The Rundown with Rene Knott
The Rundown with Rene Knott is a weekly online news and culture show which aims to keep St. Louis informed, inspired, and connected. Hosted by trusted journalist Rene Knott, the show highlights the people, stories, and moments that define the city.
The Rundown with Rene Knott
SPECIAL DOUBLE MATI EDITION OF THE RUNDOWN
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The Rundown with Rene Knott takes you inside Music at the Intersection for a special double edition featuring two separate conversations with two powerful voices in music and culture.
Rene sits down with PJ Morton and DJ Trackstar for separate interviews exploring artistry, legacy, collaboration, St. Louis influence, and the music that continues to move the culture forward.
From live performance to hip-hop storytelling, this special MATI edition celebrates the people, the sound, and the creative energy that make Music at the Intersection one of St. Louis’ signature cultural events.
Don’t miss this special double edition of The Rundown with Rene Knott.
therundownstl.com
Well, this weekend, the city of St. Louis will be absorbed in the sound of music because Music at Theaters Section is coming here to the Grand Arts Center. We're talking about musicians on stages all throughout the area. A variety of sounds to be heard. And two of the biggest names are joining us for this special episode of The Rundown 39 as we sit down with PJ Morton and DJ Trekstar.
SPEAKER_05This episode of the Rundowner 39 is brought to you by Martina Stafford of Lincoln Heritage's Food Event.
SPEAKER_04First of all, welcome to St. Louis. How you doing? Doing good.
SPEAKER_03Good to be here. Thank you. How what do you think about our city? Man, I love St. Louis. Yeah.
unknownSt.
SPEAKER_03Louis. It's a nice vibe. I got good weather today.
SPEAKER_04Should have been here yesterday, not so much. So he's so good. Yeah, I brought it.
SPEAKER_03What is the musical vibe in St. Louis as you see it? Um, you know, I'm from New Orleans. Uh I uh I mean I don't know exactly, right? But we always feel like like cousins of some sort. You know, like we were we were birthed out of the same thing and it traveled. And, you know, St. Louis got its version of it, got its sauce, and New Orleans got our sauce. So I think we kind of speak the same. Kind of speak the same. Okay. Blues, of course, is is a big deal in both places. How are you not a blues singer?
SPEAKER_04How are you not a blues guy?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think I think in that tradition, you know, when you talk about New Orleans jazz or you talk about St. Louis blues, I think in the very definition of uh of jazz and what it does is like being influenced by different things and being able to improve you know, you know, improvise. Um and so for me what I took from that wasn't to do exactly that. It was to take pieces of that. And for me, growing up in church as well, so jazz was an influence, but gospel music was an influence, and so somewhere in there I w I wanted to do soul music, you know, you know, and mix it all together.
SPEAKER_04What was your spark in your life that said music is my attitude, this is where I'm gonna make my life?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think it did start in church, you know, being a preacher's kid, hearing music all the time, um, then eventually starting to play. I think for me that's where my love started, either with family or church, because my dad was a singer himself. My family was very musical. So it was always around. But I think in church when I started to play it and see what playing could what reaction could get, and you know, all of that stuff, that's when it started to say, oh, I think maybe I could really do this. Maybe I want to do this for my whole life. Yeah. Yeah. What is the reaction for you when you see the reaction from the audience? Yeah, it for me it's just it's validation in a lot of ways. It's like, okay, this arch, this this thing you built from nothing, from scratch. I mean, nothing existed. And you made a song, you know, just from here. And these people are singing the songs back to you. No, no, no. Oh, y'all got it without me coming on. And they're having a reaction to it. It's just really like, wow, I'm I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. It's it's kinda it's hard to top that feeling. Do you like solo work, duet work, or group work we're going to be fine? I just like music. I just like the art, you know. So however I'm creating it and um putting it out into the world, whether it be, you know, a solo duet or group thing, for me it's just really about getting something cool out there, getting something beautiful out there. How would you describe yourself? Um I say soulful. You know, I used to say soulful pop music, which was kind of like an answer, non-answer, you know, for people when they ask me, because I feel like both of those are genre list, you know. Soul music and the tradition of it, of course, is rooted in, you know, the black tradition. But I think soul music in general is music that touches the soul, is that can reach from heart to heart, and pop music is just popular music, really. You know, it's music that lots of people can relate to and connect to. Um so I think both sonically and just as a title, I think that kind of describes what I do. Having said that, who are your inspirations? Um well, Stevie Wonder is a huge inspiration, uh, maybe the number one inspiration. Um gospel music like The Winin's and Connection. Um but then also, you know, like Al Green, Donnie Hathaway, um, but then on that song singer-songwriter side, the Beatles and James Taylor also, you know, were just as just as influential for me. So you really have a wide spectrum of things coming into your ears and going off your fingers into your music too. Yeah. Why the keyboard? Um you know, I started on drums and uh you quickly realize, you know, if you're not gonna be one of the good drummers. Yeah, yeah. That's what everybody goes to first, maybe because there are no notes, you know. Everybody starts on drums and then it's like, oh, you see the good the the really good drummers, brother. And I was like, nah, I gotta do some. Um but piano is the gateway to me, you know, after that. It's like if you learn piano, you can almost learn anything. Um, but I just happened to have one in the house, you know, and would sit down and start to play along with TV shows and the radio and just uh just happen.
