Achickwitbeatz presents ⁠the Instrumental Intel podcast⁠, bringing you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news & tips, insights & interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm EST on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠.
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Instrumental Intel Podcast

Achickwitbeatz brings you information instrumental to your artistic career including music industry news, insights, interviews, and beats for your inspiration. Listen on Saturdays at 7 pm ET on ⁠⁠⁠Grander Radio,⁠⁠⁠ Achickwitbeatz.com⁠⁠⁠, and your favorite podcast platform.

Transcript Generated by Riverside

00:01
Hey, thank you so much for tuning in to Instrumental Intel. I am your host, music producer, Achickwitbeatz. And I've got a special episode for you today, Perspectives of the Sound Selectors, and it features insights from DJs that I've had conversations with. This is part one, so there's definitely more on the way. But first up, I'm featuring conversations that I've had with E-House, DJ Milk D, and King Samson as a part of the Hip Hop Shop on Yurrrp Radio. And so I'm excited to be bringing this episode to you.

00:29
And before I officially get started, I got to give a shout out to my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. And now a quick pause for the cause and then we'll dive right in. Keep it locked. Hey, I'm Achickwitbeatz, multi-genre music producer and strategist to indie artists and labels. Visit achickwitbeatz.com for resources for artists and instrumentals in various genres available for songs, vlogs, blogs, podcasts, themes, TV, film, commercials, and more.

00:58
Once again, that's achickwitbeatz.com. That's A-C-H-I-C-K-W-I-T-B-E-A-T-Z.com. Let's make something happen. I have in the virtual building with me today, DJ E-House. It's been a while you've been a guest on the old radio show, Music Marvels. But since this is your first time here on instrumental Intel, I'd like for you to kind of let the people know a little bit about who is DJ E-House.

01:27
How you got started with DJing?

01:31
Oh, yeah, for sure. Thanks for having me on. Yeah, my name's E House. I've been doing this DJ thing for a long time, since 1985. That was my first paying gig. And so I've just been DJing and kind of all over the board. I've done the whole college scene, doing a lot of the frats and stuff. And back in the late 80s, early 90s, actually mid 90s on.

02:00
I did a nightclub for about four or five years in Calabas in Michigan at Club Soda. We had a night on Tuesdays, which we called Club 340. And that went on, actually, I ran it for like five years and then it continued on for a couple of years after I moved away. But that was kind of a big adventure and running curve. I moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1998.

02:30
took me about a year or so to find the scene here in Phoenix. But I did find that house music scene that I love the most. But the Hip Hop scene here is also phenomenal. We have, would argue, some of the best Hip Hop DJs in the world are actually here. Because we have guys here that regularly tour overseas, Europe, Japan, all of that. And they're right here based out Phoenix. So that's kind of what I've been doing here off and on in between my

02:59
actual career, my job, and I work for a major airline, but still be a band, still love it. So it's one of those things, once it gets out of your skin, just the music, you can't help it. So that's a little about me. Okay. Well, thank you for that. And, you know, I should have said before we even began, thank you for taking your time out of your busy schedule to come and talk with us. Yeah, you mentioned your first paying gig was in 1985.

03:27
What did that feel like to you instead of somebody just like, can you do this? But to actually pay you for it. Yeah, it was, uh, was funny cause it was a house party. But, know, I remember hauling all of my equipment and this was actually, um, I did not have a car at the time. So I literally was walking because it was in the same complex that I lived in. Um, and so was another friend's house, but yeah, um, his mom wanted to party and I was like, I'll do it. And.

03:56
Yep. She paid me. It wasn't a lot of money. It was about a hundred bucks. Even in 1985, that was a lot of money. Yeah. me a lot of records. But yeah, it was, it was fun. was one of those things. It was the time I felt legit because I wasn't just doing something in favor. So yeah, that had to feel pretty good. And like you said, it's not me doing a favor. mean, it's so many, I guess, producer, producers, DJs, even artists are offered that just, you know, for the exposure thing, but.

04:26
to get valued that early, that had to feel really good. Yeah, it was. It was actually neat because back then, obviously, there was no internet. Your only true exposure was doing the party, being on the flyer, and that. I had some mentors that I actually got to play with.

04:47
But they, you know, I was playing early. was getting that just that basic knowledge. But yeah, once I got paid and it helped, like I said, about getting records and things like that, getting to buy more equipment. But it did help with my confidence of being okay with asking for this is how much I'm charging. I came up and I think in a very fortunate time where there wasn't a lot of promoters. was literally you were going straight to the people who were throwing the party.

05:17
that fraternity or whatever or that organization having a party. And so there was no promoter at a nightclub hiring you as the middle man for the nightclub owners. I literally was hired when I worked at the club directly with the owners of the nightclub. I in effect became the promoter. So yeah, it's a lot different than it was, than it is now. So yeah, was good experience. Okay. And you know,

05:43
House Party is one of my favorite movies. And when you were talking about how you didn't have a car and you had to foot it over there, before you said it was the same complex, I just had this image of, know, Belal getting in there and trying to get all the records in and all that stuff. Do you remember, like, what some of the albums were that you copped, like, once you got paid for that? Like, is there anything that kind of sticks out? Well, like, early records for me,

06:11
Man, it's so much. I say that I've forgotten about more music than people will ever know. But like, even then, because the first pain game was in 85, but I had been playing music and buying records since like early 80s. So I was big on Planet Rock, anything out of Detroit, Detroit techno scene, anything that came on Metroplex records. So that was Derek May, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson.

