This interview originally appeared on EARSTYLE January 4th, 2012
We caught up with DJ Absolut right before the new year. Find out how Hot 97 and 106 & Park dj got into the game, his current views on the state of Hip-Hop, and find out what the young DJ has planned for 2012. Thanks to Spicer Media Group and DJ Absolut for the interview!
EARSTYLE: Congrats on all of your success so far. How have you been celebrating the Holiday?
DJ Absolut: I’ve just been working. Of course I’ve done stuff for Christmas and all, but I’ve been working as well. I’ve been on the radio of course, I’ve been in the clubs, just working. I’m looking forward to a very eventful year.
EARSTYLE: You’re a very young DJ and you’re already very successful. How did you even get into the DJ game?
DJ Absolut: A couple of my friends had some equipment and I liked the whole feeling of DJing. I liked the whole DJ art form and I ended up getting my own equipment. That’s pretty much how I got started.
EARSTYLE: What do you think was the moment that really launched your career to what it is today?
DJ Absolut: Probably my third mixtape. I think it was called Too Fast. I had mad Capone & Noreaga songs on there before their album came out and that was a big mixtape. That was likea breakthrough mixtape for me. That was the first thing. Matter of fact, the mixtape was called Too Fast Too Young. It had like four Capone & Noreaga records on there before the album even came out.
EARSTYLE: So how did you get involved with the Heavy Hitters?
DJ Absolut: (Laughs) I started doing Hot 97 and you know way before that you know what I’m saying, when I won the best new mixtape award people started looking at me. I started doing little things for Hot 97 and then I became apart of the Heavy Hitters.
EARSTYLE: Now you have broke many artists to NYC radio over the years including G-Unit, Drake, and others. It seems as though you have a good ear for what’s next.
DJ Absolut: I wouldn’t really say that I broke the artists at all, but I might have played their records first on Hot 97.
EARSTYLE: Right. What new artists do you think we should look out for in 2012?
DJ Absolut: New artists? I mean look out for French Montana. French Montana is signed to Bad Boy. I think he has a great hustle. Also, he has a great work ethic and I think he can do some damage in 2012.
EARSTYLE: Being that you are from New York, do you think that New York is still running the Hip-Hop game?
DJ Absolut: I mean the South definitely has it right now, but I mean New York is still New York. We have artists like Jay-Z, Fabolous, Jadakiss, French Montana, and Uncle Murda. The’re all doing their thing. It has definitely shifted to the South, but you still have to come to LA and you still have to come to New York. You know what I’m saying? Those are going to be the primary markets to do business at and that’s where everyone is looking at to go. New York is always going to be up there, but is it running Hip-Hop like it used to do in the 90s? It’s not like that right now, but things can change possibly. We’ll see.
EARSTYLE: Technology is always evolving. There are many veterans in the DJing business who feel as though that new technology has made it too easy for some to enter the game. Do you have a personal opinion on the subject?
DJ Absolut: Technology has definitely made it easier to just about become almost anything in the world. It’s the same that goes for DJing. Becoming an emcee, you have to have your own studio. You have to give credit to technology. Does it make it easier? Yeah. Does it make it so it’s more DJs, more emcees, more studios, more everything? Yeah, but where there’s a negative there’s a positive so you have to look at it as a glass half full.
EARSTYLE: How did you land the gig on 106 & Park and what’s the major differences of DJing on television from DJing on radio?
DJ Absolut: One of the people that works there (106 & Park) saw me DJing at a party and invited me to come and DJ on 106 & Park. I guess it was God and then me just meeting the right people as far as that situation goes. The differences between DJing on 106 & Park on TV and DJing on radio, on 106 I’m DJing during the breaks and maybe a coupole of seconds on air. That’s not really the same as when I’m on air. When I’m on air it’s either half an hour straight through flow or it’s an hour straight through flow. There’s no breaks. That’s a major difference. On radio I can pretty much do me and play different kinds of music. I have a lot of freedom. On 106 it’s only a couple of seconds for me to do my thing on air, but when there is a commercial I get to do my thing also. That’s like 5 minutes so that’s not really a lot of time.
EARSTYLE: When talking about the entertainment industry we always hear about the struggles of Artists, producers, but never really the struggles of DJs. What struggles did you face while entering the business?
DJ Absolut: Every thing is a struggle. It’s all about how you deal with it. It’s about how you really deal with your adversity. I deal with my adversity by just having determination and persistence.
EARSTYLE: What separates DJ Absolut from all of the other DJs out there?
DJ Absolut: It’s just my story and also my knowledge. When you combine the two, and consider the fact that I am one of the younger DJs. I come from an era where I really know what GOOD music really is. I can separate the great from the bullshit.
EARSTYLE: Now from my understanding you are also a producer. What projects have you worked on and what can we expect from DJ Absolut in 2012?
DJ Absolut: I have a team called Addicted For Life. It’s me, Fredo, and Slim. We work with a lot of different people. We’ve worked with everyone from LL Cool J, Fat Joe, Diddy to Noreaga to Capone. We have a new record coming out with Ace Hood, French Montana, and Pusha T. That’s coming up in the next couple of weeks. Look out for that. We have another record coming out with Raekwon and Sheek Louch coming out in February. Look out for that. We have a lot of joints coming out. A lot of records. I don’t even want to blow it up right now, but I have a lot of joints coming out in the future. We worked with a lot of people. I just found out I had a record out with Jae Millz and Yo Gotti. It came out like a year ago and I didn’t even know it was out.
EARSTYLE: What are your top 5 favorite Hip-Hop albums of all time?
DJ Absolut: I think It Was Written, Nas. That’s one of my favorite albums of all time. I’m going to have to go with another Nas album, Illmatic. Then you got Life After Death, Reasonable Doubt was dope, and I’m going to go with Mobb Deep’s The Infamous.
EARSTYLE: What advice can you give to any rising DJs out there?
DJ Absolut: Just try to stand out and be different. You can’t try to be like everyone else. You have to come up with your own niche. That’s the only way you’ll really separate yourself from everyone else by standing out. Do things a little differently. That’s what I did.