SPEAKER_04So going back to that time in your life, you're sitting down, you're playing with the TV shows and everything else. Did you ever think for a minute that you'd be where you are today, seeing the world, making an impact, elevating your music to that point?
SPEAKER_03Um, I mean, yes and no. I had the dreams. I wanted to, I mean, my dreams had to even grow though. Like, you know, there was I only wanted to play behind artists. Like I wanted to be a the keyboard player. Yeah, I wanted to be in the back, and then the songwriting came and I fell in love with that. Then it was like, oh, some of these songs nobody could sing, so I became an artist, and then I fell in love with that. And so I've just always been open, um, you know, to all of it. Um and and you know, and been grateful just just just to the gift of that. But like being a little kid, I I I thought I saw it, but I don't know if I actually believed that I could actually get there, you know. Um and uh so I'm so grateful. I'm you know, I don't feel that far from him though. You know, it's almost like I can remind myself, you know, that's why I kind of remain grateful because it's like man, this could be this could be gone so quickly and so easily. Important to stay grounded. Yeah. Important to to to keep that dream alive.
SPEAKER_04We're talking about where you are in the band. So I'm watching a video last night in Maroon 5, right? Sugar. Yeah, and you know, I'm looking, I go, Oh, there he is, there he is, in the back, in the back. So the whole theme of the the video is you guys driving around one of different weddings. Yeah. So I'm sitting here and going, there is no way that all of this is spontaneous. There is no way this is happening in real time. Am I right?
SPEAKER_03Let's see. Am I supposed to I haven't watched any previous interviews where Adam was asked, you know, or any of the guys were um let me just say I mean with what you saw it was reality out. What are you going to bring to say Lord? What can we expect from you in the day? Man, well we bring we bring a lot of energy, you know, that's one thing. Um and really it's like a it's a call and response thing for us. It's a it's a community thing for us. So we're gonna bring that, you know. It's like it's almost like R and B church or something, you know. It's like you feel that spirit, and we we we bring a lot of love and you know, musicality too. I mean, I bring in a full band and um man's gonna be a good time. How different is this event from others that you do? Um, I think being in the heart of the city um is one of the key things. Usually when you're doing something like this, you're outside of the of the core, you know, but um much like what happened in the past here in St. Louis, building that creativity, musicians walking back and forth across each other, experiencing each other. I think being down here, you know, being in town and stuff, it's gonna make it really special. Uh you know about our summers, right?
SPEAKER_04How they are I mean, it's hot in New Orleans. I can say we could okay, I'll just make a sure bring a couple extra shirts. Yeah, for sure. For sure. It would probably be odd. Um, are you a guy that when you come to an event like that, you watch the other acts, the other musicians, and take in what they're doing and appreciate what's going on around you?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, when I can, you know, when it's close, like I said, that's what's cool about being down here, where you kinda the acts will be right where you are, like where you're getting ready, etc. Um, so when I can, I like to, because I'm I'm inspired by seeing by seeing others.
SPEAKER_04One of the things that I think you also symbolize is inspiration. The fact that you were this kid that that went on to do what you set out to do in life. Someone watching this episode of the podcast is gonna watch and say, okay, how how do I get to be where he is? Not necessarily in music, but somewhere in my life. What if I I guess the the guide that got you to where you are today? Was there words? Was it was it focus? What was it that got you to be who you are today?
