S4:E7 - From Classroom to Club Lights | DJ Meechie on Vinally High

On this episode of the Vinally High Podcast, Drew Beats and BJ Buds welcome a rising force in Charlotte’s music scene — DJ Meechie.

Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, Meechie brings the raw grit of the North and blends it seamlessly with the soulful rhythms of the South and beyond. But her journey to the turntables didn’t start in the club — it started in the classroom.

Just a year ago, Meechie was a high school journalism and AVID teacher, shaping young minds and encouraging students to chase their dreams. In a full-circle moment of self-reflection, she realized she had to take her own advice. What began as a dusty DJ controller sitting in her living room turned into a leap of faith, late-night practice sessions, TikTok lives, and eventually… residencies and real momentum in the city.

While spinning The College Dropout by Kanye West, Meechie shares how that album shaped her at just nine years old and why conscious, culture-shifting hip hop still fuels her creativity today. The conversation dives into:

• Growing up on early 2000s hip hop and what made Kanye’s debut so impactful
• The emotional power of music and memory
• Walking away from stability to pursue purpose
• Building a DJ brand from scratch in a competitive city
• TikTok vs. real-world DJ culture
• Taking advantage of “the opportunity of a lifetime in the lifetime of the opportunity”

From her first birthday gig to landing a residency in under a year, Meechie proves that hunger, authenticity, and bold action can accelerate your path faster than you ever imagined.

This episode is about betting on yourself, honoring your roots, and understanding that sometimes the scariest pivot leads to your real purpose.

Roll the vinyl. Spark the conversation. Get Vinally High.

Follow DJ Meechie:
Instagram: @meechamilli
TikTok: @meechamilli
YouTube: @meechamilli

Follow Vinally High:
Instagram: @vinallyhighpodcast
TikTok: @vinallyhighpodcast
Facebook: Vinally High

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:01

This episode of the Vinally High Podcast is brought to you by Ghostface Gorilla Grow, the master grower behind some of the finest premium THC flour in the game.

SPEAKER_00 0:13

Welcome to Vinally High, the podcast that celebrates two of life's greatest pleasures: vinyl records and CBD products. We'll take you on our journey through our vast vinyl collections, exploring the significance of music in our lives, while also enjoying the therapeutic benefits of CBD. Each episode, we'll spend some of our favorite records, ranging from classic rock to indie and everything in between. And share our personal stories and insights about why these albums are so meaningful to us. But Vinyl High isn't just about music, we'll also delve into the world of CBD, discussing its many benefits and how it can enhance our listening experience. From tinctures to edibles to topicals, we'll explore different products and share our experiences with each. So sit back, relax, and join us as we get vinyl high.

SPEAKER_05 1:45

I know, I know, right? I know. It's kind of they're feeling good. I was like, you know what? I can switch out some regular shoes. It's like, nah, man, I'm going to sit on the couch tonight, baby. Let's throw on some crocs. I don't know if we'd be friends anymore. I used to hate the crocs. Slipped on Dominique's one time and it was game over after that. Yeah, I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Man, we're gonna have to talk about that later, but we don't have time for that now.

SPEAKER_04 2:10

Oh, and this isn't the Croc Talk podcast. But we have an amazing guest here tonight. Someone who was able to kind of slip right in when we had a little hello scheduling thing. So I wanna first give probably one of the best intros I think I've read in a long time. Um I say that every episode, but I was like our our guests, our guests have been sending me, our guests have been sending me the greatest intros that like I have to legit read them word for word. When usually I'll just wing it and make it up. I don't know what's going on this season.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

All you guys are just serious.

SPEAKER_04 2:52

You're getting serious with your intros, but today, BJ, we've got a special guest in the building. Hailing from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she brings the raw northern grit and blends it effortlessly with the rhythmic soul of the South and beyond. But here's the twist. Just one year ago, she wasn't behind the turntables. She was in a classroom shaping young minds as a high school teacher. In just 12 months, she's built a sound, a present, and a reputation for creating sets that feel like home no matter who's listening.

SPEAKER_01 3:23

Let's go.

SPEAKER_04 3:24

Let's welcome to the vinyl high studios DJ Miji.

SPEAKER_05 3:27

In the building.

SPEAKER_04 3:28

Let's go.

SPEAKER_01 3:29

Wow, it's a pleasure to be here. I'm so excited.

SPEAKER_05 3:32

So glad to have you.

SPEAKER_01 3:34

For real. Um, yeah, I'm just having been following y'all along, but I'm glad we found each other when we did. And uh yeah, I'm just I'm hyped to be here. It's gonna be a great time.

SPEAKER_04 3:44

Thanks for joining us. Yeah. I I found your profile through um one of our favorite guests from season three, which uh just the divine hippie. Oh my gosh. Divine gang, because we all did this.

SPEAKER_02 3:56

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 3:56

Um, and I always trust her recommendations, and you uh I came across your profile through her and fell in love with the music. So I'm really, really interested to hear your story and how all of that came to be, um, which was alluded to in your intro there. Yeah, you know, major life shifts, but followed a passion.

SPEAKER_01 4:15

Sure.

