DJ Jazzy Jeff talks Red Bull Thre3style DJ competition

Join us this weekend as Phoenix hosts the Red Bull Thre3style DJ Competition and DJ Jazzy Jeff himself shows us how its done tonight, Friday April 3 at Club Red.  Snag your free RSVP here: RED BULL THRE3STYLE USA NATIONAL FINAL – QUALIFIER NIGHT 2 FT DJ JAZZY JEFF + SKRATCH BASTID

Check out the convo the RB Team had with him back in November pre-competition below:

I was stressin a little bit, more butterflies in my stomach as I climbed the stairs to DJ Jazzy Jeff’s hotel room. He is in town for a couple of days and prepping to hand pick the best DJ talent Arizona has to offer for RedBull’s Thre3Style – a DJ Duel amongst the best #RealDJing masters from 19 different countries. Battleground: Tokyo, Japan. Judges: DJ Jazzy Jeff, Z-Trip, Skratch Bastid, Four Color Zack , & Hedspin.

Jazzy has a lot of history behind him. This was a master, the first Grammy Award Winner in Hip-Hop for “Parents Just Don’t Understand” with Will Smith, popularized the transformer scratch, been a video game character (DJ Hero) and acted in one of my favorite TV shows of all time. Needless to say, I was stoked.

I had no idea what to call him. Do I ask? DJ Jazz? Jazzy? Mr Jeff?  I was a little unsure of the protocol. “I’ll just say my name and get his when he responds.”  

“Hi, I’m Sam.”
“Hello.”

I still have no idea what to call him.

But, I had nothing to be worried about. Jazzy Jeff is a very humble and calm person. He’s an incredibly accomplished musician and acts like it; quiet, polite, that famous chill smile across his lips, like you’ve just piqued his interest out of a book. He was in all black, except for some neon-lime shoes. His black t-shirt, with only a shadow of the swagger of his 90s attire, had “Vinyl Destination” printed across the front in white lettering.

I brought him pancakes. Shit smelled delicious.

You’ve mentioned that your mother is your hero. What other mentors have you had along the way and what have they taught you?

He pauses for a moment.

“I think that one of the biggest was Kenny Gamble, in Philly. Kenny had done what he was trying to do, make in impact in Philly, Jazz’s hometown.  Early on I was complaining to him, how hard things were and how frustrated I was, open this door and that door, while I was pouring my heart out, while I was looking for comfort, he said to me “and I’ll never forget this ‘who the fuck told you that success would be easy?’”

Where do your see your proteges taking the future of the DJs?

At the word ‘protege’ he frowns a bit, “I don’t look at it like that. I’m just supposed to do that. You’re supposed to take people under your wing. A lot of the discoveries, things that I have seen, you’re excited to tell somebody else. I don’t want to be the lone successful person, if I am gonna sit on a beach I want to do it with 10k people not yourself.”

“It can go many places. If you take the traditional cycle of things, there was a point where the turntables were outselling the guitar. In the early 2000s, nobody gave a shit. DMC got it super big, then it just shrunk. Then it grows. In segue to thre3style, the thing I really, really absolutely love about thre3style, it is grooming good DJs. …that puts the right people in the right places.”

If you were to compete this year (Thre3Style), what 3 genres would you use and how would you make those transitions?

“Mmm..ooh…(I got him hooked here. His tone got much more cunning, like an old soldier using his weapon) I like to throw curve balls. I believe… when you go to an event, there are songs that people would expect you play, but, I think, if you’ve ever paid a compliment to a DJ, it was because the unexpected songs. Like, ‘OH my God, can you believe he played dis? I haven’t heard this in FOREVER!’ those make the night.

In Thre3style, I’d have to figure out what the curveball to be. It’s got to be something draMATIC. I want to play that song like, you got that girl at the bar and you tryna get her number, and the DJ drops a tune, you literally gotta be like. ‘Hold up… OH SHIT.’ SHIIIIT. I want to be the ‘oh shit’ guy.”

Is there any literature that an up and coming DJ should check out?

“Do your research. One thing that I like about Dane (his MC), he’d come to me and say, “Gimme 3 albums to listen to” He’d check out live videos and bring back a poem. So I’ll be like ‘where’d you find that??’ ”  (For the record, those albums were Public enemy, Parliament Funkadelic, & Maggot Brain)

Final Question: What’s your favorite question that you’ve never been asked?

“I’ve probably answered it. If there was something I wanted, I figured out a way to get it.”

A good lesson to learn from the DJ Master:
If there was something I wanted, I figured out a way to get it.