SPEAKER_03I mean, I I I definitely don't think I could pinpoint, but um I think for me, authenticity, following that that voice, you know, um, keeping that main thing, that main thing, you know, and it's like if you believe it, stand on that and don't let uh something in the short term um push you away from that. And um for me, that is that's what I'm most grateful for is really locking to uh into that thing, even when people kind of didn't feel it at first or told me maybe you should do something different. It's really about following that voice. Um and that came from a combination of things, conversations. Um I'm I'm a studier, you know, from afar. So I watch people. I'll the people who I wanna be like, I I've try to find their stories and see how they got where they got to. But I think ultimately it's it's sticking to you and and following that voice. Okay. You've been at this for how long now? Oh man, since I was 14 years old, basically. I'm not gonna say how old that are now, but yeah. 30 years. About 30 years, yeah.
SPEAKER_04Do you see another 30 in all of this? Or would you like to sit back one day and and talk about what it was?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I I I think transitioning, you know, and just continuing to be creative, maybe not in the same exact way. But um uh you know, developing things. I mean, I want to be a developer, I want a hotel one day. I think it's that same creativity though, that same marketing that it took to have a music career. It's the same thing you you you put into those types of things. So I think I'm gonna continue to grow. I don't think I can ever fully just not do music. It's such a part of me, but um we'll see. Cool. Thank you. That was less.
SPEAKER_04That was cool. How much does it break your heart when a family loses someone and they have to turn to a GoFundMe or crowdsourcing in order to be able to pay the expenses?
SPEAKER_00It is so heartbreaking. Sometimes you have some individuals that really don't even care about their lives and they don't mind leaving that burden on their loved ones. You can get a policy as little as $20. People fail to realize how affordable life insurance is, final expense life insurance is. Because basically, that's what it's designed for, and it's designed for individuals that are on fixed income. So it can be very affordable. My husband passed away back in 2015. I thank God we did have some coverage, but it wasn't enough. Even if you got something in place, something is better than nothing at all.
SPEAKER_05Next up on the Rundown DJ Track Star.
SPEAKER_04It is about to be a big weekend when it comes to music in the city of St. Louis, because music at the intersection has arrived. We're talking about a variety of performers on a variety of stages, all taking place in the Grand Arts Center. And on this episode of the Run Downwards Renin Knot, we have two of the biggest performers that will be on stage. This episode, we sit down with PJ Morton and DJ Trackstar.
SPEAKER_05This episode of the Run Downwards Renin Knot is brought to you by Marnita Stanford of Lincoln Heritage Funeral Advantage. So you all know how we do it.
SPEAKER_04We just get right into it. DJ Trackstar is in the house. What's up, man? Chill, man. Good to be here. I'm great. I get to talk young when I somebody like you are in town.
SPEAKER_06I'm young.
SPEAKER_04That way you're young compared to me. Who told you that? What well I was I was checking out something on your Instagram, and I I love what you said. Luckiest guy in the world. Oh, yeah, yeah. Why do you have that on there? Why do you consider yourself the luckiest guy in the world?
SPEAKER_02We could spend the rest of the interview with me giving you reasons. Um, but I mean the the the quickest path there is I've I've got I've got my dream job and my dream family, you know. Um Killer Mike was my favorite rapper before I started DJing for him. It all everything that's happened for me is just like it doesn't make sense, but I just get you know like the greatest gifts I can have. Yeah, and you know, just things just keep at, you know. Uh the first concert, this is my favorite example. First concert I ever went to, it was 1997, Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang Clan. And through DJing for Killer Mike, and then the group run the Jewels. We've now done arena tours in the last five years with Rage Against the Machine and Wu-Tang Clan. And I've gotten to know, I'm I've gotten to meet all my heroes. You know, I'm friends with many of my heroes. It's uh it's crazy. It's a dream to come true. It's it's more than a dream. I would, I didn't dream any of this stuff. I wouldn't it just happened. I'm not even like a dreamer, I'm not like a goal person. I just like do what's in front of me and you know do what I love, and it's just it just keeps happening for me.
SPEAKER_04Was it that easy though, that it just happened for you, or did you have to, you know, grind and find out?