SPEAKER_04 4:16

Um we're not gonna get into that just right now because I think that's gonna be a lengthy conversation.

SPEAKER_01 4:22

It's gonna be lengthy for sure.

SPEAKER_04 4:24

And before we go into all the conversation, we do uh we do a little business up front here. Oh, yeah. And that is where we have to get the record going. Because that's half the show. It is. You picked um a double LP for tonight. So when we have those scenarios, I do like to get into it rather quickly just so we have enough time to play the full album.

SPEAKER_02 4:43

Okay.

SPEAKER_04 4:43

Um it requires a lot of extra flipping. But the fun thing about this record tonight, um, we've actually spun this before on a previous episode. So it's been since season two, which is why one of the reasons why I allowed it. Usually I take everything off the list that we've already spun so we don't get repeats. He just forgot. Um, but you picked this, you picked this one. Honestly, in my mind, I was like, nobody's gonna pick these records from season two. I have 400 records, and you picked one. One, I love this album too. I love the reasoning you picked it, and I want to hear about that at some point um on air here as well. And then the other thing is we do something fun with our records. And when we were audio only, we came up with it. We've been doing it every season, so even though we have the video now, we're we're still going. BJ describes the album art verbally for those who couldn't originally see what we were listening to.

SPEAKER_02 5:41

Ah, okay.

SPEAKER_04 5:42

Um, and then we run it through AI and see how good it recreates the actual album art, just using the exact words that he uses to describe it, and he can't use names. Oh, that's funny. People, album titles, nothing specific like that.

SPEAKER_05 5:57

Very fun.

SPEAKER_04 5:58

And so now I'm gonna compare them because AI has also gotten so much better over the years, as much as your descriptions have gotten better.

SPEAKER_05 6:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 6:06

And I kind of want to see the side by side.

SPEAKER_05 6:08

Yeah, 2024 to 26 difference should be pretty wild.

SPEAKER_04 6:11

Maybe we'll do something with that fun uh when the the show actually airs with a side by side of those two images. Um so I had I kind of had to go with it.

SPEAKER_05 6:20

And then once we finish, I have a suggestion of what we should add on to this because AI's growing and and getting more advanced and all that cool stuff. But hey, let's go ahead and try to get this thing rolling.

SPEAKER_04 6:31

So I'm gonna get it set up and start spinning. Mr. Buds, you're gonna grab that cover and you are gonna describe it for the second time.

SPEAKER_05 6:38

Well, my memory's short, so I don't remember describing it the first time. Alright, so looks like I'm looking at a uh grown man wearing a teddy bear costume. Looks very sad. Looks like he did not get picked for dodgeball um at in high school. And uh he's the odd odd bear out, and I thought I mean odd bear out. He looks like he's um about to go to some type of semi-formal dinner because he's got on a jacket, but he's got on jeans. I don't think he's getting into any club that I go to. And then around um the photo, there's a beautiful, beautiful artwork that's been created. Um yeah, that's what I got, man. Let's see how it goes. First of all, what fucking clubs do you go to?

SPEAKER_04 7:29

And so since we didn't say it before, this is Kanye West's uh college dropout album, which is out of all of his records, this is my favorite. Um you know, growing up in the 90s and 2000s, and this is the hip hop we we came up on. Yeah. Um so why did you pick this record? Because I love what you said when I asked you.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Um, it's funny because I was looking through the list of vinyls on the spreadsheet, and uh I've seen I've seen a few albums. I was like, oh, I really like that album, but like nothing stuck out like Corell for a light college dropout. Like I that I was I'm putting my um little thing, I guess you could call it. Uh, I said uh when I was like eight or nine, like that was one of the first like albums I remember really intense, intently listening to heaven as an eight, nine-year-old. Like I had to be like nine, nine going on ten, probably, but one of our ages, man. Well, my mom, she bought uh y'all probably remember the C D men that used to like sell the CDs of the trunk. So we had that. Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Blue Lady CDs.

SPEAKER_01 8:44

Like that, the movies, all of that. I used to movie man, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 8:48

You you get the ones, it was like uh it was like one for one for five, two for eight, you know.

SPEAKER_01 8:54

For real, but yeah, my mom used to stay on those like all the time, but she got uh college dropout. And um yeah, like I just well, all we were always listening to that album over and over again. It was just something so raw, like about it. Like, truly, like everything Kanye was saying in this album is just like just profound in a way where it's so real, you know what I mean? Like it's quite literally real, like real life, like just stuff we're feeling, stuff we're going through. Like, and there was nobody I feel like at the time that like was really that had that sound like Kanye, you know what I mean? Like, you obviously like there's other influences that Kanye probably like con uh common, and you know what I mean? Like, but I just truly feel like he just did it in his own way. Like, I don't know, there's just something so special about the album, though.

SPEAKER_04 9:41

But yeah, it's one of my favorites, like and it's it's always fun to hear those kinds of stories when we do the show. Um because you heard it at such a young age. But it has you you weren't in the era. I mean, you were, but you weren't like because you were still discovering music, you weren't a teenager or an adult, yeah, you know, that already knew what you liked. And that is something that just stuck with you your whole life. Yes, and that's awesome. It's still one of your one of your favorite to go to. So I love it.

