What do you write about DJ Premier that hasn’t been written before? His technical skills as a DJ is the stuff of urban myth, and his influence lives everyday in every city in clubs, basements, and bedrooms where DJ’s study and mimic his moves. Talk about his production? Come on! After starting a groundbreaking career as part of Gang Starr, Premier’s production is often used to define a style of beats and rhymes meant to connotate the truest forms of Hip Hop culture and music… “I want a Premier type of beat,” is something every emcee has said at some point in his or her career.
“Some people do it for the corporate reasons, I do it for the cultural reasons and that’s the difference,” Premier told me last week after arriving in Chicago after a brief tour of Europe. “I’m corporate too in certain avenues, but not when it comes to sacrificing the culture and compromising my views… If that ends up being the case, you can count me out and let somebody else take that gig.”
After 22 years of gigs, DJ Premier is still a highly sought after DJ and producer. His Chicago set at The Shrine last week was sold out, and counted Pharrell of N*E*R*D amongst its audience members. Aside from his skills, Premier’s longevity can be attributed to his passion for Hip Hop, something he said has led him to study the culture devoutly. He knows his history as well the moves of young guns such as Drake, Wacka Flocka and others who have captured Hip Hop’s spotlight.
“I applaud all of them for even wanting to do Hip Hop as long as they respect their elders and they respect the culture, go on and do what you want to do,” he says about Hip Hop’s rising stars. “We all have different audiences that we touch and I will never knock an artist on the audience they attract… At the end of the day, we’re all doing a service to the culture. There are consequences that will come down the line if you don’t do it right, and they are consequences that will haunt you financially to where you could completely disappear and you can’t even do it anymore,” he adds, issuing a warning that is more matter of fact, than some kind of threat.
We caught up with DJ Premier last week while he was in Chicago to play The Shrine’s 1-year anniversary party. He shared knowledge about what’s kept him going for more than 22 years, why he’ll never stop, why there’s never any dirt on his name and why even on a bad day, he’s still the nicest. Read the full interview on the next page.