I’ve been into cutting edge music since I was a kid. Whoever was creating the most interesting sounds or using the newest innovative technology to make big records is who had my attention. This interest eventually grew into a passion for me around age 11 or so. I was living with my grandfather at the time cuz I was too much of a little shit for my single mom to handle. My granddad, who among other things was a master electrician, saw how interested in music I was at that early age and he did a few things that would change my life forever.

One day he asked me if I wanted to visit the local college radio station that I listened to all the time. So there I was, 12 years old, standing in a college radio station, watching this DJ do his thing. Turntables, mics, amps, mixing consoles, and phone lines, with one dude operating it all in order to make what I heard come out over the radio. The DJ was actually a major dick and didn’t like having a kid and an old guy cramping his style, but he let me watch for a while anyway. That was all I needed to know this was what I wanted to be doing.

After seeing my reaction, my grandfather did the second thing that set my life’s course at such an early age. He dragged his old, dusty belt drive turntables from the attic and after cleaning them up a little, gave them to me. If that wasn’t enough, he then taught me how to operate them and what I’d need to do - things like the guy on the radio did. So a couple of trips to radio shack and a hardware store later, my grandfather had built me two phono pre-amps and a custom mixer out of scrap metal, a few wires, and a bunch of other strange components. I learned how to hook up these turntables to my new mixer which, incidentally, had no faders - just two knobs controlling the volume of each deck with NO master volume control.

I was 12 and learning to be a DJ without even realizing it. After that, I spent the next 4 or 5 months spending what little money I earned from doing chores and saving my lunch money buying records down at the shop. I bought mostly 45s of the popular 80’s crap at the time, because I used to get em’ for around 75 cents each. As my collection grew, kids in my sixth grade class found out I was the dude with all the new music. They of course had no idea how to get it and or play it for themselves. There was no internet, no iPods, not even CDs. Some people had Walkmans and even fewer had “record players” because they were ridiculously expensive for kids our age. At any rate, I made some custom tapes for a few friends and word got around. Ultimately I turned into a hustler at 12 years old selling custom made mix tapes to my classmates. I used the proceeds to buy more 80’s shit-pop music and some good stuff too.

After a short while, my collection became pretty impressive (for a 12 year old anyway). Around that time, my grandfather started realizing that I was getting good at playing the music I was buying, so he gave me the last push in the right direction. He gave me my first gig.

I DJ’d my uncles wedding at 12 years old for free. I could barely reach up over the table where my turntables were sat. After he saw I did a good job there, he had me take over for the DJ at some stupid church function. I continued from there.

All of this happened before I discovered hip hop. The first hip hop song I ever heard was “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel”. I didn’t know it was even a hip hop song. I didn’t know what hip hop was or what I was hearing, for that matter, but it blew my fucking mind! I was hooked from that point on. I thought I knew what a DJ was and did. I had spent the last year learning the equipment and how to play records for people. Then, this guy makes this record with scratching, mixing and multi-track overdubs of rock and disco songs. This was brand new, but even at 13, I knew this style of DJing would become the new standard eventually. So I began my studies.

10 years later I made my way out to LA to try and check out a new hip hop scene and get into the music business. I had been doing club gigs years before I was old enough to get into them legally, and I can’t even count how many house parties, block parties and other hood events I had done. Mixtapes, college radio, and battles all added to the experience that made me confident I could pull something off out there in Cali. That, and the fact that I had to get out of where I was. I lived in Massachusetts but spent enough time in NYC to know I wasn’t feelin’ it. It was getting a little stale for me and the east coast winters were becoming unbearable.

I drove to LA with no connections to anything, aside from a place to stay at my girl’s mom’s house. I worked a few odd jobs and eventually started running into people involved with hip hop. While I was weaving my way through the crowded entrance of the maze, so I could have my chance at the cheese too, I ended up getting a job at a place called Hits Magazine. I got stuck in the back with all the other peons, trying to make something of themselves, while wasting their precious time in a carpeted, particleboard cubicle, slaving away for someone else. But it was a job working with music, so I gave it a shot.