SPEAKER_01 10:10

Like, um I think people especially with listening to music, I think people always choose like classic albums that like people, older people before them listen to, like Tupac, Biggie, like ready to die, all of that. Like people would say, like, oh Tupac or Biggie's my favorite rapper or whatever. But like I think really locking into like what made you feel something at certain ages or certain you know evolutions in your life, like really helps you pinpoint, like, no, I think this was something that was like really it does life-changing, I guess.

SPEAKER_04 10:41

And when you when you can relate it back to like moments of your upbringing, like you remember your mom buying it and listening to it was one of her favorites, so it kind of became one of years at the same time. And we all have that. You can remember as a kid growing up certain things your parents used to play for certain occasions, certain times. Yeah, we talked about last season, I think one of our guests picked a Meatloaf record. Um, and my mom used to blast Meatloaf when she cleaned the house every Sunday, and so he is one of my favorite artists, and and Bad Out of Hell is still one of my favorite albums to this day because of stuff like that.

SPEAKER_01 11:16

Yeah, for sure.

SPEAKER_05 11:18

BJ grew up listening to nothing but you know, like ABBA and the B52s, and his his mom, his mom played a lot of boy bands, so uh uh Michael, uh country music, like she was she was a little uh definitely no like hardcore rapper or anything like that.

SPEAKER_01 11:37

Yeah, man.

SPEAKER_05 11:38

Um I think she told me I was I was even scared to like bring that kind of stuff into the house because I grew up in a single single parent home with just my mom. She was like, I don't I didn't think that I wanted to introduce that to you because you probably already gonna get it outside. Yeah and the music that that's like hardcore rap and stuff is not what you wanted. Like a nine, 10-year-old Brian listening to, right? Highly impressionable, kind of like acting out everything. So yeah, uh Kenny Rogers and stuff like that. And then uh, you know, my mother was born in the 60s, so you know, we got a lot of I'll never forget one of the first few times I hung out with you and your wife.

SPEAKER_04 12:21

We went to a karaoke bar. Oh shit.

SPEAKER_05 12:25

Oh no, that's all we could karaoke is this.

SPEAKER_04 12:27

I had I didn't know a lot about you and like musical tastes and and this, that, and the other thing. Obviously, I had my assumptions. Oh god, what did I say? I don't remember. I want to say it was like a Kenny Rogers song. Like you sang like the most white bred song ever.

SPEAKER_05 12:42

I love um like going to places like a karaoke bar, and you look at me, you expect one thing. I love just busting through that door and then coming out with like I don't know, some like opera or something. I love doing that because it shows that we can be different. It's the duality.

SPEAKER_04 13:04

Your wife saying corn spreak out a leash, and then you sang some like country song, and I was like, who are these people?

SPEAKER_01 13:10

Yeah, yeah, it's all there for us to consume, you know. This shows our the duality absolutely that's truly we could do and listen to anything we want to listen to.

SPEAKER_05 13:20

That's another reason why I first started liking Kanye because he was like the only rapper I know that come up with like the pop collar and everything.

SPEAKER_02 13:30

I'm like, see, no shades.

SPEAKER_04 13:33

There was a shift in the culture at that time with that, and it was kind of a nod back to older conscious hip-hop. Like you mentioned having influences with comic and you know, tribe conquest, and that stuff that was happening 10 years before comedy came out. But you know, I feel like there's a lot of that influence in his early album.

SPEAKER_01 13:59

Oh, for sure, you know, that's definitely refined it in a sense where like he added, especially as he as his evolution, I guess you could say, in the rap game went, like he got into that futuristic type of, you know, just different sounds, but still kind of kept that consciousness, which that's what I really appreciate. Because like you could still be all those things, but like still talk about something that needs to be talked about or needs to be said, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_05 14:24

So I love listening to um the the behind the scenes stuff uh of when he was creating his albums. It's still to this very, very day. Yes, uh folks would be like producers would be like, he just called me out the blue and he's like, hey, there's one song we're working on. I think we need this random sound, and they're like, What are you talking about? And then it becomes magic. Yeah, yeah. I love I love that kind of concept.

SPEAKER_04 14:49

And he was a producer for years before actually recording this album. And that's originally what he got brought under Rockefeller with was as a producer.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Yeah, I agree. He's like a true example of um when space meets opportunity, like preparation meets opportunity. Yeah, like he's been in those rooms like so many times, even watching his documentary back and like hearing and seeing people ignore him as he's trying to get his his single or whatever, like he would he could clearly see that. But I think too, like um, even Kanye is an artist I relate to because he again he had to jump through all those hoops. And then once he got to jump through those hoops, like he he had everything to prove. You know what I mean? And like that's truly like the life of an artist who's always trying to break those barriers and and really break, um, you know, break open the door for more opportunities by just throwing yourself out there. Like, you just really gotta force some people, like force feed people until they're like, okay, cool. Like, we're gonna, we're gonna fuck with you, you know.

