Its kinda like what came first the chicken or the egg? If you didn’t know the dj came first and set a presence in the early beginnings of hip hop he was the dj and the emcee, example talking and working the crowd in a frenzy as time pass he was feeling a bit over work so he reach out to a homeboy that knew how to get on the mic and hype the crowd like he did, this was the birth of the emcee.
Lets fast forward to 2012 if you are a solo artist (rapper or emcee) or a group of artist made up of several(rappers or emcees) and you don’t have a dj you are not complete as artist or and cohesive unit. Example a dj is like a caddie to golfer do you think Tiger Woods would have won all those majors without a good caddie? The caddie tells and instruct the golfer on whats clubs to use so on so forth while on and off of the golf course. You probably saying what does that have to do with me and my live performances, ok glad I got you thinking like that im getting ready to break it down from a true djs prospective I have been a dj for over 3o years and have been on a few tours, the dj makes your job easier so when you hit the stage its showtime, most venues have a required load time this is time alloted for the dj to set up and for the artist to do a sound check. Okay that its for the artist or group can go back stage relax & chill until show showtime, my job is just really starting I always meet & greet with the sound guy asking him his name and how long he has been a sound guy and how long he has been at this venue. Artist here is why a dj is needed for your live performances the sound guy has a million and one things he is dealing with especially if there are 4-5 other acts preforming on the same show and you hand him you show cd, you may want to think twice about your show performances lies in the hand of somebody thats multitasking his ass off he could play the wrong song then you are yelling at him and telling him to turn your mic up throughout your set now he is a little P.O. he could totally wreck your show he has total control. So you can eliminate the sound guy, If you had a dj you all would be on the same page with the starting and stopping of the music throughout the performance it would give you a presence over the other acts on the show that don’t have a dj . Remember the dj is the one first out to hype up the crowd and he is working them in the frenzy then he lets you know when the crowd is ready to see you,remember you have to return the favor at the end of the show giving props to your dj example this is my DJ such & such the baddest dj to ever touch the earth give it up for dj such and such and let him air it out for 3-4 minutes cutting,scratching, some tricks, etc.
Things To Look For When Shopping For DJ:
1)The fit: is he compatible with our sound,and would he be dependable, meaning you don’t want to be waiting 30 minutes from showtime and there is know sign of the dj, djs are the first in and the last out.
2) His resume: experience (live shows, how long he has been a dj, etc. if he make beats you can get two for one thats a sweet deal
3) Live Audition:have him preform live to showcase to show of his skills, cuts,scratches,etc. *note if he has skills and following that works both ways his fans will become your fans helping you build a solid fan base.
4)Must have his own equipment: turntables,cdj,laptop,macbook, headphones,needles,etc. no exceptions there are required tools of the craft