SPEAKER_02I mean, I worked very hard. Obviously, you know, I've certainly worked very hard, and and you know, and and I I feel like I made good decisions, but the stuff that's happened for me is lightning striking, just over and over again, you know, because I've got all sorts of friends who've worked very hard and mean well and do the right things, you know, and uh I'm but I'm the luckiest guy.
SPEAKER_04No, excuse me when I ask this question, but I gotta ask this question.
SPEAKER_02Do people go, that's the DJ? Oh, yeah, all the time. Not well, not even that. Even at Run the Jewel shows, but we're like, you know, we're a pretty, pretty big group. We're playing, you know, four or five thousand place, you know, person spots. I can walk around before the show half the time, unbothered. It's great, which is I'd you know, I'd rather have the give me the respect and the money and the experiences. I don't need the fame, you know.
SPEAKER_04Okay.
SPEAKER_02Um, one of my favorite things to do actually is like be outside before a show and see someone walk by with one of my merch shirts and be like, hey, man, nice shirt. And that's a hey, nice shirt. And then just keep going. Yeah.
SPEAKER_06And just imagine them an hour and a half later, like, that that was that was the guy earlier, right?
SPEAKER_04Does that excite you when like people don't recognize you in the beginning, but then in the end, it's all appreciation?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, here's the thing. I don't expect anything. Yeah, you know, I'm I'm there to support. I've always been, I've always considered myself like a facilitator more than, you know, like I never wanted to be the center of anything. So I'm there to support Mike and L, and I'm glad that they're the famous ones. And, you know, when people love what I do, that's great, you know. But you know, as long as I've got the respect of my peers and and everyone else, you know, I don't, I don't need all the credit in the world for every single thing I do. I'm I'm I get more than enough out of this, out of this whole deal. Why DJ? Um, so I was just a fan. I was just a big rap fan. Yeah. Um through all through high school. And then I came to St. Louis for college. I went to Wash U. And through circumstances, the first building that I set foot in when I got to Wash U was K where the radio station. And I walk in there and they just had a wall of records. Just rap, I mean, they had a whole room of records, but they had a wall of rap records like this, just a whole wall. And I start going through, I'm just like, this is every record I've ever wanted to hear. Wow, just like here, for me to like come in and I could record onto a cassette or you know. I was like, so if I do a radio show, my key card will let me in this building 24 hours a day. I guess I'm gonna do a radio show. So that's literally why I became a DJ because of my love of music. It wasn't because I wanted to like party or yeah, it wasn't even because I wanted to be a DJ. I mean I always admired DJs, you know, but uh, but it was never it was never like uh an aim of mine necessarily. And and that's what I'm saying. I just fall into stuff and then it works out, and then it leads to the next thing and it works out, and wow, you know, eventually I'm gonna get hit by a train or something to even it all up. But so when you started out, was it yeah? I mean, I was you know, I was trying to get it. Oh yeah, definitely vinyl. Yeah, yeah. I mean, I still I still buy vinyl. Uh-huh. I mean, I spin with the with the laptop because it's modern era now, yeah. 2026 and everything else. If I can carry this and have 11,000 songs or carry six crates of records and have a hundred songs, you know. 11,000 songs in there. At least, I don't know. Wow.
SPEAKER_04The last time you kicked it's all the songs. How do you, and this is all the things that fascinated me, how do you decide what song goes with this song so that it mixes properly?
SPEAKER_02I mean, it's uh it's a crazy calculus every time. And, you know, especially when you're live and you're like reading, you know, you're reading the crowd and deciding what comes next. You know, it's a matter of what pops in your head because you, you know, it's not like you have time to evaluate every possible next song. So, you know, it's like what's familiar to you, you know, you know, go and go and buy BPM so they're the same tempo, sometimes trying to make them the same key or you know, some sort of theme, or you know, but it's just, you know, it's just reading the energy of the crowd and trying to pick out what what they're gonna want. And oftentimes it's like, well, those people want this and those people want that. These people seem to want this, but what's gonna what's gonna work for everybody will still you know putting my own my own spin on things.
