What's Up With
… ICON DJ AMAZE
by Dirty South Joe
Real name: David Mays
Age: 27
Hometown: West Philly.
The triple threat: “I DJ, I produce and I've got this party break thing going on where I'm yelling over breaks. If one dries up, I've got another well to dip into.”
Get it up right now: “I've been my own hypeman since the beginning. I didn't really realize what I was doing until about two or three years ago. My voice was helping and enhancing my DJing at parties. That's when I started customizing my sound and doing it more purposefully, so I could brand my events and interact with the crowd better. Now I'm making party breaks and I've got my first record coming out on AV8 later this month. It'll probably be one of the last vinyls.”
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The clique: “My music group is called Hood Elegant Music. It's me, my R&B artist D. Goode and rapper El Sizzel, my right hand man.”
The icon: “We live in an age where the party break is almost forgotten, so I'm trying to rebirth it. You had Doug E. Fresh, DJ Kool and Fatman Scoop, but you haven't had anyone in recent years come out, take hold and bring something new to the table. That's my goal and my vision in doing this. The fact that I've been DJing for so long gives me the insight as to what will and won't work in the party. I think a lot of DJs have become complacent, so I'm challenging them to put some personality back into moving the crowd.”
On peer pressure: “My target is DJs. Right now I want the general audience to listen and like it, but I want DJs to feel it more. I think it's important first to gain the respect, recognition and acknowledgement from my peers for contributing to the art form.”
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