Let’s break the ice. Who are you? Where are you from? What style of music do you create?
—- my name is DJ GB, I’m from indianapolis indiana been living in nashville for about 5 years (graduated from fisk university) stayed in nasvhille to DJ and continue my music career.. I DJ so i pretty much facilitate the music thats being produced by todays artist from all over, I’m a all around DJ i don’t only do hip-hop music i do all genres and have performed in front of various crowds world wide.
How do you feel about the Hip Hop scene in Tennessee? A small sect of you guys have obviously realized unity brings greater things landing a TN Stage at A3C Fest… I can tell you with confidence that moves like this were not happening in indie Mid-TN Hip Hop 5-10-even 15 years ago.
— im honored to even be considered as the main DJ for the stage, i have been putting in a lot of work around the nashville area and majority of the artist on the stage i have seen grow immensely within the couple years of being “on the scene” so for kelly hite and money green to setup a platform for all of us to be able to showcase our talents is something that means a lot to me even tho I’m not from nashville directly i go hard for the city because it has given me so many things i wouldn’t have gotten other places, from the connections i have with the artist here to the being able to have my name brought up with the other good DJs of the city so this opportunity is amazing and I’m forever grateful for it.
In my opinion, Kelly Hite doesn’t get enough shine for the amount of grind she’s been putting in over the years. How has she been shaping and affecting the Nashville Hip Hop scene from your point of view?
— kelly hite is the plug .. she’s the eye for the nashville scene not only for hip-hop but for everything musical .. she’s at every event with her camera and smile ready for whatever is going on that day.. from the time I’ve known kelly i have learned so much about the music industry that has helped me grown not only as a DJ but as a brand. She really supports everyone in the city and genuinely wants us all to succeed musically and as people and thats something you don’t get from a lot of people especially in the music industry.
What was the last song you listened to?
— lapalux – without you .. probably one of the best songs I’ve heard in awhile its smooth and eases your mind .. the instrumentation on this track is CRAZY and the song jus puts you in a place of euphoria ..
Who or what influenced/motivated you to walk this journey known as music? What’s been the biggest challenge you’ve faced since starting down this path?
— my immediate influences to do music came from my uncle and sister (they had me playing drums and organ in church since i was 3 years old) so music has been something thats been in my life as far back as i can think and been the only thing in my life thats really made sense (wasn’t a fan of school even tho my mom was a teacher) and i learned how to dj while i was younger .. but never took it serious until my sophomore year of college.
my influences as dj have been DJ Don Juan (used to DJ for young buck) DJ “Million Dollar” Mano (Kanye West former DJ and Leader of a group I’m in called Treated Crew which is a collective of rappers djs and producers from all over but mainly the midwest) DJ Art (another dj from nashville who helped me out when i first started takin things serious) Derek Smith ( one of my best friends and person who pushes me to be better as a dj and all around person.. he was there when i first figured out scratching .. thank God for him) DJ Champ ( he from indy and got signed to Commission wit DJ holiday and who got me wanting to be dj when i was younger used to watch him at high school parties) and lastly DJ Bonics (Wiz Khalifa DJ, he’s so cold at DJing its crazy a lot of my scratches i learned from him and every time i talk to him he gives me some good advice) .. so i been fortunate to know and be around a lot of good DJs…
my biggest challenge i have faced is standing out in a heavy market full of DJs .. some good some bad, even though it takes time to build a brand and give it exposure the challenge is making sure your brand fits you and represents what you want people to see and leave with after a event you do or a interaction with you, but from trial and error i learned that it also takes building a good team around you that has a good goal.
Where do you want to be in 10 years?
— within the next ten years i want to be able to experience touring worldwide with the artist i currently DJ for, have my own brand and label established in the music industry and be able to open up opportunities for other DJs who wanna have a passion for music and reaching people to change their lives for the better. I also would like to be a Heavy Hitter DJ which is one of the greatest volition for DJs in the world. and lastly be able to change peoples lives for the better through music with my friends.
What should the audience expect from your performance at the A3C Tennessee Stage on October 11th?
— not to sound cliche but to hear actual DJing (scratching, blending, beat matching, mixing etc) and not a guy jus pushing play from song to song .. they should expect to hear their favorite songs but jus presented to them in a different way. ( i use instrumentals while i dj so u can hear a song u might not be familiar with but still enjoy it because its matched up with a beat you are familiar with ) lol I’m real experimental when i DJ and thats something a lot of people aren’t really used to so its funny to see peoples faces at first cus they’ll look at me funny but then after a few seconds they will be bopping their heads and turnin up lol
What does this opportunity (A3C TN Stage) mean to you? How do you think it will effect your career from this moment forward?
— this is my first year attending and participating in A3C so I’m excited to get down there and link up with all my homies who DJ and rap and jus be in ATL working myself and watching them work .. I’ve hears so many cool stories from A3C so now i can finally see whats its about ..and get connected with more cool DJ and artist around the country .. so this is a big step for me in my career
Where can we connect with you online? Find your music?
soundcloud.com/itsdjgb
also me and derek smith so a weekly mix (Off the Wall Mix) where we jus record ourselves DJing and post it for people to enjoy and listen too .. offthewallmix.bandcamp.com
Any last thoughts? Shout outs?
–Thanks for taking time to interview me .. i appreciate it a lot .. and yea be on the lookout for my mashup project that I’m doin with a artist name YE Ali (search him on all major hip hop blogs for his project art x drugs) we doin a project together called “Drugs x Jodeci” pretty much a mixture of his songs with well known jodeci songs .. its something for these cold winters coming up lol you can get ya significant other and listen to this and enjoy each other while this plays lol it’ll be coming out in November so be on the lookout for the first single off the project ..