06:39
those cats. Of course, was early on the scene with the Chicago house thing and that was the unique thing about growing up where we both are from Kalamazoo is we're located halfway in between Detroit and Chicago. So we got this dual experience of the Detroit techno scene and the Chicago house scene. So it was that but then it was also the R &B stuff. Earth, Wind & Fire, all of that Frankie Beverly, Amaze, all those things too. Because some of the parties I would do were for

07:08
you know, for all intents and purposes, adults. So at the time, you know, I'm in my teens and I'm going to party for, you know, 25 year olds and up too. And so that was, you know, a pretty cool thing. yeah. So you had an old soul like back in the day, man, huh? You know, I grew up in that generation of every Saturday, mom's making you do, you know, your chores and on Saturdays, you do the chores and you listening to watching soul training.

07:38
And growing up, unfortunately, in Kalamazoo, we didn't have a black radio. we relied on lot of tapes from our family and friends who would either send them to us or when we would go visit family in Chicago or Detroit, recording everything. So yeah, I got wide exposure here. And I, again, love that experience. But then also, it's fortunate to have older aunts and uncles who are all in the music business somewhere somehow. Like I've got an uncle.

08:06
James that's a good singer, I got an uncle Maurice, who's a brilliant keyboardist and drummer. I have Aunt Janice, who is also a really good singer. And so they were all into that music scene too. And so that helped with me getting that kind of broader horizon. And then it didn't hurt that my mom was into jazz at the time. My stepdad was a jazz saxophonist. So he was in a band, always in a band of some sort going on back then.

08:34
Yeah, it was a great experience. I think I still have like the taste in music that I have today is so broad. It's not just one thing. You know, I do prefer house music when I'm DJing, but I can play Hip Hop, can play R &B, I can do all those things. And it all translates. All right. So it's just in you like, yeah, from blood and just ingrained in you. Like, that's what's up. So you mentioned...was that kid growing up...No, go ahead. I was that kid growing up that

09:03
You know, for Christmas, instead of asking for toys, I was asking for records. So that'll show you how much, like, that was from a young kid. Okay. sure. That's what's up. So yeah, you mentioned earlier about, you know, DJing at Club Soda. And unfortunately, you know, when it was popping and I was hearing all these good things about it, I was too young to get in. But I just need to let you know, like, I heard so many good stories. I kept thinking, man, I can't wait. I can't wait. And then all of sudden, yeah.

09:33
They're like, it ain't like it used to be. like, well now I can finally go and I can't get, yeah. But I heard so many good things, like legendary status in Kalamazoo for sure.

09:47
I appreciate that. Yeah, it was a goal of mine to make it a truly a fun place, a safe place for people to come hang out on a Tuesday night. know, when the owner of the club proposed the whole thing and I was like, he goes, what night do you want? And I go, you know what, just give me a Tuesday. I don't need a weekend night because I don't want to compete against people going, you know, out of town, going to Grand Rapids, going to Detroit, going to Chicago. Give me a Tuesday where it's more likely that people stay in, you know, they're here in town and they're going to come check us out.

10:17
And that was what we are trying to give him as a good show every week. I always brought in, you know, guest DJs. That's another thing I've never been afraid of putting somebody else on. Actually, that's what you're supposed to do. Just like how DJs are supposed to break music as me being basically kind of like I said, being the promoter, I'm supposed to break the DJs, let them get a chance to as well and pay them, you know, again, not doing it for clout. I paid everybody.

10:45
That's one thing you would never hear about Eric is that he didn't pay. Oh, I always paid. I took care of all my friends. so that's what I did. But yeah, it was always a good experience. like, you know, every now and then it would get a little wild, but it was nothing that was super crazy. I just wanted to have a good time, have people be safe and enjoy themselves. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Um, man, you had mentioned.

11:10
like how we're right in between Detroit and Chicago and how we had like the best of both those things. And I remember my grandfather was in Chicago and so sometimes I would go up there summers like, mm, this had to be like early nineties and they had like that one Hip Hop station for a couple years. I don't remember what happened to it. It ended up getting shut down. But man, I was recording so much stuff. Because like you said, we just didn't really have it here. But

11:38
I do that. I remember I got my first DJ funk tape from Forest City Mall. Like one of them little bootleg kiosks. Oh yeah. Yeah. It's just something about that flavor. Yeah. It was because it was raw. was original. was, you knew literally was some cats your age most likely making this music. And they were doing it at home. They were in some big multi-million dollar studio.

12:07
They had the equipment and they were making it happen. So that's what was cool about it. Same thing, growing up back in Chicago, the stations back in the day were WGCI and WBMX. I mean, oh my God, they were classic stations. during the day, they played R&B and some Hip Hop. But at night, once it was like nine, 10 o'clock, when it was time to go out on the weekends, especially,

12:33
that house music would start and it wouldn't stop till three or four in the morning. So yeah, was definitely a great experience for sure. Yeah. And what I got my first. Well, I got I think it was a CD actually had I still have like the liner notes from it. I don't know who got my CD, but if I ever find out they're to be in trouble. But I had that soul tech that had like Chuck and Jit and all that on there. I went through so much to find it and finally found it at Flipside Records. I was so happy.

13:02
But yeah, you got to go see these. I see I had the vinyl. All of that on vinyl. All of that. And I remember by having to buy multiple copies of it because I hate to say it, it wasn't pressed on the best vinyl. We would literally wear the grooves out on the records. So you had to buy three and four copies of certain 12 inches because especially the ones that were pressed locally, like I said, in Detroit from Buy-Rite Records and all of that.