Working there was a blessing in the disguise of a horrible curse that some employees never shook off. I learned a lot and got a taste of why people looked at the music business as a breeding ground for scumbags and extortionists. Aside from squandering my creativity, and exerting valuable brainpower and energy for nothing, I met a person who would eventually become a good friend. He would ultimately connect me with what I was supposed to be doing in life (Obi-wan-kenobi style). His name is Prince Ice.

Incidentally, Ice was also being victimized by a notorious sleaze, who just so happened to be a pretty smart dude and a powerful figure in the business at the time with Hits Magazine. I already knew about Ice from some records he put out that used to get regular rotation in my club and party sets, so I was cool with dude from the beginning. After some time passed, (much of it spent begging and pleading with the stubborn pig that was Ice’s boss) I was able to get King Tech’s address.

I had heard The Wake Up Show a few times on THE BEAT and knew I had to connect with theses cats. This was at a time in LA when 92.3 was KING. The guy who got me the job had a friend who also booked me with Julio G. Julio had a few shows on at the time, so from there I was really paying close attention to what was happening on LA radio. There were a few classic hip hop shows on the air in LA at the time, but Sway & Tech made it fun and entertaining, while still taking it serious and making it about the music first.

I remember the tape I sent to Tech. It was OLD and sounded like shit. I felt so embarrassed that I hadn’t made new one since I had been in LA because of my work schedule. It was just a bunch of old school mixes and a ridiculous scratch track I had done at least a year and a half prior. Two weeks later, Ice hit me up in the hall at Hits and told me that Tech wanted to bring me on the show. He gave me Tech’s number and told me to call him. I did. We set up a time for me to roll up and do a cool little set. Nothing special, just come mix a bunch of records and cut it up. Thinking back about that particular tape and how it’s the reason I got my break is really, really scary. Because I’m sure if I heard it now, it would shame me beyond belief.

Two weeks later, I showed up at the show with a cool 20 minute set, not knowing my life was about to change. A little cuttin’ and scratchin’ and jugglin’, with some cool records was the plan, but when I hit the booth, that plan quickly went to shit. In the hall by the entrance to the booth was the ENTIRE Beat Junkie Crew. In the control room with Sway & Tech was the entire Invisible Scratch Picklez Crew with Rob Swift from the X-men. I had never met any of these people and really, to be honest, being fresh from the east coast, never heard of a few of them. To make matters worse for me, they had set up a mixer I had never seen before. It was the original Grey prototype Vestax 05-pro. Minutes after this had all sunk in, Sway puts me on first and tells me on air “Don’t screw up, we have 5 million people listening.” Great!

Needless to say I was able to get down and hold my own, doing what I could with no preparation or routines, while the rest of these world class DJs got so busy with all of their well rehearsed battle sets. Most of them had been using the 05 for a while and were doing crazy cuts you really couldn’t do with any other mixer. I loved every minute of it. This has to be the most inspiring night I’ve ever had to this date and still remains my number one Wake Up Show experience.

I’d heard new scratch styles and juggling patterns, hung with Sway & Tech, and used what would turn out to be the mixer that re-invented the way I scratched. It was unbelievable. I remember driving home that night while they were still on the air. I listened to Q-Bert do his ‘Rock-the-Bells’ routine for the first time on the radio. To top all that off, they asked me to come back.

But I have to say this: even back then, no one there that night had ever heard anyone cut like me, aside from Tech and Prince Ice. I brought a style that was equally impressive, yet totally different.

10 years, 2 radio stations, 3 albums, countless mixtapes, interviews, and guest features - I’m still doing the same thing, cuttin’ up real hip hop music on the radio with the realest dudes in the game. All this, while having been around the world more times than most people in 3 lifetimes, and producing music for artists, TV, and film. Through all the changes the business has made and decisions it has forced us all to make, I still show up to participate in hip hop history every week on the air in LA and have it syndicated around the world.

