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Stretch & Bobbito On World Cafe

Stretch Armstrong (right) aka Adrian Bartos and Bobbito (left) aka Robert Garcia
Nickolai Hammar
/
NPR
Stretch Armstrong (right) aka Adrian Bartos and Bobbito (left) aka Robert Garcia

Whatever time it is where you're listening right now, let's pretend for a minute that it's the early '90s, 3 a.m. You're somewhere in the New York area, tuned in to WKCR, absolutely glued to your radio because you're hearing explosive live performances by artists you don't know, but who you know are soon to be something big. We're talking Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes, KRS-One, The Fugees, Fat Joe, DMX, Nas, and Wu-Tang Clan members Ghostface Killa and Method Man.

Moments like that happened weekly on the radio show hosted by my guests Stretch and Bobbito.

A few years ago, Bobbito wrote and directed a documentary about that show, Stretch and Bobbito: Radio That Changed Lives. It tells the story of their amazing partnership, where DJ Stretch Armstrong would keep the turntables spinning, while Bobbito Garcia talked to the emcees and listeners.

And now, Stretch and Bobbito are back, co-hosting a new NPR podcast called What's Good with Stretch and Bobbito. Sure, they talk music — with guests like Chance the Rapper and Stevie Wonder — but they also they talk sports, politics, art and comedy. Comedians Dave Chappelle and Donnell Rawlings were their first guests.

Hear clips from the show and listen to our interview with Stretch and Bobbito in the player above.

Copyright 2017 XPN

Talia Schlanger hosts World Cafe, which is distributed by NPR and produced by WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania. She got her start in broadcasting at the CBC, Canada's national public broadcaster. She hosted CBC Radio 2 Weekend Mornings on radio and was the on-camera host for two seasons of the television series CBC Music: Backstage, as well as several prime-time music TV specials for CBC, including the Quietest Concert Ever: On Fundy's Ocean Floor. Schlanger also guest hosted various flagship shows on CBC Radio One, including As It Happens, Day 6 and Because News. Schlanger also won a Canadian Screen Award as a producer for CBC Music Presents: The Beetle Roadtrip Sessions, a cross-country rock 'n' roll road trip.