13:31
And then in Chicago, there was so many different record stores and record places that just press their own stuff. And the vinyl was not always the highest quality because usually a lot of it was recycled. uh, but yeah, that is, brings back memories. So, you know, with those memories and, know, you being a veteran, how do you balance, uh, playing what the crowd wants to hear and still introducing them to new stuff?

13:58
It's a tightrope for sure, but your job as a DJ is exactly that. It's not just to play what you want. You as a DJ really should be, you know, like I said, breaking the new music. So yes, you're going to have those hits that people want to hear and that's fine. Everything falls within a certain BPM range, whether it be Hip Hop or house. And you know that there's some new stuff that you need to start getting people's ears used to. And you just kind of enter.

14:27
splicing, you know, in the mix and watch the crowd see how they react. If they don't initially react to something, um, you pull it back, come back to another potential hit or something like that, but it is a balance and you've got to read the dance when you really need to pay attention. You might have a couple of people walk off and when you blend the next song in and, if you start to see a large number people kind of like, ah, think I'm feeling it. Okay.

14:52
You know, and I'll let's move on and, you know, quick mix it if you need to out to the next song that they do now, just to kind of bring them back around. I can't tell you the number of times over the years, like I remember what was, I'm trying to think of one of the songs. Oh heck, brighter days. I remember the first time playing brighter days and the dance floor looked at me like I was crazy. They didn't like it. And I kind of played it in prime time because that's where I had originally heard it.

15:23
was in prime time and I was like, oh, too prime time for them. They don't know the song. So one of the things I did was in the next week, I played it again, but I played it earlier in the night where people hadn't really started dancing, but then they got to hear the whole song and they kind of like, oh, okay, I like that. And then I did that a couple of weeks and then all of a sudden people are like, hey, what's that brighter day song? And all of sudden I could push it towards that prime time part of the night. And so that's kind how you,

15:52
doing is just you talk to your crowd and look you know that that communication and watching how they react on the dance floor but also just the communication of when they ask you to hear I want to hear this okay let's see what I can do for you so it is it's a balance but you got it that you have to be responsive to the request too because I've been in places where DJs just play a pre-programmed without really paying attention to the dance floor and 90 % of the time that doesn't work

16:20
you know, unless you're some super big name DJ where everybody's there just to see the DJ. But otherwise, if you're there to dance, having the time, you really don't care about who the DJ is, you really care about what they're playing. So that's how I always look at it. Wow, man, that makes a lot of sense. You know, I've been hearing a lot more DJs saying that they, you know, already decided what they're gonna play.

16:44
and you know they kind of brag about having it pre-planned. I mean I do know a few that are still willing to mix some stuff up you know depending on how the crowd goes but yeah just from kind of listening and stuff a lot aren't really open to doing that so I think that that's really cool that even with all your experience you know you know how to navigate them. Oh yeah you gotta be flexible yeah you gotta be flexible because like I said that pre-plan set

17:09
That crowd may not be vibing at that moment with what you think they should be vibing. And so you've still got to win them over at the end of the day. You've got to win them over with the songs you're playing and with your choices. So you have to be flexible. I do some amount of preparation when I go to DJ. I do have in mind what things I want to play.

17:31
and where I think it might work, but I don't pre-plan an entire set at all for me. And that's just me. A lot of DJ friends do, but then a lot of them are like me too, that will just kind of, they're going with the flow of what the vibe is at night. Cause I've had where I literally had planned out, I'm gonna play this, I'm gonna play this, I'm gonna drop this on them. And yeah, none of that worked. And I was like, okay, let's get back to what, you know, this is working here. So let's see it.

17:58
and just see what they respond to. Because again, they're there to hear the music. Ultimately, I'm not a headliner type DJ. I'm just the guy that's trying to play the good music for you and have, again, have a good time. So I have to be flexible. Now, if I'm a headliner DJ, that's a little different. There's also some technical reasons why a lot of people preplan their sets, because now there's even DJs. They've been doing this the last few years.

18:24
that actually pre-record their sets. they actually are, when they're up there DJing, they're literally just playing pre-recorded on, you know, on the thumb drive, the entire set. And just kind of switching between the two CDJs. But they do it because they've got a light guy, they've got a video guy, just joining the video screens, all of that. And if it's all pre-set, those lights all kind of are really what's being played.

18:51
and that makes for a different experience. But then when you're there to see a big name DJ like that, you're there for more of a concert-like experience as opposed to just their bands. So that's why that happens. Because when I first saw a DJ with a pre-recorded set, I was very critical of it. Once the DJ, because afterwards I had conversation with him and he asked, why are you doing that? There's no soul in that. You're not reading the floor. Well, here's why, because I'm putting on this entire show.

19:19
It's not just the music, it's the light, it's the graphics, it's everything. I go, oh, okay. So does it work for me? No, that's not me. But yeah, there's people that do that. But like I said, I try to be prepared as best as possible, but I'm also prepared for any scenario. Okay. You know, back to what you were saying about breaking records for any independent artists that might be listening, like how do you determine what songs you might go ahead and kind of...

19:48
try to introduce within a mix. So yeah, if there's an independent artist, I was like, you know what, I got this one track, you know, whether you're playing Hip Hop house, whatever the case may be, what would be the criteria for you to consider it? So for me, it's kind of twofold. This one is do I like it first off? And then there's times where I listen to it, because I'm one of those people that

20:15
I remember when SoundCloud first launched and I was there because I was like, can kind of go directly to the artist and find things. I'm a big fan of Bandcamp. That's another platform. And so I go out there and I just listen. Honestly, I listen, listen, I listen. And then I'm listening to it at home. I'll listen to the song in my car. Does it have the right sound? Does it bump? Is it working? But also,

20:45
I listen to that, I'll play it for friends. What do you think about this? And see what their reactions are to the song. And then kind of go that route. And then I'll test songs out again. Sometimes early in the night, I'll play something to see if I at least get heads bobbing, kind of, okay, that works. But also then too, I'm not out there as much as I was because I kind of just haven't been and I'm just kind of getting back in the playing again.

