DJ Maj
How influential is hip-hop music in 2003? Well, this year to date, urban artists have topped the Billboard sales chart more weeks than any other genre. And what do most of these chart-topping hip-hop stars have in common? Nearly all of them—including 50 Cent and Eminem—first got noticed on the venerable hip-hop vehicle known as the mixtape.
Today's hip-hop culture dominates everything from advertising to fashion, and though getting a late start in the CBA market, the movement is finally taking hold with a positive twist thanks in large part to the efforts of DJ Maj. A long time advocate of hip-hop within the industry, DJ Maj finally brought the market into the now with his trailblazing mixtapes. Tapping into this once underground force that revolutionized mainstream hip-hop, DJ Maj is retaking the street with a legitimacy and edge that explains why it's the deejays that are considered urban music's true tastemakers.
Originally dropping his tapes independently, DJ Maj's latest, THE RINGLEADER, will be his third for Gotee Records. More so than its predecessors, THE RINGLEADER sticks to tradition with a virtual "who's who" of established and rising stars such as tobyMac, Kirk Franklin, Out of Eden, LA Symphony, 4th Avenue Jones, Camp Quest, GRITS, Verbs, Bobby Bishop, Shonlock, Pigeon John, and more.
“One of my biggest sources of fuel is hearing about my wife walking into a Christian bookstore and overhearing a conversation between a customer and a clerk,” explains DJ Maj. “The customer asked the clerk if there were any musical alternatives for her son who listens to DMX and Eminem type hip-hop. The clerk recommended Zoe Girl and Relient K. Although both of those groups are very energetic and passionate about their presentations, they're far from modern hip-hop. Hopefully these projects will help to fill the gap in that area.”
Packed with hit-makers, DJ Maj’s mixtapes are positioned in the spirit of a WOW or NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL MUSIC! Compilation. At the same time, these songs are compiled in the far more engaging mixtape format. If there were such a thing as WOW HIP HOP, then THE RINGLEADER would be it.
"We are establishing a musical source within the industry and culture that appeals to the younger demographic," reflects DJ Maj. "The WOW series has gospel and inspirational, but there's nothing for kids listening to mainstream urban radio. We are filling the void in a way that reflects urban and hip-hop culture from a God perspective and is far more interesting than the standard compilation format."
In authentic street fashion, THE RINGLEADER spins together album tracks, new compositions, and remixes into one continuous stream of positive hip-hop party music. The songs effortlessly flow into the next for a seamless, ceaseless musical energy. THE RINGLEADER distinguishes itself from the standard mixtape, however, as certain tracks represent the deejay as, not just the compiler, but the producer, writer, and emcee as well.
"THE RINGLEADER is more mature musically, lyrically, and in subject matter," says DJ Maj, whose driver's license reads Michael Allen. "I also got back to one of my first loves, namely, rhyming.”
Among the outstanding remixes, DJ Maj reshapes Kirk Franklin and tobyMac's "J Train" into a thumping, upbeat club banger, while the remix of GRITS' "Ooh, Ahh" dishes in funky programming and Jamaican dancehall flavor. Artists like the 4th Avenue Jones (featuring Ahmad), Sev Statik, Shonlock, the brilliant LA Symphony, and Jacksonville's Camp Quest also contributed hit tracks from their own releases. Taking the creative reigns for some original numbers, DJ Maj himself throws down with "Under Pressure," "Attack" and "God Music." In fact, DJ Maj joins Out of Eden's Lisa Kimmey on the title track, which also provides the album's spiritual center.
"The title track is based on my evaluation of what's going on in our country," says DJ Maj, who describes the song as soaked in neo-soul. "The big question is ‘Where is God in all of this?’ I personally concluded that God is in charge of everything from 9/11 to the next baby being born. The song suggests that, from catastrophe to beauty, it's all in God's hands. A simple observing of this canvas called earth will show anyone that there is a ‘Ringleader.’”
As an innovator within the Christian community, DJ Maj also addresses the challenge of crafting hip-hop within a music culture that's just catching on to it. "The song 'God Music' helps explain our role in urban music," says DJ Maj, who performs on the track alongside John Reuben and Pigeon John. "What is it we do? Christian rap, gospel rap, rap for Christians? How do we label ourselves in a manner that won't drive certain people away? The song says that we should simply call it ‘God Music.’ It gets to the core of what we are talking about in a way that's universal and doesn't compromise. Since the common denominator in most human beings is ‘Okay, yes, there is a God,” the idea is to lay a foundation from which we can build. ‘God Music.’”
Looking back to the early '90s, the Lafayette, Louisiana native first got noticed locally as a party deejay spinning for clubs, colleges, spring break bashes, and special events. In 1992, a producer brought DJ Maj to Nashville as a session and live performance deejay for several significant artists, most notably DC Talk (he performed with them at Cornerstone that year and then scratched on their next album, FREE AT LAST). During this time, DJ Maj commuted back and forth from the Pelican State, but eventually one Nashville visit turned into a permanent stay.
"Everyone was so amazed that there was a believer in town who scratches," says DJ Maj, who's also turned tables for Audio Adrenaline, Out of Eden, T-Bone, and GRITS. "I had a niche here from day one. I was the first of my kind. It was obvious that there was a mission for me here."
While working with artists in Nashville, DJ Maj also established his own hip-hop radio show on the town's Way FM, where he spun from 1992-1997. His on-air experience would resurface again in 2000 when he established Virtual Frequency, a nationally syndicated radio program that also includes its own 24-hour web-based station.
In 1997, DJ Maj dropped his first independent mixtape, SABBATICAL TRANSIT, whose music was featured on Josh McDowell's Counter the Culture Tour. Then, signing to Gotee Records, DJ Maj broke ground with 2000's WAX MUSEUM and 2001's FULL PLATES, delivering radio gold with tracks like "Street Credibility," "Real," "Open My Heart," "Golden Motorcycle," and his #1 rhythmic chart hit, "Deception." Backed by success on the airwaves, DJ Maj took to the road sharing stages with acts like Plus One, Rachel Lampa, Stacie Orrico, and tobyMac (who calls Maj his "DJ of choice"), in addition to joining such touring events as Joyce Meyer's Rage Against Destruction and Festival Con Dios.
"There is such a vast need for what these projects have to offer," says DJ Maj, who recently graced the cover of CCM's U Magazine alongside other hip-hop pioneers. "There is a challenge in birthing these albums from an industry that's less connected to urban culture than the mainstream, but it's encouraging to hear kids get excited about what we are doing for Christ-centered urban music. You can just feel the movement taking hold." |