SPEAKER_05 15:55

So you're right, you were talking about barriers, uh, and I'm gonna keep talking about it. My daughter came downstairs one day. I'm time for dinner. My daughter came walking downstairs looking mad. And I'm like, oh, here we go. I got a little beautiful little levy. You're on it. Here we go. Let's see what she got this time. She said, Mommy, dad, why didn't you tell me about 50 cents? I don't know, and it's gonna come around. She was like, What did you tell me? He makes incredible music. He got shot like a bunch of times, and then came back and started making really good music. I was like, hey, let me let me tell you about a little guy named Kanye Wesh. Couldn't even speak, mouth was wired shut. I was like, let me tell you about this dude, Kanye West. And then it leads to the conversation of some of the biggest barriers you could ever have will and can if you use the opportunity to excel you to opportunities of a lifetime. Yes, you know, if you want it, if you really want it that bad, and a man wanted it so bad he made a whole record with his mouth wire, right? And look what it look what it became.

SPEAKER_01 17:12

He was hungry. I say that all the time to people like you gotta be hungry, like to know and be anything, like you gotta really just want it so bad, yeah. And you can have it, you know what I mean? But like I think you know, getting through those hills and valleys is you know, that's the test of time for a lot of people. And those that get past it, they will and know what that knows, you know, they'll still be trying to figure it out. But yeah, I'm here for it.

SPEAKER_04 17:39

So let's let's let's talk about that about your hunger. Yeah, because we have we have to hear the story. Yeah, you started a career in teaching, yes, yes, and I don't even know how to ask the question beyond that. Like, what just what shifted, what happened, what made you take this giant leap of fate to be like, I'm quitting that and I'm pursuing DJ.

SPEAKER_05 18:06

It's probably kids like me back when I was in high school. I would say I'd force some, but I'd make a teacher not want to teach anymore.

SPEAKER_01 18:12

Man, it's crazy because it wasn't even the kids for real.

SPEAKER_04 18:15

Um what did you teach?

SPEAKER_01 18:16

I taught journalism and avid. So if y'all are familiar with Avid, it's like a college career prep. Oh shit! Yeah, honestly, Abbott was fun because like I could just really do whatever I wanted with them and just like I used to make them do fake interviews, like fake job interviews, and make a fake resume and like a real life stuff.

SPEAKER_02 18:33

Like the real life stuff. That's you need so eating and it's shit.

SPEAKER_01 18:37

It is so like I used to just yeah, like we used to talk about loans and financial aid and learning that stuff. Like my credit, like those are things that these kids need to know. Like, you know.

SPEAKER_04 18:48

Was that still up north or was that?

SPEAKER_01 18:50

No, that was here after moving here. I was teaching at Julius L. Chambers High School.

SPEAKER_05 18:54

So you're telling me you were teaching the most important class that they had at school? Okay, cool, cool.

SPEAKER_01 18:58

Don't like it. Honestly, it's crazy though that I even came around and teaching because prior to that I was working in my field in public relations. And I got laid off. I was only doing public relations like stuff for like a year for like this water company. And then I got laid off, and I was like, dang, like I gotta figure out something else. And my fiancé sister, it's my sister-in-law basically. Um, she was like, she's a counselor at the school. She was like, you know what? You should just try out teaching for a year, you know, just it'll be something that's kind of steady.

SPEAKER_04 19:28

So you had no intention of even being a teacher.

SPEAKER_01 19:31

I didn't have an intention. It's funny. I feel like I'm the side quest friend. They call me up and they're like, Well, what are you doing with this? I'm like, oh, I'm dumb out in wherever or doing whatever, you know. That's literally me. So I'm always the friend they can call and I'm probably out somewhere crazy that they need to know. Yeah, I'm putting that in fact. Let's go.

SPEAKER_04 19:51

We need a crazy night tonight. Who we call?

SPEAKER_01 19:55

Yeah, that part. So yeah, I was doing that, and then I got laid off. She's like, you should come to the school. I'm like, I was, man, I was so apprehensive about it. I was so in the phase, like, oh, I know about that. Like, that's what I'm saying. I just the type of person I am, and I'm very like, I really keep it real, and I'm very just like transparent, you know what I mean? So I was like, oh, how was I gonna translate in a classroom? And I'm you know, I don't wanna be like, y'all, I don't know what the hell we doing today. You know, I was like, damn, I'm really have to adjust to like school culture, and like that was a little nerve-wracking for me.

SPEAKER_04 20:29

Uh but I was like, Especially down here.

SPEAKER_01 20:31

Man, I was just like, I don't know. And then I'm already like very, like, I'm a very petite girl. Like, I know I was like, I'm gonna go into school, they're gonna think I'm a kid. Like, I was just thinking about all the like.

SPEAKER_04 20:41

All jokes aside, though, they probably did.

SPEAKER_01 20:43

They did. You know, they're just like, I don't know now, like they're gonna show them the bed. I'm like, y'all better back up. Clear the air. Okay, but yeah, it was like super nerve-wracking. But um, I literally waited maybe like three weeks before school started to be like, all right. I'll do it. And I did the interview, got hired, and um, yeah, I was teaching. Uh, and I only taught for a year, which is crazy too. Only taught for a year.

