This week we are featuring some of the hottest Djs from the West Coast to gain a new perspective on what a DJ looks for in a solid mixtape as well as what jams they play to rock a party. DJ Jam is a legend who started in the music business over twenty years ago from his hometown in San Diego, and at an early beginning in 1998 was
a DJ mix finalist for the DMC U.S competition. Another prodigy from the West,
official DJ for Warren G., winner of the US DMC Championship in 1993, and “The Box”
National DJ search is none other than DJ Rectangle.
DJ Warrior, is a two-time winner of Justos Mixtape Awards for the best West Coast Mixtape
DJ of the year, and was named Top Ten Mixtape DJ of the year by Rolling Stone.
Tune in to DJs that won’t
be accused of not speaking their mind, DJs take heed…
AllHipHop: What projects are you currently working on ?
DJ Rectangle:
I am doing a [Doctor] Dre CD, a club CD, and a new Hip-Hop CD. Plus I am doing
shows with Lady of Rage.
DJ Warrior: Cali Untouchable
Radio 17 with Strong Arm Steady (Dj Warrior & Dj Envy), Hot
Box Vol. 2
with Taje, Rap Warz with Tyrant (Artist), Dj Warrioralong with Dj Green Lantern, 93 Fly with Jihad (Artist) Dj Warrior
& Dj Envy, Cashis (Shady Records), Dj Arkane, No Sleep Till…
Nyc
With Jayrock (Artist) Dj Warrior, along with Dj Envy, Dj Skee,Big Mike, and Bogish Boyz Vol.2 Cashis(Artist) Dj Warrior & Dj
Arkane.
DJ Jam: I am working on my
next CD/DVD project because I am bringing my CDs to life. I am also
getting into a new realm of mix CDs entitled, DJ Jam Sin City
Live
. This is a mash up mixture between Rock meets Hip-Hop meetsR&B meets Reggae. It’s a double CD. In the next week, find out
more on my website, www.djjam.com. My website is merchandised differently.
You will receive a mixtape free of charge when you buy anything from
my smoking accessories merchandising company Puff by the Pound
that I formed with Snoop. Today, I am starting a new project called
Midnight Groove
that is an R&B CD with female subject matterand hosted by Spinderella.
AllHipHop: What do you feel is the best mixtape out now, aside
from your own?
DJ Rectangle: I don’t
know, I don’t listen to mixtapes. Actually, I don’t even listen
to my own. When I’m finished creating one, I am so sick of working
on it that I don’t even want to listen to it. I like listening to
‘80s music and old rap.
DJ Warrior: Tony Touch’s 50
MCs
DJ Jam: I always looked up
to Dr. Dre and I make it a point to incorporate some of the things he
does in what I do. As far as out here on the West Coast, the best mixtapes
that I heard are from DJ Rectangle, Crazy Toones (DJ for WC and
Ice Cube), and DJ TR from the Heavyweights.
AllHipHop: What is the best exclusive you
were given for a mixtape or radio show?
DJ Rectangle: I don’t really
get exclusives, I get freestyles. Eminem’s freestyle was pretty cool.
DJ Warrior: Bun
B, Sinful, Chace Infinite (self scientific/soul assassins)
DJ Jam: “Real N****z Do Real
Things” by Notorious B.I.G., where he raps over all the West Coast
beats.
AllHipHop: What style did you
originate?
DJ Rectangle: I originated
making a four-track sound like a sixteen-track. I combine all styles
and I am good at all styles. For example, scratching a beat, sound/song
selection. It’s a combination of all. Normally, DJs are only
good at one thing, they don’t combine everything.
DJ Warrior: I bring out East
Coast flavor with a West Coast mix and bring out a little more personality
on the CD and in the mix.
DJ Jam: Innovated – well
made me who I am and it’s how I get my name – I use a drum machine
sampler when I DeeJay. I would mix it with my turntables and I would put
on a show or routine. That was really different from what people do
even today.
AllHipHop: Are there any DJs
that have copied your style?
DJ Rectangle: Apparently, a
lot but I couldn’t regurgitate their names at this moment.
DJ Warrior: There are a lot
of DJs in the West Coast that have copied my style. But no disrespect,
we all learn from each other. I’ve learned a lot from other DJs
and added my own twist to it. There is a lot of transferring style between
us.
DJ Jam: I am not going to say
anyone bit my style. I hope that I’ve influenced DJs by how I rock
in the club, or my stage presence, or rockin’ in Compton with Snoop,
my mix CDs ,and the different interviews I’ve conducted. I’ve
talked and given insight with DJs from all over the world and if
we aren’t talking about all those areas I’ve mentioned, we are at
least talking about one. Plus, I’m not stationed in one area for me
to even notice a DJ even if he was biting my style. But, I’ve influenced
these guys because they call and tell me all the time. And, I still
pick up things from the new generation of DJs. I don’t do things
exactly how I used to when I first got in the game. The whole mash up
scene, especially Rock. The biggest influence for me was the entire
transition between mix CDs into mix DVDs.
AllHipHop: Who is the best newly signed
artist 2007?
DJ Rectangle: Did Jay-Z sign
in 2007? That was a joke. I am seeing a lot of young people but
I am not really into down south music. I’m not completely up on my
Hip-Hop so that is a tough question to answer. I like Lamont Bishop
and I like T-Pain although I know he wasn’t signed in 2007. I still
like the old artists like Snoop and R. Kelly. I know everyone wants
someone fresh and new but you have to look at the longevity in the business.
DJ Warrior: Lamont Bishop
DJ Jam: Out here, [Young] Malay, and
he can be heard on Crazy Toones latest mix CD/DVD called, CT Experience.
