Juvenal Robles Jr., aka JR, is a 28-year-old producer/DJ/writer/photographer/ entrepreneur who with two friends runs Molemen Inc., a Chicago-based hip-hop crew that produces concerts, operates a Web site and sells records, among other things. He also hosts “Molemen Radio” every Friday from 12:30 to 2 a.m. on WNUR’s Streetbeat. But when the native of Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood wasn’t doing any of those things, he had a chance to speak to PLAY.
PLAY: So, how long have you been doing the show?
Juvenal Robles: We made our year (anniversary) about a month ago. I used to DJ at WNUR maybe four years ago, when there was a “Time Travel” show. I took a hiatus, then took over the show. I just changed it to Molemen Radio. That’s the name of our crew.
PLAY: When did you first become interested in hip-hop and DJing?
JR: I’m maybe 15 years into it now. I’ve been doing this since I was a kid. I started off as a DJ, but through that I expanded into production and doing radio. I did it all. I used to be in a break dance crew. I haven’t been with them in years. I would rap. Now I listen to old tapes of what I used to say, and I’m like “echhh.” I’d rather be the radio voice.
PLAY: What drives the show?
JR: Quality control. It all boils down to that. I try to cover every base to keep the prestige. It’s not just, “I’m dope, and I don’t think anyone’s better than me.” We keep doing it so that kids can hear it, not so that we can show up other people.
PLAY: So it’s a mix of hip-hop?
JR: Yeah. If you’re only playing one kind of hip-hop, you alienate other listeners. Chicago’s a huge city. The way the show is formatted, it’s one huge party. It grabs everyone. You may not like these two songs, but you’ll like the next one. For instance, everyone knows who 50 Cent is, but if you have “In Da Club” over a Nine Inch Nails beat, it brings people together.
PLAY: You play it all, eh?
JR: The full spectrum of what’s hip-hop. It’s not just one thing. I still have a Candyman record. That guy couldn’t rap, but I liked his song because I used to hear it in the arcade. Every song has its place in someone’s heart as far as when they discover it. We show how it’s all connected. That’s what hip-hop is. (Artists) used to sample Billy Joel songs, and people were like, “What does he have to do with hip-hop?” We show you.
PLAY: Way to bring in other genres!
JR: I like to listen to rock, punk, jazz and reggae. We’ll play an old soul record, and people will be like, “I wanna get into that guy.” Most of the hip-hop stuff isn’t as real as, like, jazz. When you listen to that, you’ll think, “These guys really practice their craft.” And you can feel something, you know?
PLAY: Is there anything on the Chicago scene we should know about?
JR: Well, we’re going to do a big show at the Metro Feb. 6. It’s all Chicago acts. You discover that there is Chicago hip-hop. You just never hear about it. There is a history. That’s where I come in, as far as writing the book. Molemen is trying to start a little industry here, and a thriving Chicago scene.
PLAY: It must be pretty nice having hip-hop as a full-time job.
JR: Man, I’m blessed. This is my kind of work. I used to work at a factory to buy records and equipment, and now it pays me to not work at a factory.
