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5/18/2006
What's
up?
I'm doing
real good. Thank you for taking the time out to do this interview. I'm
happy the new DVD dropped and it's doing real good.
How did
you get your start in DJ'ing?
I started
about six years ago. I'm in New York. I'm 22 now, so when I started, I
wasn't old enough to even do the clubs. I started out doing nightclubs
and I was always recording CD's and handing out the CD's at the clubs.
People were loving them. They were always asking me for a new CD. I started
taking the mixtape game seriously so I started putting out real mixtapes.
I wanted to turn more heads so I dropped the DVD mixtape.
How did
you come up with the idea to do video blends?
You know
what it was? I was trying to break into the mixtape game and I knew I
had to come into the game at a new angle to get recognized. There are
so many DJ's and the mixtape game is hard to get into. I was hoping that
by doing my mixes with the video would help me get into the game.
Has it
been working?
Yeah. I've
been getting so many emails about how they like it or want to learn it.
I've gotten a bunch of emails where someone will say their friend stole
their DVD and they need me to send a new one.
Your new
DVD has some exclusive Biggie footage. How did you score that?
I partnered
up with Big Murph. He has a national TV show on Dish Network called "What's
Going On?" I was looking through his home video collection. He had
this tape "Biggie Live at the Apollo." I was watching it and
bugging out. Nobody had ever seen that before. I was thinking it was incredible
and we had to put it on.
What's
your blending process like?
Everybody
asks me that. I don't like to reveal my secrets, but this new one is the
first time I did the whole DVD by myself. It's basically like a regular
mixtape except that we have the video to go along with it.
How important
is it to have the video aspect in your mixtapes?
I think DVD's
are the future. I think these mixtape DVD's are the future. You're starting
to see it more and more in cars. All the cars have these TV's and they're
always playing videos. I think of myself as an innovative guy, so the
video idea just came naturally to me.
Do you
pay attention to all of the DVD's out there now?
I don't really
have that much time to check them all out, so the answer is no, but I
do respect what everyone's doing out there. I don't really check them
all out as much as I would like to.
How long
does it take you to do a mixtape-DVD?
It all depends
on my mood and what I'm doing in my life. I could do a whole DVD in a
week, or it could take me a month. It really just depends on my vibe and
my mood. I don't like to force it when I'm DJ'ing. When I have some ideas,
I can bang them out pretty quickly. It could take anywhere from a week
to a month.
Are you
going to do more mixtapes?
Of course.
I still think of these DVD's as DJ SWB mixtapes. It's still me mixing
and doing all the blends. I'm treating them all the same, but yes, I am
planning on releasing some mixtape-CD's as well. I know people want them.
I saw my audio from Volume 5 leaked on the web. That's crazy. I think
New York City seems to like these a lot. I've seen them bootlegged in
the city. I take that as a compliment that people are feeling me.
How do
you get the hosts? I'm guessing it's more complicated than having an artist
host a mixtape.
Yeah. You
have to set up the cameras and set up a time to meet. Once everyone sees
what I'm doing, they want to jump on board. You have to set up a spot
with good lighting and a good camera. It's got to be real. You can't do
it over the phone or anything like that.
Where
do you see your DVD's going?
I just signed
a deal with Russell Simmons' Def on Demand. That deal is looking real
good. It's a national channel on Comcast Digital Cable. It's getting hundreds
of thousands of viewers per month. It's hard to imagine that many people
really watching it but it's crazy. It's an honor. I'm also trying to put
it on CD and to keep hitting avenues like that. I'm talking to Nextel
about doing video mixes for their phone. I'm just going to keep trying
to give the streets what they want. That's really my bread and butter
and what I love to do.
Where
do you see videos on cell phones going?
From what
I hear, it sounds pretty dope. The cell phones can handle it, so why not?
I'm sure it's going to take off.
What's
your next project?
I'm working
on the Mense project with Animal Steele and Sickamore. Mense's album is
coming out insane. I think people are going to like that a lot. I'm working
on This is How We Do Volume 6. I'm also talking to some labels about doing
some DVD's to promote their artists.
What do
you want to say to everyone?
Check it
out. If you have not seen one of these DVD mixtapes, check it out. You
can check out djswb.com. Check it out. It controls your mind and it's
real exciting to watch. Don't sleep on it.
Check out
the How We Do Volume 5 trailer: http://www.djswb.com/trailers/Trailer_Vol5.wmv
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