Ellington

It probably goes back to his babysitter on the southside of Chicago who was a deejay. As he grew older, Corio Thomas continued to fall in love with the music of the streets. By age 14, he was playing house and hiphop, sampling old disco records seldom heard outside nightclubs. By age 17, he moved to Ripley, Miss., to live with his grandmother; there he started spinning on the radio in Tupelo. Thomas realized that music was his niche; he started to observe any and everything related to music in and around Mississippi.

After living in Mississippi for a few years, Thomas went back to Chicago for a little while, but his family's native Mississippi was in his blood. His first choices were Mississippi State University and Ole Miss; he knew little about Jackson State University. But a film helped change his mind. "I saw Spike Lee's 'School Daze,' which caused a lot of people up North to start going to historically black colleges. In Mississippi, you didn't hear much about (HBCUs). You may have heard of one or two people going, but it wasn't a real popular choice," Thomas says.

Once at Jackson State and studying broadcasting and mass communications, Thomas kept networking with the hiphop community and local radio stations. He quickly decided he wanted to start a show that showcases hiphop and R&B talent in the South and gives our artists exposure. He did just that: The Southside Video Show was born in January 2000. It showcases both the music and the ideas of entertainers, which have included Roy Jones, Jr., Chopper, 504 Boyz, Cash Money, Charlie Braxton, Ms. Tee, David Banner, UNLV, John Gotti, BGG, Mystikal, Fiend, Jay-Z, Project Pat, Ja Rule, and other local and national entertainers. The one-hour show airs on Jackson Public Access Thursday and Saturday at 2 a.m.

"We want to give the people something that they wouldn't normally see on BET," says Torsha Marie, who has been hosting the show for almost a year now. She met Thomas at the Jackson Music Awards last year and has been working alongside him ever since. She says she shares Thomas' passion for music, which is why they work well together. They have connections with different southern cities such as Memphis, Baton Rouge, Birmingham and New Orleans, where they can get footage of different music and dance styles.

Now DeeJay Scrap, who started off hosting the show, is advising the pair on how to "blow up." They're especially excited about the publicity and possibilities that one of their favorite local rappers, David Banner, is bringing to the area. "I believe that because of his hard work, and his opening doors for us, it's up to artists in Mississippi to now get their game tight and go through the doors. Even though the doors are open for one or two artists, that doesn't mean everybody is going to follow," Thomas says.

How can local artists follow a success story like Banner? "You have to be better than anyone else," Thomas says. "Develop a signature sound that doesn't sound like other states or regions. Develop Jackson's sound." Oh, and get yourself on the Southside Video Show.

In the future, the pair plan to launch a Southside clothing line and make a movie—anything, they say, that would aid in shining a light on Mississippi and its music.