I skipped a lot of things worth mentioning, but you’ll have to read about that in my book, if I ever retire. Until then, just support this music and all its various facets. Oh yeah, and by my new albums and mixtapes when they come out. Or if you cheap bastards download ‘em for free, at least come check me at a show when I’m in your town burnin’ up the Technincs …

Various programs
Production Package Music, MTV

Various programs
Production/Music Beds, Showtime/NBC/Fox/etc.

Hip Hop Honors
Music Beds/ Production Package Music, VH1

The Hook Up
Opening Theme/Music Beds, ESPN

The Wake up Show
Opening Theme/Music Beds, MTV

Street Legends
Music Library for Film & TV, Blazed Out /5 Alarm

The Wake up Show
Opening Theme/Music Beds, MTV

Street Legends
Music Library for Film & TV, Blazed Out /5 Alarm

South Street
Music Library for Film & TV, Blazed Out/5 Alarm

Black Mask (Film)
Original Motion Picture Score, Artisan Ent

Sway & Tech w/ DJ Revolution / "This or That" / Interscope / 1999

DJ Revolution & King Tech / "Instrumental Addicts" / Knocturnal / 1997

Marco Polo w. Large Professor / "The Radar" / Soulspazm/Rawkus / 2007

Evidence / "Album intro" / Abb / 2007

Planet Asia / "God in the Flesh" / liquor Barrell / 2007

Evidence / "Hot & Cold" / abb / 2006

Heltah Skeltah / "Midnight Madness" / Coalmine / 2006

Planet Asia / "The Medicine" / Abb / 2006

Evidence / "Mr Slow Flow" / Abb / 2006

Evidence / "Down in NYC" / Abb / 2006

Buckshot / "The Streets" / DuckDown / 2006

Swollen Members / "Torture" / Battle Axe / 2006

Bekay / "Hip Hop" / Coalmine / 2006

O.C. / "The Professional" / Inebriated / 2004

Bullshit / "KRS-1" / Inebriated / 2004

Chops/Rass Kass/Kweli / "Comin From a lower level" / Goodvibe / 2004

Vishiss/Phil da Agony & Rass Kass / "Hot" / goodvibe / 2004

Swollen Members / "Therapy" / Battle Axe / 2003

Swollen Members / "Bust" / Battle Axe / 2003

Joey Chavez/Phil da Agony/Dilated / "Fingerprints/I-5" / BeatDown / 2003

Soul Supreme/Big Daddy Kane / "Come get it" / Grit / 2003

Sly Boogy / "Fatal Mistake" / Bolo / 2002

Concise / "FAME" / Double Up / 2002

Checkmate w/ Royce da 5' 9" / "RAW Shit" / Double UP / 2002

Planet Asia / "Charcoal" / Avatar / 2002

Bravo & Sandman / "One of a Kind (superrappin')" / Gruv-Attack / 2001

Swollen Members / "Take it Back" / battle Axe / 2001

Swollen Members / "total package" / Battle Axe / 2001

13 / "Clear the Spot" / Abb / 2001

Triple Seis / "NY, NY" / Ill Boogie / 2001

The Alkaholiks / "The Bubble" / Loud / 2001

Mystic / "Current Events" / Goodvibe / 2001

Masters of Illusion (Kool Keith) / "National Guard/Step Up" / Threshold / 2001

4th Avenue Jones' / "respect" / Interscope / 2001

Slum Village / "Hold Tight (remix)" / goodvibe / 2001

Bahamadia / "Special Forces" / Goodvibe / 2001

Grand Agent / "Patience" / Ill Boogie / 2000

Bahamadia / "Album INtro" / Goodvibe / 2000

Phil Da Agony / "Blunted" / Barber Shop/Goodvibe / 2000

Grand Agent / "Mingling with Mayhem" / Czar Casket / 1999

kamachi & AG / "They Dont KNow" / Ready Rock / 1999

Be an MC / "Mykill Miers/Bumpy Knuckles" / BlackBerry / 1999

