By Autumn Francisco
The Cincinnati Herald
Sharif D. King, also known as “King Sharif,” is a radio personality over at 101.1, the WIZ. King recently moved to Cincinnati from New York City to join the Radio One team and is celebrating his one-year anniversary there this month.
Along with maintaining the number-one radio show in the Tri-state, King has also done many other things in such short time. He has a spot on Fox 19 conversing about music news every Friday at 8:40 a.m. and curated a monthly day party known as Social Media Sundays, at Queen City Radio.
King has certainly adjusted to Queen City living well and has made himself comfortable. He says it would not have been possible without the support he’s been receiving from his fans and his team.
“The team players inside the radio station are awesome and phenomenal to work with. They are familiar with this area and show me who to get in tune with,” King explained.
Born and raised in Harlem, “also by the way of the Bronx,” King was exposed to the media industry since his youth. “As a young kid my mother bought me a karaoke system, and I would act like I was on TV,’’ he said. “I also had record player. I knew I wanted to do something with music.”
King also used to record Angie Martinez and listen to her over and over. The energy Martinez produced through her radio show let King know this is what he had to do.
Radio and print were initially his main interests, but King is definitely not limited to those outlets. He was given the opportunity to host the Ubahn Fest 2016. “As a multimedia personality, I pitch versatility. I like to display my vibe and how I feel about all platforms because digital wasn’t always the big thing …. so now I want to take it and own the craft.”
On the digital side, his official website – sharifdking.com – will be dropping next month.
King has a number of things in store, including bigger celebrity interviews and a few digital projects with rappers with his team at The WIZ.
With all the success, Cincinnati may be a long-term stay for King. All the exposure he has gained thus far is definitely given him the opportunity to expand nationwide.
“The atmosphere of Cincinnati has a lot to offer and the rest of the world doesn’t really know that,” King explained.
King plans to take Cincinnati to the next level with music, fashion, lifestyle, and entertainment. “Being the night show king, it is my responsibility to make sure nightlife is expanding, I try to put on for the Tri-state.”
King can be heard on 101.1 The WIZ from 7 p.m. to midnight weekdays.