Interview with DJ Excel!
Jay B.: today we have dj excel from the skratch makanikz crew, hows it going man
Excel: chillen homie...over here workin...wats good on ur end?
J: sorta kinda on punishment.. but im makin it, cant complain. tell the ppl who you are and what your about
E: word up! sorry to hear that pimpn...well, my name is Excel...im a dj from philly...i have a dj crew that i put together name "The Skratch Makaniks"...i started djin wen i was 11 & im 26 now... so i got years under my belt.......currently, i'm a resident dj 5 nites a week in philly, i work for a radio station out here called Wired 96.5 & i also dj for def jam recording artist Musiq Soulchild
J: coo. so i notice how long you've been in the game. did you always kno you wanted to dj?
E: hell yea man...wen i was younger, i was always into music...it was a natural connection...music is my life
J: that's coo, man. when you first started what equipment were you workin with?
E: i 1st started on watever we culd find...my 8th grade graduation gift was a dope stereo system..not no table top joint...i went & bought a Kenwood Amp...& 2 12" technics speakers...the shit knocked!
J: lol
E: lol...then me & 1 homie just started diggin around...we found a turntable in 1 of boys cribs...& another one of our friends older brother had a table & mixer he wasnt usin...it was nuthin good, but it got the job done...so thas wat i started on...i didnt get my own equipment until 1997...that was my highschool grad gift...money for a set of wheels or turntables...i took the turntables! but it payed off, cause now i make enough money for a fly wheel! lol
J: thats whatsup. you kno im from the south so i can appreciate a good ghetto system...chea! But, now that the paper is rollin in what do you use these days
E: the good thing about good dj equip is that much doesnt change...the turntables r the same..technics 1200...same one's from 1997...sum of my homie's that dj had there's for 15-20 yrs...my mixer has changed a bit...rite now i gotta a Rane TTM 54...& instead of records, we been usin Rane's serato scratchlive...technology changed, but the hardware hasnt
J: Nice. Sounds like i need to rethink my career choice. I hear that you have worked parties for Philly's elite celebs, who all have you done?
E: djin is a roll of the dice man, ...i wulda never have thought then that i wuld b here now but im glad i am..music & other "talent influneced" fields r things u get into because of ur love for them not because ur plannin on makin $..if thas ur goal from the gate, it mostl likely wont work, there's a lot BS u gotta walk threw b4 shit comes together...but on the celeb tip, lets see:big pun, fat joe, Allen Iverson, Will Smith, Shaq, Jermaine Dupri, 112, Nelly, Memphis Bleek, Jay Z, Pharrell, Clipse, Ghostface, Nas, etc.....
J: i feel u.
E: u get the idea
J: Chea. Could you tell the folkz a lil bout your crew.
E: no doubt..SMC...Skratch Makaniks...was formed by me...the guys in it, r dudes that i grew up w threw out the years..we all have a respect for eachother...& we're all in the business to succeed ...so it only made sense for us to b a unit rather then try to achieve success on our own...its a small crew, but it's grown a bit in the past few years,...SMC, revolves around a way of thinkin, as well as ur personal skill...Jay Ski, Sat One, Adam Bomb, & Myself were the original 5 members..these were the guys that made me want this machine to work...Spinbad, A.Vee, Aktive, Bee, Jey One, Bane, LIX, Rab, we're guys that i met threw out the years that made me beleive the machine can work better if they were involved...so thas where we're at rite now
J: coo..Do you guys have any new realeases you would like the readers to look for.
E: for all the myspace heads, i posted 3 new mashups for ya'll 2 download. myspace.com/djexcel...i released a Dedicated 2 Dilla pt 2 mix cd which is available @ Cue records in philly...i think they have it on there website also...me & adam bomb will b droppin a classic rock mix cd in a wk or so...& i also have a summer classics 3 mis cd that will drop next month...all the cd's are avail @ Cue
E: we're in the beginning stages of a SMC LP that will prob b out in stores in the winter...& Sat One's Lp "After Midnite" is out in stores now.
J: Thats tight. Have you ever competed in DMC's?