21:14
you know, when I was always in a record pool of some sort, you know, we take that feedback as well from when you get music, hey, listen to this. And that's really the first, you know, thing is, is do I like the song? it something I would listen to on normal basis? Now, granted, doesn't always apply to the tracks where I'm just like, that can't be a hit, and it becomes a hit. And I'm like, okay, I've got to play this. But

21:41
You know, it is ultimately at the other day is something I like. And then if I hear or if I hear patrons at the club and stuff who are there to dance, they ask you about something you've never heard of them, then I'll go and listen to it. I'll go back and I'll, you know, hey, I don't have it tonight, but let me look into it and see if I can find something, you know, and then if I, you know, check it out and I go, oh man, this is a hot track, you know, they were on this song. So I listened to my people too. So that's the other thing is, you know, somebody asked me about

22:10
I'd heard with him, you know, I've got kind of a good network of people who do that too. Who also just send me stuff and say, hey, hey, check this out. This is something I heard you might like. So it's kind of, you know, broad range. So I would always tell any artists starting out. Yeah, put yourself out there, put yourself on Bandcamp, Mixcloud, any of those platforms, you know, Bandcamp preferably because at least you can make some money off of it. I'm always for someone

22:40
getting paid for their product and for their, you know, their artistry and talent. So I'm still buying music, right, to this day, you know. So yeah, be able to put yourself out there and be able to market yourself. because you've got to get people's attention and you also got to get the DJ's attention as well. So that's kind of my hints and, you know, advice. All right. Well, thank you for that. So yeah, you said you're just now kind of getting back out there. I know recently,

23:10
You did a show with Mr. Harris. Could you tell us about some of the highlights from that? How did it feel kind of getting back out there playing together again? It was a long night. It was fun. It was just me and Mr. Harris and it was from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sorry, to 2 a.m. And that's a long night for us going back and forth. But it was a good night. We had a really good turnout.

23:36
And it was, was tired at the end of it, but honestly, I was very happy with the turnout we had and the feedback we got. So much so that actually myself, Mr. Harris, and our other partner, DJ Kaz, we're gonna relaunch our Real Radio PHX website.com and start back up in January of doing our, we used to do weekly show.

24:04
on, you we were always kind of laughing like we were ahead of the curve because we were streaming back in 2010, 2011 on a platform called New Stream. And so we're like, oh, now we got Twitch. So we're going to start that back up. But yeah, it was it was a great night. We had some repeat customers because we had played the last game before that. Mr. Harris and I played previous was about a year previous for our birthday.

24:33
And we had a lot of people a year ago that came back and we were like, oh, yeah, we were here the last time you played and we thought that you were playing again. We're like, that was wild. I think I've ever followed back up with somebody a year later on a gig. So that was impressive for us too. We really liked that. We were like, oh, okay. And it gave us some time to say, hey, maybe we should relaunch this real radio PHX thing. And so that's what we're looking at doing. But yeah, it was a good time overall.

25:01
And I'm doing some other little small gigs here and there coming up here in the Phoenix area. My buddy has a night club, it's called Solstice, and that's downtown Phoenix. So I'm gonna be playing there in the coming weeks as well. So just, I can't get back out there. Like I said, it's one of those things where it just never, it never leaves you. Once you're out there playing and DJing and even performing, whatever you are as an artist, you know that it never leaves you.

25:29
you know, I might have stepped away and took a break. It's always there. So I'm excited for that. love that. So, OK, you know, since time's kind of winding down and you got this stuff coming up, where should people be connecting with you to make sure that they can see what you've got going on? I know I'll do my part to make sure I can share what I can. But yeah, where should they check you out? Yeah, so.

25:53
Honestly, I'm on Instagram, DJEhouse, on Mixcloud, again, DJEhouse. So that's the two platforms really I'm on at this moment. We haven't relaunched the web yet for realradiophx.com just yet. We're still working on that. We still own the domain, luckily. We just gotta find a new web host. So yeah, but Mixcloud and Instagram are the easiest and the best ways to reach me.

26:23
I'm there. Okay, well hope that I get to have you back on the show sometime before then so that way we can kind of remind people that you got that coming up.

26:34
Oh, for sure. Maybe we can get all three of us together. I would love Myself, Mr. Harrison, like I said, and DJ Cass. We can kind of get in there and talk with you and kind of hype it you know, what's coming up for us in the future. Because like I said, we're shooting for that January launch. So that's kind of the plan. So we're working behind the scenes right now to get all of our technical stuff together.

26:56
equipment wires and all of that. yeah, for sure. I'll reach out to you and let you know what's going on. Great. Cause yeah, you guys absolutely have access to my platform when you need it. So, yep, just keep me informed. so, yeah, before we go ahead and close out, there any, I guess, thoughts you might want to leave for any aspiring DJs or some, you know, that don't quite have as much juice behind them as you do, but they're, they're working on building it.

27:25
Well, that's the thing. think I even said this in our last time we spoke was don't be afraid to put in the work. Don't expect to come out gate, you know, playing a big room. You know, you're going to start out in some smaller places, put in that work, put in that what we call it, I call it the 10,000 hours. Get your craft right. You know, I've seen a lot of kids, know, they're veterans DJing and

27:53
They really, they weren't ready to come off in bed. they just need to be prepared even when you're a small venue. So that's the thing is practice, practice, practice. If you're an artist, make sure you're doing your rehearsing. And I say rehearse a lot. Even as a DJ, I don't do it as much as I used to, but when I was working constantly DJing, was even rehearsing DJing just to make sure my skills were.

