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Doin' Tha Damn Thing:
Toronto DJs making some noise: the ill kidz...
Mo' Money
YOU WANTED TO KNOW
Me: So when did you start getting paid?
When I said that I didn't have to worry about money no more, was like five, six years ago. Mind you, it wasn't a lot of money, but at that age it was enough…all I needed was to buy some clothes and you know…
Me: So you're actually making a living from this? You don't have a nine-to-five…?
Nah, I don't have a nine-to-five.
Me: I hate you!!!
(Laughs).On Music
In addition to playing at house parties and clubs, the ill kidz, at fourteen and fifteen years old, had a very popular radio show at CHRY 105.5 FM. They had a show called "Afterhours" that ran every Thursday morning from 2:00 AM to 7:00 AM. This show lasted two years and they were quickly given a new prime spot, Tuesday mornings from 7:00 AM to 10:00 AM. They gave listeners some phat beats to listen to for three hype hours during their show, "The Rush Hour." They no longer do the show, but graciously handed their slot to some up and coming DJs.Me: What type of music do you play?
Started off with hip-hop and R&B, then went on to reggae. Now it's like old skool, calypso, house, reggae, everything. Basically urban music.On Career
Me: What has been the highlight of your career so far?
We got to do the Jay-Z after-party, [the Hard Knock Tour]. That was pretty cool. I was real young. I was about eighteen or nineteen. It was cool, I got to meet him and I was like Wow! Jay-Z! [Laughs] I was talking about that for like a year.Me: What was the most embarrassing thing that happened when you were DJing?
That happened a little while ago. Actually, there were two incidents. The first incident was back in '96, I was doing a New Year's Eve Party. I was sick. I was running a temperature like 104 or something. It was a big, all ages party. We were playing it and there was no way that I was going to miss it. I got up, drank lemon and honey and the whole tea thing. I was DJing and I remember getting so hot…and then I just fainted. I just dropped. I was dying. That was pretty embarrassing.The other one happened not too long ago. This was definitely the most embarrassing. I was out on Halloween and …we started drinking a little early in the evening. And we got to the club and we were setting up on the stage…and it was supposed to be like this big show. I was so drunk, and someone gave me a bottle of champagne and I just kept on drinking. By the time I touched the mic, I was so hammered. People were telling me that my words were slurring. And I almost fell over the stage.
Me: Did management say anything to you? Can they say something to you?
They can't really say anything. But a bouncer came up to me and said, "Are you all right? You're talking a lot, you're really loud." I was like, thanks, thanks.Me: If you weren't DJing, what would you be doing?
I don't know.
Me: You didn't like anything else?
Nah, I didn't like anything else.Me: Where do you see yourselves in five years?
I hope to be owning [sic] a club. That's one of my goals, actually. I want to open up an ill kidz clothing store.
Me: Do you think that you would still be DJing?
I will always be DJing.Me: What song(s) do you hate to play, but the crowd goes wild for?
Stuff you see on the [B.E.T.] "106 & Park" countdown. Seriously, corny, over-publicized commercial hip-hop. I don't really enjoy it. You gotta play it because you know the crowds want to hear it. It was never our real steez to be on that commercial tip. We were the ill kidz and we thought that we were thugged out.Me: What song do you like, but the crowd doesn't respond to?
The last song I remember that I really liked… I was so pissed 'cause it was a dope tune. It was the song from Freeway. But right now, I would say the "Dipset Anthem" from the Diplomats.
Me: I don't know that song.
It will come soon. Hopefully I get to play it and everyone will know it.On Gigs
Me: What clubs do you DJ at?
Joker - "Live To Air" on Thursdays and up until a little while ago, Sugar, Guvernment, It Club.Me: Which do you prefer - vinyl or CD?
Vinyl, hands downs. As a hip hop DJ, CDs don't give you that feel like …you can't just go to the CD, wheel it up and go and have fun with it.Well, the interview unfortunately came to a close. It was really cool listening to this veteran at 23 talk about his ten years in the DJ game, what they've done and what they plan to do. All I can say is, do tha damn thing, ill kidz! ¤ Michelle
[ Ricky discusses the name, his influences, and being taken seriously. Part I of the interview. ]