DJ Scrill talks about Record Pools, gives advice to new artists and discusses Mr. Boom Boom Bang's Mixtape The Big Bang 2

The Giant Blast:  How long have you been spinning?

DJ Scrill:  I have been spinning for almost 18 years off and on.  My Grandmother purchased my first set of turntables and a mixer for my 15^th birthday and I have been grinding ever since.

What inspired you to want to DJ?

Hip hop itself and seeing cats like Jazzy Jeff and Kid Capri do their thing.  Those guys were some of the pioneers in my early years and I wanted to cut, scratch and be the life of the party like they did.

You are a member of Slip-N-Slide DJs, Future Star DJs, Lord Gang, Derrty DJs and Shadyville DJs are you a member of any other record pools or DJ coalitions?

My other DJ affiliations are 704 DJs which is based in the Carolinas and the A&R DJs coalition.

How do you feel about digital record pools such as Digi Waxx or The Giant Blast?

Digital record pools are key because we are in a digital age. Vinyl is very limited now and even what we mix on now is primarily digital with Mp3’s. So digital pools give you access to get what’s hot immediately and direct from download.

You also do promotion and marketing for artists yourself, correct?  Could you tell us a little more about the services you provide?

That is correct I do marketing and promotions. I specialize in mixtape promotion and production, commercial and internet radio promotion and viral and social networking. Anything relating to promoting and developing brands I either do personally or I can consult and point someone in the right direction to achieve their goal.

What projects or mixtapes are you currently working on?

Right now I have the Big Bang 2 mixtape with Mr. Boom Boom Bang that is out in the streets right now.  I am working on a new series called Unauthorized that will be released in the very near future.  Both artists on my label will be releasing street albums as well.  Rod D will be dropping I Am Arkansas early November 2011 and 2 Piece Effortless Win is scheduled for late 3^rd quarter as well.

How did you link up with Mr. Boom Boom Bang?

The situation with Mr. Boom Boom Bang came about because I have known his management for a good minute. They hit me up to work with them on pushing his single “Fasure” which is blazing at mix show as we speak and we decided to couple that with the Mixtape.

What would you like to say about Mr. Boom Boom Bang's mixtape hosted by yourself, The Big Bang 2?

The Big Bang 2 mixtape is a monumental project for Mr. Boom Boom Bang. The tape really puts his creativity and movement in the forefront.  The Big Bang 2 was one of those projects that I look at now and say “yeah, that project made sense”. When you can work a project from a single to a complete street album and have the people in charge work as a cohesive unit, magic tends to happen at that point.

In your personal opinion what is one of your favorite Mr. Boom Boom Bang songs?

One of my personal favorites off the Big Bang 2 Mixtape is “Your Day”.  It is one of those smooth records that speaks to the ladies. That is always a win in my opinion when you make records that the female persuasion can enjoy.

Who are some of your favorite artists right now?

On the main stream side I would say Yo Gotti, Lil Chuckee, 2 Chainz, Dorrough Music. Independent artists of course Mr. Boom Boom Bang, J-Slim, Rod D, 2 Piece, LA Da Boom Man the lists goes on and on.  Any artists who are out there doing their thing are my favorites ya dig.

What are some mistakes you see up and coming artists making right now, and what  advice would you give them?

 The biggest mistake I see artists making is spending money with the wrong people to promote them.  Artists are letting people sell them dreams and some people take advantage of indies that don’t know the game.  Another mistake is artists attempting to cut the DJ out of the loop.  The DJ spins your record and most of the time can work your record.  Overcharging the DJ whether it be shows or to get on remix records etc. is a huge mistake.  In a lot of cases you need to do it for the DJ on a trade off or promo type situation, real talk.

In your opinion which is the worst kind of artist, an artist with no talent but a lot of drive and financial backing to promote themselves, OR a very talented artist with no money, and doesn't believe in investing into marketing and promotion, and believes that they will make it on just talent alone?  Which one of these artists in your opinion is the worst to deal with or is in the worst position?

The worst to deal with is going to be the artist with a lot of financial backing and no talent. That is because all the money in the world can help push to a certain level but the artist has to have the talent and creativity to make a hit record.  It starts with the music first.   If the music is garbage expect the end result to be just that “Hot Garbage”.  The artist in the worst position is the artist with talent and no funding.  This is the music business that you are trying to make it in.  The music business takes funding to properly succeed.  That is just the bottom line of the issue. You have to have some sort of budget to achieve being able to recoup what you put in not just financially but with your time and effort as well.

What's in the future for DJ Scrill?

You can expect DJ Scrill to continue to do what he does best. That is being and all around music industry professional.  In the coming months and years DJ Scrill will be building the “Dj Scrill” brand and attempting to insure the success of the artists on his label and any and all other artists and individuals he works with.

