DJ STATIC

BRONX | DJ STATIC

INTERVIEW: TERRELL "REALIFE" BLACK

VALIDATED: WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP, THE CULTURE?

DJ STATIC: WHEN I WAS IN JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL, I SAW A LOT OF DUDES CARRYING THEIR BOOM BOXES PLAYING RUN DMC, SPECIAL ED, KOOL MOE DEE, BIG DADDY KANE, ETC. DURING THE SUMMER IN THE BRONX, I USED TO GO TO BLOCK PARTIES EARLY JUST TO WATCH THE DJ’S SET UP THE EQUIPMENT AND PLAY UNTIL IT WAS OVER. TAKING THE TRAIN, I WOULD SEE GRAFFITI ON THE TRAINS, LOOK LIKE A SCENE FROM WARRIORS.

VALIDATED: BEING FROM THE BIRTHPLACE OF HIP-HOP, THE BRONX, WHAT DOES HIP-HOP MEAN TO YOU?

DJ STATIC: IT MEANS A LOT, ESPECIALLY WHERE IT ALL STARTED FROM.

VALIDATED: YOUR CREDITS INCLUDE DJ AND PRODUCER FOR IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE. HOW DID THE OPPORTUNITY COME ABOUT? WHAT'S IT LIKE WORKING WITH SUCH A PROLIFIC EMCEE?

DJ STATIC: WELL IMMORTAL TECHNIQUE AND I WERE IN A GROUP CALLED “STRONGHOLD”. EACH FINGER REPRESENTED A MEMBER WHICH MADE A FIST. IN 2009 HE CALLED ME TO DJ FOR HIM AT A SHOW, SO I WENT AND AFTER THE SHOW HE ASKED ME TO BE HIS DJ.

VALIDATED: YOU'VE PRODUCED FOR HIP-HOP PIONEERS SUCH AS KRS-ONE, BLACK MOON, BUSTA RHYMES AND RAKIM. WHAT DO THESE ACCOMPLISHMENTS MEAN TO YOU?

DJ STATIC: WELL I'VE CAME A LONG WAY BEING A PRODUCER, AFTER BEING DENIED PLACEMENTS, I KEPT MAKING MUSIC AND I TOLD MYSELF THAT ONE DAY THAT PLACEMENT WILL COME. SO WITH HARD WORK AND DETERMINATION, IT HAPPENED.

VALIDATED: WHAT'S THE STORY BEHIND THE KRS-ONE PLACEMENT?

DJ STATIC: I MET KRS 1 IN MANCHESTER, UK AT A SHOW I WAS DJING AT WITH TECHNIQUE AND I GAVE KRS 1 A THUMB DRIVE FULL OF BEATS. A YEAR LATER, HE HITS ME UP AND WANTED 2 JOINTS OFF THAT THUMB DRIVE AND THE REST WAS HISTORY.

VALIDATED: MUSIC THEORY, EXPLAIN HOW IT HAS CHANGED YOUR CAREER?

DJ STATIC: WELL, EARLIER IN MY PRODUCING CAREER, I WAS SAMPLING A LOT AND EVEN THOUGH THEY LIKE THE BEATS, IT WAS HARD TO CLEAR THE SAMPLE SO I WAS LOSING PLACEMENTS. I WENT TO LEHMAN COLLEGE TO TAKE MUSIC THEORY AND PIANO COURSES FOR TWO YEARS AND EVER SINCE THEN IT HELPED CHANGE THE WAY I APPROACHED MUSIC.

VALIDATED: YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THE “BEATZ N BARZ SHOW”, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PLATFORM?

DJ STATIC: WELL I WAS BROADCASTING FROM DTF RADIO SHOW IN BROOKLYN, MY BRO MAL AND SLIM WAS THE HOST AND I WAS THE DJ. WE HAD ARTIST AND PRODUCERS COME UP AND SHOWCASE THEIR TALENT. WE HAD THE SHOW FOR CLOSE TO A YEAR AND WE HAD TO SHUT IT DOWN.

VALIDATED: HOW DO YOU FEEL DJ'ING HAS CHANGED MOST DUE TO TECHNOLOGY? IS THERE A LACK OF SKILL WITH "PUSH BUTTON" DJS VERSES THE "CRATES ERA" DJS?

DJ STATIC: WELL TECHNOLOGY HAS MADE IT EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO DJ BUT YOU CAN'T BUY SKILL OR EXPERIENCE WHEREAS THE CRATE ERA, YOU HAD TO LEARN YOUR RECORDS AND KEEP THE CROWD ROCKING.

VALIDATED: WHO'S THE BETTER DJ, THE "CRATES ERA" DJ OR THE "PUSH BUTTON" DJ? WHY?

DJ STATIC: I’M GONNA GO WITH CRATE ERA DJ. IF YOU PLAY AT A CLUB AND THEY ONLY HAVE TURNTABLES AND A MIXER, SOME DEEJAYS WOULDN’T KNOW WHAT TO DO AND THIS IS WHY I SAY HAVING SKILL AND EXPERIENCE COUNTS.

VALIDATED: PLEASE EXPLAIN THE DJ'S ROLE IN HIP HOP AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THAT ROLE.

DJ STATIC: THE DJ’S PLAY A MAJOR ROLE. IT STARTED THE WHOLE HIP HOP MOVEMENT. NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, WHETHER A SHOW, PARTY, CONCERT, THE DJ IS ALWAYS INVOLVED. THE DJ KEEPS THE CROWD ENTERTAINED, WE MAKE THE PEOPLE FEEL GOOD WHEN WE AS DJ’S PLAY THEIR FAVORITE SONG. WE KEEP THE PARTY ALIVE.

VALIDATED: YOU PRODUCE AND DJ, WHICH DID YOU DO FIRST? HOW DID YOU GET YOUR START WITH THAT CRAFT AND HOW DID YOU END UP DOING THE OTHER?

DJ STATIC: I STARTED DJ’ING IN 1992, MY COUSIN GOT ME INTO IT. AS I STARTED BUYING AND COLLECTING RECORDS, I KEPT SAYING THAT ONE DAY I WANT TO MAKE A BEAT AND PUT IT ON WAX. IN 1996, MY FRIEND GAB RODRIGUEZ INTRODUCED ME TO THE MPC 3000. I WAS ALWAYS AT HIS HOUSE TRYING TO LEARN THAT MACHINE. WHEN THE MPC 2000 CAME OUT, A FRIEND OF MINE HELP ME OUT TO GET ONE. EVER SINCE THEN, I’VE TAKEN THE PRODUCTION CRAFT VERY SERIOUS.

VALIDATED: WHERE CAN THE FANS SUPPORT YOU ONLINE, SOCIAL MEDIA, SHOW, ETC?

DJ STATIC: WELL MY WEBSITE IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION BUT YOU CAN DEFINITELY FIND ME ON INSTAGRAM @DJSTATIC222.