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All Real Radio Prepares Launch to Bring Good Local Music to Houston and Fight Assholes

Zin is done with corporate radio and negativity.

“People need to stop being assholes,” he said. “The radio, this corporate media stuff has made people be mean again.”

Zin, a.k.a. Wali Aqueel, plans to solve this negativity through a 24/7 internet radio station called All Real Radio dedicated to “good vibrations.” It starts Sunday morning at 8 a.m. sharp.

“Starting this station has always been something that I wanted to do,” he said.

The Soundtrack

All Real Radio will run all kinds of music. Zin plans to block off time for different genres. Mornings will have meditative soundtracks followed by a morning show.

After that it’s a free-for-all between neo soul, hip hop, Afro beat, jazz, blues, rock, indie rock, Afro Cuban and more.

“If you don’t like the music, you can come back in a couple hours,” Zin said, laughing.

The station will feature a grab bag of content from local DJs, national DJs, and Zin himself.

The Houston-based artist plans to feature local content made right here in the city.

“I have a couple Houston DJs as well who have their own following and movement,” Zin said. He told me The Waxaholics will hold regular Wednesday shows.

Zin hopes to connect with a wide audience with All Real Radio. Local Houston content will be one part of a wide array of music. As someone who wanted a good local indie station, this sounds great.

“It’ll always be based in Houston ‘till we expand or whatever,” he said. “Houston will be the focus.”

Positive Vibes

Zin sees a connection between people’s corporate music and their negative attitudes. He calls it the “mine mine mine world.” To him, people who get caught up in quibbling over what music is miss the point.

“It should just be music,” he said.

Zin is the kind of guy who you can see reading slam poetry in a coffee shop. This isn’t a far leap given his background reading poetry in the Mahogany Cafe in 1993. He wears a small cap with the brim flipped up above a slightly grayed goatee.

His philosophy informs every part of his art. Everything is about being positive.

“People need to stop being so caught up in thinking they’re the end-all be-all, the everything, and realize we all are the end-all be-all,” Zin said. “That’s what’s wrong with the music, that’s what’s wrong with the radio, that’s what’s wrong.”

One of the reasons why he started All Real Radio was to give his kids something positive to listen to.

“I have two daughters who deserve to not have to turn on the radio and hear all of the craziness,” he said.

He hopes that All Real Radio can help spread positivity and the right kind of attitude to more people. Listening to him, I could see an idealist who knows he can’t change the world but wants to change as much as he can.

“I believe we will make the world better through each one teaching one,” he said.

Tuning In

All Real Radio, despite the name, eschews the radio. You can stream it online from their website or download an app for Android and iPhone.

“Everyone is linked right here,” Zin said, picking up his smartphone. “The world is getting smaller from that side.”

He said after all the work, he said he felt nervous, happy, excited but not scared about the launch.

“I know I don’t have millions of dollars to start or anything like that,” he said. “But I have a lot of tenure in the game, a sincere heart, and a need that I know needs to be filled.

“I just know that people deserve more.”

by Guest Author