E: nah man... i battled wen i was younger, but that wasnt my thing... my homeboy DJ Kwestion & DJ Aktive (SMC) both did the DMC thing...i was more of the party dude...my style, our style, is a mixture of turntablism, party rocking, philly flava type shit...so we cut like razor blades but rock the parties 2!
J: LOL. Well I'ma take the focus of the interview off Djayin for a minute, and move to fashion. I kno you are into the culture. What type of brands do you rocks nowadays.
E: no doubt!..thas my other addiction...sneakers & clothes...im a POLO head @ heart...but i got a lil bored w them in the recent few years...i been a BAPE head for a while...i was just fuckin wit the kicks...but then i started to really dig the MILO x KAWS collabo...so i started grippen them joints...i got homies that work for bape so i go threw them to get the gear...i cant stand all the dudes rockin the fake bape shit! killen me...so of course since i was rockin bape, i got into BBC/Ice Cream...again, i knew sum ppl that were involved, so i was able to get my hands on that shit...i havent really bought any POLO shit in a min...all my recent gear purchases have been Bape/BBC/Ice Cream items...sneakers, i got madd nike's ...like damn near 300+, all ill shit...but they started boring me too...i got mad bapesta's & ice creams, ...last pair of bapes i picked up were the pastel kaws chompers...they been doin alot of the orig colors over just in different patterns...so i been passin on alot fo the recent bape kicks...im waitn on the roadsta's to drop!..i need all of them joints
J: Chea. That's hot... We gotta keep them fakestas and i screams off the streets!.Ima have to cop me a pair of Roadstas too
E: hell yea man...it defeats the purpose...like yo! the kids that rock the real shit kno that ur shit is fake...MONEY!!!! i can tell the differnce...lol...u kno wat im sayin...that shit kills me...in philly, i put all these cats on 2 Bape & shit...my crew were the only ones fuckin wit it...now all these wanna be thugs wanna rock that shit like they kno the time!...stay off of ebay man, ur wastin ur money!...sorry, just had to get that out!!! lol
J: Now I heard from a guest i had previously that in NY that erbody is either wearing some mad unoriginal pastel allover hood or sum FAPE. Do you think its like that in Illadelph?
E: oh most def man...all these clowns wanna come around now wit these 4x fake bape hoodies on...like yo! they dont make them that big homes
J: lol. 4x!
E: lol! straight up...i see all these clowns, w fake tee's fake hoodies, fake jackets..they see me @ gigs & come up to me on sum look @ me ex, im catchin up to u on that bape shit!...im like nah homie, u aint even close to me...my catalog is deep & all authentic
J: Chea let em kno.
E: they gonna fuck this up just like the jersey fad...i was watchin mtv2 last nite...young joc got a bbc jacket on..chris brown has bapes on...like come on man
J: joc got them new star jeans too...
E: these cats wuldnt be wearin this shit a year or so ago
J: chea
E: lil wayne rocks that bape shit too..crazy! he buys all that shit
J: Yeah. he b heavy in bape
E: nuthin is given to him...he drops mad cake on buyin that shit...like u cant b another rapper & rock all bape & shit...thas pharrell & the clipse thing...how u gonna take sumone else's style & run wit it?
J: chea. kinda dickrider-ish...
E: its just wack
J: not even really bhind the whole culture concept...But wrapping things up, do you have anything to say to any wannabee disk jockeys, fashionheads, or fans out there?
E: oh yea..plain & simple...be ur own man!have ur own style...u gonna rock sum shit...then b about it...kno about it...wat it is...wat it stands for...do ur homework...thas for djin, clothes, sneakers, etc...dont watch wat other ppl do, make them watch u...straight up!the whole idea is to b outside the box, not inside wit the followers...u wanna dj, then practice, thas wat we did...dedication, practice, knowledge of music...thas wat its about!..nuff sed! Jay B.! holla @ me pimpin!
J: Fine words there, well said with cats just wearin what they see the rappers wear and out of the blue makin half-assed clothing lines. Up and doin shit cuz they see it done first. On that note I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk, out of you busy schedule....IIght man thanks for a great interview.
E: no doubt man...thanks for havin me, it was dope! ...we'll rap soon pimpn! 1!
