TRUST THE PROCESS: DJ GETATCHA
ATLANTA, GEORGIA | DJ GETATCHA
INTERVIEW: TERRELL “REALIFE” BLACK [@REALIFEVMG]
PHOTOGRAPHY: ALO THE RADIO GOD [@ALOTHERADIOGOD]
ATLANTA, GEORGIA NATIVE DJ GETATCHA, MOST KNOWN FOR HIS MIXTAPES, GOT HIS START PROMOTING FOR WAKA FLOCKA AND YOUNG JEEZY AT THE AGE OF SEVENTEEN. HE LATER CO-HOSTED HIS OWN RADIO SHOW “BPU RADIO” AND EVENTUALLY LANDED THE POSITION OF HUSTLE GANG DJ. THE DJ EXPLAINS PAYING DUES AND TRUSTING THE PROCESS DURING HIS COME UP. VALIDATED CAUGHT UP WITH DJ GETATCHA AND DISCUSSED HIS DJ INFLUENCES, HIS RESPONSIBILITY TO HIP-HOP AND HIS RECENT MIXTAPE RELEASE.
VALIDATED: GROWING UP IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP CULTURE?
DJ GETATCHA: EARLY 2000’S, MUSIC WAS REAL TO ME AND I WAS MORE APPRECIATIVE OF IT.
VALIDATED: TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT WHERE YOU COME FROM.
DJ GETATCHA: BORN AT GRADY HOSPITAL AND RAISED IN CLAYTON COUNTY, I REALLY DIDN’T HAVE ANY STRUCTURE WHERE I’M FROM. I HAD TO GET OUT ON MY OWN TO FIGURE THINGS OUT FOR THE MOST PART.
VALIDATED: YOU WERE A PROMOTER FOR WAKA FLOCKA AND YOUNG JEEZY FOR TWO YEARS AT THE AGE OF SEVENTEEN. HOW DID THAT OPPORTUNITY COME ABOUT?
DJ GETATCHA: I SEEN A GUY DRIVING A VAN WRAPPED UP IN WAKA FLOCKA AND JEEZY. I KNEW RIGHT THEN HE WAS A PROMOTER. HIS COMPANY GOES BY THE NAME OF “TEAM SHOWBIZ”. HE BROUGHT ME ON AND LET ME KNOW WHAT HE WANTED ME TO DO FROM THERE.
VALIDATED: IN HINDSIGHT, WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON YOU LEARNED WHILE PROMOTING?
DJ GETATCHA: I LEARNED PROMOTING IS A 24/7 THING NONSTOP BECAUSE EVERYONE MUST SEE WHAT'S GOING ON.
VALIDATED: WHICH DJ'S INFLUENCED YOU AND WHAT IF ANYTHING DID YOU BORROW FROM THEM?
DJ GETATCHA: DJ MLK AND DJ PRYME TIME INFLUENCED ME. I SEEN LOYAL IN THEM AND THE WAY THEY WAS MOVING AROUND THE CITY THE CORRECT WAY.
VALIDATED: AS A DJ, DO YOU FEEL YOU HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO HIP-HOP? IF SO, IN WHAT WAY?
DJ GETATCHA: YES, BECAUSE I’M LEADING FROM EXAMPLE SO IT’S MY JOB TO BE POSITIVE FOR OTHERS.
VALIDATED: WHAT’S BEEN THE BEST THING FOR HIP-HOP IN ATLANTA IN RECENT YEARS?
DJ GETATCHA: DIFFERENT REAL MUSIC, WHAT PEOPLE REALLY NEED TO HEAR.
VALIDATED: IS THERE A ATLANTA ARTIST YOU CO-SIGN WHO'S NOT ON YOUR LABEL?
DJ GETATCHA: PURECOMP AND STREET NITTY.
VALIDATED: YOU BECAME THE DJ FOR ATLANTA-BASED LABEL HUSTLE GANG IN LATE 2014. HOW DID THE OPPORTUNITY COME ABOUT?