You need to see this DVD because it will be a bearing on the future
of how record labels put out music. That’s a reason why my mix CDs
will be DVDs. Glasses Malone, CPO, Bishop Lamont are other favorites.
They all have their own style.
AllHipHop: What track do you
play to hype a party?
DJ Rectangle: The “900 number”,
I still use songs with Fatman Scoop, that always works and Marvin Gaye,
“Sexual Healing.”
DJ Warrior: Something from
Biggie, “Hypnotize” always works for me.
DJ Jam: “It’s a G Thang”.
[Dr. Dre The Chronic]
AllHipHop: Which DJ really
impresses you when you go to clubs?
DJ Rectangle: Honestly, I don’t
go to clubs. I’ve been working in clubs for the last twenty years,
that’s the last place I want to go. Kid Capri impresses me because
he knows how to hype a crowd with the mic and what to play.
DJ Warrior: I have to give
you more than one. I like Kid Capri, DJ AM and DJ Life. I like
DJs that can cater to more than one type of crowd, genre of music,
not just Hip-Hop, such as Jazzy Jeff.
DJ Jam: DJ LS One, I like his
selection, style of how he plays, his demeanor on the mic, and how he
talks to the crowd. I like DJ Rectangle because of his creative scratching
and mixing.
AllHipHop: What’s the best
mixtape collaboration you’ve heard?
DJ Rectangle: Honestly, I don’t
buy mixtapes. I don’t care what anyone else is doing. I just make what
I like. I download music on the internet but that isn’t a full mixtape.
I suppose I’m blasting out my credibility with every word I say? I
listen to the radio, ‘80’s music. When I go to clubs, I choose songs
I like whether they are old or new. I’ve never played something
I didn’t like or because it’s “The song.” I don’t play what
is current on the radio. Most of what you hear on the radio is fly by
night songs or songs that have a lot of money put behind them.
It’s true. Most of the songs I play, aren’t singles. The one
thing I don’t like about listening to other mixtapes is that they
couldn’t be played in the clubs. DJs are too caught up with the
exclusive songs. 90 percent of the time, those songs aren’t even
that good that is why they didn’t make the album. Not to say I don’t
break new songs, but I am not going to play a song just because no one
has it.
DJ Warrior: Ice Cube Cali
Untouchable Radio 11 and The Anger Management
Tour
by DJ Green Lantern.DJ Jam: DJ Truly
OdD & Will Blast Collaborations.
AllHipHop: What do you feel
is missing in Hip-Hop right now?
DJ Rectangle: I don’t really
think anything is missing because artists like Common are using samples
which I thought were missing before. True Hip-Hop isn’t being exposed
as it was like underground Hip-Hop. Although, Hip-Hop was always commercial
and the underground was never exposed on radio. KRS-1 is missing from
rap and I think he should be rapping. He needs better beats. I think
he’s too consumed with being a major part of hip-hop and tries to
hard to keep it that way. Also, radio stations wouldn’t play that
right now which is unfortunate.
DJ Warrior: Songs with better
concepts, more elements and better content and no “ABC” rap.
DJ Jam: Creativity in
everything musically, music content and marketing
AllHipHop: Which artists album
release has the best chance in changing how artists put out records?
DJ Rectangle: Ice Cubes first
album. I think so many people are afraid of sampling. Sampling
was a major part of rap, they came from turntables. Nowadays, everybody
is afraid to do that. It’s changed the way people rap and what they
rap on. Money has basically changed everything with the licensing of
rap samples.
DJ Warrior: I would have to
say Kanye West. I think he is diverse and universal.
DJ Jam: Definitely, Dr. Dre.
AllHipHop: What advantage or
disadvantage do you have being from the West Coast?
DJ Rectangle: I could go over
to Mexico and drink when I was eighteen but I think I might be straying
from your question. In the nineties, I don’t think there were as many
opportunities in the West Coast at that time, compared to the East Coast
where everyone and there mother was rapping. Other than that, I don’t
really think there is an advantage or disadvantage in my occupation
being from the West Coast.
DJ Warrior: An advantage, we
have an open market. There are so many different cultures and we have
many opportunities over here and people copy our style. There are so
many things going on that you can definitely learn a lot. It is so multicultural.
We don’t have enough people
in top positions which is a disadvantage. Ice Cube, Snoop, Aftermath,
and E40 are all we have. Also, the California atmosphere is too laid
back and if we just got up off our a**, had a little more order and
stuck together our disadvantage would be none.
DJ Jam: We don’t get the
publicity that the East Coast gets which is a disadvantage. Shows
such as MTV and BET are all based out of New York. If we had TV networks,
we could put out some quality things too. We lack the media attention.
However, because we don’t
have that attention, people will pay attention whenever do get a chance,
people will look at us because they don’t get to see that worldwide.
I travel worldwide and they don’t know a lot of are artists because
it is hard for them to get video play in North America.
AllHipHop: Top three
West Coast Artists (Tupac doesn’t count)
DJ Rectangle: Snoop Dogg, Dr.
Dre and DJ Quik
DJ Warrior: Snoop Dogg, Eazy
E and Ice Cube
DJ Jam: Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube
and The Game
AllHipHop: Wow, no Eazy
E.
DJ Jam: Eazy E was a smart
business man. He started a whole revolution but when we are talking
about being an artist, going in and making music, no. He had his couple
of songs, people liked his voice and that separated him. People thought
he was very young, his entire aura was good. However, we are talking
about being an artist and creating an album.
AllHipHop: I admire you
because I thought you were going to pick Dr. Dre solely based on your
connection to him.
DJ Jam: Dr. Dre is one of the
greatest producers of all time but when we say an artist that is going
to go into the studio and creating an entire album, I wouldn’t put
him on their level.
