When he's not hosting special editions of his WikiWednesdays in our office, DJ Roli Rho is sharing and applying his 20+ years of experience as a turntablist in a multitude of ways. When you see him work, you can't help but learn something- as many have over the years through his work at Scratch DJ Academy. The Queens DJ made a name for himself by revolutionizing the art of beat juggling. As a result he racked up a host of titles including New York’s Zulu Champion (1995), the Rhythm Method Champion (1995), 105.9 (NYC) Champion (1995), the ITF East Coast Beat Juggling Champion (1998), the ITF 2nd Place Beat Juggling (A narrow loss to Babu in one of the most epic battles of all time, 1998), 2x Vibe World Dominance Champion (1998, 1999), and the DMC East Coast Champion (1999). He entered the party rocking scene and DJ'd on the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines before he got into Dance music. This led him back to the lab to incorporate the new sounds into his sets and production.
DJ Roli Rho is a co-founder of the 5th Platoon (Daddy Dog, Neil Armstrong, Do Boy, Kuttin Kandi, Vin Roc, and I-Emerge), a member of IntroBass Productions, and is associated with Arizona's Coolin Out DJ Squad and the World Famous Blunt Club.
Roli starts out with a classic smack talking battle opener by sampling Kid 'N Play's "Gittin' Funky." After a couple body tricks and scratches, he kicks into his meat and potatoes, juggling furiously between the decks. Combining elements of mixer technology, he's able to transition flawlessly into some incredible drumming. Take note of his use of the pitch control to create his own melody at around the 1:37 mark. He closes just like he opens the routine, with plenty of Queens attitude.
You can stream WikiWednesday live every week on Roli Rho's Facebook. Keep up with DJ Roli Rho on his Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Youtube.