Reflections Of A Dj

Episode 43: Nate Dogg Vs. Ty Dolla $ign The fellas discuss in detail the new Travis Scott album "Astroworld". The crew also talks Adidas and the Yeezy brand possibly being worth 1 billion. The fellas debate on who ended the relationship between Drake and Adidas. Jaime asks Crooked what's the best way, as a DJ, to get your pay rates increased. With the new YG album dropping, Jaime and D-Miles discuss which records have the potential to be hits in the club. The fellas have a lengthy conversation on Nate Dogg vs Ty Dolla $ign vs T-Pain; who has had the best run to date. Jaime does a quick review of Mac Miller's music.

Episode 42: DJ SIZZAHANDZ East Coast legend and one half of the infamous "Crooklyn Clan"; New York's very own DJ Sizzahandz ( @sizzahandz ) joins the R.O.A.D. podcast.   To start, Crooked tells of a great story on how he and Sizzahandz first met in New York.  Sizzahandz goes on to talk about his 4 year residency at The Tunnel in the late 90's.  Sizzahandz also talks about growing up in Brooklyn, how he met DJ Riz ( @djriznyc ), and how he fell in love with producing prior to becoming a DJ.  Crooked and Neva both credit Sizzahandz for coining the New York open format club sound.  Neva and Sizzahandz go on to debate what was the first official DJ party break.  Sizzahands tells the story of how he and Fatman Scoop ( @fatmanscoop ) met, and how they created the legendary "Be Faithful" break.  Sizzahandz also gives some history on the name "Crooklyn Clan", and also how their digital download website www.crooklynclan.net was the first of its kind.  Sizzahandz also sheds some light on his particular political views

Episode 41: Rebound Guy Jaime da Great does a recap of attending the Joe Budden podcast. Budden shows much appreciation to Jaime on stage. The crew discusses Tekashi 6ix9ine's new single "Fefe" featuring Nicki Minaj. Neva questions the timing of this release, which coincides him 6ix9ine being robbed in New York. Crooked and Neva agree that this wasn't a good look for Nicki Minaj. The fellas discuss what other records by 6ix9ine are working in the clubs. The crew discusses the new Ciara record that dropped this week; if it'll be a hit or will it fly off the radar. Crooked thinks Ciara sounds like another female megastar on this record. The crews discusses if Tyga's record "Taste" would be as big a hit without social media. After having a fews weeks with the Drake album, the fellas discuss what other records have the potential to be club hits. D-Miles questions if "Boo'd Up" by Ella Mai has fizzled out. The fellas debate if there's one song that can be considered “Song of the Summer”.

Episode 40: DJ NUGGET On this week’s episode of the R.O.A.D. podcast the fellas sit down with Pittsburgh’s very own @DJNugget ! The fellas start off with Nuggets’ background and his upbringing in pittsburgh. Nugget explains the music and DJ scene in Pittsburgh, and the impact Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller had in the music industry and what it meant to the city of Pittsburgh. Standing in rare company; Nugget explains the challenges, as well as the differences between being a DJ, as well as being a bar/nightclub owner. @DJCrooked tells a story on how he got punched while visiting Nugget in Pittsburgh. Nugget also shares his encounter with DJ KID CAPRI and how awkward it was. He also tells us that all nightclubs and bars in Pittsburgh still only use turntables and no one uses CDJS, and they only use 2 channel mixers not 4.

Episode 39: DJ MARVEL In this week’s episode of the ROAD Podcast, the fellas sit down with Canada’s own DJ MARVEL 1/4 of @Defreshest . Marvel starts off by telling us how it was growing up in Vancouver as a youngster and how he fell in love with the art of DJing. In addition, he paints us the picture of how it was to get vinyl records before @serato in Vancouver and his ups and downs as a DJ. Marvel shares with us the story of his first well paying gig as a Cruise Ship DJ. Moving forward, Marvel explains to us how he became a part of the longest Sunday party In Vancouver, and how they sustained the momentum for 11 years. We then discussed the new “Scorpion” album by Drake ( @champagnepapi ). That lead to the discussion/debate between @djneva and @jaimedagreat “if drake is this era’s MJ?”

