On Da Come Up with DJ Commish

Posted on Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Tags: dj commish

The Big Apple’s self-appointed commander-in-chief, DJ Commish has serenade every type of event you can think of; working with celebrities and companies such as Jay-Z, Snoop Dog, Nelly, MTV, the National Football League and the New York Mets just to be brief.

The Commish got his start in the game right around the time Hip Hop’s second Golden Era was culminating as a radio personality in Queens St. John’s University. The DJ quickly learned his craft and by the turn of the millennium he was rocking out at New York’s glitzy club scene alongside heavyweights like DJ AM, Red Alert, Funk Master Flex, D-Nice and Goldfinger.

After making his first appearance on BET’s Rap City in 2004 alongside Snoop Dogg, and shortly thereafter was hired to become the resident DJ for Diddy’s restaurant Justin’s.

In addition to cutting up wax, Commish can be heard on a daily basis in more than 44 million homes nationwide on the Music Choice Mixtape Network as well as iTunes’ All City Live Radio. He has been in high demand for the past several years by corporations, nightlife professionals and superstar athletes.

Hip Hop Ruckus recently spoke with Commish about his rise and status in the game. Check out what he had to say.

HHR: You’ve been DJing since the late 90s, who named you DJ Commish?
Commish: It was a name that I earned in college at St. John’s Univ. I was running the Urban Music Dept. at the school’s radio station. It was the largest dept. in the station at the time so the staff of the department started calling me The Commissioner. The name stuck.

HHR: More importantly, DJ Commish can be found at numerous Big Apple hotspots such as Highline Ballroom, Providence and Canal Room. Do you have a favorite venue you like to rock out at, if so, why?
Commish: Out of the newer spots in NYC, it would have to be Highline Ballroom, Cielo or Pacha. The sound systems in those spots are a DJ’s dream.

HHR: You’ve even DJ’d events for the NBA and NFL drafts as well for Super Bowl XLII. Are you a big sports fan?
Commish: Huge. I graduated with a degree in Sports Management. I was also a sports broadcaster in college so sports will always play a major role in my DJ career.

HHR: Aside from cutting up the wax at sporting events and NYC’s party scenes you also host a couple of radio shows online. What are their formats and when can fans tune in to you?
Commish: All City Live radio can be heard on www.wliubk.org or I-Tunes Radio every Sunday from 3-7pm EST. I have 5 co-hosts so it’s a pretty open format (of course with a mix-show segment). We interview artists, athletes, actors, comedian, authors, u name it. I think of it as a morning show format in the middle of the day. It’s pretty funny.

I will join the “Bitch About It” Show on www.dtfradio.com every Thursday from 2-4pm EST beginning in Jan. This is a show that is raw and uncut. It’s very funny where we put our guests on the spot with off the wall questions. I will be the official DJ of the show. It’s not suitable for children.

I can also be seen on a daily basis on Music Choice’s MC-Mixtape Channel. On this station, I play a wide variety of music from hip-hop to pop to electro-house.

HHR: Do you agree with the assessment that bloggers are the “new” DJs because they are now at the forefront in breaking new artists? How do you feel about that assessment?
Commish: I recently created a blog myself. It’s linked to my website at www.djcommish.com. They play a new role to bring awareness to new artists but they can never be the “new” DJs. The music still has to be played and mixed to bring real attention. The play a great role for new artist out there though. There’s just way too much music out there for DJ’s to catch everything…

HHR: Are you personally working with any up-and-coming artists we should look out for?
Commish: I work with a few people. In the New York City area lookout for Mista Raja; he’s a dope emcee and producer who has worked with people like Diddy and Maino. Also look out for a young and very talented artist by the name of David E. Beats. He’s an emcee and producer that plays the guitar. In Phoenix, look out for my homie Unkut. This guy has quality music and has a catalog of it – his time is now. In DC, look out for Madam Madon. I’ve been working with her for a few years. She has several mixtapes out and has done plenty of TV work with VH1. She has heat!

HHR: With the new year on the horizon what is DJ Commish’s New Year’s resolution?
Commish: I don’t really do resolutions but my main goal for next year is to crack the commercial radio market as a mix-show DJ. I don’t care what market it is. All I need is the opening – I got it from there.

HHR: Where can fans drop you a note online?
Commish: My fans can always catch me on twitter.com/djcommish or hit me up at www.djcommish.com and drop a comment there. I’m a web-head so I’ll definitely get back to you.

HHR: Any last words?
Commish: Don’t forget to log onto www.djcommish.com for all info on me, my apparel, free mix-tapes, booking info, radio/TV shows and more.

«Previous Page                                                                                                                                          Next Page»