Is there anything else you would like to plug?  Any shout outs or links you would like to plug?

God, First of all.  I would also like to shout out my grandmother Edelca (Pronounced E-Del-Sa) for raising me and getting me my first tables. Without her I couldn’t have got started. Shout out to My mother Wanda, my wife Mrs. Scrill, and my two beautiful daughters. Also shouts to everyone who supports DJ Scrill and all his endeavors. 

DJ Scrill 

"Official Slip-N-Slide Dj"(Squad Leader)"Official FutureStar Dj""Official Lord Gang Dj""Official Derrty Djs""Official Shadyville Djs""VP of Promotions for Street Hot Djs""Mixer on 704 Djs-Myblockradio.net,Hot107.9,Z103""Mixer on http://www.982thebeat.com/""Official Mixshow Blast Dj"Syndicated on over 150 + stations Worldwidewww.myspace.com/therealdjscrillhttp://www.djscrill.com/http://www.streetstalentscout.com/

Interview with Michael Bentley of Spin Doctor PR Firm

The Blast Blog recently set down with a Michael Bentley of Spin Doctor PR LLC for an in depth interview, to talk about the services his company offers to artists and labels, hooking up with handling marketing for FIFA as well as other topics concerning the music industry. 

The Blast Blog:  You have a bachelors degree in Entertainment Business and you have been apart of the industry for over 10 years, what inspired  you to choose this field as a career?

Michael Bently of Spin Doctor PR LLC:  I grew up in the entertainment business. My mother sang briefly and later took on a management role of a club. I have met people such as John Gotti, Frank Sinatra, Miami artists like Luke, at a young age. We traveled a lot, and I just grew up wanted to work for the major labels. The big wigs as I call them now, but as I worked "inside", I saw what it was about, so I started my own company to help Indie artists, artists with talent.

Your Spin Doctor PR Firm specializes in online marketing and publicity for artists, and bands... does your company offer any offline, or physical street team services as well?

As of right now only our FM and College Music, but hand to hand flyers, no.

What are some of the major labels that your company has worked for?
Every major label in some sort of way or fashion.

What are some of the smaller, or independent record companies that your company has worked for?

Too many to name.

Has your company ever helped an unsigned artist get signed, if  so...who?

Yes, but sometimes those people don't want to get us out there like that, cause they have a team of people, but if you know a rapper who has a Gun that might be a machine and rhymes with Belly, then you might know a few of the people we mess with. Also if you can figure out that riddle, you might be able to see what label connections we have.

How did your company end up working with FIFA?

They contacted me for some grassroots things here in the states. I don't even like Soccer.  Well it isn't bad, but I did watch it for 9 days and saw only one goal.  It was such a success that they rehired us, which was a big deal for us!

Has there ever been a client or an account that your company had to turn down?  If so, why?

Everyday we turn down musicians.  If the music isn't up to par, not mixed (although we offer that service through a client), then yes we turn people down. Some of these "musicians" need to keep their day jobs. Also the models we get. WOW, not everybody should be a model.

In your opinion which is worse... an untalented artist or horrible band that actually has the budget and wants  to use the Spin Doctor service or a very talented (yet hard headed and stubborn) artist or band that feels that they don't need any promotion and their talent alone (and the mp3s on their myspace page)  is all they need to one day be successful?  Which is the worst?
That is a really good question. The real artistic musicians, the best, they are usually just great at music, not promotions. That is why labels, people, bands, hire us in the first place, cause they understand, hey I play the guitar better than anybody, but maybe I am not the best at promoting/marketing.  As for the sh***y artist, if they have money, sadly, they can go somewhere.  As we don't take every artist, if an artist has money, then usually it is money that they have saved up, not family money like Tom Hanks Son, but that means that they believe they can do it, they just don't know how. So we can help with that, get them studio musicians to help, singing lessons, ghost writers, etc.  It is a world where the kids want to be Kim Kardashian, sadly, so a ton of people want to be famous for NO F**KING REASON.  So we deal with that everyday.

In your opinion what is one of the most common mistakes you see artists make, and what should they do differently? 

A few things.  Not getting a song mixed/mastered but they have a wrap on
their van of their mix tape. That baffles me every time. There is a list of things way to long to list here.

Is there any last minute things you would like to  plug, or any additional information you would like to give  about The Spin Doctor PR Firm?
If you are about your business, and feel like you are ready to make a national campaign, contact us, we are looking for artists to help. We want to help the talent.  Look at our plans on our page, but if you are really good, throw those out the window! 