Excel: chillen homie...over here workin...wats good on ur end?
J: sorta kinda on punishment.. but im makin it, cant complain. tell the ppl who you are and what your about
E: word up! sorry to hear that pimpn...well, my name is Excel...im a dj from philly...i have a dj crew that i put together name "The Skratch Makaniks"...i started djin wen i was 11 & im 26 now... so i got years under my belt.......currently, i'm a resident dj 5 nites a week in philly, i work for a radio station out here called Wired 96.5 & i also dj for def jam recording artist Musiq Soulchild
J: coo. so i notice how long you've been in the game. did you always kno you wanted to dj?
E: hell yea man...wen i was younger, i was always into music...it was a natural connection...music is my life
J: that's coo, man. when you first started what equipment were you workin with?
E: i 1st started on watever we culd find...my 8th grade graduation gift was a dope stereo system..not no table top joint...i went & bought a Kenwood Amp...& 2 12" technics speakers...the shit knocked!
J: lol
E: lol...then me & 1 homie just started diggin around...we found a turntable in 1 of boys cribs...& another one of our friends older brother had a table & mixer he wasnt usin...it was nuthin good, but it got the job done...so thas wat i started on...i didnt get my own equipment until 1997...that was my highschool grad gift...money for a set of wheels or turntables...i took the turntables! but it payed off, cause now i make enough money for a fly wheel! lol
J: thats whatsup. you kno im from the south so i can appreciate a good ghetto system...chea! But, now that the paper is rollin in what do you use these days
E: the good thing about good dj equip is that much doesnt change...the turntables r the same..technics 1200...same one's from 1997...sum of my homie's that dj had there's for 15-20 yrs...my mixer has changed a bit...rite now i gotta a Rane TTM 54...& instead of records, we been usin Rane's serato scratchlive...technology changed, but the hardware hasnt
J: Nice. Sounds like i need to rethink my career choice. I hear that you have worked parties for Philly's elite celebs, who all have you done?
E: djin is a roll of the dice man, ...i wulda never have thought then that i wuld b here now but im glad i am..music & other "talent influneced" fields r things u get into because of ur love for them not because ur plannin on makin $..if thas ur goal from the gate, it mostl likely wont work, there's a lot BS u gotta walk threw b4 shit comes together...but on the celeb tip, lets see:big pun, fat joe, Allen Iverson, Will Smith, Shaq, Jermaine Dupri, 112, Nelly, Memphis Bleek, Jay Z, Pharrell, Clipse, Ghostface, Nas, etc.....
J: i feel u.
E: u get the idea
J: Chea. Could you tell the folkz a lil bout your crew.
E: no doubt..SMC...Skratch Makaniks...was formed by me...the guys in it, r dudes that i grew up w threw out the years..we all have a respect for eachother...& we're all in the business to succeed ...so it only made sense for us to b a unit rather then try to achieve success on our own...its a small crew, but it's grown a bit in the past few years,...SMC, revolves around a way of thinkin, as well as ur personal skill...Jay Ski, Sat One, Adam Bomb, & Myself were the original 5 members..these were the guys that made me want this machine to work...Spinbad, A.Vee, Aktive, Bee, Jey One, Bane, LIX, Rab, we're guys that i met threw out the years that made me beleive the machine can work better if they were involved...so thas where we're at rite now
J: coo..Do you guys have any new realeases you would like the readers to look for.
E: for all the myspace heads, i posted 3 new mashups for ya'll 2 download. myspace.com/djexcel...i released a Dedicated 2 Dilla pt 2 mix cd which is available @ Cue records in philly...i think they have it on there website also...me & adam bomb will b droppin a classic rock mix cd in a wk or so...& i also have a summer classics 3 mis cd that will drop next month...all the cd's are avail @ Cue
E: we're in the beginning stages of a SMC LP that will prob b out in stores in the winter...& Sat One's Lp "After Midnite" is out in stores now.
J: Thats tight. Have you ever competed in DMC's?
E: nah man... i battled wen i was younger, but that wasnt my thing... my homeboy DJ Kwestion & DJ Aktive (SMC) both did the DMC thing...i was more of the party dude...my style, our style, is a mixture of turntablism, party rocking, philly flava type shit...so we cut like razor blades but rock the parties 2!
