How did you get started DJing?
Back in ’94, ’95, I was like fourteen, and some cats from Uptown Records put me onto hip-hop. I started doing all the block parties and stuff, DJing, opening up for Red Alert, Brucie B, cats like that. Red Alert was like, my number one mentor. I look up to Red for everything he’s done. He put me on, he’d have me DJing at big events in front of people like Puff.
Were you born and raised in New York?
Yep. Been in the Bronx all my life. But I love to travel, and I keep my ears to the street. I’ve been on numerous tours, nationwide, international stuff. I’m Joe’s tour DJ, so I’ve been on tour with him. I toured with Keith Sweat for two years, and I did the Def Comedy Jam tour. And I’ve gotta big up Pure Pain Records; [their CEO] Luqman brought me down there and gave me extra exposure to down South music to bring back to New York.
Recently, when Southern music became “hot,” did you see a lot of New York DJs start to play Southern music you’d already been playing?
A lot of Northern DJs did jump on the bandwagon after the fact. Everybody was scared to touch down South records. I don’t care, music is music, all the way from Texas to Miami. PaulWall, Roam, Pitbull, those are my dudes. I mix them in with the Cam’rons, the Jay-Zs, the N.O.R.E.s. I gotta big up N.O.R.E., cause that’s another dude that showed me a lot of love. He experiments with his music and people accept it, so why can’t I?
How do you get these major companies to sponsor your mixtapes?
I pitch ideas. My mixtapes aren’t just designed for the local or tri-state area; I want them to be something international that everybody can be a part of. I’m trying to bring fashion. With Dr. Denim, we came up with a few concepts. Why not make a mixtape magazine, so you’ll get good music and also see what’s the latest fashion and events? It’s been working so far. I move 20,000 units of the Dr. Denim Underground mix CDs, on average. Regular CDs I move about 10,000. Moving 20,000 units is a piece of cake, ‘cause you already have dudes looking forward to getting a new CD. The Dr. Denim Underground CDs are like a brand name now. I try to be consistent, I try to come out at least once a week or every two weeks with something new, either hip-hop or R&B. I don’t play the same thing everybody else plays. I go and look for music. And it’s not just New York music, so I go everywhere and I’mma always have something to put out. I take risks. That’s what the game is all about. After you take risks, dudes fuck with you real heavy.
Are there any artists in particular that you’ve been the first to “break” on your mixtapes?
There’s quite a few. Back in the day I broke Sporty Thieves. I actually broke Jae Hood way before anybody else. We recorded in my living room, he spent the night at my house. I broke Roam up North. I was the first in New York to have David Banner host a mix CD, which did very, very good. Red Café, I was dealing with him when he was in a group called Franchise, way before they had a deal. The list goes on and on.
Since it’s technically illegal to sell mixtapes, have you had any legal issues with record labels and your mixtapes?
No, I’ve actually had labels come at me and want to sponsor my mixtapes. I go directly to the A&R or the artist and their management. I go straight to the source; that’s why I have a good relationship with so many artists. Right now, it’s 4:30 am and I just left the studio, I had a session with Juelz [Santana] and Jim Jones. They’re hosting one of my new mixtapes.
Do they sign paperwork to allow you to put their music on mixtapes?
The whole mixtape process moves so quickly that there’s no time at all for paperwork. That would take days, weeks. You can’t wait that long. If you get a new joint today, it needs to be out tomorrow. That’s how you keep ahead of the competition.
Are you involved with any DJ cliques?
I just got down with the Violator All-Star DJs, which is headed by Scrap Dirty and Chris Lighty. It’s a coalition, we support each other.
Are you involved with any DJ events like Justo’s Mixtape Awards?
I have yet to receive a mixtape award due to unfortunate circumstances with my good friend Justo. Justo was actually my road manager at one point, and he did some stuff I didn’t agree with so I got rid of him. That was the same summer he started the mixtape awards; so Kool Kid doesn’t get any awards. But it’s really up to the streets. People call me and say I should have won three awards, so that’s the real award right there.
What else do you have going on besides mixtapes?
I do a lot of New York clubs, I do about three or four nights a week. I’m hoping to expand into artist promotion and development. I’m basically a freelance DJ – anything that sounds good and looks good, I’m down for it. I’m still looking for artists, anybody that’s hot, young, and talented. I’m 24 and I’ve been doing this since junior high school, so I’m young also.
Any contact information you’d like to give out?
You can call me at 212-545-3781 or email me at djkoolkid@djkoolkid.com. You can also get mixtapes on my website, www.djkoolkid.com.
