DJ Fresh - conducted by Jeremy Simmonds and Ian Jackson
DJ Fresh
March 2007
MVRemix: Where are you from?
DJ Fresh: Baltimore to The Bay Area
MVRemix: What about music inspired you to make a career out of it?
DJ Fresh: My calling really is music always was, music has been my drive from a child to an adult. Starting to the Beats to the DJing, and I was fascinated with DJ's and mixing two records, blending records, it was my calling it was what I wanted to do, before I did it for fun, but then DJing was big, I started in 1991-93, early 90's, if you was living off DJing it was rare, you were special, it grew into where I am now.
MVRemix: What are some of the musical accomplishments your fans know you by?
DJ Fresh: People know me as being on tour with Nas and DJing for Common, and as far as production, and the production for Mistah Fab with the hit we go stupid in the bay and the mixtape with J Stalin
MVRemix: What was your biggest musical break in gaining recognition and how did that break occur?
DJ Fresh: Going on tour with Nas, I had this dj crew called the 12 in assassins from NY city, and the main DJ's was DJ dummy, DJ ls1 , DJ Ruckas, and DJ chaps, and myself, so we were the forefront DJ's and we did battle competitions and parties, and our names was for battles. We were big in that. 1999 hit I was #3 DJ, and DJ Ruckas was DJing for Freddie Fox and fox and Nas had a close relationship. Fox would tell Nas about me, and one morning Nas' manager called me, said he had Nas there, I said let me talk to him, and from there he says, “Peace” like “Hello,” and from there and many positives prior to me meeting him, our relationship sprouted from there.
MVRemix: Being rated #3 DJ in the US and from there being the official DJ of Nas during one of his most crucial periods of his career, dropping Stillmatic, which fueled an on air NY battle with Jay-Z, how was that being on tour while NAS was on the top of the charts, where did you guys tour to?
DJ Fresh: We did a full national tour, and it was a new and very fortunate experience I was blessed to be apart of , and I was blessed to be a part of this multiple times, and still today I still bear benefit from that. It was a big step in my career.
MVRemix: How does it feel to have all this support from the major artists and how does it feel knowing three artists are rapidly gaining recognition in The Bay Area from the publicity of your DJ Fresh Presents Series?
DJ Fresh: DJ Fresh: It feels good because people are able to respect the music I produce its my blood sweat and tears and I feel like I'm in a good position and my work ethic and what I can do for music as an artist it's a complimentary thing, and the artists I pick compliments me. So we always compliment each other so we enjoy what we do and it forms this pride in my projects, it feels better than sex.
MVRemix: If there's one goal you hope to provide to your fans what is it and why did you chose this as your one goal?
DJ Fresh: DJ Fresh: My one goal to provide to your fans, wow what a major question, but I guess off the top of my mind , to keep provided the fans more DJ fresh, solid music, solid beats, and good presentation, stayed tuned cause fresh isn't gonna let you down.
MVRemix: You've released two mix tapes with Mistah Fab, an artist who recently signed to Atlantic Records, and you've released your Tonight Show Series, as well as The Real World West Oakland By J-Stalin, who has had a recent explosion of media hype, gaining fame from the classic mix tape produced and hosted exclusively by you. With these series being a major factor in keeping the hyphy movement revived and thriving, what can we expect from you in the coming year?
DJ Fresh: In the coming year I changed from mixtapes to pre albums, you can expect more quality projects.
MVRemix: What is a Pre-Album?
DJ Fresh: Ok well most DJ's they do mixtape by jacking a beat and they will have the rapper rap over it, those are mixtapes, what I do is a little more unique cause I do pre albums its all original beats and its all dj fresh and whole she-bang beats, and its like the album before there pre album, lets there fans hear them before there debut album, a promotional tool to get there fans to hear them right before there drop, its all original music.
I gotta look out for the pre-album being produced by Gotti, a dude from East Oakland rapidly gaining fame, I got new Tonight Shows coming with J Stalin and Beeda Weeda, the first to drop before E40s, and the Tonight Show with Fab the Sequal, The Whole Shabang Presents Gully and Ray Rider, and the Tonight Show with Nas, and a Tonight Show with Tower, and Nump who has performed the hit single I got grapes a major hyphy movement single.
