F
irst of all, I want to thank the Hip Hop DJs for just being DJs and keeping the tradition of mixing and blending songs alive. I have a lot of respect for the DJs who make it look so easy to do incredible things with turntables, CDJs, and Serato. I’m also feeling the way y’all didn’t let the music industry kill the artform. The DJ was always the boss in old school Hip Hop crews. Today, through mixtapes, radio mixshows, and DJ pools, the DJs still have the power. I used to DJ at East Oakland house parties when I was a teenager and even though I quit making beats and DJing a long time ago, I still get excited when I hear a good mixtape or see a DJ make everybody at the party have a good time. I remember going to parties and high school dances before I’d ever been in a studio and asking the DJ if he could play an instrumental so I could rap. I would be very humble and promise him that if he let me spit, I would rock the crowd and not fuck up the party vibe. That’s how I developed my style of doing good shows with just the music and the microphone, no gimmicks. Old school New York rappers always tell stories about their DJs in the late 70s and early 80s. Back then, the rappers needed a DJ’s approval to get some recognition. It was the exact same way in Los Angeles and The Bay. Every West Coast concert in the early 80s had dance crews and rappers opening the show for DJ crews like Uncle Jam’s Army. I would be in the crowd amazed by every aspect of Hip Hop, but clearly understanding that the DJs were the top dogs. Over the years, the industry attempted to push the rappers up front and act like the DJs weren’t important; just entourage members. I think it’s safe to say that most of the hottest Hip Hop producers are DJs or used to be DJs. I went to a DJ seminar in Miami years ago and the DJs were telling the label executives to stop sending t-shirts as a “thank you” for breaking and supporting their singles. They told the labels that they need to show some respect and acknowledge their accomplishments. In 2008, through unity, DJs are highly respected by both artists and labels. A lot of on-air radio personalities are DJs who regularly spin at local clubs. Mastering the turntables can take you all over the world to places you never thought you’d go. All you rappers with big egos who think you’re the shit need to recognize how valuable friendships and business relationships with DJs can be. Greg Street, DJ Khaled, Felli Fel, DJ Drama and hundreds of other DJs have proven to be the main factor in rapper’s careers as they’re getting started. Recently, mixtapes play better than most rapper’s major label albums. To me, candy-painted cars, tats and airbrushed graffiti on clothing keep Hip Hop colorful. All the songs that have their own dance and the dance movements across the country keep Hip Hop moving. Rappers come a dime a dozen but when we hear a new one we love, they keep the spirit of controlling the microphone alive. Mixtapes, remixes, mash-ups, DJs who move up the ladder to become music directors and program directors at radio stations, and especially the DJ crews like the CORE DJs are keeping Hip Hop alive. So, thanks to the DJs for always being my favorite part of Hip Hop. I think you’re the backbone of our industry. Anybody who disagrees has got to be my favorite word: Biiiiiiitch!!!! // Photo: D-Ray
// OZONE WEST
“RECENTLY, MIXTAPES PLAY BETTER THAN MOST RAPPER’S MAJOR LABEL ALBUMS.”