Riz Rollins Explained

Birth Date:1953-54
Occupation:Disc jockey
Years Active:1980–present
Known For:Expansions show on KEXP-FM

Riz Rollins, also known as DJ Riz, is a disc jockey in Seattle. He is known as a radio personality on KEXP-FM and for presenting his radio show there, "Expansions".[1]

Riz is a prominent gay and black public figure in LGBT culture in Seattle.[2] He is known for deejaying at gay venues including Pony and Cuff Complex.[1]

Rollins grew up in Chicago.[1] His mother took him to his first music concert, where performers Dionne Warwick, Gene Chandler and The Temptations influenced his perspective.[1] He sang in the Operation Breadbasket choir.[3] He regularly heard Reverend Jesse Jackson preach.[3] Upon hearing the James Brown song, "Cold Sweat", he felt that it described his life as a poor black youth.[3] He lived in Chicago till age 25.[3] He studied religion and psychology in college.[3]

In a 1992 article, a reviewer of radio shows on KCMU-FM (now KEXP-FM) said that Rollins was one of the people who defined the culture of the station.[4] [5]

In the 1990s when Rollins began deejaying in Seattle, he played artists including Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Queen Latifah, The Pharcyde, and De La Soul.[2] When Seattle Art Museum profiled Rollins in 2018, he cited Kerry James Marshall as an inspiration.[6] In a profile of the black arts scene in Seattle, Rollins commented that it is more vibrant than many people are aware.[7] Rollins likes Espresso Vivace.[3]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Brodeur . Nicole . Riz Rollins does not take requests . . 17 February 2013 . 20 June 2022 . 23 September 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160923132523/http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/riz-rollins-does-not-take-requests/ . live .
  2. Web site: Mudede . Charles . Charles Mudede . How DJ Riz Rollins Changed Seattle . The Stranger . en . 20 June 2018 . 20 June 2022 . 14 December 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20211214022425/https://www.thestranger.com/queer-issue-2018/2018/06/20/27821055/how-dj-riz-rollins-changed-seattle . live .
  3. Web site: Uitti . Jake . City Superheroes: KEXP's luminous Riz Rollins . crosscut.com . en . 28 May 2015 . 20 June 2022 . 9 November 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181109154624/https://crosscut.com/2015/05/city-superheroes-kexps-luminous-riz-rollins . live .
  4. News: Hirshberg . G . CURSE on KCMU radio: Has the UW's alternative music station really sold out? . . 25 November 1992 . 31–33.
  5. Winter . Dana . A Word From Our Listeners: How Program Change Rocked KCMU . ScholarWorks . 2020 . Seattle University . 2022-06-20 . 2021-03-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210317212051/https://scholarworks.seattleu.edu/kcmu-fm/1/ . live .
  6. Web site: Rollins . Riz . My Favorite Things: DJ Riz Rollins on Kerry James Marshall . YouTube . . en . 4 May 2018 . 20 June 2022 . 25 July 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200725163330/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5_UgAb631EU&feature=youtu.be . live .
  7. Web site: Romano . Tricia . Sci-Fi Beats With a Pacific Flavor . The New York Times . 1 August 2014 . 20 June 2022 . 16 June 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220616222354/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/03/arts/music/shabazz-palaces-shake-up-seattles-hip-hop-scene.html . live .

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