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The gentleman who called me the next day was my interviewer.

"I remember fans asking me, you know, when are you coming back?" Kiotti said. "People thought it was the longest vacation ever."

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Anyone remotely connected to Houston’s contemporary music scene has heard the voice of Hard Body Kiotti. The straight-talking freestyle guru has spent years in our ear as one of the most important radio figures in the Bayou City.

Many are familiar with him from the Houston Radio One syndicate 97.9 The Box, being once signed to Asylum Records and releasing popular tracks like "Hooka Hooka." More recently, he's released the Houston anthem, “H-Town For Real” as an independent artist. His legacy thus far in the Houston music scene — both as an artist and radio personality —  has helped coin him the nickname "Radio Boss."

Kiotti didn’t have radio dreams at first —  it was his crowdpleasing freestyles that that were able to take him far.

"Freestyling in high school, I used to run across other people in my school that did music, but I probably got a better reaction than other people ... To this day, freestyle has probably opened more doors for me than a college degree could have."

His journey in radio began with him working part-time at 97.9 The Box. Eventually, through his captivating freestyles and charisma, he worked his way up to being the voice of the night with his show "Late Night Hype," and years later moved up to daytime with "Good Morning H-Town." After more than a quinquennial as a media personality and artist, Kiotti, who's now 38, is able to maintain his “Radio Boss” status despite no longer working for a major radio station.

"For me, especially being in the media space so long I kind of understand that control is something that a lot of creatives don't have," Kiotti said. "So it's crazy to be a creative but not have creative control, right?"

He started “The AM Wake-Up Show” in the mornings on social media, where fans can get their daily dose of entertainment news as well as opportunities to hear artists who are on the rise. Kiotti manages to bridge the gap between Houston’s old school sound and the newer upcoming artists of Houston’s present.

But that’s not all he’s doing —  the radio guru also manages a social media marketing company, Umbrella, geared towards the music industry, and curates digital content for both of his platforms, “Inside the Culture" and podcast “On the Radar." The longtime “Radio Boss” is getting back in the studio for his next project, “Grown Man Music” which is set to release May 21.

"I hooked up with my homie Chris Thornton from 'The Frontrunnaz.' Chris is amazing at producing. He’s done work with Young Thug, and Logic. He’s got some credits," Kiotti said.

With the new creative freedom at his disposal, Kiotti's goal is to connect with other like-minded producers and knock out entire projects.

"I remember when I made 'H-Town For Real,'" Kiotti reminisced. "People were like oh snap, like bro is still out here really rapping. So the funny thing to me is when I come across young people, they’ll be like 'oh, that’s the radio guy.' When you see older people, they’re like ‘no, no, no, baby. That’s Kiotti, y’all don’t know who Kiotti is? That’s 'Hooka Hooka.'"

While some artists may find the title mix-up frustrating, Kiotti wears it as a badge of honor because he’s been able to make meaningful music for multiple generations.

"You got to think, in two separate generations, I've had a song that was relevant. You’ve got 'Hooka Hooka,' which is an HBCU party anthem, 'H-Town For Real,' which is like a 2020, 'Wanna Be a Baller,' it’s like something that everybody in our era identifies you as Houston," Kiotti explained.

After all this time, Kiotti’s vision has remained the same. Following Houston innovators like DJ Screw, his plan is to "mix the OGs with the new kids."

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