For more information on Spin Doctor PR Firm go to

http://www.SpinDrPr.com

DJ Colossal's I-Pod Pick: Celsius911's Entire Youtube Channel

        This I-Pod Pick segment was a little harder to write... you know when you go to a restaurant, see the menu and there is just so much great stuff for you to pick from but and it takes you a long time to decide what you are going to eat?  This is exactly how I felt picking an I-Pod pick from the latest featured artist in The Giant Blast's digital record pool by the name of Celsius911.  My first impression of this artist was that he was "just some mix tape dude", and I was ready to write him off as just another scatter brained lyricist pushing a bunch of random songs, but after listening to the music posted on his official youtube page (http://www.youtube.com/celsius91108) I certainly had to take it back.  Celsius911 is a gifted songwriter, and artist that certainly knows how to put together a strong record that can reach audiences beyond "mixtapes".  So for this Week's I-Pod pick I choose everything on Celsius911's Youtube station [currently].  Listen to the embedded links yourself and you be the judge of what is worthy enough for your I-Pod.

Celsius911 "Cherry Pop" featuring Carly Blair, produced by ZukHits

Video slideshow of the song "Cherry Pop" from Celsius911! This is just a sample, you can purchase the full version on i-Tunes.



Celsius911 "Shorty Fine" (Video Slideshow Clip)

Video slideshow of the song "Shorty Fine" from Celsius911! This is just a sample, you can purchase the full version on i-Tunes.



Celsius911 "Salute Me" Freestyle with Saezar and Kontrevesy

A video freestyle from Celsius911, SaeZar, and Kontrevesy.



Celsius911 & Saezar "It Ain't Ok" (Freestyle Slideshow Video)

Another hot freestyle from Celsius911 and Saezar.

Mehka of Invisible Man Media has great things to say about The Giant Blast!

Jay and The Giant Blast have been a big help for myself and my clients over the last 3 years.  I've had blasts done for projects I've worked on and for others and the response has always been great! The Giant Blast will always be part of my marketing plans. Thank you Giant Blast!

Mehka - Invisible Man Media

New Remixes By Coach Roebuck

Popular Club DJ, and member of The Giant Blast digital record pool Coach Roebuck has been participating in a remix project in which the DJ gets to showcase his filtered funky house/ nu disco (aka "disco house") producing skills.  Check out Coach Roebuck's remixes of Ariel Lavi's "Crazy" and "Escape" at the links below.

Ariel Lavi - Crazy

Original: http://soundcloud.com/ariel-lavi/crazy

Remix: http://soundcloud.com/coachroebuck/ariel-lavi-crazy-coach

Ariel Lavi - Escape

Original: http://soundcloud.com/ariel-lavi/escape

Remix: http://soundcloud.com/coachroebuck/ariel-lavi-escape-coach

DJ Colossal's I-Pod Pick: J*Midd & Ying Yang Twins "Choosing" (Video Slideshow)

     Today's I-Pod pick is "Choosing" by J*Midd and Ying Yang Twins.  In my opinion this record is bigger than the I-Pod (or any portable device), this record is most certainly for the clubs and is guaranteed to get a party started!  The hook is real catchy (as most dance songs are), while J*Midd and the Ying Yang Twins chant "I'm choosing, eeny, meeny, miny, moe, I'm choosing eeny, meeny, miny moe, who wanna roll with me tonight!", using the popular children's counting rhyme style that kids say when "choosing" someone to be "it" for games such as "Tag" and "One, Two, Three, Go", and the Ying Yang Twins are certainly known for taking popular children's rhymes and turning them into hit club songs.  J*Midd strongly kicks off the songs first verse, while D-Roc and Kaine energetically shout their rhymes for the 2nd and 3rd verses.  This song isn't meant to be "deep" or has any type of message behind it, "Choosing" is simply an entertaining party song and J*Midd along with Ying Yang Twins accomplish that. 

 

Quick Q & A with Lova J.

Southern R&B singer Lova J. sits down with The Giant Blast to for a quick Question and Answer session about his new single "If I Only Had One Wish".  Just read what the bright young rising artist had to say....

The Giant Blast:  How would you describe your latest single "If I Only Had One Wish"? 
Lova J.:  Well this song would be very nice for the woman to understand how us men feel.

The Giant Blast:  How would you describe the beat to the song?
Lova J.:  Very smooth, nice and something to vibe to.

The Giant Blast:  Who else did you work with to create this song? 
Lova J:  My good friend G.P. A.K.A. John Darby.

The Giant Blast:  How do you think others will be able to relate to this song? 
Lova J:  As the song say..."IF I ONLY HAD ONE WISH IT WOULD BE YOU" (laughs)

The Giant Blast:  What would you compare the song "If I Only Had One Wish" to? 
Lova J:  Anquanette Payne

The Giant Blast:  Was there any woman in particular that inspired you to make this song?

Lova J:  My Mother.