SPEAKER_04 21:15

Like I said, it only took you one year to say FB.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

One year. And you know why? Because I was in between a lot of jobs. A lot of jobs, a lot of jobs I didn't care for. And not saying that I didn't care about teaching. I think teaching is one of the most important things I've done in a long time. I felt one, I recognized the issues in our schools, especially CMS.

SPEAKER_04 21:40

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 21:40

Um, it is.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

That's a whole different show.

SPEAKER_01 21:44

You ain't like, oh my gosh, like we only have an hour. Man, CMS politics, it's I mean, it's it's serious. Like, uh, just it really made me get locked into more into like just what's going on in the world, how it's affecting our kids. I don't have kids myself, so you know. I don't get to hear a lot about what really needs change until I, you know, started to grow bonds with my students and realized, oh my gosh, we we don't have the resources for this. How who do I need to reach out to to get them that?

SPEAKER_04 22:13

It's so true. I feel like I was blind to everything happening until I married into the family I'm in, and then all of a sudden had teenagers. Yes. And witnessing all that.

SPEAKER_01 22:23

I was losing my mind sometimes trying to figure out how am I gonna help these damn kids. Like it was something every day, like every day. And uh it really made me start to think about not only how I'm showing up in this space for like my kids and myself, but like how how do I show them that the things I want to do in life are also still very important, right? Because I came into this, I didn't, you know, I didn't I didn't go to school to be a teacher, you know. I'm just I'm just winging it, right? But I was like, look at me winging this, and I could wing so many other things. I could, I could literally be intentional about whatever it is I want to do. And I I remember I would tell me and my kids would have some very real conversations. And um I would tell them so often, like, and I we'll get to the story actually shortly about how I even got a uh controller. But I started DJing when I was at the school, and um, like I just remember like being in the classroom. Some of the times I would bring my laptop and just like start organizing crates and just doing like DJ stuff. And I used to tell my kids, yeah, I'm about to go be a DJ. Like I used to be like, yeah, I'm about to go DJ. I'm about to like this about to take off. I used to it's funny too, because I felt like I felt myself still actually I feel like my kids seeing me in a childlike light as well. Like, oh, she's still trying to be and become something. You know what I mean? I tell them every day, oh, you could be anything you want to be, and like I can't do. Indeed. And I I think I was tired of like hearing myself tell them that and not doing it myself in in life, right?

SPEAKER_04 24:02

Isn't that the worst feeling when you realize that?

SPEAKER_01 24:04

Like, I'm not, I'm literally not talking the talk or walking the walk. Like, well, I guess walking to walk. I was talking to talk, but I wasn't walking to walk. But um, yeah, like I was like, damn, I could really keep telling them this every day, and and I'm not even an example of it.

SPEAKER_04 24:19

No, I'm just but one day that one kid will call you out on that.

SPEAKER_01 24:23

Yeah, yep, won't they? Because they are very loud, very, very bold.

SPEAKER_05 24:27

Um, but yeah, it was like uh what grades specifically, or was it just all of them, all of them nine through twelve?

SPEAKER_01 24:33

Because like journalism was an elective, so they put all the kids in there, and then avid, I specifically taught Evid ninth grade and Evid 11th. Oh yeah, time to flip.

SPEAKER_04 24:44

I'm gonna flip this side, keep telling your story.

SPEAKER_01 24:46

Yeah, yeah. Um but yeah, I just got tired of telling them to be something, and I was like, damn, I'm not doing that myself. Indeed. And it it shifted my thinking completely. It made me really take DJing seriously. And with the controller, like I wasn't even planning to be a DJ. I my fiance and my cousin, they went to buy a controller because they were like, oh, we're gonna start learning how to DJ. Yeah. So initially it was for them. Like a fun little side thing. Yeah, because they both do like stuff in music. Like my cousin does videography um for a lot of like music artists and stuff, and then my fiance, he also does music. So it was just kind of up their lane, like up their alley, and uh, yes, but they they bought it, they bought a little new mark board from for like a hundred dollars off of Facebook market, and they brought it back to the house, and they they just weren't using it, it would just sit in the house, collect the dust, and then one day I was like, I'm gonna start learning how to DJ. I was like playing. Yeah, it was being funny, like, oh I'm gonna y'all keep playing, I'm gonna I'm gonna be the next DJ, like whatever. And then I actually just did one day, yep. I downloaded Serato, I did like DJ Light, and I just started playing around with literally all the stuff on a controller, and yeah, that's how it came about.

SPEAKER_04 26:05

Like so, was music always kind of a back thought in your mind, or was this totally random because of how that played out with them just buying the machine?

SPEAKER_01 26:14

Honestly, I think the controller helped. I think I always wanted to. Well, let me say this. I was a kid that wanted to be a lot of things, so I used to always want to be a vet, a teacher, a dancer, uh literal, an actress. I wanted to be everything. So like DJing has come up once where I was like, oh, I want to learn any DJ. And then I just never took it seriously. Um that's what I'm getting out of to like really trying to uh dedicate the time to the hobbies and things that I want to get into because I'll say it and then not not do it or just feel like I'm I'm a little distracted, you know what I mean? So I'm not really locking into it.

