Chaz Kangas was born in Minneapolis, and attended New York University, where he was dorm mates with Childish Gambino and had a class with Lady Gaga. After graduating in 2008 with a B.A. in Cinema Studies, he started teaching music, and was named Teacher of the Year at Bank Street College in 2011. While in New York, Chaz covered music for The New York Times, Complex, LA Weekly, Village Voice, and City Pages. After a brief stint in Los Angeles, he became an on-air host for the now-defunct Minneapolis hip-hop station Go 95.3 in 2016.
Chaz started at The Current in 2022 and has been having an absolute blast. His highlights so far include introducing Dillinger Four and Bob Mould Band at the State Fair Grandstand for The Current’s Music-On-A-Stick, and gifting an ecstatic Killer Mike a rare DVD of 1980s of Atlanta wrestler “Wildfire” Tommy Rich. He’s most proud of assembling content celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, his favorite genre, which was one of the most gratifying moments he’s had in broadcasting. His early love of music was formed watching music videos by Peter Gabriel, OutKast, and the Beastie Boys. And while hip-hop is his first love, his second is Christmas music. Chaz is a huge champion of the Twin Cities local music scene, including artists such as Nur-D, Durry, Ber, Mae Simpson, and so many others. Outside The Current, he’s the broadcast manager for SPEAK MPLS, the rebranded Minneapolis public access channels.
Chaz is a host at The Current, filling in at a variety of times.
