What’s up with DJ Warrior these days? Well, I finally have gotten motivated to work on my album, Cali Untouchable Radio with DJ Muggs. It’s gonna be an independent album through Fontana. Also, I’ve been gettin’ my gigs up overseas and out of state more now – Boise, Idaho – workin’ on Club Element in Vegas, got some artists that I’m workin’ with right now and I’m gettin’ my production game up. I’ve got my Sirius satellite radio show called Cali Untouchable Radio every Tuesday night at 11 PM Pacific standard time on Wednesday nights. We play a lot of West Coast music from up and down the coast, from Seattle to San Diego. We play anything that’s hot on the West Coast, whether it’s gangsta or hyphy shit. Speaking of radio, Internet radio is comin’ up, but commercial radio still dominates. Do you have any desire to be on commercial radio? Yeah, now! I didn’t before. I was just into helping out up and coming artists. To be on commercial radio you kinda have to be around the commercial stuff and know what’s up. But I think I’m ready to see what’s up with commercial radio now. Tell me about Hip Hop West. The online store has been open for about three years and the retail location has been open for about 2 years. Me and Strong wanted to have this store, because at first we were partners in another store. We were doing the marketing for the store and were bringing in a lot of the clientele. So why not have our own store as a boutique store for West Coast brands and bring the culture of Hip Hop in our own way? It’s been doin’ well. We are in a good location, right across the street from Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles on Pico! I’ve done a lot of marketing too, for shoe companies and artists. It’s more than just being a DJ. You kinda want to be doin’ more than one thing, not just DJing at one club, or just doing mixtapes. Look at the New York DJs; they’re on the radio, doin’ mixtapes, clubs and out touring with artists, and that’s the approach I take. What new artists are you working with? Young Dre. He just got signed by Warner Brothers. I was the first DJ to put him on a mixtape. Bishop Lamont, he’s signed. I’m workin’ with my man Taje Roccett, at CTE. I had been workin’ with him since back when he was Logic, ya know, and now he’s Roccett. Strong Arm Steady, I’ve worked with them and been workin’ with them for years. I’m workin’ with producers like DJ Khalil. In the Bay Area there’s Mistah FAB, and I’ve always been a big fan of Jacka. I’m workin’ with Diego Redd and Planet Asia from Central Cali, and Glasses Malone, I’ve worked with him since he was part of the group Faction. He 24 // OZONE WEST
became a solo artist and is now signed to Mack 10. What are the top five records you play in the car versus the top 3 records you’re bumpin’ in the club? DJ WARRIOR’s DECK DJ EFN’s Street Mixes Volume One Mitchy Slick’s album Jay-Z’s album The Game’s album E-40’s album
VERSUS DJ WARRIOR’s CLUB MIX “We Takin’ Over” – DJ Khaled f/ Akon, T.I., Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Baby, & Lil Wayne “International Players” – UGK f/ Outkast “Wouldn’t Get Far” — The Game f/ Kanye West “Throw Some D’s” — Rich Boy f/ Polow “It’s Me Snitches (Remix)” – Swizz Beatz Mashups are gettin’ big now too. It’s like a trend with the DJ AM types and all. It all depends on what crowd I’m DJin’ for. You have to be a versatile DJ and be able to play whatever they want to hear. What’s the best way for an artist to approach you about getting their music played? Well, first, that’s something I could write a book about! Don’t threaten me, don’t try to force me to play your record, understand that there are a lot of artists out there, and don’t take it personally if DJs don’t play your shit. Every DJ has their own ear. If the DJ likes it, they’ll play it. As DJs, we try to do as much as we can. It all comes down to the music. Everyone says they’re hot. Okay, then what? After that, I can’t help no one that doesn’t grind as hard as me. Period. // info@hiphopwest.com www.myspace.com/djwarrior “And I do reply back to everyone that writes me, so hit me there.”