SPEAKER_04Is there a chemistry that has to take place between the audience, the rapper, and the DJ? Is there a flow that brings you all together?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, definitely. I mean, and the rapper's the center of that, you know, like when I'm doing a performance with Killer Mike or with Run of the Jewels or with, you know, my amazing local friends here, Damon and Tef Poe and Rockwell Knuckles, um, etc. But, you know, I mean, that's really again, I still I'm a music guy. Yeah. So like getting on the mic as a DJ, I can do it, I will do it, but I'm there for the music. So that's why I love having a rapper with me. So that's their thing to really interact with the crowd and and you know, keep the momentum and the energy where it's supposed to be.
SPEAKER_04Give me an idea of what it's like when you're on stage, Kilder Mike's out there doing his thing, and it is completely on.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I mean, it's just the best. I mean, and he and I, he and I share a lot of moments up there where we just look at each other like, bro, what is happening? You know? Um, you know, it's amazing. I mean, it you know, he always says this too. Like at the at the end of the day, we're just both like rap nerds that love hip hop and wanted to be a part of it, and somehow we get to do it on the level we get to do it in. It's just, you know, nuts. I mean, we did a show in April with Ice Cube, who's that's in Mike's like trinity of like the rappers that influenced him. Obviously, I mean, huge, huge deal. And, you know, like we're just looking at each other, like, dude, we're doing like he interviewed Ice Cube, we had him sign old source magazines and stuff. You know, he we're just we're just very grateful we get to do this stuff because you know, we're fans at the end of the day. Yeah, like we're still fans, and that's that's kind of the coolest part to me is just getting to meet all these people that you know were in my CD binder in 1997, you know.
SPEAKER_04Is there anyone that you wish you had the opportunity to have met? Because you know, two of our greatest rappers of all time are no longer here. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Do you ever go, man, I wish I had an opportunity to meet Tupac. I wish I could have met Biggie. I mean, there's certainly, I mean, obviously, both of those would be amazing. I mean, ODB is a big one just because Wu Tang is Wu Tang's my favorite noun. It's my it's my favorite thing ever. So I was getting to do the tour last year was incredible, and and I got to, you know, meet all those guys. And I actually had some of them sign drawings I did of them when I was 16. Wow, which is just amazing, full circle stuff. But uh getting getting to meet all of them, but not ODB. I would love to be able to close that circuit with ODB. I mean, he would definitely be a big one. Big L's one of my favorite rappers ever. He was, you know, murdered long ago.
SPEAKER_04It's you know, people have a tendency to want to lump that into a violent world. But you're a part of it. Is it a violent world?
SPEAKER_02Is it a pretty cool world to be in? I mean, I mean, it's definitely just a pretty cool world to be in. The thing is, hip hop, you know, it's just like if you say something about America. If you say something about America, you're talking about a handful of people or a few thousand people or a few million people, but there's 300 million people, you know. So like hip hop is worldwide, even just even just in America, even just in a city, there's so many branches of it and so many little you know, parts of it. Like, there's stuff going on with the youth. That's also hip-hop. Yeah. And then I'm doing what I'm doing that's also hip-hop. And you know, they come from the same root, but in a lot of ways, they're totally different. And I, you know, hip-hop's for the youth, so like they're what they're doing is right, you know, to you know, for what for their culture as a you know 20-year-old or 16-year-old or whatever. Um, you know, and I'm just trying to carry on the tradition of what I grew up on. Um but no, I mean, I don't come across violence in hip-hop at all because of the world I'm in, you know, and based on a lot of socio-cultural things with the media and whatnot, obviously it gets over-emphasized when it's you know, young brown people doing something and like, oh, one wrong thing happened. That's what this is all about, you know. Um because there's fights at country shows, there's fights at, you know, I mean everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere. Everywhere. I mean, I did Halo Bar for this is a great example of. I did Halo Bar for three years in the 2000s, never had a fight, and as soon as there was one fight, it was like, oh, we gotta change the music. It's like, okay, but the music was fine for three years. Like, you just, you know, it's just scapegoating stuff, and you know, excuse me. It's very American stuff. All right.
SPEAKER_04We'll take a break right here with uh Track Star. We'll be right back. Talk a little bit more about the intersection.
unknownYeah.
SPEAKER_01In St. Louis, the first question is, where did you go to high school? But we like to ask, where do you bank? Because making a difference starts with that choice. At Midwest Bank Center, your dollars don't sit on the sidelines. They build homes, fuel businesses, power nonprofits, and help our neighbors achieve their dreams. That's how we win by rising together. St. Louis, the future is ours, but the choice is yours. It matters where you bank.
