The honest update:

This campaign has been live for six months. We've raised $835, and I'll be honest with you: roughly half of that is my own money.

I'm not hiding that. I'm sharing it because the kind of station I'm building, one rooted in honesty, in community, in something real, has to start with honesty from me.

So here it is: NoLaces Radio launched on April 19, 2026. We're live. 103 session starts in the first two weeks. Weekly broadcasts every Monday. Monthly live sessions every third Saturday. Chicago's first dedicated Afro-global radio station is not a dream anymore, it's a frequency.

But frequencies cost money to sustain. And I need your help to sustain this one.

⭐️What is NoLaces Radio?

NoLaces Radio is Chicago's first dedicated Afro-global internet radio station, built for the diaspora, by the diaspora.

24/7 Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall, Afro House, and Reggae. The rhythms that don't get airtime anywhere else in this city. Spotlights on Chicago's diaspora DJs, artists, and creatives. Two anchor live shows: the Global Groove Report every Monday, and the Speakeasy Session every third Saturday, with more on the way.

This isn't a playlist. This is a home, a cultural infrastructure. A dedicated frequency for a community that has been here, building and creating and celebrating, without a station that reflects it back.

Chicago has one of the most vibrant Afro-diaspora communities in the country. Until April 19, 2026, it had no dedicated radio station. Now it does. Help us keep it running.

⭐️My Story, in short:

I'm Ade Awolola — Nigerian-born DJ, cultural curator, Chicagoan. I've spent years watching music do what nothing else can: collapse walls, pull strangers into the same room, make people feel at home somewhere they've never been.

I built NoLaces Radio because the platform didn't exist and the community deserved it. I put my own money in because I believe in it. I'm asking for yours because I can't finish building it alone.

Where your money goes — transparently:

We've already covered the core launch costs to get on air. This updated goal covers what keeps us running, protected, and growing.

Live365 renewal (October) — ~$1,200

Our broadcast home. Covers legal music licensing for Afrobeats, Amapiano, Dancehall, and more. Without it, we go dark.

Website renewal (November) — ~$300

nolacesradio.com — where listeners find us and sponsors reach us.

Studio lighting — ~$185

Godox SL60IID + softbox. Video content for Reels, show clips, and YouTube. Sound only gets you so far.

Power backup — ~$80

APC Back-UPS 600VA. The station runs 24/7. A power surge without battery backup means we go silent mid-broadcast.

Broadcast storage — ~$160

Two external drives — one working drive for recorded shows, one backup. Losing a season of content is unrecoverable.

Guest session gear — ~$75

Headphone amp, mic stand, pop filters. For in-studio guests — so host and guest can both monitor properly.

Legal & brand protection — ~$400

Formalizing the NoLaces name and brand assets before we enter any sponsorship or licensing conversations. The infrastructure that protects everything we're building.

Bookkeeping setup — ~$250

Proper financial records — required for every grant application we file.

Music library expansion — ~$200

Purchasing directly from Boomplay and Bandcamp to source catalog that streaming platforms don't carry. This is how the curation stays deep.

Content production buffer — ~$150

Station imaging, audio IDs, and the tools that make this sound like a real station, not just a stream.

Total: $5,000

Raised so far: $835

Remaining: $4,185

How you can help:

Whatever you're able to give moves this forward.

Can't donate right now? Share this page. A share reaches people I can't reach alone, and in a campaign like this, that matters just as much as a dollar.

No raffles, sweepstakes, giveaways, or returns on investment are offered in exchange for any donations made to this GoFundMe.

With love and gratitude,

Ade Awolola

Founder, NoLaces Radio — Chicago, IL nolacesradio.com