Just in time for the holiday, I had a chance to speak with Cleveland's own, DJ Mick Boogie. If you aren't up to speed on Mick Boogie, he recently was honored as one of MTV's Top DJ's of the Year, he just released a new mixtape with Young Chris, The Newprint, he collaborated with Busta Rhymes on Dillagence, and he has a new one coming out with Jay-Z and Marvin Gaye, Brooklyn Soul.
Sit back and enjoy the interview. Be on the lookout for that Brooklyn Soul!!
Profit: First things first, I got a lot of your mixtapes at the crib and for the longest, I’ve always wanted to know…Why did you pick the name, Mick Boogie?
Mick Boogie: My name is Mickey and my last night starts with B…so…
You’ve been doing the DJ thing for a while now. What has helped you stay in the game for so long?
Hard work, creativity, and luck…
I’m from Cleveland and I know how we look up to artists, DJ’s, and even radio personalities that are pretty well known. What is the response like when you are in the city and doing shows, radio spots, and the club scene?
Honestly, I don’t think 95% of the people here have any grasp what I do outside of Cleveland so they really don’t give me any response…lol. I’m just some guy that plays records in the club. When I go out of town its different though… I was in Vancouver and people were taking pictures with me in the club… When I was in London, kids were coming up to the radio station to give me demos, but in Cleveland, it’s pretty normal. I’m just some guy who plays too much East Coast music in the clubs…lol.
Your mixtape, Dillagence, with Busta Rhymes is getting a lot of buzz right now. How influential was J. Dilla to you and what was the whole creative process like behind the mixtape?
Dilla was a legend. One of the best who ever did it. Creatively it was simple. I came up with the idea. Busta had the songs. And we put it out. I didn’t have to do too much besides the concept and the marketing. Busta is a beast! And has songs for days!
Do you feel your newest mixtape, Young Chris: The Newprint, is getting the response you wanted?
Yeah…people are loving it. Chris is nice and people sleep on him. We are gonna fix that.
I see you were in Entertainment Weekly last week, how big was that for you?
A highlight of my career. Ive been in the hiphop mags a million times but to make it into a super mainstream publication like that…and without even sending them the cd…that was an early Christmas present!
Little Brother talked about how important mixtapes are to the artist on And Justus For All. How important are mixtapes to you, the DJ?
They are business cards. Marketing tools. A&R opportunities. And non-profitable…lol.
You have the radio show on Sirius, League Crew Radio, Channel 40. What has the response to the show been like?
Great. We play whatever we want and break a lot of artists as well as our creative remixes. Sh*t is fun! Lotta people always email me saying they heard it and enjoyed it.
What equipment do you currently use?
For mixtapes, Adobe Audition. For clubs, Serato Scratch Live and my MacBook Pro.
Do you have any advice for aspiring DJ’s?
Creativity and hard work beats skills. Logical dj sets beat super scratching and mixing everytime in the club. With that said, get the skills too… and you'll be unstoppable.
Thanks for taking the time out to sit down and do the interview. Do you have any last words?
Check out my website, my blog, mickboogie.blogspot.com, and my Myspace, myspace.com/mickboogie. Appreciate the support. Happy Holidays.
