thedjbooth
Shadyville’s A
SeanMac Words by Eric Perrin // Photo by Julia Beverly
fter years of being overshadowed by the rappers they helped create, the DJs are finally striking back. Turntablists all across the country are now becoming stars in their own right, and reaping the benefits of the financial dividends. In Chicago, prominent DJ’s have historically been elusive - until Sean Mac. Known as the “Youngest in Charge,” the 25 year-old Shadyville DJ decided he wanted to be the best (sorry, Khaled), so he took his campaign to the streets — literally. With a self-financed promotional budget rivaling some major label artists, Sean Mac and his 10 man street team canvassed Chi City with Sean Mac t-shirts, water bottles, throw towels, and mix CD’s. Soon, every hood in Chicago knew the name Sean Mac, and when the city discovered he could actually DJ, mayhem ensued. Now touted as the King of the Midwest, Sean Mac isn’t satisfied with regional success. He wants the flashing lights, he wants the glory. How long have you been DJing? It’s been about four or five years now. A lot of people are surprised at that, like, “It’s only been four years, nigga? Damn!” Yeah, I’ve grinded a little bit too hard. You’ve been getting a lot of national recognition, which doesn’t happen very often for DJ’s from Chicago. How have been able to cross that threshold? I’ve just been going as hard as I could. When it comes to this music shit, you gotta go above and beyond. Being a DJ, you don’t get as much recognition as an artist or producer, but my determination was a little bit stronger than others. I go extra hard on everything. One of the biggest things for me is promotion. My promotion and marketing is a little bit advanced. I started making T-shirts, Sean Mac throw-out towels to pass out at parties, Sean Mac water bottles. I did everything: mixtapes, poster boards, wrapped trucks, clubs, parties. Instead of the things DJs typically do for promotion, I was more focused on doing everything an artist could possibly do for promotion. You gotta go hard, you can’t just stand still and play records, that shit ain’t gon’ work. Talk about some of the work you’ve done in the industry. Aw man, I’m all over the place.
I’ve propped and hosted some of the biggest mixtapes in the Midwest, hosted by just about every artist from Tony Yayo to Jeezy, to damn near anybody you can think of. I’ve worked with a lot of people. I’m affiliated with Shadyville DJs, which is a DJ coalition created by DJ Whoo Kid. They picked me up as one of the biggest DJs in the Midwest and gave me that crown. Other than that, I’ve been touring with Twista, doing shows after shows, party after party. I DJ seven nights a week some weeks, some nights I do two parties in one night, so it’s crazy. My all time record is DJing four events in one day. The movement is going good right now, rapid pace. At the end of the day it all starts from dedication and determination. You gotta really want that shit. You gotta believe in yourself, and you gotta believe in God; that’s what got me landed on BET, that’s what got me in all the magazines I’ve been in. God is the best! So how would you classify yourself as a DJ? Would you say you’re more of a mixtape DJ, a club DJ, or what? I’m all around. I’m doing a new mixtape once a week at least, sometimes two at a time. Right now I’m doing clubs all the time, and I gotta make sure my street team is intact. I have a ten man street team, and I make sure they’re supplied with mixtapes, promotional and marketing tools. So on top of me being a DJ, I feel like I’m more of the full package. My all around game is crazy. I can’t label myself as a mixtape DJ, or a club DJ, or anything like that because I’m conquering and killing every market. I’m the ideal DJ, I’m cornering every market. Why do you think more DJs from Chicago or the Midwest in general haven’t followed your lead? People ask me that shit all the time, “What are these other DJs problems?” See, in Chicago, everybody has an ego issue and they don’t even have shit to validate having an ego issue. That’s just how I feel personally, and I’m not saying they’re not skillful. I’m not saying they’re not capable of getting it poppin’, but they’ve got a problem with going outside the box. They’ve become complacent. What do you see for yourself in the future? I’m on some Khaled shit. I’m on some Drama shit, and shouts out to them, too; those are my niggas. I’m trying to be on some shit to where I can get an album deal. I’m trying to come out with Twista, Lil Wayne, and T-Pain on a record for a single and debut the video on 106th & Park and have a national album released. I’m trying to do big shit. Niggas tryin’ to drive Phantoms and be straight financially in the future. I’m trying to be one of the iconic DJ’s of the world, like Clue and Kay Slay, and Whoo Kid and all them. I wanna be one of the biggest DJs in the world, and I’m gonna do everything I can to make that happen. // OZONE MAG // 89