What is your earliest memory of a DMC Mixing Final?
“When I got a bootlegged VHS tape of the old Chad Jackson vid with him scratching with the pool stick! I watched that video like a thousand times because it was all I had! The picture was so grainy but I still loved every moment of it. The funny thing was was the hat he was wearing that inspired me to wear goofy headgear like it did in the DMC USA 1991!
How did you decide on your own name as a Turntablist artist?
I didn’t. It was a Hi-School nickname they gave me for when I was on the J.R.O.T.C. drill team. Everyone had to have a stupid name, so all the old members can refer to us dorks a lot easier, ha ha. They named me after a video game that came out around the Pac-Man days. But I wanted to be something else like RipKlaw, DJ Venom, DJ Shinobi, DJ Titty-Licker or somethin ill like that, but oh well… that’s how the cookie crumbles. On the bright side, at least my online school won’t be called “Titty-Licker Skratch University”.
Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!!!! So moving on, who is the best technical Turntablist of all time?
“Lots of guys to mention here: Toadstyle, Rafik, Vajra, D-Styles, A-Trak, Klever, Craze, Woody, Ken-1, Kobeyer, Enfoe, Excess…wow, the list goes on…”
What are the most important five records that you have ever used as a Turntablist…
“Superseal, Training Wheels, Needle Thrashers, Rock The Bells, Ultimate Breaks & Beats…”
What tracks that when you hear up on stage spun by a rival, do you always think, ‘oh god not again’?
“Superseal, Training Wheels, Needle Thrashers, Rock The Bells, Ultimate Breaks & Beats.”
Great answer dude.
What has been your best ever display on the wheels of steel?
“There’s a few inspired moments on youtube of me, but it’s always those moments when you are recording and you say, “damn I wish I recorded that!”
What is going through your mind as you are waiting to step up on the DMC stage – the biggest stage of your life moments before you hit the stage?
“I hope there’s a toilet close by! ha ha… But I do know that reviewing my set in my head before the show helps a lot. It’s like when you envision yourself, then that’s what you create it in your mind. Then there’s other times where I clear my head and think of nothing, and sometimes those are the good days too. Then I just found out that the universe breathes in and out because it’s alive as well, and so according to your birthdate and horoscope that there are days that you will do good and others where you will do not as good. But who knows if that’s believable. The best is to just always be prepared and have practiced a lot…that’s always the safest – so before the show it’s the most comfortable when your confidence level is high and you can give the audience the energy of fun that you emit when you are knowing you are in control.”
Who in your opinion, has been the best ever DMC Champ we have ever had?
“Every single person was a genius, but I would have to give it to Craze for winning DMC million times in a row!”
Best Hip Hop record ever made?
“This always changes for me, but right now, it’s those old Kool G Rap tracks that are continually on repeat for me like ‘Kool is Back’. His flow makes me think of scratching as like the way he raps!”
Which one Turntablist over the years has performed the ‘one piece’ of magic in his set that you simply had to look away in absolute disbelief?
“There was a guy in the DMC Final that the judges didn’t recognize – and he didn’t make it to the actual World Final, but it’s my boy DJ Vajra! His ideas are outstanding!”
How many weeks/months before the big night do you start planning your set?
“I think it is an everyday passion to be prepared always. But when we were competing, it was about two months prior to the day of competition to create a set. I always thought of battling as boxing or training for a fight. Those guys don’t even have orgasms for weeks to keep that Chi energy inside them! My girlfriend was very understanding and knew I couldn’t see her as much. I was really focused only thinking about different turntable and skratching tricks all the time. Sweating from all the fast stab skratching and yelling with the DJs I practiced with -Disk, Shortkut, Yogafrog, Flare and Apollo as if we were doing sets lifting weights, “FUCK YA! COME ON! LET’S GO FASTER! FUCK THAT SHIT, DON’T STOP! FUCK THESE OTHER DJS!” Ha ha… really nerdy turntable tunnel vision back then! Super down for the Hip Hop cause! I was even wondering why my mother and father were not skratching! LOL =P! You can see I lost a lot of weight from 1992 to 1993 when I was training hard sweating from skratching…I even turned vegetarian to become more fit just to skratch better (so I thought)! I should make some video skits for our Turntable TV vids we do on youtube, ha ha!”
How many records do you own?
“Not sure…I guess maybe like 5,000 records. I always sell back or give away the junk stuffs. Sometimes, I give away something that I think is crap, but ends up later being a banger!”
What did your parents think back in the day of your chosen career profession?
“My mother always told me to follow my dreams and my father always told me to get a job, ha ha – a nice balance that kept me in the clouds as well as grounded. I love now to see things from different angles, just like the thought that we are all one person here in this universe. All god having individual experiences through as, the animals, the insects, etc. So when you see a rival, you are just facing yourself in another body! But 90% of the world still sees us as separate individuals…whoah! I got off on a tangent there?”
The DMC World Mixing Finals are 25 years young/old this year – how do you think the art of this craft has changed over the years?
“I’m always looking at the musicianship in the DJ, so when there is a great scratcher, I always pay attention – there’s always gonna be about 90% pretty good guys and about 10% genius…- don’t get me wrong, you’ll still learn something from the ok guys because no matter what, everyone has something different to offer, those guys that know to play the tables in a different and/or progressive way impress me and that is what catches my ear and I pay attention to. So with that said, there’s some incredible talent that has evolved out of this art over the years and I am very pleased with the continual movement. I’m still practicing to get out of that 90% part myself, ha ha!”
How did winning the DMC title change your life?
Bribing the judges really worked. But seriously, it’s a beautiful thing to get out some really non commercial ideas out to the public. I mean from DJing in my basement to having my own school online (Qbert Skratch University) it’s just been an unreal dream come true! I mean of course no matter what, rich or poor we all still have challenges in life, but at least I can do a job that I am so passionate about! I love being able to make music and films that I love and especially because it’s not the normal radio or TV stuff. It’s really a very strange art that no one gets to enjoy or understand unless you are deep into the true school hip hop underground lifestyle. A very important thing for me is to enlighten the world about issues that others are afraid to address, such as taking care of our environment and the earth. It’s like we are a sophisticated highly advanced bacteria on our planet’s body with all our pollution and cities…we have to learn to become good bacteria like the kind in our tummies. So with having the exposure now, I can bring forth other things that the regular world would never see…it’s such a blessing to heal others, and that’s what we are as musicians. We are healers, Medicine Women/Men, Shamans, people that make others happy… blah blah, etc.”
What country/city that you have visited after winning the DMC title has really blown your mind?
“Going to Lebanon Beirut with Mixmaster Mike after the war and seeing all the buildings looking like swiss cheese from all the bullet holes! What a strange place to have a DJ battle for us to judge! But it just shows that there are skratchers everywhere.”
And finally, please give DMC a message of love for pioneering this amazing artform we have…
“Much love to Mr and Mrs Prince for bringing the world an outlet to see one of this Planet’s most beautiful art forms in all it’s ever changing facets! I owe you and everyone involved with the DMC my life! Thank you so much with all my heart! Peace and Blessings. Q x”