The Diggers Union Family
DJ UNEXPECTED – FOUNDER OF THE DIGGERS UNION
Imagine a world without music. The loss would be immeasurable, particularly to a 31-year old known as DJ Unexpected. The Bronx native has made it his lifelong mission to collect and preserve recorded music. I do everything around music, says the self-described fan that happens to DJ. Whether its walking, cleaning or even brushing my teeth, there has to be music nearby. But from where did this infatuation originate?
Since I was born, explains DJ Unexpected. My parents would always have music playing. Saturday mornings after the cartoons were over, my brother and I helped our mother clean. And the 1st thing she did was turn on the record player. I became fascinated with the way music made everyone feel, whether it was to dance or sing along. He became introduced to the future phenomenon known as Hip Hop in 1984. My father came home one day with the Fat Boys’ 1st album. Of course I remember hearing Rapper’s Delight, The Message etc. but that album changed my life. Then I saw the video for Stick Em with the turntable on Prince Markie Dees back, and I knew that was I wanted to do.
Fast forward 10 years and his hands touched his first pair of turntables. I started with Gemini BD-10s, the bottom of the barrel, laughs Unexpected. In 1995, I got my first pair of 1200s with help from one of my favorite DJs, D-Demo. I still use that same pair. Using the name Top Secret at the time, he would begin honing his craft while doing the odd tape or party. Another 10 years roll by, and he enters the mix tape world, with the help of his partner Kochece. My first release was Big Daddy Kane vs. Jay Hova, a tribute to 2 icons in the game. It compared 2 different styles of MCing, and featured remixes with some of Hip Hop’s hottest beats. I tried to keep true to the statement on the cover which said Enjoy and be educated. Comparing old and new styles of music regardless of genre is a theme prevalent in his catalog.
Every release involves paying homage to those before us. Those who really know their music can detect the bits of ‘trivia’ if you will incorporated into the mix. His catalog ranges from blend CDs to break beats informing the fans how future hits are created with assistance from classic songs, to reggae and house music. The reason for the wide range is to let people know that a real DJ can appreciate and play anything, just like a real MC can write to any beat. You may like some styles/genres more than others, but the variety is just one testament as to how great the overall scope of music is. His passion for the music and the infinite ways it can be interpreted has also led to him creating introductions for many of the mix tape game’s premier players, thus earning him a new nickname, Mr. Intro.
Anything is possible in this world, but rest assure that all of it is Unexpected. Unexpected. Because life is.
“THE LEGENDARY” DJ SHOWTIME
Many can boast about being a mix tape king and the #1 DJ, but how many can actually say that they’re a PIONEER? Enter the Legendary DJ Showtime.
In an industry where gimmicks and trends sell, Showtime has stuck to a formula that undoubtedly works and has served him well for over 2 decades. HARD WORK AND CONSISTENCY. Having over 5,000 venues done and millions of dedicated fans of his work, Showtime will strike you as the everyday guy next door… until the lights go low and the music starts to play. You will be taken on a ride that you will not want to get off of.
Early in his teens, Showtime began working as an opening DJ in Harlem, NY learning and perfecting his craft. By the time he reached his early 20’s, he was already making an impact on the Hip Hop world as a prominent figure behind the turntables. Influences like Brucie Bee, Kid Capri, Love Bug Starski, Hollywood, and a host of others made Showtime a more focused DJ, realizing that the power to make crowds move and shake was phenomenal. It was at that point that Showtime started making mix tapes which helped promote his skills on the tables to the likes of Urban America. Showtime honed his skills to which he was able to gain residency in several Hip Hop clubs. He also was considered to be a part of NYC’s first DJ clique, Hard Pack, which was founded by mix tape promoters, Rock and Will. The Hard Pack became one of the best known organizations in mix tape history, gaining national fame in The Source Magazine, Rap Pages and on MTV’s Yo! MTV Raps, which was hosted by Fab 5 Freddy. The mid 90’s were crucial for Showtime because this was the time in which major definition took place in his career. Showtime’s mix tape sales were high in volume and that led him to become one of the most highly respected Mix Tape Dj’s in his time. He is still remembered as one of the pioneers of the mix tape arena and recognized as one of the top club DJ’s in New England. In 1997, Showtime became a Mix show DJ at WNEZ JAMZ 910 AM. His show, The Friday Night Thunderstorm, took the airwaves with an extreme and influential acceptance. During this time, his slot had the highest Arbitron ratings for a mix show in Connecticut (33.1 share). His career exploded on a commercial radio level. In 2000, Showtime was also awarded Urban Network’s Mix show DJ of the Year. In 2002 Showtime was named The Mix Show Power Summit’s most slept on DJ of the Year. Since then Showtime has been a mixer for various Urban Stations before making his home as Mix Show Coordinator and On Air Personality/Mixer on WPHH Power 104.1
Currently Showtime is still setting trends and breaking new ground while others have perished in the DJ arena. This is why you cannot doubt that his longevity has made him a staple in the music industry with strong affiliations and connections throughout the world. His radio presence is remarkable, having 3 stations under his belt that he mixes for weekly, and more seeking his creative genius and vast musical knowledge you can find Showtime mixing every Saturday Night from 10pm-Midnight on Magic 102.9 KVMA (Shreveport Louisiana), Sunday Nights 6pm- 10 pm on Kiss 95.7 WKSS (Hartford CT) and Holidays for The Big Station 99.7 KMJJ (Shreveport LA). He is also a major part of Urban Radio online with Mixtape Mondays from 10pm-11pm. In addition to this, Showtime still finds time to hold residency to The Paradise Café every Friday Night for Ladies Night Out (Waterbury CT) and Sunday Nights at Club Hostel for The Sunday Night Splash where no less than 500 people are in attendance every week.
