The History of Holy Culture Radio

How Did Holy Culture Radio Get Started?:
Holy Culture Radio was the brainchild of DJ/Producer Vic Padilla. In 2003, while stationed at Holloman AFB New Mexico, he got invited to hang out for a live broadcast a co-worker was hosting at New Mexico State University’s 91.5 KRUX fm. It was during that broadcast where Vic met a fellow by the name of Lee, who happened to be the program director at KRUX fm. The two went on to discuss each others views on the Hip Hop culture, and Vic was able to share with Lee his love for Christian Hip Hop (Christian Rap). Lee was intrigued, as he had never heard of Christian Hip Hop (Christian Rap) prior to meeting Vic. Lee immediately asked Vic if he would be interested in hosting his own show at the station. Vic agreed, and a week later he was hosting his very first Christian Hip Hop / Christian Rap mixshow he dubbed “Holy Culture Radio”.

Holy Culture Radio was now on the southern New Mexico airwaves, and the feedback he was getting from the college students on campus, and the surrounding areas was phenomenal. Not only was Holy Culture Radio reaching the entire southern portion of New Mexico (and El Paso, TX), but Holy Culture Radio was simultaneously being broadcast live around the globe via internet streaming. People from as far as belgium were tuning in every Friday night/Saturday morning for his live mixshows! Vic now realized that he needed help in the booth at KRUX fm, so he could focus on the music. Holy Culture Radio was not just one guy with a cd player and a microphone. The Holy Culture Mixshow was a full fledged Christian Hip Hop experience! Vic enlisted the help of close friends (Milton “the Zealot”, Double-D, Chad, and Rich) to help with the hosting of the show. Word spread fast about Holy Culture Radio amongst the Christian Hip Hop / Christian Rap community! Vic’s home mailbox was becoming inundated with more Christian Hip Hop CDs than he knew what to do with!

Because Holy Culture Radio was only being broadcasted live (on the net), listeners all over the world were forced to stay up at weird times of the day in order not miss the broadcast. This led to Vic, with the help of the ultra talented website design company JZ Designs, to launch HolyCultureRadio.com, where his popular mixshow could now be offered to the masses in a pre-recorded version… globally 24/7!

Holy Culture Radio was really quite unique in many respects. This wasn’t a show that simply relied on its music submissions to make up its playlist. Holy Culture Radio was a program that built its reputation on seeking out new Christian Hip Hop (Christian Rap) talent all over the net, and “breaking them” on the airwaves. There were MANY tracks played on Holy Culture Radio that could only be heard on by tuning in to the mixshow itself. The Holy Culture mixshow was responsible for breaking a number of Christian Hip Hop acts. The staff at Holy Culture Radio had a unique knack for scouring websites such as mp3.com, soundclick, and CD Baby for the most cutting-edge, relevantChristian Hip Hop / Christian Rap on the planet. The demand for the mixshow was at an all time high, but the supply (number of mixshows) and effort to produce a top-notch was starting to become burdensome on Vic and his co-hosts (Milton “The Zealot”, Double-D”). The decision to bring in additional mixshow DJs was unavoidable. To meet the need of quality mixshows, Holy Culture Radio needed to expand yet again.

Finding DJs excited about joining Holy Culture Radio was a breeze! As Holy Culture Radio’s reach expanded, so did its ability to provide DJs a platform to showcase their turntable and radio hosting abilities. The list of mixshows to grace Holy Culture Radio over the years is extensive. DJ/Radio Hosts such as DJ D-Lite, DJ Official, Jah Word, DJ Lady Grace, shai linne, DJ Essence, DJ Wade-O, Trig & O’Diggity, and DJ Primo were gracious enough to bless Holy Culture Radio by lending their talents to our network. Programs like 3rd Coast Fiyah, Corelink Radio, Soul Bombing, and The Common Denominator enabled Holy Culture Radio to be what is is today… a staple in today’s Christian Hip Hop / Christian Rap movement. Throughout the years of winning numerous awards such as the Urban Gospel Alliance’s “Radio Program of the Year”, one thing has never changed, and that is Holy Culture Radio’s attitude of service in providing Christian Hip Hop / Christian Rap artist’s with rock solid platform for sharing their music to the masses!

The technology in delivering that platform has, is, and will continue to change, but the message will always remain the same on Holy Culture Radio. Christ & Him crucified!