“First thing is to have some big goals set. Another thing is having connects that you trust to help you get where you want to be. And a big thing that every DJ needs to have is major productivity and focus. I admit, I wasted a couple of years in my life and could have been more successful by now.” – Espee “A DJ must have an ear for music to pick out hits. A DJ should know how to mix music; the ability to blend music is a must. A DJ must have the ability to read a crowd; he or she should know how to move any crowd.” – E-Z Cutt
with the cops and we were free to go.” – Nik Bean
What was the last record you broke?
“Every experience is a good one. Having to strip down at the airport like three times in a row wasn’t a very good look though.” – sourMILK
“Dolla’s ‘Who Da Fuck Is That.” I got that shit buzzing in the club out this way. I got the white folks singing that shit.” – Big Dee
“I just got off a dope ass tour with Mistah FAB and Zion I. The worst was when I left my cell phone at the airport on the first day of the tour.” – Tito Bell
“Shawty Putt featuring Lil Jon ‘Dat Baby.’ It’s a hilarious song with a Maury Povich sample that Jon sent me where the hook says ‘Dat baby don’t look like me!’ It’s becoming an internet phenomenon now. The second Lil Jon sent it to me I played it on the air and in the clubs wherever I spun. People started to take to it like crazy in L.A.” – Felli Fel
If a rapper came out of the closet and was openly gay, would you still spin his/her records?
“Persistence, patience, and the ability to give listeners what they want to hear.” – Felli Fel
“Yeah, I would. Good music is good music, as long as you keep that shit real.” – Big Dee
“Hustle, hustle, hustle.” – Jiji Sweet
“I would keep playing their music if it was good. What they do in their private life is their business. It’s all about the music.” – Eque
“Mouthpiece; gotta be able to sell yourself. Connections. Real grind. Good business, brand yourself, be computer savvy.” – Juice “Practice is the #1 priority. Yelling on a mic and stopping a record is not what makes a good DJ. You need to blend, mix, scratch, and put records together in ways that produces the same energy in the crowd that I have. Second is patience. Not everything happens overnight. Third is persistence. There’s a difference between persistence and aggravation; you need to be careful when trying to connect with powerful people. If you aggravate someone too much or rub them the wrong way, it could be a wrap with them. And lastly, don’t be afraid to let go. When a better position opens for you, make room for the next DJ to take your old position. Don’t try to keep everything for yourself and end up losing it all.” – Knuckles “Work ethic, focus, and creativity.” – Skee “Mic skills, an ear for music, and you need to know the right people.” – sourMILK
“Well, if they’re coming onto me, I’m not keeping any song of theirs in my music library. As long as everything is cool and the talent is in the music, I’ll play it, unless the lyrics are just too much to handle.” – Espee “Sure. Sexual preference has nothing to do with good music.” – Jiji Sweet “I really don’t think it would matter what I did because I’m almost certain the majority of DJs wouldn’t fuck with it anyway. It’s fucked up but that’s the truth. The gay male rapper would get black-balled for sure. I don’t think the gay female rapper would get black-balled hardly at all. Aren’t there some gay rappers out there now?” – Juice “Wow, that would be crazy. I think I would play it just to hear the controversy from callers because you know they’re going to be talking.” – Knuckles “Of course I would! If the music is hot, the music is hot. Let God judge.” – Lace
“People skills, image, personality.” – Tito Bell What were your best and worst tour experiences? “I’ve had so many great ones, from Danity Kane to Queen Latifah to Faith Evans. Even with Hip Hop artists like Erick Sermon and Luther Campbell, they were all great. I guess the worst was when I was with Danity Kane. I always start the show off introducing the girls and for some reason the hard drive started skipping on stage in front of 20,000 people. It was crazy. There was nothing I could do but play the music from my laptop.” – Eque “Back in the days when I was real young, I was blessed to DJ a West Coast tour with N.W.A, MC Hammer, UTFO, Heavy D and Salt-N-Pepa. That opportunity opened up a lot of doors for me as a DJ. I’m very thankful. The worst was being on that same tour when there was a shooting and I witnessed someone being shot.” – E-Z Cutt “So far I’ve had the best experience with fans showing me so much love. A lot of times they say, ‘DJ Nik Bean, muthafucka.’ My mixtape tags have really stuck to people. So far the worst experience was getting pulled over by the police in Tijuana. The guy driving us around had an open beer container in the front seat. We were in a car full of 8 people. They said they were gonna arrest all of us. The police started searching everyone. Luckily the promoter got an important person on the phone
If a rapper is wack but they want you to host a mixtape, would you do it for a fee?