“THE KING OF THE CRATES” DJ MIKE NICE
DJ Mike Nice was born in Ozone Park Queens NY. As a young child Mike grew up listening to jazz, funk, soul, r&b, and disco 45’s in his grandparents basement. At age 4 his parents separated and Mike and his mom ventured out to Brooklyn. Growing up in Brooklyn Mike was introduced to hip hop at an early age. It was the summer of 1980 and the early sounds of hip hop blasting off Little Joe’s stoop had him hooked. Cold Crush, Sugar Hill, Crash Crew, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, live battle tapes and old pause mix tapes were the daily listening.
The old neighborhood was racialy diverse, but when crack hit it hit hard. Nobody was safe from the litte rock. The block got bad, lots of pushin robberies, rapes, overdoses, death and assorted drama. Mike’s mom remarried in 1990 and they moved over to Gravesend.
Mike relatively new to this part of Bk begun hanging around the Nostrand Ave pj’s and begun pushing his mix tapes. A short time later UPSTAIRS RECORDS opened up and Mike landed a job in one of the most unusual ways. “I was shopping for some records and im looking up and down the ailes and i say dam you guys got a shitty slection of music. They had some real whack titles that i knew would never sell. Shit we were directly across from the PJ’S on Ave X and Nostrand. Brooklyn wasn’t abount no bullshit hip hop. Ikey who was the co owner along with Charley comes from behind the counter and says you think you can make a difference you can start tomorrow.” At first Mike was groomed as a salesmen for instore and mail order. “It was dope because i learned hands on about every piece of equipment that came in the door, mixers, sp 1200, mpc 60’s, s 950 , dr 808 etc, and i made comission on whatever i sold.” Charley who was the music buyer soon saw Mikes passion for moving records and put him in charge of the urban music department. It was here Mike florished and began to put Upstairs Records on the map. In the 94, 95, you would see full page ads in the SOURCE magazine among others showing the large selection of wax that was on sale. Mike created a monthly VINYL FAX CLUB which serviced over 60,000 dj’s world wide. “It was basicaly a list of all the vinyl we had in stock. I used to do a monthly report on the hot wax and do top 10 list on underground , classic, and breakbeat lps. Many of NY’S finest undergound artist records were pushed by Mike. “I was pushing JAY Z when he was PAY DAY with the IN MY LIFTIME 12″ and than later we had the Dead Presidents 12″ with the listening party b side” Lots of rare and classic wax was moved on the daily including the very rare KOOL G RAP “HEY MR MR 12″ , BUCKWILDS “STILL DIGGIN EP” and the underground classic on South Paw Records ILL BILLS “DOPE FIEND” and much more.
In 94/95 Mike entered several DJ BATTLES such as the DMC, FAT BEATS, BEAT STREET, ITF etc. “Unfortunatley i didnt win but with a class of XMEN DJ’s such as Total Eclipse, Rob Swift, Roc Raider, Joey Sinister, and even DJ Swamp competition was at its finest. All those guys are champions and World Champions. I can say i competed amongst the eliete and despite the loss im happy”. Battle and break record became a huge thing at this time and Upstairs was one of the few spots on the East Coast to carry such a large selection specificaly “BIONIC BOOGER BREAKS” and other titles by the world famous DJ QBERT.
