The DJ has gone from bedrooms, garages, basements, and public parks to arenas, satellite radio, and beyond. He has gone from the shadows of the booth to international celebrity status. The DJ has gained clout and helped form the culture of music in the 21st century. But how did your favorite DJ get his or her start? Where does he or she find inspiration and what is the end goal? And what’s his or her biggest DJ pet peeve? In this new series, we will be interviewing an influential DJ each week to discuss everything you want to know about him or her, and then some. We will be asking questions specific to each DJ as well as our Last Call, a set of five questions that we ask all of them. Be sure to check in with us each week to learn about your new favorite DJ.

For our first installment, we talked with Chicago’s premier DJ, DJ MoonDawg. From scouting young talent like King Louie, Chief Keef, and YP before their major label deals to encouraging his fans to participate in local politics, DJ MoonDawg has been of the people and for the people. Ever since he started out as a college radio station DJ at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he’s been non-stop grinding. Get in tune, stupid, and check out our interview with him below.

How's it going man?

I got a bit of a sore throat but I'm alright.

Still recovering from Big Jam?

Yeah, pretty much. It was good though. Packed out. I'm just glad it's over. You know how that goes.

Yup. I know what you mean. To start, let's go all the way back to the beginning, before you even DJ'd. You signed up for the Marine Corps instead of going to college right after high school. Was there a particular reason that you joined them?

At that point, it was just to really get away and experience the world. I knew there was more than just Chicago. I got accepted to Florida State and a bunch of top schools but I turned them down. I was like, "I'm gonna go overseas and sign up for the Marine Corps." I chose them because of the reputation. They're known for being the toughest and being the shit. I wanted the challenge. I joined at 17 and took off.

As a result, I feel like that's become a part of your work ethic and helped you get to where you are now.

It is me. Work ethic, attention to detail, the level of quality that I believe I perform and put out. It's all directly attributed to all of the things I've learned.

Making that transition from the Marines to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), what got you into DJing?

While I was overseas for my last assignment, I was stationed in Kingston, Jamaica for two years. I was totally immersed in Dancehall. To see Stone Love, Renaissance, and all of these selectors in the clubs, at Up Top Mondays, chilling with Beenie Man--I saw the vibe and all of that. I fell in love with it. It was dope. I'm from Puerto Rico and a Spanish background so I'm used to that vibe--very Caribbean and the culture of music. But I wasn't used to the DJ's and how they talked their shit and moved the crowd. They could say, "Jump off a bridge," and they'd go and jump off a bridge. Whatever dance moves, they'd get up and start doing it. It was incredible to see that. That laid the foundation for me in terms of taking the music and the DJ angle. Going back to Chicago, it stuck with me. It wasn't my initial plan when I got back to Chicago.

 

"So one day I was just like, 'Get in tune.' "

 

Was it your time then at the college radio station that you came up with your catchphrase, "Get in tune, stupid"?

It really came from when I was doing my college radio show at UIC. I think I was just sitting down one day and you know how people would say, "Stay in tune," in reference to their music coming out? I always kinda hated it because it implies sticking or lingering around. Like, "I don't know exactly when I'm going to give you some shit but keep on waiting for it." And I wasn't waiting for nobody. I never liked that saying. So one day I was just like, "Get in tune." That way it's more... plug yourself into what's happening. I felt that was much more inviting. I had to add something at the end of it to add some urgency. Like what words would catch someone's eye. People hear it, they kinda cock their heads to the side. I stuck with it and started building a brand with it. It's become one of the staple brands in Chicago. They put it on Twitter and Instagram, hashtagging it on their own.

Since creating this social media trend, you've done a lot of things: hosting big shows, DJing at a radio station, and interviewing major label artists. What's your favorite part about being a DJ?

For me, I love the mixtapes for the fact that, since I'm a creative person, I like to work with an artist I feel is dope and put their music together and be a part of the creative process--sharing it with the people. It's all about the people. That's the most gratifying part: seeing people go crazy when I play a record or setting it up. People hit me back about a project they've never heard before and say, "Hey, that tape is dope." It's not falling on deaf ears. It's spreading. Reaching that new audience is the best part.

 

"The industry has become so much of a dick sucking contest."

 

Right, so you realize how much the music you’re supporting and putting out is affecting people.

Yeah, and not to go too much on a tangent, but the industry has become so much of a dick sucking contest with other industry folk, like tastemakers and bloggers, and not so much what the people are talking about. Perfect example of that is Drill music in Chicago. It went under the radar for a lot of tastemakers because a lot of these guys were in a direct-to-consumer market. They'd get a hundred thousand views and it wasn't until the industry folks caught wind of the culture of success without a radio spin or the bloggers, because they had shit popping on Soundcloud or Youtube.

Right and I see that you’ve been supporting new artists before the labels sign them. How do you feel about the current Hip-Hop scene in Chicago?

I guess I kinda have a mixed answer to that. I don't want to put the Chicago sound under one name. Chicago, you got the Drill scene, guys like Chance, Vic Mensa, and the Treated Crew. It's important to separate them because the Drill has a bad stigma with it, with all of the Keef stuff and Durk is in jail again. It scares my peers in the labels because it's a liability. It's still a business. I think musically it's still setting trends in street music. Other markets are copying the flow and the lingo. As far as the Drill influence, it's still out there. As far as the artists, a lot of these guys, their albums are still not ready. They don't have the right team. They don't know how to go from the street life to the business life. These other guys like Chance, they have a lot of opportunity to do well but the Drill scene makes them work harder to break through that stigma.

