Urban oldies? It seemed like sort of a weird idea when The Beat — a quadrocast station made up of KNRJ 101.1 FM, K224CJ 92.7 FM, K257CD 99.3 FM, and K228XO 93.5 FM — started bumping old-school R&B and hip-hop in late 2008. Then an L.A. station picked up the format, making the Phoenix-bred format less of a novelty. There are a few solid stations for hip-hop in town, but we really like the unique playlist on The Beat, built around hits from the golden age of rap and featuring such artists as Pac, Biggie, Dre, and Snoop. And, sure, we like a little Warren Hill, some Fresh Prince, and a little R. Kelly in there, too. The jocks are nothing special and the low wattage of the signal is annoying, but The Beat is good-time music and always manages to make us smile as we flip by for a few seconds on a long commute.