So I finally got the March newsletter from the C.L.U.T.C.H. DJ Network...And What Do You Know!!!?!
SPOTLIGHT DJ FOR MARCH 2008: DJ SHYNE!!
Big shout out to all at C.L.U.T.C.H. for the great work...and the overall professional look of the article.
Here is the interview...
1) Your bio said that you were heavily influenced by the movie Juice. In your opinion, what is the best movie about DJ's?
Right now...I'd say THE best movie on the art of DJ'ing is the documentary SCRATCH by Doug Pray. The film covers all the intimate details of my craft, covering the inception of the scratch, to record-digging, to the natural progression from DJ'ing to Producing. The film features pioneers and legends, as well as those in the battle scene - new cats breathing life into the art. Bambaattaa to Premier to Q-Bert to Rob Swift back to DXT forward to DJ Craze. It's a ridiculously thorough investigation into what I call my work. It's got everything short of a segment on your boy Shyne.
Don't get me wrong...Juice played a huge role into getting me interested in what I do...but as I grew technically sound, I realized that Omar Epps wasn't really DJ'ing in the film. But at the time...I just fell in love with the scene where Epps and his crew hit the record store, stashing the 12" inside a newspaper and later locking himself in his bedroom to record the demo for the DJ competition. That was me for my first 2 years of DJing! Very parallel.
2) In the early 90's, rap artist and groups such as Ed O.G. and the Bulldogs, House of Pain, The Almighty RSO, and Made Men put Boston on the map, what is the hip-hop landscape like there now?
Ed O.G. is still influential to me, and to all of Boston's true MCs. No doubt about that. But currently, the situation is looking limitless for the MA. I'm specifically from Lawrence MA...and there are some names making real serious moves who call Law-Town home. My man Termanology from the ST. Squad is releasing banger after banger and creating a substantial buzz. DJ Statik Selektah put out his record this past year...another L-Town representative. Reks, a Lawrencian out in Miami, is beginning to really break out.
Shout out to Reks. Back in the Bean...I just got hold of Sev-One's mixtape that is bananas. Co-Signs from Clinton Sparks, Drama, Big Mike, Kay Slay! Sev is serious. My man Akrobatik just dropped heat as expected. Features from Kweli, Little Brother...Production from Dilla, 9th Wonder, Da Beatminerz! I mean, I'm feeling good about Boston's status in the game. This has been a solid new millennium for Boston artists. And be on the look out for my E.C.F. MCs Reality, The Perfectionist, & Swfit to make a big splash.. HAHA... Small shameless plug.
3) On your website, you give praise to the rock band Radiohead for selling their album on their website independently and allowing the fans to choose the price they want to pay. Is that something that you will consider in the future?
The things about the Radiohead experiment that made the project successful - the reasons why they made money from this venture...I can't find those same convictions in the Hip Hop game. Urban and Pop genres are dominated by the SINGLE. Nobody wants to cop full albums anymore...fans want to get that hit with Timbo on the beat...and ignore the rest of the album "fillers." Radiohead has such an established fan base. A devoted fan base. A fan base I can't really find in the Hip Hop game.
A solid fan base in combination with extremely high anticipation would be the right formula for any Hip Hop star to make the same experiment work for them. Dre's Detox? Maybe. That might make the fans go and cop the digital album for something more than Free. It's a GREAT concept. Very influential. It's time the current business model in the Music Industry get flipped, and I think Radiohead began thinking outside of the box EARLY. Majors should be afraid...VERY AFRAID.
4) Also on your site you talk about how digital sales are increasing as cd sales are declining. Would you say that we are witnessing the death of the cd and record stores?
I thought vinyl was supposed to be dead too...but I still see the 12" bins at my local record spot. On the topic, I suppose this is the beginning of the end for the CD. I think fans...REAL FANS...will always want a way to access something that provides a "bonus" for copping the physical product. Whether it be the crazy design on the 12" sleeve...or the liner notes on the inside of the disc's insert...I think real fans appreciate that stuff. With that said, aritsts and labels need to work on building more of a demand for that sort of thing. Shouts to ?uestlove of the almighty Roots crew. With The Roots' double greatest hits album a few years back...there was some good reading in them liner notes.
If 50 Cent wrote some cool sh*t in his liner notes, I'm thinking he may reach a few more CD buyers than ?uestlove. But, you know...its the age of instant gratification and short attention spans. Bad combo. I like making an afternoon out of record and CD shopping. I like to get grub, be with my people...and just thumb through the vinyl for the entire day. It's a form of meditation for me. It's like nothing is going on around me. Just me and the dusty records.
5) You wrote about the Roger Clemens issue on your blog. After the senate hearing, and accusations of perjury what are thoughts on that now?
RO-GER!! RO-GER!! I can hear the Fenway faithful just chewing up that dude if he was ever to pitch here again. My man is doomed. I think he has made himself believe he is telling the truth. I'll bet his lawyers, who are getting paid out-of-this-world types of money, are smart guys and breaking it down as-is to Roger. I just think he's not having any of it, and doing what he needs to do to save his own self. He has always been a selfish guy. He has always had excuses. He has always been a damn good pitcher though. So when that is the case, eyes get closed, heads turn away...and its like..."we'll deal with it if he wins." But for real...Clemens is TOAST in my *expert* opinion... HA! Just keepin' it real people.
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