myself and Free.” Calloway told the live audience on the show, “I got really emotional…There’s nothing like 106 & Park, it’s been a staple in the African American community for a long, long time. In July 2005, both AJ and Free left the show, being replaced by ex-Rap City host Big Tigger and Julissa. However, all good things must come to an end. This show, along with Rap City, ComicView, Hits from the Street and the Top 20 Countdown helped us get our dose of BET during the early half of the 2000s. It helped us identify with black culture and rap, hip-hop, and R&B the same way our parents/grandparents identified with Soul Train – a show hosted by the late Don Cornelius from 1971-2006.įreestyle Fridays, Throwback Thursdays, I could go on and on. Remember attempting to finish up your homework and/or chores before six o’clock hit during the weekdays after school? Watching the Top-10 Countdowns, where artists such as Ludacris, Usher, Lil Bow Wow, 50 Cent, and others, in addition to having various celebrities such as Jamie Foxx, Ice Cube, and Chris Rock as special guests on the show does bring a whole lot of memories for us who were growing up during that time.ġ06 & Park defined our teenage years not just musically, but culturally. It was where everyone came to find out what was happening in the world and the black culture.” It was the cornerstone and building block of the culture. Big Tigger – the former Rap City host (who later hosted the program from 2005-06) added, “It was the building block of the culture. “106 & Park meant a place where all black teens could see themselves represented live on a daily basis,” according to Stephen Hill, former President of Programming for BET Networks. In March 2002, upon BET’s acquisition of Viacom the prior year, 106 & Park moved to the CBS Broadcast Center in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Originally hosted in Harlem, at NEP’s Metropolis Studios, at East 106th Street and Park Avenue – where the show received its name from. Calloway and Marie Wright, known as “Free.” 106 & Park was the answer to MTV’s “TRL/Total Request Live,” which had been aired since November 1997. However, people like myself identify the show with the likes of A. Julissa, Big Tigger, Terence, Rocsi, Bow Wow, and Keshia Chante were the hosts during its last nine years. That was 106 & Park, a program that aired on BET from 2000-2014. Wow, it seems so long ago when my generation had a show similar to what our parents (or grandparents) had with the likes of American Bandstand and Soul Train? ![]() – The making of 106 & Park and Its Legacy ![]()
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