SPEAKER_05 26:52

Life's got a way of pull up there, I didn't have functional ways, you know.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

It does. But um, yeah, like I was I I think it the controller just helped just push me out of that, you know, and it made me have a reason to just learn and practice for because I think if I didn't have it, I would have been like, oh now I gotta find a controller. I don't really feel like doing it.

SPEAKER_04 27:13

One more step. Or or if that if your fiance had taken to it, then you might have never exactly, which is even crazier too, because like, yeah, it's very wild, very wild.

SPEAKER_05 27:24

So uh I I've never asked this question. I don't know, like learning to DJ, like what did you like? YouTube, or is there like a program that you follow? Hey, follow me, let's do the same thing. Like, how does how does it how does it work?

SPEAKER_01 27:36

Nah, it's crazy. Uh when I first started, uh I just YouTube. YouTube, I would just love it.

SPEAKER_02 27:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 27:42

At first, I was just playing around with the sounds though. Yeah, I didn't really look up the technicalities of everything because I know some things like that, especially when you're learning something new for the first time, it's very overwhelming. So I I still I still want it to be funny. You're telling me right, no, seriously. I still wanted it to be fun for myself because I think I think we live in a time where we are being forced to monetize every single thing we do. And I was scared of like getting too into it and then like dropping the ball. Like, I don't know, I just felt like I wasn't gonna, I don't know, commit to it. So I was just like, oh, just let it be fun. And I would just play around with the samples and play around with the stems and all of that. And uh as I started to figure out more things or want to learn more things, I would teach it to myself or or to you know get on YouTube or whatever. So if I was like, oh well, I don't know how to loop something, like I would just look it up. Oh, how do you loop? Whatever. Right, and then I would just kind of play around with that, and then see what the next thing comes up, I'd just look it up.

SPEAKER_04 28:47

So I honestly I think that's one of the smartest ways to do it, yeah, yeah. And just kind of keep that it's a hobby mentality right now, super fun, it's fun on the side. I'm not trying to monetize it. Yep, and I mean that's kind of the obvious approach we took to starting the podcast, too. And there were those same frustrations of trying to learn the equipment, yeah, for sure. Having having zero knowledge whatsoever. Yes. But I'm glad that worked out for you.

SPEAKER_01 29:13

Yeah, I'm I'm grateful. It's and I think too, it's just still allowing me to have fun with it. You know, every gig I do, um, I just be like, alright, like I gotta knock the socks off these people. Like, you know, I I'd have that mentality, but then I'm also like, girl, just have a good time. Like, it just you know, like it just So how did that go?

SPEAKER_04 29:32

Like, what was that next step when you kind of realized, okay, I'm getting better at this? I know what I'm doing. My music is coming together. Like, what was that thought process of how to do I want to or how do I take that next jump to now finding gigs and being an unknown in a city that already has DJs and starting so late in life?

SPEAKER_01 29:58

Yes, yes, yes. It um it wasn't until so when I first started, I kept it to myself for like a month or two. And I didn't post on anything about like me DJing, but I started to post on TikTok. Once I figured out the audio stuff, I was like, okay, I'm gonna start posting on TikTok. Started posting on TikTok and going live.

SPEAKER_05 30:21

Oh man, the live is where you think.

SPEAKER_01 30:31

And I went live and my live was jumping. It was like a hundred people on there. I was like, oh shit. It's like I'm here. I'm made already in my bathroom. Straight up. I was like, damn, it's jumping in here. But when it was just crazy because um it gave me that like oh, like you could, I you could really take it there if you wanted to. Like it was almost like that, I don't know, like that light bulb went off. Like, girl, like you need to keep. But and then too, the encouragement in the comments. You know, I think like a lot of people, oh, you're really good at this, but like the comments too is just like, girl, what do you mean you're not outside DJing yet? And I'd be like, I don't know, I'm just like having fun.

SPEAKER_04 31:09

But like I just started this about two months ago.

SPEAKER_01 31:12

Like, honestly, I'm just out here like, but that made me be like, oh, like you're not even like really hopping your shit, like you, like you like you really good, you know what I mean? So that encouragement like really started to like push me out of that shyness. You know, I was very like humble. I'm still very humble. Um, I never like try to let my head get too big because like I'm sick, you know, I'm a rookie-ness. But but that that alone is like a girl, like you gotta really, really push yourself. And I think too, even being in the environment at the school, I was like, damn, if I'm if I'm gonna just quit or you know, if I'm gonna finish out this school year and be done, like girl, you you gotta get rolling. You gotta get rolling, like, are you gonna you gonna be right back here?

SPEAKER_04 31:58

That's the thing about being motivated after that if you actually have an end date at the end of the year, like literally on the calendar, right?

SPEAKER_01 32:06

Literally the last day of school is June. What? Oh, okay, like I gotta get it right. So yeah, it was a lot of preparation. Like, honestly, y'all didn't even have my first gig until like April, May-ish. Like, I was only like four or five months. I had to be like five, yeah, I had to be like five, six months into like DJing. And yeah, I was like okay, like that was cool. Like it was like a little birthday party. Um, but I had like my first club gig, maybe like seven months in, probably at Brooklyn Lounge, which is honestly like amazing.