Spontaneous/Tash / "Serve 1" / Goodvibe / 1999

Rasco / "Bustin" / BlackBerry / 1999

Planet Asia/Rasco / "Crash the Boards" / Cali Agents / 1999

Planet Asia/Rasco / "Bringin it Back" / BlackBerry / 1999

Swollen Members / "Camoflauge" / battle Axe / 1999

masters of Illusion (Kool Keith) / "Patna's Confused" / Threshold / 1999

Joey Chavez/Defari / "Develop tools" / Abb / 1999

Dilated Peoples / "Work the Angles" / Abb / 1998

Rasco / "Bits & Pieces" / Stones Throw / 1998

Red Foo & Dre Kroon / "The Freshest" / Bubonic / 1998

Crooked I / "Dj's & Mc's" / Virgin / 1998

El Da Sensei / "Revolutionize" / Fat Beats / 2006

Son Doobie / "Confess" / Battle Axe / 2006

Son Doobie / "Put Your Blunt Up" / Battle Axe / 2006

Ed O G / "The Upper Hand" / Fat Beats/Overlook / 2006

Sly Boogy / "Fuk Wit Dis" / Bolo Entertainment / 2003

KRS-1 / "9 Elements" / Koch/In the paint / 2003

KRS-1 / "Things Will Change" / Koch/In the paint / 2003

Akrobatik / "Woman pt.2" / Coup d'etat / 2003

Baby Blak / "No Coast All Stars w/ planet asia & obi trice" / Millenia Music / 2003

Baby Blak / "Wake up" / Millenia Music / 2003

Baby Blak / "Tables Turn" / Millenia Music / 2003

Baby Blak / "Album Intro" / Millenia Music / 2003

Baby Blak / "Black is Back" / Millenia Music / 2003

Grand Agent / "SkillzPhilly" / Abb / 2002

Defari / "Smack Ya Face" / Abb / 2002

Ed O G / "Rise & Shine" / Fat Beats / 2002

Mykill Miers / "Killing Spree pt.2" / ILL Boogie / 2001

Mykill Miers / "Raw Shit" / IlL Boogie / 2001

Mykill Miers / "1 for the treble" / IlL Boogie / 2001

Mykill Miers / "do what they gotta do" / IlL Boogie / 2001

Mykill Miers / "Everyday Ritual" / IlL Boogie / 2001

Akbar / "5th element" / Ill Boogie / 2001

DJ Revolution / "In 12's we trust" / Millenia Music / 2001

Mykill Miers/Planet Asia / "Killing Spree remix" / Ill Boogie / 2000

Rasheed & Cheif kamachi / "Forever" / Ill Boogie / 2000

Rasheed & Ill Advised / "1986 remix w/ black thought" / Quake City / 1999

Rasheed & Ill Advised / "1986" / Quake City / 1998

Styles of Beyond / "Many Styles" / Mammoth / 1998

Dj Revolution/Various Artists / "Class of '86" / Millenia Music / 2006

Dj Revolution/Various Artists / "ABC's in Hi-Fidelity" / Millenia Music / 2006

DJ Revolution/Various Artists / "Class of '85" / Millenia Music / 2005

Dj Revolution/Various Artists / "The Breaks in Hi-Fidelity" / Millenia Music / 2005

DJ Revolution/Various Artists / "Wake Up Show Archives 1-6" / n/a / 2005

Dj Revolution/Smiff & Wessun / "Smiff & Wessun reloaded mixtape" / Duck Down / 2004

Dj Revolution/Various Artists / "SONAR" / Metro Concepts / 2004

Dj Revolution/Defari / "Best of/Alnum mixtape" / n/a / 2004

Dj Revolution/Various Artists / "The Way of the Samurai" / Harlem / 2003

Dj Revolution/Various Artists / "DJ Revolution Down Under vol 1" / Millenia Music / 2003

Dj Revolution/Various Artists / "Plastic Man (japan only)" / Harlem / 2002

DJ Revolution / "You need New Breaks" / Battle Axe / 2001

DJ Revolution / "Coffee Breaks" / Battle Axe / 2001

DJ Revolution / "Big Honky Breaks" / Ground Control / 2001