SPEAKER_02The music at the intersection's coming up. Yeah, yeah. Uh, you vibing? You ready? I'm so I've been so excited about this, you know. Um, they were kind enough to give me a stage at Sophie's. So I've got the great Prince Paul of De La Soul and Gravediggers and Handsome Boy Modeling School Fame. Uh, I've got J-Rock from the Beat Junkies, I've got DJ House Shoes from Detroit, Buck Rogers from Austin, and then six amazing locals. Let me make sure I get them all. Crucial, Agile One, Biko, Superman DJ Speed, Cinnamon, and Radic Hi-Fi. So I've got, you know, most of whom are people I looked up to coming up as a DJ, you know, when I was very, very just starting. Um and yeah, it's gonna be it's gonna be amazing. We'll be inside Sophie's, and then I was already doing that, and then they hit me up and said, uh, I think we're gonna have Killer Mike headline on Saturday. What up? So now I get to do both of my amazing jobs. You'll be worn out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You'll be worn out. I'm gonna have to leave my stage, go do the mic show, and then come back to my stage. So yeah, I'll be doing two sets on my stage with the mic set in between. Okay.
SPEAKER_04How do you how do you pick the people that come and and perform with you?
SPEAKER_02How do you decide like these are my people, they fit me? Um, so the the series of shows I do is called Track Star and Friends. So, you know, from the jump, I try to make it all people that I'm actually like friends with on at least some level, you know, including the outer towners I bring in. You know, again, I've been so lucky to meet so many of my DJ heroes as well as as other artists. Um, you know, for this one, I've been trying to book Prince Paul for a while. This is just how we were able to like work it out. Um, I brought House Shoes a few years ago and he was great. I brought him a Z trip to the old rock house, and he's been a friend of mine for 15 plus years. Um Buck Rogers from Austin is a name people don't necessarily know as well, but he's just one of the most unbelievable DJs and producers. He does the finger drumming with you know playing live beats. Um and he's just gonna, he's just he's just amazing on stage. So I just you know wanted to expose him to expose St. Louis to the Buck Rogers experience. And then, you know, again, the local people are just all folks that I've looked up to and DJ with and you know been DJing with for 25 years. So, you know, I love being able to get them involved. What makes the intersection special? What makes it uh a place you want to play? I mean, you know, it's uh it's a great part of town over there in Grand Grand Center. Um and you know, they've they've always created great lineups, and you know, it's you when you talk to the people behind the scenes, you can tell they mean well and they really want, you know, they really want this to become something that helps St. Louis. Yeah. And they want the best for the artists, and you know, it's uh it's just a really good vibe, like on stage, in front of the stage, and behind the scenes, you know. Has St. Louis become your second home? Because you you're from Madison, West Council. Yeah, I mean, I grew up in Madison. I mean, getting close to me having lived here as long as I lived in Madison. Wow. Um, because yeah, I mean, I left Madison when I was 18. I was here for 10 years, I've been back for six and a half. Okay. So yeah, we're getting there. Um, it's kind of corny, but I always say Gabe's from Madison, but Trackstar is from St. Louis. There you go. Because as soon as I mean, it's just but it's it's such a clear delineation because I started DJing, you know, again, as soon as I got to college, yeah, is when I invented the DJ name and started DJing. So it's a very clear like marker, you know. It was Gabe the Rap fan in Wisconsin, and now it's Trackstar the DJ. The man in St. Louis. So how did you pick the the name? Trackstar. Um, I'm giving myself maybe a touch too much credit, but I was very good at track in high school. Okay. Track star, maybe now. Track star is maybe pushing it a tiny bit, but I was I was I was very good, you know, all conference, honorable mention type vibes, you know. Run with it. I won some races. Uh I was doing distance running. Okay. So yeah, so then I actually I literally remember the moment it hit me. I was in a class and I was just in the back of the class, not paying attention and thinking about rap music, is you know, because that's what I do. And I like remember how like the sun was hitting my notebook paper when it hit me and I wrote it down. I'm like, that's it. That's it right there. It's like a movie scene. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It really is. At least in my head, at least I remember, you know, long time ago.
