“In the beginning, it was me saying “Black Bill Gates Hoe” on my mixtapes, but now it’s definitely my ability to rock a crowd. Ask anybody who’s been to Club Miami or any of the events I’ve played.” – Black Bill Gates “I love to integrate songs from different social scenes and expose them to spots that never get that certain type of music. And no matter where I’m at, I always play a Soulja Slim song. R.I.P.” – Bomshell Boogie “I’m known for leaving the turntables to jump on the dance floor to bust a move before the next song begins.” – Civil Rightz “Disassembling buildings and smashing down parties worldwide. Having the most energetic radio show on the planet. Being a DJ that not only plays hits but makes the hits too. Being very creative and original on my mixtapes.” – Clinton Sparks “Telling the 100% honest, sometimes brutal, truth – a.k.a. being a hater. LOL.” – Cristal Bubblin “My trademark has been my custom DJ Dre clothing that I’m often seen in.” – Dre “I am ‘Tampa’s Most Connected DJ.’” – Ekin “I like to do intros with a lot of cuts on my mixtapes to catch peoples’ attention early. I try different things with blends too, like new acapellas with old school instrumentals. I get more creative than a lot of other DJs in the game now.” – Frogie
“I showcase new talent, not just the A-list artists. I’m the outlet for a lot of independent and up coming artists who need support.” – Radio “People tell me they love watching me spin because they can see the passion that I have for it. I want everyone to get lost in the music with me, and I think people feel that.” – Spontaneous “I dance a lot when I’m DJing; people always mention that to me.” – Storm “Never half-assing, whether it’s 1 or 10,000 in attendance.” – Tab D’Biassi “My trademark is the ‘South’s Crunkest DJ.’ I’m known for always talking freaky to the ladies when I’m DJing.” – Tre “The Untouchable / The Unstoppable.” – Unpredictable From “picking cucumbers with Mexicans” to selling shoes, your favorite DJs have had some very interesting employment opportunities prior to rockin’ the crowd: What jobs did you have prior to DJing? “I cut grass, sold newspapers, and the worse job of all was washing dishes at Ryan’s. That lasted three days and I had to give it up.” – 31 Degreez “Sears, gas station, motivational speaking, and the grocery store.” – Aaries
“I give away lip gloss with my mixtapes. Respect my shine.” – Gloss
“Forklift operator, Jiffy Lube, Circuit City, Burger King, too many to name.” – Bee
“The phrase I always say around people and on my mixtapes is ‘Gottem Coach.’ It’s like a term you would use while playing basketball or football after scoring the winning point.” – Gottem
“I’ve had a few, from throwing boxes for FedEx, to working in a dry cleaner. I’ve sold sneakers and answered phones for Greyhound.” – Big Sue
“The ladies love me.” – Holiday “I’m just silly as hell. My strong point is my song selection and my blending. When you see me in the booth mixing, I’m literally having the best time of my life. I got a dance that I do to Fabo’s ‘Scotty.’ Now people in the crowd do my dance when I drop it.” – JoNasty “My trademark as a DJ has always been my mixtapes, which feature the hottest intros, mixes, and blends. Also my trademark CD covers featuring the hottest models/exotic dancers worldwide.” – Joe Pro “My slogans are ‘I ain’t playing no games’ and ‘Everybody from the front to the back!’” – King Arthur “Blending Hip Hop and R&B with Reggaeton; making people dance no matter what; breaking new trends; producing hot beats; releasing mixtapes on iTunes; and of course being Italian.” – Mesta “I’m known for playing a variety of music and having the most creative mix CDs in the Richmond area. I’m also known for being the first and only female DJ to have a mixshow in the Richmond, VA market.” – Peachez I’m my own hypeman. I feed off my crowd and their participation, which makes me have a better set.” – Q
“I’m serious with computers and have interned, worked, and consulted for at least 5 Fortune 500 companies before the age of 25, all of which I left because they couldn’t deal with my other profession. I quit my final position when they refused to let me take off to film Rap City.” – Black Bill Gates “Picking cucumbers with Mexicans.” – B-Lord “I’m a licensed Cosmetologist. I worked as a make-up artist for Lancome and MAC. I paid for my first set of equipment bartending in a nightclub.” – Bomshell Boogie “I worked for fast food restaurants, construction, lawyer’s office, plus work-study jobs in college.” – Chill
“I was at UPS for four years. The month I went full-time and was about to make a career out of it, I fell through a staircase carrying an 85 pound package. I injured my back and couldn’t do that job anymore so I had to make my dreams of being in the music business a reality, fast.” – Clinton Sparks “I grew up sweeping hair and folding towels in my mother’s hair salon; then I was a cashier at the Rutgers University Bookstore; then a sales associate at Sneaker Stadium. During my years in radio, I’ve worked for insurance companies and been a waitress. Shout out to Olive Garden.” – Cristal Bubblin
“I was the format coordinator for the urban music department at a company called Active Industry Research, Inc. where I did national radio promotions. Before that I interned with several labels including PolyGram, Def Jam, EMI, and Virgin while in college, working a full time job doing collections, promoting and planning parties.” – DNA “High-end home theatre installation.” – Flatline “Sacked groceries at Kroger, telemarketer, warehouse clerk.” – Frogie “Basketball coach for youth at the boys and girls club, dental tech, then I became a dental insurance administrator.” – Gloss “Before DJing, my legal job was being a waiter.” – Gottem
“I worked at the airport loading bags and I was a hotel bell boy.” – Holiday “I was a daycare worker and I was working at the deli in Bruno’s when I made my mind up to pursue this.” – Hot Girl Maxximum “FYE, Copelands, and Best Buy.” – Incognito “I had lots of jobs while DJing part-time such as receiving clerk at the department store Hess’s, working the drive thru at Hardees, and environmental field technician.” – Joe Pro “Underground Station in the Metro Mall in Jackson, slangin’ Timbs. I also used to drive forklifts in a warehouse. It sucked, but the pay was good.” – JoNasty “I didn’t have any before DJing. I had many during DJing, from fast food to managing a multi-million dollar company.” – Judge Mental “Selling hot dogs at The Great Western Forum, scooping ice cream, title insurance, Federal Express, MCA Records, and Power 88.1 in Las Vegas.” – King Arthur “I was working at a Toyota dealership.” – Marc X
“I work in the financial services industry. I’ve been a loan officer and also an annuity specialist.” – Peachez “I used to do lead paint removal, not a great look. I also worked at Guitar Center for four days.” – Peter Parker “I started at a video store and went to Home Depot. After Home Depot, I moved to a bill collection agency for a year, spent a couple of months at an eBay store, and another few months at the IRS. Finally after the IRS, I worked for an auto parts plant doing inventory full time.” – Q “I worked for TSA.” – Rage “I was working as an office assistant at my school. Then I had the retail clothing store job for a minute. But don’t get it twisted, I still work. Ain’t no Hollywood over here; I got bills to pay!” – RNS “Fast food chains and hotel jobs.” – RO “Truck driver, Payless Shoes, retail.” – Shotime “McDonalds, telemarketing, door to door sales, debt management, everything under the sun.” – Spontaneous OZONE OZONEMAG MAG////7373