Media Maven Dyana Williams On Black Music, & Why “Business Music” Is Still Exploits The Culture

Before she became one of the most respected voices in music media, Dyana Williams was already building her blueprint. The veteran broadcaster, journalist, media coach, and cultural advocate helped co-found Black Music Month in 1979 alongside music pillar Kenny Gamble and disc jockey Ed Wright, a campaign that led to a White House recognition under President Jimmy Carter and later evolved into African American Music Appreciation Month. She is also a founding board member of the National Museum of African American Music in Nashville and has spent decades championing the preservation of Black music as both art and economic power. The New York Times has even dubbed her “Hip-Hop’s artist whisperer,” a nod to her work guiding major stars behind the scenes. 

In this conversation with Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur, Williams is funny, sharp, and deeply reflective. She talks about Harlem, radio, Frankie Crocker, Wendy Williams, her Puerto Rican side, the exploitation built into the music business, and why preserving Black culture is not optional. More than anything, she sounds like what she is: a living archive with zero patience for mediocrity. (Editor’s note: this is an edited conversation.)

AllHipHop: For people who may not know, who is Dyana Williams?

Dyana Williams: “A girl from the Bronx and Harlem via Bayamón, Puerto Rico.” My mother’s Puerto Rican, my father was Black from Culpeper, Virginia. I’ve worked in radio, television, print journalism, live event production, artist development, media coaching. People ask what I do because I do so many things. My answer is, “Is that a problem for you?” Because it’s not a problem for me. I’m getting checks everywhere.

AllHipHop: Where did that drive come from?

Dyana Williams: “My daddy.” Papa George. Purple Heart, decorated Korean War veteran. He loved music, all kinds of music. My mother gave me culture too. Museums, Broadway, theater, art. They planted the seeds.

AllHipHop: What was it like growing up in New York during that period?

Dyana Williams: Growing up in one of the greatest metropolitan cities in the world made me “a world citizen.” I grew up around multiple cultures. Indian people, Black people, Latino people, everybody. It was like living in the United Nations. I was a latchkey child. I saw a lot young, but I wasn’t scared. New York made me tough, capable, and independent.

AllHipHop: Right, right.

Dyana Williams: I love learning. I’m a daily learner. “I’m a sapiosexual.” If you’re not saying anything smart, it’s a problem. I do not care about the BBL if there’s nothing coming out of your mouth that hits the brain.

AllHipHop: Let’s talk radio. That was your first love, right?

Dyana Williams: By far. I started getting interested in radio at 18 at City College in New York. Then I got a job in D.C. at WHUR, then went back home to WBLS with Frankie Crocker. Radio suits me. I love communicating with people. I love our music. To play a George Duke record when it first comes out, or to break a Hip-Hop record, that’s an honor.

AllHipHop: What did Frankie Crocker mean to you? Eric B (of Eric B & Rakim) first told me about him,

Dyana Williams: Frankie Crocker was “one of the deans of American radio.” He had impeccable taste. He could play Barry White, come back with David Bowie, and make it all work. He cultivated talent. He gave me my shot in New York. I was turning 21, broke, had dropped out of school, and then suddenly I was making more money than my mother, who was a college professor. I told her, “Mama, worry no more.”

AllHipHop: And there’s Black Music Month.

Dyana Williams: This year makes 47 years. We were established by President Jimmy Carter on June 7, 1979. We have the footage. Chuck Berry performed. Evelyn “Champagne” King performed. Billy Eckstine. MFSB. It was a celebration of American music made by Black folks. That’s what I need people to understand. Gospel, jazz, soul, funk, Hip-Hop, rap. These are American forms, born from Black creativity, then exported around the world for billions and billions of dollars.

AllHipHop: You’re Afro-Latina. How did that shape you?

Dyana Williams: It was an advantage. I learned Spanish before I learned English because my Puerto Rican grandmother didn’t speak much English. I grew up with the music, the food, the vibe, the feeling. I love being Afro-Latina. It enriched me. I got the Black side and the salsa side. I got Eddie Palmieri and Tito Puente right alongside everything else.

AllHipHop: And yet you admitted you can’t salsa.

Dyana Williams: Not well! I’d be at Bronx parties with my back against the wall watching people get spun around, thinking, “Please don’t take my Puerto Rican card away.”

AllHipHop: You did rock radio too, which people may not know.

Dyana Williams: I was the first Afro-Latina rock DJ at an ABC-owned station in D.C. That was exciting. I had to learn Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, all of that. Some of it I didn’t know. Then I wound up loving it. I’m eclectic. I like all kinds of music.

AllHipHop: I did not know you were Wendy Williams’ boss.

Dyana Williams: I was. In her Lifetime movie, she called me “Diana,” but when they zoomed in on the office door, it said “Dyana.” That was me. She remembered me as a tough boss. That’s okay. I still believe Wendy Williams is “an immensely talented American broadcaster.” I may not agree with her assessment of me, but I still hold her in high regard.

AllHipHop: What’s one of the hardest things you’ve ever gone through?

Dyana Williams: My youngest son died four years ago. That was devastating. His death made me more mindful of life and of living. My son can’t squeeze another second out of life, but I can. So I do. I’m a God-fearing woman. Even when I’m challenged, I’m still living in the bliss of the gift.

AllHipHop: What do you make of the state of music today, especially the business side?

Dyana Williams: It should be called “business music.” These companies are about the bottom line. Some are publicly traded. They care about investors. I get that. But the business has always been unfair, especially to people of color. Black, brown, Asian. If anything, the business of music can be traced back to slavery. That’s why it’s called “master.” Who owns the master controls the rewards. My mission has always been to educate artists. Register your songs. Protect your work. Do your homework.

AllHipHop: And now streaming has changed everything.

Dyana Williams: People upload a million songs a day. But what is a portion of a penny? How many streams does it take to make a living? Music is not free. This is people’s labor. Artists have to tour, sell merch, get sponsorships. And it’s not just the artist. It’s the photographers, journalists, videographers, everybody around the culture who deserves to be compensated.

AllHipHop: What about the art itself?

Dyana Williams: “There are levels.” Some of it is trash. Some of it is mindless. And then you get a Jill Scott album, and that’s a high level. Everybody has to judge for themselves. I understand party music. I understand booty-shaking music. It has a place. But if you seek out what you love, you can still find great music.

AllHipHop: You’ve coached some huge artists. What makes a superstar?

Dyana Williams: Talent first. But also presence, clarity, discipline. When I met Rihanna, I knew. She was gorgeous, talented, and had a point of view. I worked with Justin Bieber on his first album, Ne-Yo on his first album, T.I., Tiny, Saweetie, Lil’ Kim once for Howard Stern. I’ve worked across genres. The New York Times called me “Hip-Hop’s artist whisperer.” I didn’t solicit that. I don’t even have a publicist. “God’s my publicist.”

AllHipHop: What keeps you going now?

Dyana Williams: I know I was given a gift, and “I have not wasted the gift.” I’ve got more to do. We all do. We have to fight for our culture, preserve our history, and support institutions like the National Museum of African American Music. Knowledge is power. The more information you have, the more powerful you become.

More from this remarkable conversation with one of the culture’s great

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