Off the Record

Thursday, October 24, 2019

Mojaxx Shares Advice, Favorite DJ Gear, and More on ‘Off The Record’ Podcast

During this year’s Amsterdam Dance Event, DJcity’s own Mojaxx sat down for an interview with the Off The Record podcast crew. He talks about his first gear setup, DJing with streaming music, pros and cons of social media, and more. He also shares his top pieces of advice for beginner DJs.

Off The Record is a DJ culture-oriented podcast hosted by the Crossfader online DJ school. Based in the UK, Crossfader offers classes in DJ hardware/software and turntablism.

Watch Mojaxx’s interview above.

Related Post: Mojaxx Delivers ‘DJcity Podcast’ Mix

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Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Wyclef Jean on Santana’s ‘Maria Maria’ and DJ Khaled’s ‘Wild Thoughts’

Wyclef Jean

In 1999, legendary music executive Clive Davis recruited Wyclef Jean to collaborate with Santana. The result was “Maria Maria,” a Westside Story-inspired anthem featuring R&B duo, The Product G&B. The track spent 10 weeks atop Billboard’s Hot 100 and won a Grammy.

18 years later, “Maria Maria” returned to the spotlight when DJ Khaled sampled and interpolated it for the Rihanna and Bryson Tiller-assisted “Wild Thoughts.” It, like “Maria Maria,” was also a top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit.

On Mass Appeal’s new Off The Record episode, Wyclef recalls the making of both “Maria Maria” and “Wild Thoughts.” “At the end of the day, Khaled did the same thing I did with The Fugees,” Wyclef says.

Watch above.

Related: DJ Khaled Recruits Rihanna and Bryson Tiller for New Single and Video, ‘Wild Thoughts’

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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Large Professor on Producing Nas’ ‘It Ain’t Hard to Tell’

Large Professor

Nas‘ “Ain’t Hard To Tell” was the second single off the rapper’s iconic debut album, Illmatic. It was the only track from the project to enter the Billboard Hot 100 and remains a staple in throwback sets to this day.

The song was produced by the legendary Large Professor, a founding member of the influential group, Main Source. On Mass Appeal’s latest episode of Off the Record, Large Pro recounts how the track came together, which he refers to as a “hood bottle-popping joint.”

Watch above.

Related: The Samples Behind Nas’ ‘Stillmatic’

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Thursday, November 9, 2017

DJ Premier on Producing Gang Starr’s ‘Mass Appeal’

DJ Premier

Following last week’s look at D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie,” DJ Premier has returned to explain the story behind Gang Starr’s “Mass Appeal” on Off the Record. The track inspired the name of media company, Mass Appeal, which produces the series.

Premo discusses how he and the late Guru came up with the idea for the song, including how it was intended to be anti-radio. Ironically, it became Gang Starr’s highest-charting single, peaking at No. 67 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in 1994.

“We were really making fun of radio, and it became our biggest radio hit,” Premo says in the video.

Watch Off the Record above.

Related: DJ Premier on Producing D’Angelo’s ‘Devil’s Pie’

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