Upstairs Records gave Mike many connects within the industry both main stream and underground. Mikes mixtapes contained many unreleased gems from the biggest names in hip hop. Some say Mike is one of Hip Hop’s best kept secrets. Mike was also one of the 1st djs to give you the 120 minutes mixtape. “Everybody else was doing 90 minutes i said let me give the listener more bang for the buck im a give em 2hrs”. His mixtapes were a staple among heads at ST JOHNS UNIVERSITY. Mike could be found early morning hustling his tapes in the cafeteria pushhing that classic material. While at St John’s Mike made friends with several underground mc’s such as A Butta, Absolute, and A.L. A clasic freestyle from A.L is featured on Mikes’ 1995 HOLIDAY SPECIAL.
Always a fan of the undergorund Mike reached out to NECRO who introduced Mike to Mr Hyde, ILL Bill and Cage. “When i first heard Necro & Bill on the infamous 94 show i was like i got to find out if these cats have any stuff on wax. I called up Rich King over at Fat Beats and he told me about the ILL BILL “Dopefiend” joint that was going to be on Southpaw records compalation. Later down the line i was told about the movie Necro was putting out 187 Reasons Why , I got the vhs in and was amazed by this cats creativity. I called Necro up from the number on the tape and gave him his props on the film and production.”
Mike dropped the underground classic mixtape “CRACKING THE SURFACE ” in May of 1999 featuring a freestyle colaboration of 50 underground and than unsigned mc’s. Such artist included Shakespeare, A Butta, Absolute, A.L, Necro, Mr Hyde, Non Phixion, Main One, Fat Kat Kareem, Ayana Soyoni, Helixx, and the group know known as N.G.P. “It was great to work with all them cats, the tape is a classic to this day for those who own it , and to set the record straight GRAFH was heard on this joint 1st way before Kay Slay. The freestyle he and A Butta laid down is legendary.”
DJ SMOOTH DENALI
From the first time DJ Smooth Denali saw turntables he knew the direction his life would take. His passion for djing would take him from his basement in Long Island, NY to across the country and beyond.
CLUB SCENE
Djing since 1984 Smooth Denali has risen into one of the hardest working DJ’s in the business. Besides djing on a regular basis with the Turntable Assassins, he also owns and runs STREET FUNK RECORDING STUDIOS and CO-CEO of MMOR Entertainment with ARTIST Blu Warta.
His Djing has taken him from locals Clubs on Long Island to the hottest clubs in NYC and TRI SATE area (COPACABANA, CLUB NV, DRAMAS, CLUB NY, CHEETAHS, TRIBECAS, ROSELAND, BBKINGS, SPEED, TUNNEL), California (HOUSE OF BLUES 2002 & 2003), Florida (BILLBOARD LIVE-SOUTH BEACH, ATRIUM-SOUTH BEACH), Chicago (SHARK BAR). He has dj’ed at the Nassau Coliseum(19,000 strong) and Westbury Music Fair (Christmas Jam-feat. Big Pun). He has dj’ed parties for Madonna’s concert after party in LAS VEGAS, Dennis Rodman (NBA Legend) and Jhenna Jamison (Adult film Star) in Las Vegas, The NY Yankee’s Derek Jeter 2003 Birthday, 2003 Draft party for LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, DJ Irie’s birthday (Miami Heat’s dj) and Eric Cubeechee’s Birthday (THE BEAT LA). For two years running he has Dj’ed Monday Night Football Industry Nights hosted By Serchlite Music at Justin’s Restaurant, NY along side DJ Don Juan (Turntable Assassins) hosting some of the hottest listening parties for some of the hottest artists out including Raekwon, DBLOCK, Nappy Roots and The Bravehearts to name a few. He’s also d’jed along side some of the hottest djs in the game including Funkmaster Flex, Bizmarkie, MR Cee, DJ Enuff and Kid Kapri. Also as a Road DJ, Smooth has spun for Eric Sermon, Parrish Smith and Craig Mack. May 2003 also was Smooth’s first appearance on national TV when he d’jed THE BASSMENT on BET. “My passion will always be the club scene…ever since I ran wit Biz in the early 90’s its has run thru my veins like a drug.