28:22
we're home. So I was doing that at least one or two hours a week in between gigs after work, whatever. I was just playing some songs, seeing what works, things like that. you know, for these days, make sure you're practicing, you know, for an artist be rehearsing. Because, you know, if you talk to some of these big rock stars and R &B artists that play guitar, that play the drums, that they'll tell you they rehearsed still, even though they're accomplished and at the top of their game, they rehearse.

28:49
So just be prepared, because whenever you get that phone call, you need to be prepared to go out there and feel it, because that's what's going to get you noticed, is that you came out swinging, everyone, oh man, that cat was dope. That DJ was off the chain, because they came out prepared, and they actually, you should never know that this is your first gig out of the bedroom. It should sound like you've been doing this for a long time. So that would be my advice. I have.

29:17
both DJ Milk D and King Samson of the Hip Hop Shop on Yurrrp Radio in the virtual building. How y'all feeling? Feeling good. Thank you for having us. I'm really glad that you could come. DJ Milk D, you've actually got a rare status. You're the first returning guest to Instrumental Intel because the original interview then rooted sounds and

29:45
Now the Hip Hop Shop. So yeah, I'd love to hear about how you guys came up with it and kind of the idea and passion behind it. Well, I'm gonna let King Samson start with that answer. He is kind of the fire starter for the Hip Hop Shop. So take it away King Samson. Well, basically, Milk had his radio station and

30:14
I've been trying to get on it for a while and it wasn't a good time. And basically he finally came up to me and says, Oh, if you want to do something, you could do something for an hour. And I was thinking about him like, okay, so I could do a full hour and how I'm going to fill this time. I'm not a talker. So I would have DJ and not say a word for a full hour.

30:38
I said, for a radio station that's not really good. So I said, so I kicked the idea to him. said, why don't we do a Hip Hop show together? Just me and you. And he's like, how's that going to work? And I'm like, we'll work it out. We'll figure it out. Like, it's not a big deal. It's like, we love doing this. So let's do it together and maybe we could come up with something. you know, he liked the idea.

31:03
You know, I bounced some ideas off of him and he bounced ideas off of me. And then we came to the conclusion of the show and one of the, didn't know what to call it. And we ended up calling it the Hip Hop Shop. And he liked it and we ran with it ever since. Okay. Well, it's really dope. I appreciate being a guest on it. I had a great time. And so, you know, I actually caught the first episode before the one that I was a guest on.

31:32
And I'm like, man, I'm really onto something. Like just the way that it sounded, the way that it flowed was so smooth. I love the way you guys interact with each other. So yeah, how did you guys actually come to knowing each other and kind of getting that groove that you guys got going? Well, had no problem. Well, Achickwitbeatz and all the listeners out there, me and King Samson are big kids.

32:01
And when I say big kids, big kids at heart, but also we were into video games and there was this one particular video game shout out to PlayStation, especially Socom. You need to bring that back speaking of that, but there was a game called Socom, which is like Call of Duty. So Socom kind of kicked Call of Duty off.

32:30
and it's a third person shooting game and the game consists of teamwork and we bumped into each other online because even to this day, 24 years now actually, I've known Samson but I've never met him. Samson lives in Toronto and of course I'm in Richmond, But on this video game, it brought us together through another mutual friend. I'ma shout him out.

32:59
Al Lowe our brother aka Shaolin Soldier. Shaolin Soldier for real. Yes, that is my brother from another mother as well and this particular individual who is family to both of us allowed us to come into this group that we called a clan and it was called soldiers unit. So all of us had these names and

33:26
We had tags to ID us as a team or a clan. And we were rocking, we'll meet up every like Tuesday, Thursday or Sundays or whatever your case may be. It was Sundays and Wednesdays. Sundays and Wednesdays, that's right. And it was probably like 20 of us that Achickwitbeatz from all around the world. And- Shout out to XXI. Oh yeah, we got to get like grassy knoll and-

33:54
Oh man, ski mask. rain man. gotta get rain. Flip soldier. Flip RIP. RIP. Yup. Yup. Red. Red light. Yup. Yup. There's a bunch of us. I was called no limit soldier. My son was no limit soldier. I even brought my son in there. That's adorable. We had a toy soldier, a wooden soldier.

34:21
Sofrito Soldier, was so many soldiers, but there was one soldier. One soldier we got a shout out and that is Method Man. And his name on there, 99 Soldier, 99 Soldier. And Shaolin, aka Al Lo, CEO of Trigonon Productions, shout out to his label, brought us into the room with meth and he never said,

34:51
in beginning who he was, but that raspy voice, we were like, is that Meth? So to speed up the story, it was really him. And we've met him multiple times. Like, I've been on stage with him, not performing, but in the background. You he'd throw water on me and, you know, and give me love and all that stuff. But me and Samson have never met. So one day we're going to do a reunion, get all the soldiers together.

35:21
met Redman and Street Life. I mean, it's crazy. So we've met, but we haven't met and it's going to happen. Technology today is just amazing as we all know. So anyway, that's the story. That's incredible. Well, since you guys brought it up with the whole gaming world, know,

35:48
With that and music intersects so much. Are there any games that you played that kind of stick out in your mind? Like where the soundtracks or some of the songs that they played, you kind of attach it to that feeling?

