Lady B will be back on the air soon and that gives this hip hop head life | Elizabeth Wellington

The hip-hop generation’s beloved Lady B ― whose real name is Bahiyyah Clark ― will be back on the digital turntables next month.

Pause for the collective joyful Soul Clap here.

Beginning February 12th, Lady B. will take over the midday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. slot Monday through Thursday on the revamped Classix 107.9. That means that Lady B will be on the air at the same time as Philly’s other formidable lady DJ WDAS-FM’s Patty Jackson (who, by the way, is Lady B’s best friend so it’s all in love). Lady B will also reprise her the Basement Party — also the name of her annual summer concert — on Classix each Friday and Saturday evening from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. where she will play classic R&B old school hip-hop and a little bit of funk.

“I’m excited,” Lady B told me Wednesday afternoon. "I"m excited to be back again for my supporters and my listeners. I miss the community. And in this political climate I have so much to say. I’m excited about giving back to the people and being back my community."

Classix 107.9 will hold a press conference on Monday, Feb. 4th, at 10 a.m. in the Mayor’s Reception in City Hall to formally announce Lady B’s return.

Lady B was fired with no explanation last December from her popular 3 p.m. to 7 p.m drivetime slot on 100.3 WRNB, to make room for comedian D.L. Hughley’s syndicated show. Her unceremonious dismissal was seen as a form of serious disrespect and elicited a series of protests led by Philadelphia Tribune columnist and defense attorney, Michael Coard, NAACP Philadelphia Chapter President Rodney Muhammad and City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr.

Lady B is the concrete link to a time when our lives were all about Trapper Keepers, double dutch ropes and lemon water ice. Lady B, who started on the airwaves back in 1979 on WHAT 1340 AM, reminds me of the Golden Age of hip hop when Adidas were fresh and La Di Da Di, when we all loved a blue light basement party. It should be noted here that back then Lady B became arguably the first female emcee when she recorded “To The Beat, Y’all.” In 1984, Lady B joined Power 99 where she would introduce nearly every major hip-hop artist of the era to the Philly market from LL Cool J to Big Daddy Kane.

It was Lady B who was among the first DJs in the country to spin the records of Philly rap legend Schoolly D. And it was also Lady B who introduced Will Smith to the world in 1988, before he was box office heartthrob, when he was simply the Fresh Prince — playing second string to his DJ, Jazzy Jeff. Lady B represents the best of hip hop, before gangsta, before bling and before mumble rap.

In addition to returning to our FM dials, Lady B will launch a twice-monthly podcast in February that she plans to call The Be Nation. Lady B says she plans to have experts in health and wellness, education, politics, and the history of hip hop. She is planning for Coard will be her first guest in honor of Black History Month. She’s also taped an an interview with Kris “KRS-One” Parker of the legendary group Boogie Down Productions as well as a variety of artists who ruled the vinyl back when hip hop was a tot into its pre-teen years.

“I want to dig deep into the history of hip-hop,” Lady B said. “I want to go much deeper than the five or so minutes that I’m allotted on radio. It’s important that our children know and understand its richness.”