Episode 38: DJ SKRIBBLE The iconic DJ Skribble joins the R.O.A.D. Podcast this week. With Jaime Da Great out of town, DJ Eddie McDonald comes through in a guest host capacity. Right away the fellas get Skribble's thoughts on the beef going on between 2 New York legends; Kid Capri and Funk Master Flex. Skribble explains the difference between the 2 DJ's style wise, who he relates to personally as a DJ, and who he thinks would win in a battle. Crooked brings up Skribble's days as a rapper in a group known as the Young Black Teenagers, the controversy that came with the name, and how they constantly had to prove themselves as MC's. Neva recalls Skribble as being one of the first DJ to spin hip hop and house music at a high level. Skribble speaks on his early residencies in Vegas, and well as doing some of the early legendary pool parties. Skribble also talks of his days with MTV, his role with "Yo MTV Raps" coming up under Ed Lover and Dr. Dre, and also bringing the brand back as a hip hop show.

Episode 37: DJ SCENE The legendary DJ Scene joins the crew on the R.O.A.D. podcast. Originally from Seattle, now living in Las Vegas; Scene has been holding down nightlife venues across the country for the past 20 years. Dating back to the early 2000’s, Crooked recalls DJ Scene as one of the first out-of-town resident DJ’s in Vegas, as well as one of the top 5 club scratching DJs. Scene speaks of his early days as a B-Boy and battle DJ, never focusing on clubs. And from there, evolving into a club DJ by way of his own Sunday party called “Yo Son”. Scene also talks about his upbringing and how he discovered hip hop music by way of radio. Originally a lover of rock music, he gravitated towards aggressive hip hop. Scene speaks of his time doing radio in Seattle, and the pros & cons that come with it. He also fills us in on his time living in San Fransisco and doing radio for 7 years with the help of DJ E-Rock. Now living in Vegas, the crew discusses with Scene what inspired the move, and how he finds

Episode 36: The Knowles The crew starts off the podcast by discussing the untimely death of rapper/singer XXXTENTACION and the affect it will have on the hip hop community. Crooked mentions how social media may have played a role in this happening. With Nas' latest album dropping, the crew gives an in depth review of the album. Neva speaks about several producers that worked with Nas in the past, and how they may or may not be bitter at not being apart of Nas' latest project. Next, the fellas discuss the release of "The Carters", new album by Beyonce and Jay-Z. Jaime and Crooked both question the timing of this release, in alignment with their upcoming tour, and with Nas having just dropped his album 24 hours prior.

Episode 35: DJ FASHEN One of the most well respected DJ's in the game; DJ Fashen joins the R.O.A.D. Podcast. Originally from Pennsylvania, Fashen starts by telling the crew about his move to Arizona as a child, and his early love for Hip Hip and break dancing (06:02). From there he tells the crew how he linked with a certain legendary DJ and how this DJ became an early mentor to him (13:20). Fashen explains how he got some of his firsts gigs, as well as how he got started with doing radio (26:40). After making a huge name for himself in his city, Fashen tells the crew of his move to LA, and why he felt it was a necessary step to take for his career (01:14:08). Fashen also goes into detail about his relationship with DJ AM, and how AM helped shape him as a traveling DJ (55:57). Aside from DJing, Fashen shares with the crew his love for Art, and some of the pieces he has owned for the last 20 years (1:59:20). Fashen also shares his thoughts on new music, and why he feels DJing is in a greater space than it has

Episode 34: Best Diss Song of All Time The crew dives right into the Drake vs Pusha T beef. Jaime explains how and why the beef started back in 2006. The fellas debate about who is winning the beef to this point. With Kanye stepping in to try and end the beef, Crooked gives his theory on what happened and why Kanye got in the middle of things. Crooked and Neva both elaborate on how Drake did not foresee this coming. The crew also discusses how the general public may view Drake after this beef. In light of Drake vs Pusha T, the fellas decide to make their own personal lists of the Top 5 best hip hop diss records of all time. Crooked and Neva recall the impact 50 Cent had on the city of New York after having beefs with so many rappers. The crew discuus new music, what they like and dislike about the Kanye West, Pusha T and ASAP Rocky albums.