36:06
Um, mean, Grand Theft Auto always had the best music. Yeah. I mean, that Hip Hop, I mean, it would be Cypress Hill. And I mean, who cares about the profanity? You they were dropping it. Um, they had different stations. you could, you, depending on your feel, So I always had it on the Hip Hop R &B station, but you know, there was the rock station. was a, there was a whole bunch of different stations and they had some good tracks like, I'm

36:34
Like lot of the Hip Hop that they had, I enjoyed and I kind of looked out and I kept that in my catalogs of listening to like Sean P was on that. I'm like, yo, I'm a Sean P fan forever. So, you know, I had that on repeat. Yeah. His pen game was phenomenal. Yep. Absolutely. Okay. Yeah. I asked that question because, you know, especially with you guys having the Hip Hop Shop.

37:03
made me think about, you remember when Def Jam had the violator? Oh, absolutely. What was the vendetta? Like that was one of the favorites. got my butt kicked every time. It was actually my husband's game, but you know, I still tried it. Yep, yep. Every time. So okay, you know, you guys have been bringing on people to the show and you know, I know you got another guest coming up for the next one that airs.

37:31
So if you could talk a little bit about how you find who you're going to pick for the next interviews. Go ahead Samson. I don't pick no one, you pick them all. You call me up. first couple is, because we're new and everything like that, we're reaching out to people who we know. People in the industry that we know and that be interesting that will have some interesting stories and whatnot.

38:01
Um, basically, um, we're open to interview anyone, but right now, because we're just starting and we're just trying to get our feet wet, we're reaching out to people who we know. And hopefully they would tell their friends and maybe they would introduce us to new people. And we just keep on moving in that, that length. Okay. That makes sense. I had to ask the question just because the majority of the listeners.

38:29
of instrumental intel are artists or creatives in some way, or form. you know, it's always good to have exposure. But yeah, get what you mean about, you know, just reaching out to people that you know is usually the safest bet. Because yeah, I've had situations on other shows before where, know, maybe the PR person reached out and then, you know, you have the conversation. It's just like, Whoa, where did you come from? So yeah, it's important to kind of be able to do that, that vetting, if you will.

38:59
And it's been a blessing to a Achickwitbeatz because like, for example, you, I do know you, but you're also a dope artist and producer. So the guests that we've had so far, I've known, but they're also dope. So I feel like it has really been easy. So like Samson said, you know, we've reached out to people we know first, but I'm hoping the listeners from the Hip Hop Shop

39:28
or even like you said on your show, will inquire because I feel like we're onto something, even you said that. And when you do what you love, let me see, when you do what you love, it never feels like work. And Samson and I are having a blast. And just like what you do on your show, you have fun.

39:55
I feel like this is something Samson and I could keep doing for a while. Yeah, because you're definitely filling a void. There are Hip Hop shows and podcasts, but they're not doing what you guys are doing. So that's why I say it. And I had to say it publicly as well, you know, just to let people know like, yeah, you guys are onto something special. So, yeah. So I know I'm trying to.

40:21
not get mixed up on where we've had these conversations since we've connected multiple times. But who were some of your musical influences? I can tell by, you know, listening to the show, but for those who may not be familiar, who are some of your favorites for both of you? Go ahead, Samson, you first.

40:42
I'm influenced by EPMD, Heltah Skeltah, I'm a big Sean P fan.

40:53
There's certain Hip Hop that just jives to me. So there's, I don't want to go down the list of names and everything, but foremost it's EPMD, Helter Skelter. That's where it is. When I was younger, was Big Daddy Kane. You know, I was into the dancing, Scoop and Scrap and whatnot and stuff like that. So anything with the upbeat I'm really into. I'm a nineties fanatic. That is where I reside most of the time.

41:22
I love that. I might have to borrow that. I tell people all the time, it's still the 90s in my car most of the time. But yeah, that's where you reside. I feel you on that. Well, I'm an 80s guy. Of course, I'm a lot older than you guys. You're one year. Stop it. Oh man, I feel like I'm 10. But I mean, I feel great. But run DMC.

41:51
is my favorite all-time hip-hop group. To this day, I still wear Adidas, Sheltos. I really just clung to them and I still play their music today. Old school Africa, Van Bata, SoulSonic Force back in the day was monumental as well. I was a breakdancer.

42:20
learning how to DJ, playing stuff like It's Time and R-E-S-H, all that old school stuff really made me fall in love with Hip Hop. 90s, it has to be a tribe called Quest. I loved like De La Soul. I liked the...

42:49
That whole movement, what is that movement? De La. Thank you. I was getting a mind by the native tongue movement. I was so into that. know, I'm thinking De La Soul, Saturdays, me, myself and I, know, potholes in my, I mean, I can go on and on, but. I was way too young to like Buddy the way I did it. I'm gonna go ahead and that. Oh, that is funny. But yes, my buddy. Oh my gosh. Yes. Oh my goodness. Yes. That's a classic.

43:18
Um, and then as time went on, of course, you know, woo. Um, oh my gosh, man, woo just came out of nowhere. This big large group of guys, man. I was just like, yes. Um, the West coast, know, Dre Snoop, Mack 10, Cube. Oh my gosh. Mac Dre in the Bay area. Yeah. So yeah, always Hip Hop first, even though I'm a house head too, but Hip Hop is first.

43:48
Yes, and I wish that we had more of those blends that we used to get back in the day. You know, like Jungle Brothers, know, I'll house you and like... What? Oh, I'm gonna do you, whoa, whoa, whoa. Oh, you're getting turned up. Yes. So yeah, mean, you know, both of you guys listed some really prominent people who ushered in styles that came, you know, after them.