SPEAKER_04Yeah. For for the kids out there who are doing this, and you know, it's been a long time that people talked about, you know, hip-hop's not gonna last, it's not gonna be this thing. For the kids are thinking, you know, one day I want to DJ, one day I want to get there too. What can you tell them about what the future holds when it comes to hip hop, when it comes to DJing?
SPEAKER_02You know, I mean the thing about that is you just you never know, you know, and even in the present, hip-hop is so many different things, and you you just you don't you never know what's gonna happen or what's gonna work. So I know it's not exactly S, but like the advice I always give to people is like it's simple and it's again kind of like almost corny, but I just don't know any other advice to give. It's just like do the thing you love the most and try the hardest at it and prepare yourself so if lightning strikes, you don't mess it up. Yeah, like that's I always jokingly but not jokingly say like my greatest skill as a DJ is not effing it up, whether it's the performance or opportunities, you know. Like it's pretty good. I've just, you know, I've I've and I spent all you know, 99 to 09 when I was grinding here on the on the scene. I'm not gonna say I worked harder than anybody, but no one worked harder than me. And they'll they'll tell you that, you know, like everyone was working hard. Yeah, but I worked as hard as I could. I put myself in every position I could, and a lot of them ended up being a waste of time. But maybe I learned something that day that helped me not make a mistake with Killer Mike 13 years later in a similar situation and helped me keep my job, or you know, you just you just never know. But the whole time I was doing what I loved for the reason that I loved it. So even if none of this worked out and I was just like a teacher now or whatever I would have ended up being, I would not have regretted any of my career. If I'd spent my career trying to like reach for stuff like, oh, I could be, I don't know why I always use this example as no reason, but you know, oh, I'm gonna try and be Trey Song's DJ, because that'll take me around the world, even though I'm not into Trey Song's music. And then I failed, it would have been like, why did I even spend my time going in that direction, you know? But I always just pursued the, you know, the underground rap that I loved. And, you know, even when DJing in clubs and stuff, I would I play the stuff I like. And I can find something that I like and you like, but I'm not gonna play it just because you like it if I don't like it. Because then what am I there for? You know, like then you anyone could do that. Right. Um, so you know, that's all like it's so hard to give people advice because my path is so random and you know, lightning striking, and you know, um see Del. See.
SPEAKER_04So you say lightning struck, you have things just kind of happened and fell into place. But you worked at this. Of course I didn't do it. And and the thing about it is you talk about being prepared for those opportunities. You were prepared for those opportunities. They may have presented themselves, but if you're not ready, we're not sitting here talking about Track Star.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, and when I say that, I'm not taking credit away from myself. Because I did, I worked very, very hard, and I no one can deny that. Um, I don't know if I'm the most talented, I would say definitely not, but I worked very hard. But I mean, just for instance, just the quick story of the of how I got with Killer Mike, it's the craziest story ever. He's my favorite rapper. He put his phone number in an interview and I called it in 2006. Wow. And he answered the phone. And you know, and because I was a mixtape DJ, I was prepared to like off the top of my head come up with an idea and pitch him on doing a best of killer mic mixtape. And then that that led to uh 2009, I met him in Atlanta, and all I want to do is get my, you know, give him a copy of the thing we made together, take a picture. I could go be a teacher or whatever, right? And I say, I'm here all weekend, if you need anything, let me know. And I'm thinking, intern, you know, I just want to follow him around and be helpful. Yeah, just have whatever will let me be near you. He says, What are you doing tomorrow? I said, Nothing. He said, I'm opening up for Rakim. Do you want a DJ for me? Lightning stroke. You know, like there's no there's no way I can give someone advice besides make that phone call. Besides, if you see your favorite rapper put his phone number somewhere, just see what happens. You know, I wasn't expecting a person to answer. I'm expecting a voicemail with a email list that I can join, you know, expect a fan line. That's oh six. Yeah, people probably still answer phones then. Now it wouldn't happen. I mean, he's a even at the time, he was a Grammy winning gold record having rapper. I don't know why he put his phone number in that interview. It's crazy. Good thing you were listening. Yeah, you got thing, yeah, yeah. No, it's uh it's wild stuff. And yeah, I mean, just it's been a yeah, it's been an absolutely insane ride. I can't believe I get to do all this stuff. You're doing it, man. Apparently. Thanks. So they tell me not to. Appreciate it. Appreciate you. Great chat.
SPEAKER_06Yay, hey, St. Louis. We got a story for you.