Est. 2004 · Maine · The 207
A 24/7 internet station. A live weekly show. A microphone for the artists building hip hop in the 207.
SUPPORT
FIRST SHOW · 2010
LIVE FROM THE 207
CYPHER SEASON
100 SHOWS
EYENINE × SHANE REIS
GRAFF NIGHT
RUCKUS
APPLETON FOREVER
FROM THE ARCHIVE
207 ON THE AIR
INDEPENDENT RADIO
MAINE BEEN MOVING
Before playlists followed you everywhere, Appleton Radio built an online home for a scene the wider world barely knew existed.
Founded in 2004 by J.T.B., the station’s stated purpose was simple: give Maine hip-hop artists international exposure. The stream ran around the clock, mixing local records into internet radio years before streaming became ordinary.
The Appleton Radio studio bulletin board became an accidental archive of Maine hip hop—show flyers, handwritten artwork, photographs, stickers, promotional cards, and pieces of the community that passed through the room.
In July 2013, renowned Portland graffiti artist Mike Rich transformed the Appleton Radio studio into an orchard—an original mural where Maine’s landscape, hip-hop culture, and the station’s apple icon all grew together.
The Appleton Radio Show began broadcasting live in December 2010, originally with JTB and Ryan Augustus. Week by week it captured interviews, premieres, cyphers, battle recaps, visiting artists, and the everyday connective tissue of Maine hip hop.
Rap Night regulars, producers, DJs, graffiti writers, promoters, veteran voices, and first-time guests all passed through. What survives is more than a podcast run—it is a first-person record of a community making itself heard.
Browse every preserved show →Built to give Maine hip-hop artists exposure beyond the state, with local programming and a continuous internet stream.
The Portland Phoenix’s “Beat Report” covered the young network and its role showcasing Maine hip hop. View the Portland Public Library record ↗
Before the weekly live show existed, Portland television program 207 featured Appleton Radio and introduced its Maine hip-hop streaming website to a wider audience. The episode also includes a performance by A-Frame and Mike Clouds.
The first preserved episode aired December 1. Wednesday broadcasts became interviews, conversations, premieres, and cyphers. Listen to the very first Appleton Radio Show →
AirTran Airways’ GO Magazine visited Portland’s underground hip-hop scene for its December cover feature, “Redrawing the Rap Map.” The article documented Rap Night at The Big Easy and identified Appleton Radio hosts J.T. Bisson and Ryan Augustus as longtime local MCs and respected voices in the scene.
Past guests packed the studio while DJ Boondocks supplied beats for a live anniversary cypher. Listen to The Appleton 100 →
The Portland Press Herald profiled Maine’s hip-hop community and Appleton Radio’s decade-long role as a 24/7 station devoted exclusively to local artists. The feature includes J.T. Bisson’s response to people who ask whether Maine really has rappers. Read the Press Herald feature ↗
“What? There are rappers in Maine?”
Yeah. There are really good rappers in Maine.
This tribute was rebuilt from original site backups, show descriptions, photographs, MP3s, and public reporting. The reviewed archive preserves 130 programs in chronological order.
