Growing Up With the Radio: My All-Time Favorite Tucson DJs

 By a Proud 39-Year-Old Latina from the Southside

Growing up in Tucson in the '90s and early 2000s, the radio was everything. Before smartphones and streaming, it was that beat-up boombox on my dresser, the stereo in my mom’s minivan, or the Walkman I’d sneak into class that brought the world to me—especially the world of music. And for me, a girl growing up on the southside, the voices coming through those speakers weren’t just DJs. They were family. They were my connection to the city, to my culture, and to my own coming of age. Here are my all-time favorite DJs who shaped my childhood, my identity, and my soundtrack.

R Dub! – The King of Slow Jams

Let me start with the man, the myth, the legend: R Dub! If you’re from Tucson and you don’t know R Dub!, were you even paying attention? I first heard him on Power 1490, and then later on KXCI, KRQ, and of course, 97.5 The Vibe, where he still hosts six night a week, as well as now all over the world on 200+ stations. He was the guy who invented Sunday Night Slow Jams—and for a hopeless romantic like me, that was EVERYTHING. I used to sit in my room with the lights low, pretending I was older than I was, listening to those smooth slow jams and R Dub’s voice like velvet, making dedications sound like poetry. And it wasn’t just the music—it was the vibe. He created something that felt sacred, like a safe space for love, heartbreak, and every crush I ever had in middle school.

To this day, I credit R Dub! for my deep love of R&B and for helping me through more than one teenage heartbreak. R Dub created Slow Jams, and he did it right here, from Tucson. That makes me proud.

Mojo and Betsy – My Morning Laughter

Every school morning, like clockwork, we’d pile into my mom’s Toyota Corolla—me, my brothers, and my mom with her cafecito in a travel mug. And always, without fail, Mojo and Betsy were on the radio. I can still hear their laughter echoing in my memory. They were like the tío and tía you always wanted—goofy, sharp, and always making fun of something in the most hilarious way.

They got me through some tough mornings, too. Like when I had a science test I wasn’t ready for or when my mom and I were fighting over my chola eyeliner. Mojo and Betsy reminded me not to take life too seriously. They were Tucson through and through, and even though they were on the radio, they felt like they were sitting right there in the car with us. That kind of magic? You don’t forget it.

Kid Corona – The Coolest Vato on the Dial

Now let’s talk about Kid Corona—aka my teenage radio crush. This man was the smoothest dude to ever hit Hot 98FM. I remember the exact moment I fell for him: he came to Sunnyside High School (Go Blue Devils!) for some kind of pep rally or event, and all the girls were swooning—including me. He had that confidence, that charisma, and that voice that just made you feel cool listening to him.

But the thing that really made Kid Corona stand out? He spoke Spanglish. Not in a fake or forced way—he lived it. For someone like me, whose home life was all Spanish and school life was all English, hearing someone on the radio who blended both made me feel seen. Like, finally, someone who sounded like us. That mattered. A lot.

I’d tune in every chance I got just to hear his mix shows and his shoutouts to the barrios and the panaderías. He repped Tucson with pride and made being bilingual and bicultural feel like the coolest thing in the world.

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So yeah, maybe it sounds cheesy, but the radio raised me. These DJs weren’t just voices—they were the soundtrack to my life in Tucson. They made me laugh, made me cry, made me fall in love, and reminded me that our stories—our Spanglish, slow jam, southside stories—matter.

Gracias, R Dub!, Mojo and Betsy, and Kid Corona. For everything.