MIXTAPE SCENE
Not new to the mixtape game but silent for a while, Smooth Denali is beginning to make a buzz again and an impact on the mix cd circuit with his ‘WHO’S THE GREATEST MC SERIES’ and his BEST of’s . Probably one of the most bootlegged cds in a while has been his WHOS THE GREASTEST MC PART 1-BEST of BIGGIE…with this cd in circulation and bootleggers hard on the street this cd has kept Smooth’s name alive and his Best of JAYZ part 2 following suit – the future is looking bright. In his 10 volume set Smooth puts the question on the consumer – Who is the Greatest MC–BIG, JAYZ (2 volumes of this one), NAS, 2PAC, JADAKISS, BIG PUN, EMINEM, BIG L, PRODIGY & BEANIE SEGAL(they share number 9) or the CLASSIC number 10 (RAKIM, KANE, KOOL G RAP, KRS ONE or LL COOL J). Also in 2004 be on the lookout for the NEW DYNASTY series (will keep this on the hush til they pop up at a Bootlegger near you.)
“The mixtape game is way different from the way it use to be so I watch and learn. Even as an O.G. in this game you still gotta watch, listen and learn…but its about to pop off…shout out to JLOVE (JLOVE…n***a) for helping put a brother back up on the map)”. Along with his own cds, Smooth has worked with DJ Don Juan (Turntable Assassins) hosting and mixing ESPN magazine’s official hip hop mix cd Vols 2 & 3 and was part of the Monsters INC double cd along side some of the countries hottest djs. Also be on the lookout for his collaborations with some of today’s hottest up and coming djs in the streets. His biggest accomplishment to date though was his OLD SCHOOL HIP HOP CLASSICS cd featured in the TALE OF THE TAPE section of THE SOURCE MAGAZINE in the Dec 2003 issue.
DJ CRAZY CHRIS
DJ Crazy Chris has been a DJ for the last 20 years and a lover of music his entire life. He spent 16 years dragging crates from club gig to club gig with several residencies in his hometown. But now he’s retired from the club grind and devotes most of his musical knowledge and dj’ing skills to his various “Mash Up” projects. Including his critically acclaimed “Bionic Blendz” series.
“THE O.G” TAPEMASTA
His love for music started way before the Fatback Band, Curtis Mayfield, The OJays, The Isley Brothers, Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes, etc was all that was played in his home during the early 70s..His unique listening to music has helped a lot of mixtape djs with their ideas today.. Which comes from his collecting of mix tapes since the late 70s until even today. Who do you know have early Doo Wop, Ron G, Kay Slay, Juice, Dexterity, Clue, Iroc, Double R, Kool Mike Ski, Brucie B, Starchild, Chubby Chubb, Jazzy Joyce, Showtime, Chill Will FTE & others all on tape ???? The name Tapemasta started from listening to early Doo Wop tapes stating that he was the Bouncemasta of the mix tape game, so he flipped it & started calling himself Tapemasta ( Not Tapemaster, who was a person supposedly taping djs at certain parties back in the days ). Basically, the collection started by listening to Red Alert, Awesome 2, Hank Love & Silva Sirfa, Chuck Chillout, Marley Marl & others on the radio..When one radio station went to commercial, he went to the other radio station & keep recording until the tape stops ( which usually was 90 or 120 minute tapes )..Then early Sunday morning be outside playing all the hot stuff on the Monster Radio on the block.
Next move: Mix tapes He used be in Harlem every Friday night waiting for Jamel to bring the hot joints to the corner on 125th – Back then his Grandfather used to live on 116th so he knew when all the stuff that was going to drop the day before because everybody was running around with these hot tapes in Harlem ( everybody was on 145th in front of Willie’s Burger playing the hot joints ). So when he got to Bklyn, it was a wrap !!! Stereo Plaza/Palace was the spot to get all the mix tapes. Harlem & South Bronx was the home for this mix tape store back in the late 80’s early 90’s ( shout out to Rock n Will on the 7th av )..Next stop was the lady called Sandy..who changed the mix tape game because dj’s didn’t want to give her masters..lol So now you know that’s how he got hooked on this thing called Mix Tapes..So basically, He was in all boro’s collecting tapes from dj’s like Luv Bug Starski, Hollywood, Kid Capri, Grand Master Vic, Dr. Rock & The Force MCs, DJ Priiest ( Original Spinderella ), Early Dirty Harry tapes ( on 60 minute tapes ), Kay Slay, Chill Will FTE, Clue, Boo Tha Barber, Rello, Doggtime & others.. Believe it, the collection is bigger than ever before..He can boast about having over 900 mix tapes & that’s not even counting the mix cds which came later on. A certain person ( Justo of Mixtape Awards ) wanted to take his collection & put them on plaques for the current winners of the mix tape awards. That would have been a good thing for the djs worldwide because then people would have known what they dropped for the entire year or their careers..So came with the idea about reviewing mix cds..but he would only do hot joints & not the corny ones-to him that was a waste of time. There’s a lot of hot djs ( Mixtape, Club, Mixshow )in the world today, believe me they’re not just in NYC either – so he felt it was his luv for Hip Hop to let people know about this thing called Mix Tapes.. Now practically, everybody is jumping on the bandwagon about mix tapes/cd now.
