Being the life of the party and center of attention isn’t easy, especially when you’re at one of the top HBCUs in the country. For event host and radio personality, Christian Kornegay, more prominently known as CDK On The Mic, living this life hasn’t always been easy, but it has definitely been rewarding. While a current junior at North Carolina A&T, he has taken on high-level roles in the radio industry. These roles range from being a radio personality for the #1 Hip-Hop radio station in Greensboro, NC (102 Jamz), and named #1 HBCU host by HBCU Buzz, to now working as a College Marketing Rep with one of the top music labels in the country, Warner Music Group. His humble beginnings from Fresh Empire is what catapulted him into the radio industry, though that wasn’t his intention.
“Radio chose me, I didn’t really choose it.”
CDK also expressed how grateful he was for radio influencers in his area that helped him along the way including B.Daht and MarkyMarc of 102 Jamz, along with taking inspiration from radio icons Rickey Smiley, Tom Joyner, Big Tiger, and others. The North Carolina native prides himself on creating experiences that hold memories with people at his school. CDK also works as a content curator for popular music news platform HipHop DX and is merely just touching the surface of what all his future career has in store for him.
When was that “ah-ha” moment for you when you knew that you needed to take radio more seriously?
I would say that it was when I was asked to be a personality! Initially, during my internship, I would send content to my program director and would ask for feedback even though they weren’t hiring at the time. One week during Car Show which is a big concert that’s hosted, I got hired right after that for an internship around homecoming season. My director called me and told me one day to come to the radio station to talk to him. “You ready?”, he asked. “Ready for what?” “Ready to be on the air.” “Sure, when are we going to start?” “Tomorrow!” I was on the air from 12-2 am in the morning, with class the next day but I did not care! I was going to be there!
How has your HBCU helped you go into what you’re doing now?
A&T really helped me with corporate events when it comes to being on time. Of course, having your event clean and coordinating the show, sending emails, and being able to just address situations better when combining entertainment and corporate life. Branding is also another big thing! My brand as a host is what carries me-- the talent is 10%, the 90% is the brand, marketing, and who you are as a person.
In your interview with HBCUBuzz, you said that the ranking of #1 Host allowed you to be the voice of the HBCU community. Why is this important to you and how do you plan to represent various HBCUs when only attending one?
From my recent experience with hosting YardCon, I was able to represent both PWIs and HBCUs at one of the biggest college conferences in the nation so that was one way, even though I’ve only just been able to represent all by attending one. Also, when I travel to different schools I pay close attention to each culture and learn about them. There’s a difference between HBCUs in the North and South so understanding them demographically along with their history helps me better learn how and why they do what they do.
What has it been like balancing your career life and your school life?
Very hard! School was the “Plan B” for me for a long time! I was going to school for it to be a buffer for me to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. As I started getting deeper into my career and in my third year of college, I realized that “I might as well finish”. In the beginning, my brand was based around HBCUs so I thought “how could I be an HBCU advocate if I don’t take education at HBCUs seriously. It was 90% getting my career together and 10% school work.
In the midst of radio and academic work, CDK began his campaign to win the title of #1 HBCU Host. This not only helped him grow in his marketing experience but also helped him grow from being at a lower point in his life at the time. “It really showed me who was supporting my vision. There were a lot of people saying congratulations, but not a lot of people asking did I need help with anything.”
Since his win, he has partnered with YardCon and ABC News all while managing to grow his own platform by interviewing stars such as Vedo, Sukihana, Keedron Bryant, and many more! Through his interviews, you can see his dedication and care for the craft.
What has your experience been like working with Warner Music Group, how did that come about?
They reached out to me because the founder of HBCU Pulse, Reynold Barnes, asked him “did he know any students?” and that’s when he recommended me for my role as the #1 HBCU Host and being on their team. From there, they reached out and I filled out the application. Working with them has been amazing! The experience that I’ve gained from working with them has opened up doors for myself when it comes to conversation and strong credibility.
What do you feel has been your most impactful or memorable experience as a Radio Personality?
Definitely, half-time shoot to win! I used to go to middle and high schools to do pep rallies and this young lady’s mom reached out to me because her daughter saw me at schools and on social media, and wanted me to host her Sweet 16 party! For someone’s mom to reach out to me a year in advance for her daughter’s birthday was wild!
So I saw that you contribute to a podcast-- The Sad Boy Saga. How did that come about and what has that experience been like?
Me and Horatio Radio used to be in a band together so we had always been in media together and people would suggest that we do something together, but we never put it in order. Though the idea was presented, me and Horatio were still hesitant but seeing how serious the team was with their craft, we both knew the formula would work. Since I had already known Ratio previously, we have two different personalities. We’re more the “face and heel”, not to say he’s the bad cop but he’s just a little edgier and I’m more so conservative but it works because we have different opinions. When we have women on our show, we may talk about things that are a little more touchy because we have them there for their perspective. “SAD” is also an acronym for society acknowledging depression.
Why do you feel that it's important to acknowledge depression?
Working in the music industry, I feel like mental health isn’t talked about enough. We see so many rappers and artists die from overdoses on substances because they haven’t put themselves through the proper care to keep their mental health in order. I ask record labels all the time, “what are you doing to make sure your artists have their mental health together?” Many don’t have an answer and not to say they don’t care, but mental health just became ‘trending’ recently.
What qualities do you personally feel make a good host?
Dedication is the number quality. Understand that hosting is a 24/7 job. Branding is going to be your top thing, when you get on the mic that’s really just 10%. Building up to the event, marketing will be very important. People skills are also really important-- you’d be surprised with how many people wanna be hosts but don’t know how to communicate. Communication skills are important to be relatable to your audience and being personable. Sometimes people can forget how it feels to be in the audience.
What do you hope people gain from your legacy?
I hope people receive the message that “literally anybody can do it”. My brand came to be because I just started doing it. I’m from a low-income neighborhood but I wouldn’t say that I’m from the streets. I just do it for the regular folks.
Who are some people you have on your "hit-list" to work with?
I’m a huge Chris Brown fan so definitely him! I also really like Sway In The Morning, who actually watched one of my interviews before. Also, Charlamagne Tha God and Bobby Shmurda. I definitely want to have more entertainers instead of just artists as well.
What would be your advice to someone looking to do what you do?
Get it started and get the ball rolling and understand that you may fail, but that’s good though! When someone tells you no, ask them why. You need to understand what’s hindering you from the next level. When people always tell you yes, you don’t know what you’re doing wrong. Look for the no’s. If you’re always getting yesses, you’re not shooting high enough.
CDK would be considered “Up Next” because he is not afraid when it comes to pushing the envelope in his field. He’s not only reviving the radio industry, but he’s giving it a new look which is giving people around him a different perspective on what the media industry looks like. He’s stayed true to his roots and continues to set an example for those around him so that they can find a passion from anywhere!
To keep up with CDK and his journey, you can check out his website here.
You can also follow him on social media here.