44:17
And I feel like that's so important. So yeah, with that being said, you both got a love for the classic Hip Hop. Kind of where do you envision things going? Because lately there've been a lot of people that have returned, they're putting out new singles, new albums. Do you think that we'll kind of get that shift back to where we still kind of have some of those vibes? I mean, of course it's not going to make us feel like how we felt back then.

44:43
but I kind of feel like there might be a renaissance where everything's kind of reemerging again. What do you think about that? If it happens, it happens. Everything's on a wheel, right? Everything comes back. Will it come back how it was? Never again. We live that. The kids want to push it to their own things. That's their business. I can respect them if they do it, but

45:12
Is it gonna make the money? I don't know how things are going. It's everything is cookie cutter. You're gonna, you know, they want the violence. They want the flashy girls. They want all that. They think that's Hip Hop and that's only Hip Hop. It wasn't because if the same way that people say this is Hip Hop, this is Hip Hop, I could show you Hip Hop where guys and girls were together and they are fully closed and having fun. We just talk about Buddy. That whole video with like Latifah, everyone was

45:42
set they were they had clothes on and they were just having fun they were talking about sexual stuff but they were clothes they like um look at de la soul with um saturday oh you're telling me that girls were popping in their hoochie and carrying on and guys were no it was guys and girls and they were roller skating and having fun right so that's yeah it will come back i don't think it left us it's

46:11
we got older and we have to dig harder for it. I remember the first time I actually listened to Lil Brother and I thought honestly, I thought Hip Hop was dead until I heard Little Brother. And I found out they had a whole bunch of albums that I never heard of. And the reason why is because I got busier. I was working. I was trying to get things together. I had no time to sit down and dissect music, but my friend put me onto something and that showed me that

46:40
It's always going to be there, but unfortunately you have to dig for it. It's like the old time. Remember back in the days in the eighties, Hip Hop wasn't prevalent like this. You had to dig for it and we did that to get it and we loved it more. So basically you have to get back to the basics and unfortunately you're to have to dig on your computer and find these artists that want to do it. Well Samson, I'm going jump in right where you just said, that's why I feel like your radio is so different.

47:10
because you can get that type of music on your radio. I'm gonna do my best to keep the old school Hip Hop alive. You don't hear what you hear on your radio. Like, there's so many internet radio stations out there, okay? Kudos to all of them. But I feel like Yurrrp Radio is different because I'm gonna play that stuff you just don't hear anymore. And now,

47:38
You know, I'm going to start doing the late night editions where I'm going have some underground. Meaning when I say underground, let me rephrase that. It's going to be not censored. I'm going to play the originals. There will be an underground to help artists, independent artists, but I'm going to be playing the original NWA, 2 Live Crew at a certain hour.

48:08
But Samson, are spot on with what you said. I do believe Hip Hop will always live with us old schoolers. You got LL who's still around putting out music. Big ups to LL. Of course, Meth and Red, know, those guys, man, are still putting stuff out. Muddy Waters Too. Muddy, oh man, I heard some of his bars on YouTube. He's still got it.

48:37
He really does. So, anywho, not to continue on that topic, but I'm going to do my best to keep Hip Hop rocking on your radio. Old school Hip Hop, real Hip Hop. Yes. So, again, I just got to shout out on the blends of listening to the Hip Hop Shop, you know, how you're breaking the music and everything just flows so smooth. It kind of reminds me of back in the day.

49:06
Back in my day, when I was kind of young, like listening to college radio, we had a couple DJs that just used to keep it real like that. So you guys kind of got that nostalgic feel, like new nostalgia, if you will. So like, I kind of love that feeling listening. So yeah, it's always a pleasure. I the Samson, love the Samson. He's doing a good job on Blendy putting the show together. I give him a lot of props. That's what's up.

49:34
We're trying, we're trying. Trial and error. I have to give the props to the guys before me. Like I'm from Toronto. We listened to 88.1. We listened to The Underground. There's always a Hip Hop. Back when I was younger, there was always a Hip Hop show when it was like 12 to two or something. It was something stupid like that. And I listened to, there was a DJ X.

50:03
Then someone else took over the show after that and the real freaks. There was a, I'm forgetting someone that started it off and they put it on the show and that's when we used to listen to Hip Hop. They would go, they would actually travel to New York, get music and come back and play it for us because at one point of time, if a song came out in New York, it took at least a full month before it hit Toronto.

50:32
That would be crazy. But then you have DJs that would actually go to New York and dig for those records and bring it back and they play it for us. And then we would be, oh, what's this? And then you find new artists and stuff. I used to tape the shows and stuff like that. That's the feel that I'm trying to bring with our show. And I want you to hear music that you haven't heard before. And, you know, some is new, some, but most of it is old. Some old stuff that you haven't...

51:01
heard ever and maybe you'll find something to listen to. You know what mean? We just try to blend it in and we have good people on talking some good subjects about Hip Hop and that's all it is. Yeah, well, yeah, I love it. I dig it. A lot of times if I'm listening to radio, well, typically like through certain times if I'm working on stuff, it's a little bit harder for me to listen to radio.

51:28
just because I got my headphones on, I'm mixing or making something. But yeah, I gotta make sure that I make time Tuesdays at seven, because I know what I wanna be listening to. And you were there. again, I know I thanked you on IG, but thank you for tapping in. We really appreciate that. And also your show, so all the listeners out there, if you do get interviewed on the Hip Hop Shop,

51:57
If you go to YurrrpRadio.com, is why you three R's in a P, radio.com and go to more at the top of our homepage, you will see the links to the previous shows. So Achickwitbeatz is on there. Check out her interview. is fire. Yeah. She was in fact, you were our first guest. I feel so honored. Seriously. Yep.