He has worked with Da Mixtape Madness ( Mixtape Reviews ), The Foundation Magazine ( Mixtape Reviews ), LXG ( A group of Djs, Graphic Designers, Mix Tape Critics ) www.Rapmullet.com ( Pushin Tapes ), www.Tapekingz.com ( Mix Tape Reviews ), The Connex List Magazine ( Mixtape Madness ), Scratch Academy, a DJ academy that was founded by late pioneer DJ, Jam Master Jay (of Run DMC notoriety), Nasty Nes & The Rapattacklives ( Reviews with King Apex ), Justo & The Mixtape Awards 2k2 ( One of the Board Members ), Mixtape Madness ( The first web-site to review mix tapes with King Apex ), The Technition Magazine ( The first magazine to bring mix tape reviews to the Record Labels ), Grind Mode Entertainment, Media ( Mix Tape Reviews ) & other Web Sites/Magazines. PS: He’s been in the mixtape game for over twenty years behind the scene-whether it was reviewing or just collecting tapes or cds-which he’s still doing today. He’s now putting together a book on mix tapes & also the catalog for everybody to see the collection worldwide.
“I don’t do mixtapes for now. I do mixtapes that people will appreciate twenty years from now. That’s how I try to look at them,” says Hevehitta. A Poughkeepse native, Hevehitta
has always enjoyed the sound of music and made it his mission to be apart of the industry. In a short amount of time, Hevehitta has worked with Hip Hop artists such as: Kanye West, Lloyd Banks, Chamillionaire, Busta Rhymes, Paul Wall, Stack Bundles and Little Brother. A graduate of the Institute of Audio Research, Hevehitta has proven he can do more than just make mixtapes. His road to the top has been quite an adventure, to say the least. No one would expect him to go from collecting mixtapes to creating them for vast generations of people to enjoy, much like his idols did to him many years ago.
In 2006 Hevehitta met Kochece and DJ Unexpected through graphic designer Miami Kaos. “Kochece and Unexpected schooled me on the mixtape game,” says Hevehitta. “They taught me the ins and outs of the game, and showed me the proper steps to putting out a mixtape”. In March of 2006 Hevehitta dropped his first mixtape titled “Almost Famous 4″ alongside Kochece and Unexpected. After that, the three DJ’s decided to come together and form the group, “The 3 Wisemen”. For the rest of 2006, Kochece, Unexpected and Hevehitta dropped mixtapes proving to the streets they had what it takes to be successful as a mixtape team. By the end of 2006, the three decided to separate and go in their own creative directions.
In 2007 Hevehitta decided to hit the mixtape scene solo-wise and released his very first solo mixtape “3 Kings – Atlanta Edition” featuring Ludacris, T.I and Young Jeezy. The mixtape was a success for Hevehitta and proved he could make it on his own. Throughout that year Hevehitta kept making more dents in the scene with his critically acclaimed “3 Kings” mixtape series, and his “Southern Royalty” mixtape series which focused on the true OG’s of southern Hip Hop music, and has spawned countless imitators.
In the beginning of 2008 Hevehitta and Unexpected got back together and try their hand in the mixtape game together once again. Their first release was the highly acclaimed “3 Kings New York” mixtape which featured 50 Cent, Jay Z and Nas. The mixtape was heavily received by the fans, and made some noise for the new mixtape duo. With the success of “3 Kings New York”, Hevehitta and Unexpected decided to keep dropping mixtapes together, and by the end of 2008 they were recognized as one of the best mixtape duos in the mixtape game.
Fast forward to now; Hevehitta and Unexpected are continuing to expand their mixtape brand to new heights. They have dropped more than thirty mixtapes together, and continue to steadily drop projects. They have created a new type of mixtape sound for the a
udiences with the “Motion Picture Mixtape” series which gives the listener a movie experience sonically rather than visually. They have also started the Diggers Union website which has gained much success in such a quick amount of time, and hope to see The Diggers Union brand reach new goals by the end of 2009.
Internet DJ’s, lazy DJ’s and hanger-ons alike may be in the mixtape circuit right now, but Hevehitta has made sure that his work will last forever.
Biographies to come:
Scratchmasta Jazzy G
DJ Rob Shock
DJ OSK
DJ Casper
