DJ Big House, tell us a little about yourself?
I’m from Pass Christian, MS. I’ve had my hands in the entertainment business for over 20 years. Everything from production, writing , djing, design, management, plus music has been apart of my everyday life since I was 10. I’m currently doing project management for artists, running a design company and the biggest studio in Mississippi (Heartbeatz Studios).
How did you get into hip hop?
I came into hip-hop as a kid listening to the radio. My family has a musical background so blues, gospel, r&b was my everyday listening habit. When rap started coming on tv and radio it grabbed me. I wrote my first rhyme in the 4th grade, and that developed into me doing almost everything inside the industry.
Tell us about your early career as a rapper?
I went under the name Dub-G. I released 10 projects from 2000 – 2016. I was one of the people in the first wave of Mississippi artists to network around the state from top to bottom. I was able to have a cool career and made a name for myself. By the end I was connected to one of the south’s greatest hip-hop groups (UGK) and here I stand today still in the business.
How did you get into DJing?
I wanted to get into the music more and the opportunity to help a local dj and family friend set up for his gigs and make a little money came when I was around 16. After a while he showed me how to work the equipment and I would DJ when he took a bathroom break. It went from DJing his breaks to doing my own set to doing half the night sometimes. I did a few clubs and a lot of parties. From there, I progressed to hosting mixtapes.
When you were doing your thing CDs and tapes was how independents were selling their music in the street. Nowadays, really all about streaming. How do you feel about this change? Do you think it has helped or hurt independent artists?
This is the double edge sword that people talk about. Coming from the old school, I could make more money with my product in hand, and really connect with the people buying the music. Now it takes an army of views and streams to equal 1 of the units I sold, and the payouts are crumbs in comparison. It’s harder to make noise from the music now, because it needs some content around it. Back in the day, if the record was a great record, that’s all you needed to start running. Streaming has leveled the playing field as far as putting music out, but that has made the product as a whole less potent.
Do you think all of this was good for independent rap music?
Yes and no. Yes, because it gave people who had talent, and no real budget the ability to create and release music. No, because too many people are just dropping music that isn’t mixed or mastered just because they have access to a dsp. The craft isn’t respected as much, but it’s still a major factor.
Today, Youtube, Facebook, instagram, spotify, Apple Music and the like are the main vehicles what do think are the pros and cons of each platform?
All of these platforms are great for what they do. Everything runs through Youtube, so you have to play their game when it comes to video. Spotify and Apple have the market for music. Facebook is a power source for everything. The only thing is you have to compete with thousands of artists looking to be the next big thing, and they are also on these platforms, so it can be hard to shuffle through the noise to find what you like. Having some good music and material can be ampped up by any one of these spots
Is radio as relevant as it was during the 90s or are podcast more important?
Yes, but its not a ending destination for a lot of the new artists in hip-hop. Youtube and streaming sites have made it so you can go reach the world, go gold or platinum, and have success without including radio. The power of radio is still there, and can help build [an artist] outside of the digital world. You might be huge on tiktok and nobody knows you outside of that, but that radio hit from coast to coast hit different.
What about club play? Is it still important as it used to be?
For the OG crowd, the club is more of a vibe because of the music and dancing we came up on. We partied in the party and made a lot of booty shake music. The younger crowd it’s more of a playlist setting thing for them. Tiktok fast dances, drill records, and not much interaction between club goers. Too many sections and not enough dance floor.
For the South, the 90s and early 2000s saw the dominance of the mix tapes in terms of marketing music. Mixtape DJs like DJ Screw (RIP), Michael Watts, DJ Jelly, DJ Drama had the streets on lock, when it came to breaking new music on a street level. Today,mixtapes seems to have died out. Nobody’s listening to them like that now. What do you think happened?
The “INDUSTRY” came in and killed it! Mixtapes were given so much room for the artists to create and build with. Once labels saw the commercial appeal of it, they wanted in on it. They turned it from a promotional tool to a business model, and then came the ugly business. They sued one of the main sites for [copywright] infringement. That shut it, and other sites like it all the way down, the dominoes fell soon after. The marquee mixtape djs pivoted into different areas, but the average ones had to go to playlisting or got phased out if they only did mixtapes. I been seeing some “tapes” by new artists hosted by djs lately, which is a good sign, but I don’t think you will have another wave like that.
What are you up to now? Do you have new music out?
I haven’t released any new music since 2016, because I put the mic down as an artist. From the DJ side, I released a song titled “Throw A Brick Remix” with Hustle Bandit T-Boss and Boosie Badazz. Since then its been [about] executive business behind the scene. I’ve had my hands busy juggling multiple projects, producers and trying to teach the next generation about this industry.
Speaking of producers, who are some the new producers that you think are hot?
I haven’t got into a lot of new guys sound because there are so many with different styles. I like Tay Keith and Go Grizzly cause of the range of records they have produced. They are not new but Twysted Genius, Wheezy, Heartbeatz and OG Lako are my favorites and they all from Mississippi!! It’s a lot of gold, platinum and flavor between them boys!!
How do you feel about the current state of rap? Are there any new styles that have come up?
I don’t think it can last in its current state. The boundaries of sex and death are being pushed over, and, at some point its going to be pushed out. The actual craft of rhyming, story telling and word play will make a comeback. The ladies doing they big one right now but the records aren’t charting like that. There are a few new acts with a unique deliveries, but soon as they jump out, there was a team of copy cats trying to do what they saw and heard, and that ain’t the move. The game evolves daily, so we will see what the future holds.
Are there any new rappers you’re feel?
Bossman D-Lo is my fav right now because he doing hustler music, which hasn’t been a big thing since drill became popular. I’m rocking with Snug from Louisiana and Cartel Bo from Texas, Jass Clutch from North Carolina and Lawrence OTS from Mississippi. I like cats who got delivery and voice.
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