DJ GETATCHA: I WENT TO GRAND HUSTLE STUDIO FOR A MIXTAPE LISTENING EVENT. I WAS TALKING TO DOUG PETERSON AND DIDN’T EVEN KNOW HE WAS THE PRESIDENT OVER AT GRAND HUSTLE. SO HE BROUGHT IN THE CAMP AS WELL, MAC BONEY, SINCE THEN AND NOW WE BEEN MAKING THINGS HAPPEN.
VALIDATED: BEING APART OF ARGUABLY ONE OF THE HOTTEST RECORD LABELS IN HIP-HOP, WHAT’S THAT EXPERIENCE BEEN LIKE FOR YOU?
DJ GETATCHA: AT FIRST IT WAS UNBELIEVABLE! I COULDN’T BELIEVE I MADE IT THIS FAR AND LEARNED A LOT FROM OTHERS LIKE MAC BONEY, BIG KUNTRY KANE, DJ MLK, DJ PRYME TIME, AND MORE.
VALIDATED: YOU RELEASED YOUR FIRST ALBUM "YOUNGEST IN CHARGE" MID 2016. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU'VE GROWN AT YOUR CRAFT SINCE THEN?
DJ GETATCHA: I HAVE GROWN SO MUCH SINCE INVESTING IN MY CRAFT MORE AND NETWORKING, TRAVELING EVERYWHERE MAKING MAJOR MOVES.
VALIDATED: YOU'VE DROPPED SEVER SUCCESSFUL MIXTAPES INCLUDING "20 DEEP MIXTAPE SERIES" AND THE "HUSTLE GANG MIXTAPE", WHICH BECAME ONE OF THE "20 BEST RECORDINGS OF 2015. WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THE SUCCESS OF THESE PROJECTS?
DJ GETATCHA: THE REACTION ABOUT THE “20 DEEP MIXTAPE”, I HAD GOT RECORDS THAT NO ONE HAD HEARD YET. ME AND MAC BONEY FROM P$C GRAND HUSTLE LINKED UP AND CAME UP WITH A CONCEPT AND I WAS THE ONLY DJ WHO INTRODUCED IT TO THE WORLD FIRST.
VALIDATED: YOUR LATEST ALBUM "RETURN OF DJ GETATCHA" DROPPED LATE 2018, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PROJECT?
DJ GETATCHA: THIS ALBUM WILL TELL YOU & REMIND OTHERS ABOUT MY PAST LIFE 4 YEARS AGO ABOUT MY LEGAL ISSUES. SO “RETURN OF DJ GETATCHA” IS LETTING PEOPLE KNOW I’M STILL HERE.
VALIDATED: YOU RELEASED YOUR SINGLE "THINGS I NEVER HAD, THE REMIX" FEATURING DJ UNK AND ARCHIE EVERSOLE IN APRIL, WHAT'S BEEN THE RESPONSE TO THE RECORD?
DJ GETATCHA: EVERYBODY’S LOVING THE RECORD, I HAVE GOT NOTHING BUT LOVE AND POSITIVE VIBES. RADIO STATIONS REACHING OUT TO ME TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY LOVE THE RECORD. PEOPLE IN MY DM REPOSTING IT EVERYDAY AND TELLING THEIR PEERS.
VALIDATED: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT YOUR INVOLVEMENT WITH "BPU RADIO"?
DJ GETATCHA: ME AND STREET NITTY HAD A CHANCE TO GET OUR OWN RADIO SHOW THERE SO WE MADE A PLATFORM FOR OURSELVES.
VALIDATED: WHAT'S NEXT FOR DJ GETATCHA?
DJ GETATCHA: PURE, STREET, KINGS (EP) DROPPING IN JUNE THIS YEAR, “20 DEEP MIXTAPE PT. 4” (HUSTLE GANG) COMING THIS JULY AND (HUMBLE) 2ND ALBUM ON THE WAY LATER THIS YEAR.