Definitely not new to this…
I’ve been getting asked a lot lately — and seeing comments/messages — about my live show and how I “started DJing now.” But the truth is, I started rapping and DJing around the same time.
From 2001–2015, I hosted and played 2–3 residencies a week, starting as an all-vinyl DJ before
@serato , then moving into that era, until around 2015 when I decided to focus solely on rapping.
Tbh, it was hard pulling myself off the nipple of resident DJ pay, but my end goal was to build something unique — something that didn’t feel so replaceable.
For 20 years, I felt like rappers needed a DJ, and that was that — even when I crossed over into bass music. A lot of my DJ homies suggested I start playing DJ sets myself, but I was resistant. I wanted to keep that element as part of the show.
I’ve worked with so many amazing DJs over the years and learned so much from every one of them. But after touring with
@drfresch , and a conversation with
@kaleenazanders , I started to understand electronic music as a DJ culture — and maybe that idea was what was holding me back from being perceived as a headlining act in EDM, rather than a feature.
In 2024, for my Shambhala set at The Grove, I decided it was time.
I still felt like turntables or CDJs weren’t quite the right fit, so with the help of
@captainklab and
@oakummusic , I started performing from Ableton and MIDI controllers — and instantly felt a huge shift.
Funny enough, that set became a benchmark in a new evolution for me and the industry. Unknown to me while I was on stage,
@anderson._paak was also in attendance and showed some love after, which was lowkey the ultimate universal sign that this was the right move.
Even then, I still felt a bit like a sore thumb on lineups and a little disconnected from traditional electronic acts. So as of December last year, I finally went back to DJing from CDJs — and honestly, it’s been so fun and sooooo much easier. Not in the sense of the art of it, but logistically… holy crap.
Needless to say, this is where I’m at now.
Fusing rapping and DJing as one has been exhilarating to explore, and I can’t wait to keep pushin