52:25
You're veteran in our world. Yeah. Yeah. was an honor to be a guest on the show that I already enjoyed. you know, yeah, I just want to make sure that I can shine a light to, you know, any people that are in my audience that weren't yours that they know to check out what you guys are doing. Because most people that know me know how much I love Hip Hop. So, yeah, I want them to to find you and just recognize what you guys are doing. Yeah. Loving the glitz, loving the vibe.

52:55
Even the next guest that you had on was incredible. I'm excited to hear who's coming up next. But yeah, you guys, got some dope finds. Oh, got some rain. Hey, listeners. Oh, yes. Please check out the previous ones. Achickwitbeatz, definitely. But stay tuned. We have some special ones coming too. Well, all of them are special. But it's just like we're blessed because they're following in line. I'm like, wow. Yeah.

53:24
What's about our guests so far is like we're having good conversations and it's not made up. It's like we're just sitting down and we're just talking and we're just talking about Hip Hop and to hear about each person's different engagement in Hip Hop. Loved. It's interesting because everyone has a different story about how they fell in love with Hip Hop.

53:52
So it's always new, it's always fresh. And then when you start talking about old things and you get excited and you're talking, it's like, sometimes we lose time and the interview's done before it started, you know what I mean? Because we're just like, ah! Yeah. I'm kind of excited about our next one, chosen one. Woo! He just went in. He just went in. And I can't wait for that one to come out.

54:21
Awesome. I can't wait to listen. We had get what you mean about like how that time flows when you're having conversations I was trying not to interrupt you when you mentioned to live crew like, you know, some of those like oh, yeah So yeah, it's kind of nice to be reminded of You know good vibes good music and kind of to walk that memory lane specifically for hip-hop Another thing too is like what the what we talk about we're trying to

54:51
get better at the music around it is, so if we're talking, we're talking about a certain artist, we're trying to bring that artist in our mix. So it correlates to what we're talking about. So you understand what we're talking about because if you just come in and you don't know the artist and we're talking about a certain thing, then you're gonna actually hear the music and you have a chance to say, oh, okay, I like it. So now you're able to go on YouTube and figure it out. Yeah, that's beautiful.

55:20
Cause you know, I love how that ties into what you were saying earlier about people having to dig. You guys are kind of doing the work for them. we don't have to. Yeah. Yeah. I kinda, my timeframe growing up in that I was kind of like in between. So some of the stuff was brought from other places. Like if, I had cousins or somebody traveled and then brought stuff back.

55:46
But then I was also part of the era where it was tons of good stuff in rotation in mainstream. So of course, you know, there was always trash, you know, sprinkled in sometimes, but, you know, for the most part, I was part of the generation that got a little spoon-fed. So once I had to dig for it again, I'm like, Oh, I don't, I don't like this. I don't have time to do this, but yeah, it's, always been worth it. Um, so yeah, I really respect what you guys are doing. Cause like I say, you're just making it easier for people.

56:17
We are trunched. Yeah. I was going to say, when I was a little, little, little dude and finding out what Hip Hop was, I was blown away. And I have to shout out my big brother, Double D, who first exposed me to Hip Hop and DJing with the Fischer Curved Arm turntable and of course, vinyl. I would go over to Philadelphia.

56:46
lived in South Jersey, but I was only like 10 minutes from Philly and I would go over there to the record shop and get vinyl, like 12 in singles, $2.99. Then I started getting into the breakdancing like I mentioned earlier. It's just, man, that era. I'm so glad I was born when I was born. I mean, it's just real Hip Hop. Yeah. I don't know. It's exciting to...

57:14
to listen and talk about it. But yeah, we're just talking about how fast time goes. I'm kind of winding down here. know, right? But if you could, maybe just talk a little bit about where people can find you. You already gave the website, but just in case somebody's coming in a little late, let them know where they can follow you and tune into the Hip Hop Shop. Where can they find you, King Samson?

57:39
You can find me at Yurrrp Radio. That's where you can find it. My brother. Yeah, I'm on Instagram. I go King Samson official. you could just you could link me. I'm no I'm not a hard guy to talk to or whatever. So if you want to link there, that's fine. You know, I post a couple of things. Other than that, Yurrrp Radio. There you go.

58:09
And you know, on Instagram, it's for me, it's D for Darryl, J underscore milk underscore the letter D for Darryl. But follow the Yurrrp Radio one as well. That's Y U three R's and a P underscore radio on Instagram. And both of those sites, we have a link in the bio that will take you straight to Yurrrp Radio.

58:38
And for the listeners, when you do go to Yurrrp Radio, you have to hit listen live. And once you hit listen live, it will start playing. But some advice, if you don't click the link, you can Google us and find us. But try to save it to your home screen on your phone, because then it's easy access. You don't have to just type in

59:07
YurrrpRadio.com and all that. If you save it, you'll have it on your phone. As far as the show, make sure you tap in Tuesday, 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time for the Hip Hop Shop. The website has the previous episodes, like I mentioned, and stay tuned. mean, we got a lot of great things happening on YurrrpRadio.com.

59:35
Alright, and that's a wrap for this episode of Instrumental Intel. I've been your host, music producer, Achickwitbeatz, and I want to thank you for tuning in. Once again, as always, I appreciate the guests for coming on and sharing their insights. And I'd like to thank my home station, Grander Radio out of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Make sure you come back next week. I got more goodness lined up for you. So, till next time, you know where to find me. Tune in, tell a friend, and I'll see you then. Peace.