DJ HOLIDAY HOMETOWN: Atlanta, GA Website: Myspace.com/dj_holiday1 Affiliation: The Aphilliates Mixtapes: EA Sportscenter (w/ Zaytoven & Gucci Mane), Culinary Arts (w/ DJ Drama & OJ Da Juiceman), Feeding Time (w/ Gorilla Zoe) Clubs (Atlanta, GA): Essos, Ten Pin Alley, Plush Blue, Arrows, Pearl Bistro & Bar. 3 Songs In Current Rotation: DJ Holiday feat. Gucci Mane, OJ Da Juiceman, Fabolous, 8Ball & MJG, Shawty Lo “Bricks (Remix),” Jamie Foxx feat. T-Pain “Blame It,” OJ Da Juiceman feat. Gucci Mane “Make The Trap Say Aye”
He’s one of the hottest DJs in the A-Town, and he orchestrated one of the city’s biggest singles (”Bricks”). Now, find out why Holiday is a DJ to know in 2009. You have a major buzz in Atlanta right now. Do you think your buzz grew more from DJing parties or doing mixtapes? I would definitely say it was a combination of both. I always had my own little niche because I love the spotlight but not to a point where it’s irritating. It’s my job. At the club I’m DJ Holiday; I make sure you have a good time. I cater to the ladies and make sure they’re good. When I’m DJing, I’ll focus on two groups of women, and if they’re not really dancing I feel like I ain’t doing my job. And real talk, I get nervous because I don’t want to fuck up when I’m DJing. I don’t care how big or small the party is, I do not want to fuck up the party. I have to do my thang. I don’t care if it’s 10,000 people in there or 10 people in there, I rock the party the same way every time. You’re a new member to the Aphilliates. What do you think they saw in you to make them want to add you to their DJ crew? More or less, the grind, man. Stix Malone saw me from afar. I was doing House Nightclub in the Underground and I had a couple of other spots jumping, so I was really like that street DJ. Everybody knew I had all the hottest parties with Plush Blue Entertainment. We had the sexiest ladies and the celebrities were slowly coming in. I was building my buzz up, knowing who’s who, and the Aphilliates heard about me. Drama, Sense and Cannon saw something in me. They were looking for somebody who had a buzz going and could represent their crew in a good manner. They put me in the squad. I think I’m the only Aphillate that’s actually from the A, so I’m like a hometown hero. I remember when I was in college, I’d see the Aphilliates [and be] like, “Damn, that’s Drama,” or “Damn, that’s Cannon, that’s Sense, that’s Jeezy’s Trap or Die.” So to actually be in [the clique] and to make my own role [by putting out mixtapes] with Gucci [Mane], OJ [Da Juiceman], [Gorilla] Zoe, and what I’m doing with Scrappy, Rocko and all of them, it makes me feel good about doing what I do. Can you explain that situation about you putting your name on “Bricks”? It was the EA Sportscenter mixtape, I could say it was a classic because everybody fucked with it. It was one of the biggest mixtapes that came out in the Southeast. We were all putting songs together for the mixtape, because we knew we needed about three classics on there. Zaytoven cooked up a beat, then we called Yo Gotti, and then we called Rocko over there and we were just chilling and burning. We had Popeyes chicken, drinking, and it was a good vibe, it was history in the making. Had I known then how that shit was going grow, it’s kind of mindboggling. Gucci was in the lab and Zay just had the beat playing over and over, and Gucci just laid back and listened to the beat. He was like, “Let’s talk about this trap shit, fuck it,” and then he was like “Bricks! All white bricks!” Then Yo Gotti came in later that night and I told him he had to say his name how he says it “Yo Gottiiiii!!” I said, “You can say my name if you want,” but I was joking though, and he said “This my nigga, DJ Holiday.” And that was it, it kinda took off from there. Words by Randy Roper
OZONE MAG // 47