As much as you’re involved with music, I noticed that you’re just as involved, if not more, with local politics. Where does that passion stem from?

I majored in political science at UIC. Even before that, when I was in the military, I was exposed to world politics and foreign affairs. I worked in the state department and different embassies. Then it became an interest. I do care about the people. That's probably why I'm doing, in roundabout ways, something for the people. My case now is entertainment. Whoever's listening might have a shitty day at work and they're on their way home, and they turn on the radio. Here I am, hopefully trying to get their minds off it by playing their favorite song and in the mix, turning up, or interviewing their favorite artist, or me just talking crazy. The politics is also a part of that. I care deeply who our elected leaders are. For far too long, it's been corrupt and inefficient. I'll randomly visit high school and the hood and post up to see how so many people are struggling. When you see that, it makes you want to do whatever it is to help- whether it's donating or encouraging people to vote for the midterms like a couple weeks ago on my social media.

It's something the minority community needs to take advantage of more. They have such a big influence and they don't take advantage of it. They'll vote Democrat as a whole without coming to realize why they would automatically give someone a vote. The city has always voted Democratic and yet look at where we are. For me, it's vote for whoever is going to earn your vote.

I totally agree. The local officials are the ones who are going to affect their lives most. Going back to the music, do you have plans for an album or a new mixtape? I know you had two volumes of We Invented The Bop.

We Invented The Bop... I'll probably do another two volumes, kinda like what I did with the first two, one in the spring and one in the summer. I knew that it would catch attention but I didn't expect it to go as national as it did. I have people from the UK and Seattle, and random ass places, finding me on Twitter and asking for more of the music. I've become the ambassador for Bop music as far as DJs go, which is dope. I just want to help something Chicago and not too negative, a little more fun and positive. There's a lot of dance movements involved with it. It was more about showing the world that we're not just Drill. I felt like it was my responsibility to take that and all the little homies doing it, and curating it to share it. It helped a lot of those guys out. I'm looking to put out my own project like an EP/street mixtape with all original songs. Put together some beats and cats that I rock with. I'll have another single next year. My first single, "Bet That," did better than I expected, totally independent. No machine behind me. I'm very appreciative of the love it got from the DJs and radios. It's a learning process. It's a different side of the music to get the music out there.

This year for me, with a new night show... I've been swamped with radio. But I got stuff in the can. I'll start the roll out at the top of the year.

Another thing that I noticed on your social media is that you’re a huge fan of the turn up. For the amateur out there, what are your official steps to turning up properly and safely?

(laughs) At this point, because I've done it so much I don't need to really... Early on, every DJ, they start off by getting drunk- get their liquid courage. I've gained that level of confidence so that my turn up before the turn up is, I'm chilling. It's like lightning. I can go, not to be cliche, from 0 to 100 real quick. I think as a DJ, if you're able to get that crowd rocking with you on that first song, you got 'em. The first song comes on and they're nodding, the second comes on and they're nodding even harder, and then the third, they start moving their hips. Then you got 'em. Maybe take a shot or two to calm your nerves but don't get drunk. If you go on that mic and you're talking that shit and you're commanding the crowd, people will buy into it.

And finally, what's a MoonDawg?

(laughs) Man, we'll have to save that for another conversation. Too long to explain but no, it doesn't come from Big Pun as some Hip-Hop heads presume.

Last Call

1. What is your favorite movie of all time?I'm a movie head. That's a tough one... Star Wars Episodes 4-6. Those are epic and timeless.

2. As a young DJ, who was the one DJ you looked up to?I came into DJing kinda late and I never had a mentor. Jazzy Jeff, I always thought was dope, but I never really had that one that I felt I connected to. I really pushed myself.

3. As a DJ, what's your biggest pet peeve?People coming up and make a request for a song that's completely the opposite of what I'm playing right now. Whatever turn up song I'm playing and they'll come and ask for K-Ci & JoJo, "All My Life." Like what the fuck? Another one is openings DJs who don't know how to open. Like it’s 10:30/11 o'clock and they're playing all the hits. Like what are you doing? It's an art form.

4. What is your current DJ set up at home?I just boxed up my Technics 1200's in storage and I reluctantly got some Pioneer controller joints (DDJ-SX). I have mixed reviews about it. It's not the same. I use that mixing on air because it's real convenient. I could be at an airport and record a mix while I'm sitting. But I shed a tear when I put the Technics away.

5. What’s your favorite record of all time?I'm not a huge R&B guy but my favorite song is an R&B song. R.Kelly's "Bump N Grind." You could still drop that and guys will grab a girl real quick. Girls will put that ass in a guy's crotch. You gotta do it the right way and it'll still work.

You can catch DJ MoonDawg on 107.5 FM WGCI in Chicago Monday through Friday at 6pm-12am. All times CST. For those not in Chicago, you can listen to his shows on iHeartRadio. He’s also on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. You can also check out his bio and more at Digital DJ Pool.



Bryan Hahn has mad respect for DJs who do more for their community than is asked of them. He's on Twitter: @notupstate.