Episode 33: DJ EDDIE MCDONALD & SEAN PERRY On Memorial Day Weekend the fellas sat down with 2 seasoned veterans in the DJ game; Sean Perry and Eddie McDonald. Both are by way of New York City, where they came up and made names for themselves. Eddie now residing in Vegas, and Sean with a short stent in Vegas as well, now living in LA. Crooked kicks things off speaking of his Friday night gig, and how D-Miles may or may not have sabotaged him during his opening set. Sean Perry and D-Miles both share stories of dealing with rough openers in past gigs. Eddie talks about his roots and how he started DJing with hip hop and reggae, and later took to house music. Sean Perry tells his story, Crooked speaks of the 2 growing up in the same neighborhood in New York. Sean credits his older brother with his start. Sean also tells of his gigs at the legendary "Tunnel". Neva shares an incredible story of when him and Eddie met at Jet Lounge in New York. Sean and Eddie both tell their stories of moving from New Y

Episode 32: Goodbye Shure, Hello Jico...? The fellas start off with addressing the bet that Jaime and Neva made 2 weeks ago involving Nicki Minaj. Speaking of, the fellas recap Nicki’s performance on Saturday Night Live with special guest Playboi Carti. Crooked asks the question if in 2018 can you still do a Nicki Minaj set in the club. The crew discusses what records from the Cardi B album are working well in the club, and how Bodak Yellow has become Top 40. The fellas discuss “Fire & Retire”, records that are doing well and records that you can do without, and possibly never play again. Crooked, Neva and Jaime laugh hysterically at D-Miles’ list. The crew revisits the debate over which record is bigger; “God’s Plan” or “Nice for What”. D-Miles and Jaime Da Great retract their previous statements. The crew does a review of EDC, and discuss the evolution of non EDM acts performing at the festival. Crooked tells of his EDC experience DJing the festival with Stonerokk. The crew also discusses recen

Episode 31: DJ MIGHTY MI This week the crew sits down with one of the staples in Las Vegas nightlife over the last decade, DJ Mighty Mi. Crooked shares a hilarious story of how the two connected for the first time through social media. Mighty Mi explains what got him into DJing, who his influencers were, and who he patterned his style after. Mighty Mi talks about growing up in Philadelphia, and how DJ AM was one of his best friends, who at the time was not into DJing. As one half of the group "High and Mighty" DJ Mighty Mi talks about how the group started, his role in the group, and how he took to production bacause he couldn't rap. He also explains how DJ AM was an original member of the group. Mighty Mi explains what made him decide to move to Las Vegas, and how that changed his life. He also talks about being very hands on with the transistion from open format music to EDM with all the the Wynn properties and venues he DJs. Mighty Mi also shares some intriguing stories with some of the talent he

Episode 30: This Is America Still new to Vegas, Jaime da Great talks about becoming a working DJ, and what has helped him progress since his move from L.A. The crew spends some time breaking down Kanye West and his recent rants on TMZ as well as his interview with Charlamagne The God. Neva shares his frustration on the matter, while D-Miles does agree with one of Kanye's points. The crew discusses Kanye's new music, and speculates on if these recent rants by Kanye will hurt him in sales. Fresh off of his Saturday Night Live performance, the crew discusses Donald Glover aka Childish Gambino and his new track "This Is America" and the significance of the video. Crooked compares Childish Gambino to another R&B star, based off of his performance on SNL. With Nicki Minaj appearing on SNL in two weeks, Neva and Jaime da Great make a friendly bet on Nicki's performance.

Episode 29: VICE The legendary DJ Vice joins the R.O.A.D. podcast and starts off by telling the crew of his first DJ battle at age 19 in New York, in which he placed 2nd to DJ Skribble. Going back, Vice tells his story of growing up in LA, how he started DJing at age 10, and also how he grew up listening to Power 106 and ultimately put himself in position to be an on-air mixer for the station. Vice goes on to talk of his relationship with DJ AM, and how AM introduced him to the Hollywood nightlife scene. Vice breaks down how radio DJ's were not getting booked in Hollywood clubs, and the struggles he faced in order to break into that scene. Vice tells the crew how much radio meant, at the time in the late 90s and early 2000s, to artists in order for them to get their music out. And because of that, he was able to build relationships with artists. Vice tells how he got started in Vegas, and how DJ OB-1 and DJ Five took him under their wing, and also his first residency at Body English. Now well establish