SPEAKER_04 32:42

That's me, dude. To go from not even like thinking you were gonna be a DJ ever to getting a discounted machine on Facebook, yeah, yeah, to having no knowledge of how to use it, and in seven months you got your first paying game.

SPEAKER_01 33:00

Yes, yeah, very crazy.

SPEAKER_04 33:02

In a town, in a town, like it's not like we live in a small town, so no, not at all.

SPEAKER_05 33:06

We got folks coming from all over the place.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

That part, and back to your question too, about like now navigating in a space with like DJs that's been in this. Um, that was over that was it's intimidating. Yeah, it's intimidating for me. Anybody new in a space, you know, any new job, you're like, hey, I'm the new person, you know what I mean? Um, so it took a lot for me initially, and I think too, that's why I feel like it was. I think if I reached out even sooner, it would have been like a quicker process, probably, like in my first year, but I really had to push myself to be social and get out the house because yes, TikTok was great, but there's that um That ain't paying the bills, it ain't paying the bills, right? And then I think a lot of people, there's a lot of like TikTok, like discourse about like, oh, well, you're a TikTok DJ. You're not a real DJ, you don't know how to read a crowd because all you do is read.

SPEAKER_04 34:03

Well, there is there is a difference in the interaction being live versus on TikTok. There is a difference in the room.

SPEAKER_01 34:09

You do have to know how to read the room for sure, but I think people try to like use that as leverage to like talk down on people or or other DJs in general. Sound like haters to me.

SPEAKER_04 34:20

But at the same time, you're just smartly building your fan base.

SPEAKER_01 34:24

That part, I gotta go down. I was telling them that, like, I'm gonna go enough on TikTok. Like, it's crazy in a year. I felt like this time last year I only had like probably a thousand, probably a little less than a thousand followers, and I'm at like eight thousand followers. It's just like building an I mean, and I'm not even big on like oh followers, like whatever. I don't I really don't care about that. I'm I'm grateful for the support. Absolutely, you know what I mean? Because like I didn't have like we was we was just a little bit of us like early on, you know. So grateful for that. And uh, but with that, I was like also getting my head because I'm like, okay, but where I don't have any support outside yet. Like I'm finding people all over the US and wherever else they're watching from, but like here in Charlotte, I don't have any foundation, I don't have anybody supporting me. Yeah, so I started to really uh oh I just started to like reach out to people. And at first I wasn't hearing anything back. I would like email all types of clubs and stuff like that, lounges, whatever. Didn't hear anything back. But the first party group that I reached out to was a 7-0 party. And um, they do a lot of like events here at like puttery and just other little like um other venues in the area. And they have a application out to just accept new DJs and just just new people to help promote it there, you know, on their team. And I was like, all right, I'm gonna just put my heart and soul into this little application and you know, kind of go from there. And um I tr I try to treat everything that I do and like submit into. I I try to one, I'm a I feel like I'm a very genuine person, like I'm very like, I'll tell you how I feel about something or really like express that like you know that I really want to be a part of it or whatever. And I was just like, you know what, let me just go ahead and type some good stuff out and see what happens. And I did, and maybe uh like maybe like two, three weeks in, they uh reached out like, hey, uh, are you available for a party tomorrow? Oh my gosh. Tomorrow. I had nothing with time in my hand, but yes, yes, yes, yes. I would love to. Um, but yeah, like shout out to Aaron, um, Aaron Alex, she's also a DJ here, and um Banks, name Banks, he's yeah, he's really, really dope, but they're just a dope team with the 704 party, and that was like my first, like I had that first day I got Brooklyn Lounge was a school, but like a 704 party really put me. I mean, they they always say, Oh, girl, you put yourself on because you're like good.

SPEAKER_04 36:54

Yeah, but that was they gave you that real shot.

SPEAKER_01 36:59

Yeah, because like they they've been doing this for a minute, you know, or they got a good following, they have a great following, great rapport with the Charlotte community, and I it was just a blessing because that gig I took with them, that last minute gig got me my residency at Folio and South and I was only nine months into my DJing by then.

SPEAKER_04 37:20

So, like and you got your first residency. Having never touched a machine before.

SPEAKER_01 37:26

Crazy work, yeah. So it's it was just very like, ah, just like you were saying too, like things have been happening like so fast. Sometimes I feel like I'm moving them out a minute, but I was just so grateful for that. Like, that's paying my bills, like so crazy.

SPEAKER_04 37:42

You are honestly posting like religiously.

SPEAKER_01 37:45

I'm trying.

SPEAKER_04 37:46

So you are everywhere. I mean, well, you're not everywhere, everywhere, because you have a residency, which is a fantastic thing to lock in.

SPEAKER_02 37:52

But yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 37:54

I mean, it's been great just watching the volume of of what you've been doing, yeah, yeah. Knowing it's been such a short time.

