Watch West Coast Legend DJ Aladdin Show Em' How It's Done...

[Styles1]

Watch this video of DJ Aladdin tear it up at the DMC DJ contest...

[Wild_Elmo]

damn this ones dope too



what's aladdin up to these days?

[Styles1]

He released his first mixtape in many years called G-String Mix Volume 1... it's an all original CD.... You can order it by going to his myspace... www.myspace.com/djaladdincompton 

everybody here on this forum that has a myspace account should add him as a friend and give him a hollar... he's a good dude...

[Lunatic]

his album with WC back in the day is a classic IMO

when that mixtape come out?

[Styles1]

about 2 months ago...

[Lunatic]

damn he back

[Styles1]

Here is an interview I did with him back in April this year..

Styles: Take us back to the very beginning when you first started DJ’ing… What year was that man?

Aladdin: When I first started DJ’ing, it was out of Compton, back in like 84’ …83/84 I was just like picking up on it, but like around 86’ is when I really started taking it seriously. I used to do Hood parties, like neighborhood parties in my neighborhood in Compton and other little neighborhoods around where I stayed at. That’s what gave me my recognition was, you know, the neighborhood, as far as a ground start. Then from there they had an audition for the KDAY Mix-Masters in like 86/87.

Styles: Greg Mack mentioned that briefly about you in our interview with him…

Aladdin: Yeah.. Then from there on there was no stopping. I used to, and I still do, idolize Joe Cooley. Joe performed in Compton also. I used to go check out Joe Cooley and M-Walk and then basically I started doing hood parties. Then from there I went to KDAY and then I went to battling DJ’s in New York.

Styles: We are going to go through all of that, but let me ask you this, were you a part of any DJ crews at the time?

Aladdin: Yeah, I was part of this crew on my block called the L.A. Music Crew. We used to DJ the High School’s and the Junior High’s and the hood parties.

Styles: Who was all a part of that?

Aladdin: We had a Dj named DJ Faze and another named DJ Chill. They stayed on my block. We were all the L.A. Music Crew. They were already the L.A. Music Crew when they first seen me. I was real young at the time. So at one time I couldn’t go to the some of the parties they were doing because I couldn’t get in.

Styles: Take us back to KDAY…. Tell us about your experience working there. It was a world renown, first ever of it’s kind radio station that established the blueprint for all future Hip Hop stations.

Aladdin: Aw man, it was a pleasurable, memorable experiences. Unforgettable experiences! Just being around cats like Greg Mack, Tony G, Julio G who is now on the new KDAY, Joe Cooley, Jammin Gemini and we had another cat named DJ Trey-Ski. It was cool because we used to mix on the radio, turn our mixes in, and just to hear yourself DJ’ing on the radio, it was exciting! It was cool because you could really use that, because KDAY was the only station around, to parlay your name to do other things. That’s how I became part of the Rhyme Syndicate which was Ice T’s crew because I got known for breaking records that nobody else would play. Like NWA and Eazy E, a lot of them (DJ’s) wasn’t playing them in their mixes. I was the one that would play it. It was like man, you just had the power, it wasn’t like now where it’s real syndicated and organized. You can’t really break new music. The only one that can really do that is Julio G right now. That’s what he’s doing and that’s what makes KDAY so bomb because they can play stuff that nobody can play. Like back then you could play a lot of stuff on your mixes as long as it didn’t have any cursing. You could break unknown artists and stuff like Ice T’s 6 In the Morning. I was playing that stuff when other DJ’s wouldn’t mess with it.

Styles: With that independent spirit you would probably have a hard time working in today’s radio environment (laughs)…

Aladdin: Yeah.. Exactly exactly. But it was real cool then. You know when I came up in Hip Hop I was in to the movies like Wild Style and Beat Street. Krush Groove was a cool movie but it wasn’t like Wild Style & Beat Street because those movies showed how it was really going on in the New York scene. They was in vacant buildings and used to dress the building up in graffiti and just party in it. I was fascinated with the New York scene. My block back home was known for it’s drug dealing so I put my hustle down and got a ticket and went to New York. I went to this DJ battle, it was called DMC. The Disco Mixing Championship.

Styles: Tell us about that man. What happened there?

Aladdin: When I first went out there to battle, they were first tripping off of me because when I went down there I was like (pauses)… New York was like East Coast street, where at that time they weren’t into gangs and gang backgrounds. The streets of L.A. were more like Khakis, Chucks, T-Shirts. So when I went down there Jheri-curled and Khaki’s, they were trippin’ off of me. But, when they seen me DJ, it made them give me my respect. That’s when I first really got put on the map because back then they had a lot of Hip Hop & DJ magazines. They would always put me in their articles especially after I won the DMC battle. It was trippin’ a lot of people out because I was from the West Coast and I beat all of the East Coast DJ’s in the battles. In the DMC, they had me represent the East Coast even though I was from the West Coast. So it was a trip because my name had become known dramatically, it was out there ringing bells. I went to Chicago and won the USA Championship. That got me the love to really paylay my name from there and take it to London. It was real cool because I got the chance to be around cats like King Sun and Just Ice. At the time when I was going back and forth to New York, I was staying with DJ Clark Kent, Dana Dane’s DJ. He used to lace me a lot too on the East Coast style of DJ’ing which gave me the advantage of having a West Coast style and an East Coast style and combining the two together.

