Chicago DJs
2004-07-20 4:34 a.m.
Only about 2 or 3 of the regulars here know that I used to turn tables. For those of you new here (as in the past year or 2) I was a hip hop dj for about 9 years before I came to NY from Chicago. Since I�d come to NY, I�d long forgotten why I�d left the game I loved so much.Well tonight, my boy P came through. I haven�t seen P in about 5 years. Since a couple months before I left Chicago. He and I got a bit of history as one drunken night turning tables at a Chi Rock party (the largest crew in Chicago at one point). I was twisted off just under a fifth of Jack Daniels and he came by talking shit (in a fairly friendly manner).
When I heard that, I called him the fuck out. Shit I was torn the fuck up. So we battled and I rocked the fuck out of that crowd. He did well, but I had the win with the body tricks, all kinds of hot beats and the charisma to keep the audience jumpin. Of course, these days he could fuck me up easy, but back then, it was good to take a spontaneous win.
So these days P�s got a crew with all the heads I turned tables next to, with, or watched to learn from back then. In Chicago, making money is practically a sin, and so P. is helping bring these cats to a rent paying position in the game. According to his word, they�re making shit happen. Mind you, if you�ve EVER heard of a HOT hip hop dj out of Chicago who�s gained international acclaim, they�re probably in this crew. These are the cats I came up with, and it�s good to see they are doing alright.
So while talking over the old and the new with P, I remembered why I got the fuck out of the game entirely. 2 reasons really. First.. and I�ll catch some flack for this. NY DJ�s don�t have shit on Chicago DJ�s. NY DJ�s don�t blend. They don�t put time into mixtape production. They don�t quite KNOW how to keep a rhythm correct to keep a crowd moving. Don�t get me wrong , there�s always exceptions, but since I�ve come to NY I�ve been supremely disappointed.
Sure, it might be our basis in house music. As well, there�s NO props in Chicago. As far as any scene is concerned, no matter how good you are, you�re merely mediocre in Chicago. Why do you think any Chicago artist moves to NY to �make it�? Listen to Kanye or some old Common Sense and you�ll recognize that local support comes hard and well earned in Chicago.
The second is the serious change in hip hop in the past 8 years which was driven by NY cats. I didn�t believe NY drove that change until I got here. To see that grasp for loot. To see people reciting freestyles (an oxymoron in and of itself). To see cats wit ha high sense of arrogance wit ha shallow base of skill to back it up. Pure disappointment.
Before I left home, I was on the cusp of breaking past the underground. I knew every MC and all the DJs on the circuit that were worth knowing. I�d battled a few, and turned tables next to most. The next step was to hit the clubs. And in Chicago, that�s fucking HARD. See, I�ve hit club owners herein NYC and they were welcoming. They wanted a new twist, they wanted business, they wanted to make money off my music. In Chicago, you get $200 if you�re lucky and no free drinks.
This is one of my original reasons for coming here. I wanted to see where it all came from. And I�d been supremely disappointed. Now, I�ve met some incredible DJ�s out here in the past 5 years, but my first 2 were plenty to turn me off from the whole damned game.
My decks are still beside me, but the dust on them is far thicker than ever before. NY, the place from which hip hop thrived has been my biggest reason to leave the game. I left Wall Street for the same reason that I left turning tables full time. That�s some sad shit.
You see, when you break past the underground spots and the house parties and the after hours, you end up in club land. In club land, you have the grittiest, grimiest business men you�ll ever want to meet. They even look the fucking part.
As I�ve written before, I won�t do business with anyone I wouldn�t have a drink with, and this is where I learned that lesson well. I know VERY few club owners I�d be willing to sit down and hold a conversation with.
It was good to see P, and I�m glad to hear he�s trying to help Chicago heads get on top of shit. I just hope to see it happen. And who knows � if these cats start giggin out here, I might have to touch up the decks some more.
I can definitely still fuck some shit up.
On another note, I�ve recently found myself attracted to a girl I met about a month ago. I�m still trying to figure out what the attraction is based on. I mean she�s cute and all, but that�s never enough for picky ol me. It seems that it might be that she�s a geek in my industry, AND she�s cute. Good mix. Not like it would go anywhere, but we always have that playground in our head. Think I�ll have lunch with her when I get back.
Ok, I�m drunk and I have a plane to get on in 5 hours. For now � full speed to �Lost Wages�.