Rock The Bells Radio launches on Channel 43

March 27, 2018: SiriusXM announces the launch of LL Cool J's Rock The Bells Radio, a classic hip-hop channel named after one of LL Cool J's songs. A press release says, "The channel will feature a wide range of classic hip-hop content, music, interviews and in-depth retrospectives curated and presented by LL, as well as other innovators of hip-hop music, including Ice Cube, Stetsasonic, Eric B & Rakim, Snoop Dogg, OutKast, Kool Moe Dee, Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Ultramagnetic MCs, Too Short, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, Canibus, Wu-Tang Clan, Run-DMC, Brand Nubian, De La Soul, Black Moon and Ice T."

March 28, 2018: At 10 pm Eastern time, Rock The Bells Radio replaces Backspin on SiriusXM Channel 43. Rock The Bells Radio is also available on the SiriusXM app and other connected devices.

March 29, 2018: Here, for your amazement and amusement, is a dinky lil' sample of the Rock The Bells Radio playlist. Chart positions are from the Billboard r&b chart.

SiriusXM Satellite Radio
Channel 43 - Rock The Bells Radio

Ain't No Half Steppin' - Big Daddy Kane (53/1988)
All Eyez On Me - 2Pac (LP/1996)
Big Ole Butt - LL Cool J (57/1989)
Can I Kick It - A Tribe Called Quest (--/1990)
Clear - Cybotron (52/1983)
Dangerous - O.C./Big L (--/1997)
Don't Sweat The Technique - Eric B/Rakim (14/1992)
Eric B Is President - Eric B/Rakim (48/1986)
Fu-Gee-La - Fugees (13/1995)
Funky Beat - Whodini (19/1986)
Gin & Juice - Snoop Dogg (13/1994)
Guilty Conscience - Eminem/Dr Dre (56/1999)
Have A Nice Day - Roxanne Shanté (--/1987)
Head Banger - EPMD (75/1992)
How High - Redman/Method Man (10/1995)
If I Ruled The World - Nas/Lauryn Hill (17/1996)
Loungin' - LL Cool J/Total (4/1996)
Love Rap - Spoonie Gee/Treacherous Three (--/1980)
Music - Erick Sermon/Marvin Gaye (2/2001)
No Vaseline - Ice Cube (--/1991)
People Say - Wu-Tang Clan/Redman (--/2017)
Ruff Ryders Anthem - DMX (33/1998)
The Bidness - Snoop Dogg (LP/2004)
The Gas Face - 3rd Bass (29/1990)
The Symphony - Marley Marl/Juice Crew (--/1988)
This Is What It Comes Too - Raekwon (LP/2017)
360°- Grand Puba (30/1992)
8th Wonder - Sugarhill Gang (15/1980)

Backspin played "1980s-90s classic hip-hop." We can debate what makes any hip-hop song "classic" but that's not important right now. Rock The Bells Radio, which replaces Backspin, plays hip-hop from 1980 to the present. Otherwise, the two channels are musically similar. At least I think so. Here are a few more songs that were just played:

Adventures Of Super Rhyme - Jimmy Spicer (--/1980)
Ain't No Fun - Snoop Dogg/Nate Dogg/Kurupt/Warren G (LP/1993)
Beats To The Rhyme - Run-DMC (B/1988)
Flava In Ya Ear - Craig Mack/B.I.G./Busta Rhymes/LL Cool J (B/1994)
Funk You Up - Sequence (15/1980)
Go On Girl - Roxanne Shanté (--/1988)
Money Power & Respect - Lox/DMX/Lil Kim (8/1998)
Rebirth Of Slick - Digable Planets (6/1992)
Simon Says - Pharoahe Monch (29/1999)
Straight Outta Compton - NWA (B/1989)
Wanksta - 50 Cent (4/2002)

Not everyone likes Rock The Bells Radio. Look at this exchange on LL Cool J's Twitter page:

Raeshika Campbell @raej Mar 26

It's annoying that SIRIUSXM pulls Backspin off the air for a week to play a loop of Grandmaster Caz as a means of advertising the switch to Rock The Bells. Doubt it takes a week to say the channel is changing a bit.

Paul Herrera @PaulRHerrera Mar 27

Exactly! I want a refund or credit to my account. They are supposed to supply Commercial Free music...WTH? This whole hype thing is a waste. I don't want to hear talking, I want to hear Old School Classic Hip Hop and that's it. Bring Backspin back!

LLCOOLJ @llcoolj Mar 27
Replying to @PaulRHerrera @raej and 2 others

Or don’t listen. All ♥

https://twitter.com/llcoolj/status/978710654864388096

I wonder what SiriusXM CEO Scott Greenstein thinks of LL Cool J telling subscribers to not listen to the Rock The Bells channel. And I wonder what Greenstein thinks of LL Cool J's response to a listener who asked why audio2, King Sun, Sweet Tee, PRT and TwinHype are not being played:

"You're not the DJ. We love those artists. But we don't take requests."

Such arrogance! Such disdain for his listeners! LL Cool J does not deserve to have his own channel.

https://twitter.com/llcoolj/status/981229502448545792