J: LOL. Well I'ma take the focus of the interview off Djayin for a minute, and move to fashion. I kno you are into the culture. What type of brands do you rocks nowadays.
E: no doubt!..thas my other addiction...sneakers & clothes...im a POLO head @ heart...but i got a lil bored w them in the recent few years...i been a BAPE head for a while...i was just fuckin wit the kicks...but then i started to really dig the MILO x KAWS collabo...so i started grippen them joints...i got homies that work for bape so i go threw them to get the gear...i cant stand all the dudes rockin the fake bape shit! killen me...so of course since i was rockin bape, i got into BBC/Ice Cream...again, i knew sum ppl that were involved, so i was able to get my hands on that shit...i havent really bought any POLO shit in a min...all my recent gear purchases have been Bape/BBC/Ice Cream items...sneakers, i got madd nike's ...like damn near 300+, all ill shit...but they started boring me too...i got mad bapesta's & ice creams, ...last pair of bapes i picked up were the pastel kaws chompers...they been doin alot of the orig colors over just in different patterns...so i been passin on alot fo the recent bape kicks...im waitn on the roadsta's to drop!..i need all of them joints
J: Chea. That's hot... We gotta keep them fakestas and i screams off the streets!.Ima have to cop me a pair of Roadstas too
E: hell yea man...it defeats the purpose...like yo! the kids that rock the real shit kno that ur shit is fake...MONEY!!!! i can tell the differnce...lol...u kno wat im sayin...that shit kills me...in philly, i put all these cats on 2 Bape & shit...my crew were the only ones fuckin wit it...now all these wanna be thugs wanna rock that shit like they kno the time!...stay off of ebay man, ur wastin ur money!...sorry, just had to get that out!!! lol
J: Now I heard from a guest i had previously that in NY that erbody is either wearing some mad unoriginal pastel allover hood or sum FAPE. Do you think its like that in Illadelph?
E: oh most def man...all these clowns wanna come around now wit these 4x fake bape hoodies on...like yo! they dont make them that big homes
J: lol. 4x!
E: lol! straight up...i see all these clowns, w fake tee's fake hoodies, fake jackets..they see me @ gigs & come up to me on sum look @ me ex, im catchin up to u on that bape shit!...im like nah homie, u aint even close to me...my catalog is deep & all authentic
J: Chea let em kno.
E: they gonna fuck this up just like the jersey fad...i was watchin mtv2 last nite...young joc got a bbc jacket on..chris brown has bapes on...like come on man
J: joc got them new star jeans too...
E: these cats wuldnt be wearin this shit a year or so ago
J: chea
E: lil wayne rocks that bape shit too..crazy! he buys all that shit
J: Yeah. he b heavy in bape
E: nuthin is given to him...he drops mad cake on buyin that shit...like u cant b another rapper & rock all bape & shit...thas pharrell & the clipse thing...how u gonna take sumone else's style & run wit it?
J: chea. kinda dickrider-ish...
E: its just wack
J: not even really bhind the whole culture concept...But wrapping things up, do you have anything to say to any wannabee disk jockeys, fashionheads, or fans out there?
E: oh yea..plain & simple...be ur own man!have ur own style...u gonna rock sum shit...then b about it...kno about it...wat it is...wat it stands for...do ur homework...thas for djin, clothes, sneakers, etc...dont watch wat other ppl do, make them watch u...straight up!the whole idea is to b outside the box, not inside wit the followers...u wanna dj, then practice, thas wat we did...dedication, practice, knowledge of music...thas wat its about!..nuff sed! Jay B.! holla @ me pimpin!
J: Fine words there, well said with cats just wearin what they see the rappers wear and out of the blue makin half-assed clothing lines. Up and doin shit cuz they see it done first. On that note I'd like to thank you for taking the time to talk, out of you busy schedule....IIght man thanks for a great interview.
E: no doubt man...thanks for havin me, it was dope! ...we'll rap soon pimpn! 1!
posted by Jay B. at 6:48 PM
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