Styles: If I can stop you there for a moment now that you bring that up. What was so different between the West and East DJ’ing styles? What were you doing so different that you made you defeat all of those East Coast DJ’s?

Aladdin: The West Coast was more in to cutting the fast beats. New York style was more like cutting the slower Hip Hop beats. Mixing rhythm with the beats, using style with tricks but always staying on the beat. We was cutting stuff like Mantronix, Cut Master DC, a lot of little stuff like that but it was more style. Back then, the West Coast was more like scratching and fast cutting.

Styles: Ok, so you became the United States Champion. Then you went to the World Championship in London. According to your Myspace, you came in 2nd place. Who came in first?

Aladdin: The DJ from London, Cut Master Swift. What was the cold thing about that, was that I had got more recognition then he did, because people felt like that was his hometown and that there was some payola stuff going on. As opposed to me winning, I still got more notoriety and recognition then he did.

Styles: Where did you go after the World Championships?

Aladdin: We had the New Music Seminar …..and that’s where I got him (Cut Master Swift) back. I faded him in the New Music Seminar and it just went on from there. I went to Yo!MTV Raps, having the pleasure of being there cutting on MTV with Dr. Dre and Ed Lover. It was real exciting. Then from there it went to my producing status. Producing on Ice T’s album “O.G.”. Also doing my album with “Low Profile” with WC called “We’re In This Together”.

Styles: That’s an all-time classic….

Aladdin: Then I got with King T on “Act A Fool” and “The Triflin Album”.

Styles: Take us back to Low Profile. How did that whole thing come together?

Aladdin: Low Profile came together from one dude I met, his name was Zero. He was the original Low Profile MC with me DJ Aladdin. We had a record that we put out called “Hip Hop Our Crave” along with a song called “My Dream”. At the time he (Zero) didn’t think that Hip Hop was going to be that successful, as far as how big it is right now, so he decided to go off to College. Along came WC and that’s where it ended up being. WC was originally the Beat Boxer of the group. Then as Zero left, he started more as the rapper of the group.

Styles: So you guys put out that album…. But it was only that one album? You guys never did anything after that. What was that all about?

Aladdin: Basically what it was, we did that one album, but we were tied to a bogus contract with Priority. It kind of put us in the position where we really didn’t get a chance to make that next album. We were too busy trying to get out of that contract. We were selling units but we weren’t seeing any money. We had to mess with the streets and doing what we were doing in order to see money. It kind of put us in the situation where Low Profile broke up and he went his way and I went my way. I started producing with Ice T and doing things on that level.

Styles: It was a cool parting though, right?

Aladdin: Yeah, it was cool. We just decided to do our own thing where we can really get paid. Once we got out of that contract we really didn’t try to focus on bringing it back together. We just went our ways. It went from there me messing with Ice T and he started messing with Ice Cube eventually.

Styles: You also put out your own project with Ice T. I remember this back in the day. It was called DJ Aladdin Presents Ice T & The West Coast Riders. You guys did that “Hit Em Up” song.

Aladdin: Yeah…

Styles: Tell us about that. I loved that song. That shit bumped….

Aladdin: It was with all gang members. A lot of them came from the Crip side of the Bloods & Crips album. I grabbed them because I had come up affiliated with a Crip background. I grabbed them and put a song out with them and it was “Hit Em Up”. One of the rappers got killed and that put a hold on a lot of things.

Styles: All of these years that have passed, what have you been doing?

Aladdin: I was going through a lot of different things. Street Hustlin…. I was incarcerated for a minute. Coming back really trying to get on my feet. Basically what it is now, I have a Mix CD coming out called “DJ Aladdin Presents G String Mix Volume 1”. That’s what I’ve been doing now. I’ve also been doing a couple of shows. People have been hiring me for some shows. So it’s been real cool, ever since that took off I’ve been back in the mix doing things. I’m just getting back in the swing of things.

I just want to also let people know that if you go to my myspace I've got videos of me battling and cutting it up back in the day.

Styles: No shit? You’ve got video up there now?

Aladdin: I’ve got like 3 videos up there with me cutting on my myspace….

Styles: Word… I’ve got to see that.

Aladdin: Yeah, put it in the interview so people can check that out.

Styles: I’ve heard the one’s that you have on the myspace… You produced those?