“Shawty Lo’s [‘Dey Know’]. I just kept banging it out here on the West and now it’s poppin’.” – Jiji Sweet “What’s good about KMEL is we break records as a whole. It doesn’t matter who plays what first, as long as the record gets out. I think the last record we broke was David Banner’s ‘Get Like Me.’ We were one of the first stations on it.” – Knuckles “Soulja Boy’s ‘Crank Dat.’ I popped it off in the clubs first, then I convinced my PD to break it on the air after I showed him the dance. I knew that one was gonna be a hit.” – Lace “I was the first DJ in L.A. to fuck with Keak Da Sneak’s ‘Super Hyphy.’ I put it on a mixtape six months before they played it on the radio out here.” – Nik Bean “It’s great to introduce new music that’s blowing up at the street level in its original market and take it to the next level. We did that with the Shawty Lo record, and tons in the past.” – Skee “Usher’s ‘Love In This Club.’ I world premiered it and have been behind it ever since. That record is crazy!” – sourMILK “I played [Snoop Dogg f/ Mistah FAB & Too $hort] ‘Life of the Party’ and told everybody it was open bar on for the next then minutes. I played it two times in a row.” – Tito Bell
“Nope. You can’t pay me to play wack shit. I got a name to live up to. Not a good look.” – Big Dee
Have you played a record from an artist strictly because of her/his looks?
“Usually if there is a right amount of money involved, I’ll host any mixtape. If the rapper is just straight garbage, I can’t put my name on the project because I gotta save my reputation. Every DJ needs to watch out for their rep.” – Espee
“Yeah, this bad ass chick came up to me in the club with her single. Oh my God. I played it and the floor cleared, but I got her number.” – Big Dee
“Hell no. The most valuable thing in the music business is your name and if you’re associated with something wack, everyone knows you sold out and your name wouldn’t be worth much.” – E-Z Cutt “No, because at the end of the day your name is attached to that mixtape and if people buy it and are disappointed, they will think twice about buying a mixtape with your name on it again. You might make a quick buck but it’ll hurt your brand in the long run.” – Juice “It depends on how much money. Nah, just playing. Probably not because you have to put your name behind it, and most likely you want to promote it. You can’t justify a wack rapper. But I guess if you wanna make some money you can; I just can’t do it.” – Knuckles “I’d say no. If they were really wack, a lot of money wouldn’t change my mind.” – Lace
“I never believed in playing records based on how the artist looks. They can be the fattest person in the world and only be 3 feet tall, but they might have the illest flow or voice. Yeah, looks can help but I believe in the music. If you were blind and heard a song, would you be able to tell what the artist looks like?” – Espee “Never. If I did, I wouldn’t be a real DJ.” – E-Z Cutt “No. That’s terrible. If a record sucks it sucks; no looks can make it sound better.” – Knuckles “No! Hits, son, hits. If it’s wack, it’s wack.” – Lace “No. It’s all about the quality of the music. Looks can only get you so far, eventually you have to back it up with some substance.” – Nik Bean “Never off of his looks, but off of her looks… Nah, shit’s gotta be hot. I’m not gonna play nothing I never heard unless Gary Archer gives it to me.” – Tito Bell OZONE WEST // 23