The World Famous DJ-D'Doxx
Originally out of Columbia, South Carolina, DJ D-Doxx has been spinning professionally since his relocation to the West Coast in 1993. A hip-hop historian, Doxx prides himself on his ability to connect with his crowd, and as such has been able to showcase his skills in a wide variety of environments. While a traditional party DJ at heart, he functions as a jack-of-all-trades these days, as he is instrumental in breaking both new music and new fashions to his ever-growing network of partygoers. I got a chance to speak with Doxx about his promotional abilities as well as his widespread DJ'ing talents.
How about starting off by telling our readers exactly what it is that you do?
Well, I DJ and I also run a promotions company, Stop Playin' Promotions, and we're out in the street, man. Out there just to break a lot of new product - some new clothing lines, and different record labels, independents, and get them on the street because Seattle can be so slow.
So are you a resident DJ right now?
Yeah, right now I DJ downtown at Larry's in Pioneer Square. I also DJ a lot of major events - I just DJ'ed the Battle at the Lake this past weekend with Shawn Kemp, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, and some other basketball stars.
How would you describe your DJ'ing style?
I'm an all-around DJ. Hip-hop is the first priority, also reggae, old school, neo-soul, and a lot more. I blend everything - I'm a party DJ, but I'm also a rebel, I like to break new music and give the people the scoop because the radio stations can be so slow up here. Basically I like to give the people what they want - they come out to party, and that's what I give 'em, that party atmosphere.
OK - tell me about your regular club night and what a typical set might be like.
Well, the club that I DJ at is Larry's, and we have structured Larry's around no dress code because we don't believe in discriminating against people. The clubs that they still are making people obey the dress codes still have the most fights anyway, so we say you come how you want to. We have White Tee Tuesday, with DJ Vitamin D and I, and then I have Dirty South Sundays with myself and Boy Wonder. As far as what I play, I definitely rock all the new hot jams, but I'll also play some classics, taking them back with Lenny Williams and some old KRS-One and Tribe Called Quest. My origins and roots are from the Dirty South, so that's definitely represented too. I've been lucky enough to DJ all around the world, and I see how they do it on the East Coast, the West Coast, the Midwest, you know, all over, and I can incorporate all of those styles and basically play to any type of crowd. That's what makes a well-rounded DJ, to know that when you're doing a certain type of party to break out some Pat Benatar or some Culture Club, just knowing how to read the crowd.
Definitely - I see a lot of DJ's these days that have the technical stuff down, but aren't necessarily great at playing the crowd. That seems like something that comes from experience.
Yep, I've been doing it for 12 years. I've DJ'ed for Grandmaster Caz, Just-Ice, and MC Lyte, some of the forefathers of hip-hop. I've DJ'ed for Steve Harvey's after party, I've DJ'ed on the 50-yard line for a John Madden 2003 tournament, I've even DJ'ed for Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks son's bar mitzvah, so I've done it all - I can rock any audience, man.
So tell me a little bit more about your promotion company.
Sure, it's called Stop Playin' Promotions, and right now I do a number of promotions for Royal Blunts, Headgear Sportswear, Ali Wissam out of Detroit, Sedgwick and Cedar clothing, and also for record labels such as Rap-A-Lot, Universal, Interscope and a number of independent record labels that send me their stuff in order to get it out in the street. My job is first of all to be a DJ, but also to get the music in the street and make sure that different clothing lines are represented out here, you know, to put them up on the game.
Right - fashion has always been a big part of hip-hop. How do you think that factors in to your DJ career?
It definitely factors in, because when the DJ is in the limelight, and he's spinning or walking through the crowd, or even when he's just out and about, people notice what you got on. People always ask me about the clothes I have on because I'm always trying to wear something new. Therefore I'm always trying to wear something from a company that's trying to make a name for itself, or just anything that's positive, really. That's why I like doing the promotions for Ali Wissam, Headgear, and Sedgwick and Cedar because it speaks about a lot of struggles. With Headgear, for example, they just recently brought out the Negro League clothing line, Ali Wissam has a line that talks about a right to expression and free speech, and Sedgwick and Cedar is based around the founders of hip-hop and where hip-hop started. This weekend I was able to provide Shawn Kemp and Nate Robinson, who just got signed to go to the Knicks, Jamal Crawford with some shirts and hats from these clothing lines, as well as some of the WBNA players from the Seattle Storm. I was able to get them this stuff because I did a mansion party for some of the players. Now these players are out there representing this stuff as well, and it feels good to be able to hold it down like that, and show people out there that it's more than just the bling-bling shit that you see on TV. You know, this is where it started; this is where it came from. Not to mention I now have a street team of about 15 ladies and 12 guys, and I can teach them as well.
So what was your inspiration to do all this?
You know, I started out from the bottom, in my apartment, working everything out slowly but surely. Through my family's mom-and-pop record store, ARS (Another Record Store), which is the number one mom-and-pop record store on the West Coast, I was able to just get out there and teach the kids and get them hitting those books and let them know that if you want to do what I do, there's an easier way to do that. Show them better than a lot of elders that they see that show them that it's cool to be standing on the corners and selling drugs and everything. I like to show them a lot better than that, and they see me, and I have something to teach them. Each one, teach one, that's what hip-hop has always been about, and that's what I always lived by. That's really what it's about for me, the opportunity to teach, and that feels real good.
Right - so there's a lot deeper meaning to this for you than just rocking a party - it's about a whole community, and exposing them to new stuff that you think will have a positive effect.
Definitely. On my club nights on Sundays and Tuesdays, I like when I get the chance to go out there and thank people for coming out and let them know that I appreciate the chance to show you some stuff, make you have a good time and make you feel good. That's what I've always tried to model myself on - if I was in the crowd, how would I want to feel? That positive vibe is what I'm trying to give to them.
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