About Jay Smooth
Born 1972. Jay Smooth is an American writer, disc jockey, radio personality, vlogger and blog.
John Randolph (born 1972), better known as Jay Smooth, is an American cultural commentator best known for his Ill Doctrine video blog. He is also the founder of New York City's longest-running hip-hop radio program, WBAI's Underground Railroad. Smooth left WBAI in July 2018 after the station hired Leonard Lopate, who was fired from WNYC for allegations of sexual harassment. grew up in New York City, and attended Ethical Culture Fieldston School. He chose the pseudonym "Jay Smooth" as a teenager when he started his radio program.
He video blogs on a personal website called Ill Doctrine which features Smooth's commentary on hip hop, politics, and social justice, such as in "Soulja Boy Presidential Debate Remix". Smooth also occasionally provides music commentary on NPR, He rose to prominence to mainstream audiences in 2008 when he released a YouTube video on his channel called "How to Tell Somebody they Sound Racist." The video currently has over one million views.
In 2018, he hosted a series on media literacy on the YouTube Crash Course channel. Smooth chose to leave his radio show, The Underground Railroad, in July 2018 just short of his 30th anniversary at WBAI. He stated that he quit because the station hired Leonard Lopate for a paid position shortly after Lopate was fired from WNYC for sexual misconduct.
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Important facts
People in Jay Smooth's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Jay Smooth's
Frequently asked questions
Who is Jay Smooth?
American DJ and writer
When was Jay Smooth born?
Jay Smooth was born in 1972 in New York City.
What is Jay Smooth's occupation?
Jay Smooth is a writer, disc jockey, radio personality, vlogger and blog.
What nationality is Jay Smooth?
Jay Smooth is American.
Sources & further reading
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Jay Smooth. https://biography.guide/jay-smooth/
MLA: "Jay Smooth." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/jay-smooth/.
Chicago: "Jay Smooth." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/jay-smooth/.
Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.
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