Welcome to Real Men DON’T Cry!!! This is the informative guide for ALL artists who are attempting to navigate their way through the waters of the biggest cultural tidal wave in the field of entertainment, Hip Hop!!! I’d like to thank everyone who has followed and supported this column. It is my hope that whatever topic is being discussed “turns on a light bulb” in someone’s head and helps them to further the development of their artistry.
The 2 creative elements that keep the art form of Hip Hop music bound together are the “MC” and the “DJ”. If you do your research you will see Hip Hop was actually conceived by a DJ (Shout out to Kool Herc) so it is inconceivable to have one without the other. During the inception of Hip Hop, every rapper or rap crew had a DJ.
Think about it? The Furious Five had Flash,Rakim had Eric B.,The Fresh Prince had Jazzy Jeff, The Juice Crew had Marley Marl and the list goes on & on. Then as time moved forward we had the introduction of the “Mixtape Era” where DJ’s became the tastemakers for what the streets wanted & needed to hear. I feel that can say I came up in the “Golden Age” of the Mixtape DJ. The first Mixtape I ever heard was released by DJ Kid Capri (shout to Kid Capri who is one of my mentors) and he set the standard. But there was fierce competition! You had my man DJ Ike Love (who mentored DJ Clue & Irv Gotti to name a few) Ron G., Doo Woop, Clark Kent, Tony Touch, Dogg Time,Dirty Harry and that was just New York. All the DJ’s from this time period (1985-1995) brought so many “Classics” to the table that my generation became spoiled.
A “real” DJ provides many services that an artist should take advantage of. When I was in the beginning stages of becoming an MC, I had DJ’s like Ike Love, D-Lyfe, Koo-Fresh, Boo Da Barber& Brother Bill willing to give me guidance. At one time or another I sat in each one of their homes and got a chance to “dig in the crates”. For me this was a very important process in honing my skills as rapper, songwriter and producer. IT IS ALWAYS GOOD TO STUDY!!! “Diggin’ In The Crates” essentially serves as a way to refresh your love for music. It jogs your memory and reacquaints you with the reasons why you loved a particular record in the first place. It even helps you to hear something that you may have never noticed was a part of a recording. The dope thing about something “Classic” is that it can always be pointed to as a source of “Inspiration”.
The DJ’s role in the formation and evolution of Hip Hop has definitely always been pivotal. DJ’s have gone on to become A&R’s,Producers and Artists. In my opinion, I will say that there is a difference between a DJ & a Politican. You have some folks who are in the game assuming the role of a DJ but they are truly Politicians. There is nothing wrong with using nepotism , influence or strategy to further your cause. I could be wrong but to me as a DJ ,from the ones I know personally, above personal gain is the love of the record that they’re spinning (This statement doesn’t apply to time slotted DJ who have to answer to Program Directors. That would be a whole column on it’s own!!!) Being a DJ in retrospect is a SELFLESS job. You really set out to make others enjoy themselves as well as help dictate to the public who you feel are the PRESENT & FUTURE SUPERSTARS. It is DEFINITELY the MC’s job to give DJ something worth playing whether it’s a Hot single,freestyle or LP for that matter. I would like to say thank you to ALL the DJ’s who continue to promote records and artists that they genuinely feel are “saying something”. You guys are the ones who help us as artists “G.et O.ut O.ur D.reams” and for that I say RESPECT!!!
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