Urban contemporary is a music
radio format. The term was coined by New York DJ
Frankie Crocker in the mid-1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of
hip hop,
R&B,
grime,
electronic music such as
dubstep,
UK garage and
drum and bass (often with hip hop vocalists or rappers), and
Caribbean music such as
reggae,
dancehall,
reggaeton, zoui,
bouyon, and
soca (In Toronto, London, New York City, Boston and Miami). Urban contemporary was developed through the characteristics of genres such as
R&B and
soul. Virtually all urban contemporary formatted radio stations are located in cities that have sizeable African-American populations, such as
New York City,
Atlanta,
Chicago,
Washington, D.C.,
Philadelphia,
Detroit,
Cleveland,
Cincinnati,
Dallas,
Houston,
San Francisco,
Los Angeles,
Baltimore,
Memphis,
Boston,
New Orleans,
Louisville,
Indianapolis,
Columbus,
Oklahoma City, and
Charlotte.