Episode 28: Call Fat Joe! The crew starts off the show talking about Meek Mill, his release from jail, and what we should expect from him moving forward. With J. Cole's album dropping this past week, the crew breaks it down track by track, and discuss where this album ranks in comparison to his others. Drake drops his new single "Nice For What" and the crew is torn between which record will last longer; "Nice For What" or "God's Plan". After an amazing Coachella performance, the crew discusses Beyonce, and where she ranks amongst some of the greatest performers of all time, and if she's even close to being compared to Michael Jackson. With all of his recent outrageous tweets, the crew questions what's going on with Kanye West, if he's going crazy, or is it all strategy on his part? The crew also discusses Kendrick Lamar winning the Pulitzer Prize, and what a milestone this is for hip hop moving forward. R.I.P Aviccii, the fellas reflect on the DJ/Producer and the contributions he made with his music, a

Episode 27: DJ SPIDER The legendary DJ Spider joins us on the R.O.A.D. Podcast. Spider starts off by telling the crew how he came up in the LA rave scene, and how he got his start as a College Radio DJ. Crooked recalls knowing Spider from the "Next on Decks" competitions thrown by BPM Magazine in which Spider won. Upon winning he was awarded the opportunity to travel and tour with Mark Ronson. Spider talks about the trials of DJing in different cities and how regional certain records were before the social media age. He goes on to talk about his relationship with DJ AM and how they met at a convention in Las Vegas, which led to them building a friendship. Through his relationship with AM, Spider talks about how he met Travis Barker, which lead to him becoming the DJ and touring with Blink 182. Now married and with a son, Spider fills the fellas in on how he tries to balance his DJ career, as well as be a good husband and father.

Episode 26: DJ ROCTAKON While in Hollywood, the crew sits down with New York legendary DJ Roctakon. Born and raised in Alexandria, just outside of DC, Roctakon explains his path which led to him having a passion for DJing. After commuting back and fourth from DC to New York, Roctakon elaborates on his move to New York to further advance his DJ career. Shortly after, Roctakon feels the need for management. After considering all options, he decides to sign with S.K.A.M. Artist. After hitting a crossroads in his life, Roctakon talks about how he no longer wanted to DJ, and the struggles that came along with it.

Episode 25: Strangling Reflex This week on the R.O.A.D. Podcast the crew discusses if they’re feeling the newly upgraded Serato DJ Pro. D-Miles reviews most of the changes to the software, and gives a few pros and cons, after using the program for the first time. Crooked reflects on his crazy DJ schedule, in which he played seven days straight in multiple cites, and how that helped him be refreshed. With plenty of new music out, the crew critiques The Weeknd’s new EP, as well as the new Wale EP. With Cardi B’s debut album dropping this Friday, the crew gives their projections on how they think the album will do numbers wise. Jaime has a new found respect for 2-Chainz with his increased catalogue of club hits. Neva challenges the fellas to put together a list of at least 25 records that work in the club from 2-Chainz.

Episode 24: "CIPHA SOUNDS" This week the R.O.A.D. Podcast crew make their way to L.A. to interview New York legend Cipha Sounds. The Bronx native starts out by discussing how he found his love for DJing, and recalls his first gigs as an opener for Funk Master Flex at the legendary Tunnel. He goes on to tell us how he became Flex's intern at Hot 97, and spent the next 5 years in that role. Upon making a name for himself, Cipha became a full time DJ on Hot 97, and was known as one of the few DJ's that could spin on any mix show, with exception to Kay Slay. Simultaneously, Cipha became the tour DJ for Lil' Kim in the mid 90's. Cipha also tells the story how Junior Mafia was responsible for him knowing about 2Pac. Now having made a name for himself, Cipha becomes known for breaking artists and records alike. Some of which are Rihanna, Rick Ross, Nina Sky, etc. This led to him stepping into the record label side of music, becoming an A&R for Pharrell at Startrak, and also Tommy Boy and Rawkus Records.