Aladdin: Yeah…

Styles: A couple of those sounded like some “Pole” music there (laughs)…

Aladdin: Yeah (laughs)…… exactly. It’s got different little mixes where females can get in to it because I am around that “vibe” of people. You know..girls and stuff like that. It’s not just all deep Hip Hop with my first Mix but it is “bangin street” though. If you listen to the whole mix you will see that it’s not just all that type of music. I made it to where its universal.

Styles: When are we going to see it?

Aladdin: It will be available to order next week on CDBaby. That’s where they can check for it to get it. Eventually it will get to the stores in like a month from now but really right now, stores are on the backburner because a lot of people are ordering online. You know, where they can go to my site and order it or go to CDBaby and order it.

Styles: You’ve been laying low for this whole time. What’s your take on the West Coast, you being a Veteran’s veteran?

Aladdin: Right now we need to change our era. As far as the “killing” and the “negativity” in the rap. You understand what I’m saying? Really just bringing it back to where people can enjoy it again. Where it can bring a lot of unity and togetherness, to get back that recognition that the West Coast needs to have to get back in the game. The South took it and ran with it. The East Coast have always been the kings of it. Right now with the West Coast, we really need to find our niche’. We need to go in that direction where we can show the world that all we are producing is negative rap. There is positive rap out here.

Styles: Do you think that we kind of just let the reality of our streets take over the direction of our music?

Aladdin: That’s what happened man. Too much reality done turned everybody in that direction. A lot of things now, you can’t just have people have simple fights or disagreements without people pulling out guns. Also once we can get people to really see that it’s just rap and not really like what’s “reality” because a lot of these rappers out here are not really living that, what they are saying. It kind of like messes it up too because a lot of rappers that really like speaking on issues like that and they are not really living it. The rappers that are really living it, you don’t really hear from them, you know, getting that exposure. The one’s that are really going through it, they aren’t going to really push it like that. The one’s that really haven’t been through it, they are the one’s that are really trying to make a statement that they have really been in it and going through it and all of that. It’s just the way it is now, everybody is getting recognition off of being shot. There is no real style and uniqueness to it anymore. That’s where we have to really bring that back.

Styles: West Coast rap was pretty damn fun, especially back in your era.

Aladdin: It was man, because you didn’t have a lot of the people directing people’s minds to doing the stuff that they are doing now. You had a lot of different styles of rap. You had the L.A. Dream Team, they had the party rap. You also had the story rap. You had even street rap, but even street rap wasn’t trying to direct people to do stuff….even Ice T’s rap was street but it was still like stories and stuff that he’s been through. So if we can just really get our niche’ back in the game it can really work again. A lot of people are still coming to the West Coast for good talent but the talent has to know how to explore their horizons in the game.

Styles: I think we also need to see the return of the DJ too. The DJ made it very fun with scratching and all of that. We don’t really see that in music in general, let alone the West Coast rap scene.

Aladdin: That’s why I am glad that you are doing these type of interviews that you are doing, with like legendary DJ’s and bringing people back because right now I am just really trying to do Mix CD’s and build a buzz back so people can really, you know, bring the DJ world back.

Styles: It seems that very recently a lot of legendary West Coast DJ’s are starting to resurface again. You have DJ Crazy Toones doing a CD. Sir Jinx working on one. DJ Pooh also, and now you! It’s good to see the older established guys step up again and do the thing…

Aladdin: Exactly…Through that we can kind of give some direction again with the younger generation. That’s where it’s at. It’s taken some leaders to step up and make positive moves and that’s what we’ve got to do.

Styles: As we end this, would you like to end us off with something? Or give some shout outs?

Aladdin: A big shout out to the young generation and a shout out to the OG’s that have been in the game, you know, that have really laid the foundation for a brother like me to come out in the game and have the opportunity to do what I’ve been doing. Basically just telling everybody to check for my new Mix CD, DJ Aladdin Presents G String Mix Volume 1. It’s the first strong mix that I am really coming with because I am going to be bringing a lot of mixes out.

Styles: One more question…. So after this CD are you going to be flooding us with more stuff continually?

Aladdin: Oh man, that’s where I am going to be breaking new artists eventually. I am going to bring out new artists…but it’s like right now I am really trying to get the young generation to get back familiar with me. Once I start bringing out these rappers, they will automatically know what’s up with me. You’ve got a legendary DJ that’s really trying to come back and put it down.

Styles: We’ll tell them to holler at you, because I know a lot of them dudes…..

Aladdin: Yeah man, fo sho! Thank you for this interview. I appreciate it.

Styles: Thank you and congratulations on returning to the scene.

Aladdin: Fa sho! Much love!! Just go to www.myspace.com/djaladdin you can check me out cutting on some of the DJ Battles. Also www.myspace.com/djaladdingstringmix and it will give them snippets of my new CD. Get a sample of that mix I am coming with. Be sure to order it on CDBaby.com

[Lunatic]

props styles, i never knew of that interview

who raps on his latest mixtape?