SPEAKER_01 38:01

Yes, yes, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 38:03

It it sounds like something that I I I talked to my my family about. My wife's doing some really cool stuff, the daughters growing, and it's one of the big things that I hear is that you took um you took that opportunity that you had and you exercise it as soon as it was available. And you had and you and and that's what I talk about all the time. Even with what we're doing, I I tell I tell my the the wonderful host all the time when something comes our way, we want to jump on it. Um take advantage of an opportunity of a lifetime and the lifetime of that opportunity.

SPEAKER_02 38:39

I like that.

SPEAKER_05 38:40

That's that's something that I I live by. And I that's a word. It sounds why it's wild and it sounds good, but I think that life and life, like everybody, no matter who you are, no matter where you came from, um what the color your skin is, rich, poor, everybody's gonna get an opportunity. Just sometimes you don't you don't you don't jump on it when it's right there because it's tomorrow. Let me check my schedule. No, no, you just gotta do it. And that's what it sounds like you're doing, and it's blowing up. That's what's up.

SPEAKER_01 39:09

It's I love everything you said. You ate that. You ate it. It's all right.

SPEAKER_05 39:15

It's just like opportunity, boom, hit it.

SPEAKER_01 39:17

Yeah, but you boom, opportunity, bam! Yeah, especially with DJ and like every opportunity you get is like a new audition, right? You don't know who's in the room.

SPEAKER_02 39:28

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_01 39:28

I even I foli, I went in and I I was just opening DJ, so like I there was barely, it was just some of my friends and family were supporting.

SPEAKER_04 39:38

So much grandpa was in the city.

SPEAKER_01 39:40

It was like it was like five of us and like the other two DJs. And then the manager came up to me after, like, girl, like you ate that. Like I need, like, what's your number? Like, we need to figure out something for residency. Like, it happened that fast. That like two, two, three weeks later, I was DJing Napoleon again as a resident DJ. So, like, every literally every gig, I don't, you know, I don't take it lightly because like you never know who's listening, you never know who's your next client. Like, all of that is so important. And I that's one thing I didn't really take into consideration that like I'm now a performer in a sense. Like, when I wanted to learn how to DJ, I wasn't thinking about like um all the the business aspect of it. Like I didn't I didn't realize like, oh, like I'm actually the face of like this. Like you're the face of you. Yeah, like I I I just never realized, and you know, I said too, I was I was a photographer, I still do photography, but I was doing photography in such a different life than like DJing, you know what I mean? Like it's photography, you actually can just hide behind the pictures. Like, well, I took these. That's preferred. Yeah, really, yeah, yeah. Like, seriously, I'm gonna I'm gonna eat all that. We don't want to see you just give us that product though. But okay, that's it. But yeah, like DJing, it's like something that sticks with people. Music sticks with people. They'll never forget. Oh, I remember when you played such and such, like that's my gym, like that's my song. That's something that me and my dad used to, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, there's so many, um, so much emotional connection through music that really sticks with people, and that's what makes people like so dope.

SPEAKER_04 41:22

It starts with you. Like, that's the thing. Yeah, you have the ability to to mold the vibe in the room. Oh, yeah, right?

SPEAKER_02 41:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 41:30

And if you're out of if you're anywhere out and the DJ is all into what they're doing, you kind of naturally are into it on your own.

SPEAKER_02 41:38

Yeah, yeah. Right?

SPEAKER_04 41:38

So you've got to bring you gotta bring that excitement, that love for what you're doing every single time. For sure.

SPEAKER_05 41:45

Yeah. Yeah. So my favorite thing about DJs is they're always at one of my favorite events with the wings. Oh yes. I I have well known that whatever wedding I go to, especially when a DJ's right, I'm gonna give you a photo that could possibly be in a wedding magazine. Well, we'll post that photo later. I got like five other wedding photos.

SPEAKER_04 42:09

I'm gonna tell the story now. So we're gonna give a shout out to uh our good buddy DJ Giles, who was a guest on season two. If anyone wants to go back and look up his episode. Yeah, he's awesome. Um still rocking it. DJ'd my wedding, uh, my wife and I. And I won't go into the whole story because it's long and people have heard it enough. But we got married in Wilmington in the middle of a hurricane.

SPEAKER_01 42:33

Oh shut up.

SPEAKER_04 42:34

Yeah, it just happened to literally hit the day of our wedding.

SPEAKER_01 42:37

Say, like, rain on your wedding is good luck.

SPEAKER_04 42:39

Oh well, you got to the point where like we were at our our venue. We had part of our wedding was supposed to be outside originally, so obviously we had to cancel that, and everything became inside. We were in the venue right off the water, and literally when the water rose up, we there was no leaving. Like it was knee-deep water, and we were in the venue having the wedding, and that was it.

SPEAKER_02 43:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 43:03

A lot of frustrations going on with things. Guests that were not the gestiest of people. No, dealing with the vendors, the days leading up to it, and day up. Just there was a lot going on. But so to what you were saying, this is why a DJ is so important.

SPEAKER_05 43:18

So important.

SPEAKER_04 43:19

Once the ceremony and dinner ended and it was time for the actual reception to start, this man brought the entire vibe and it switched the whole mood. He put on the first song he put on was Bubba Sparks. Oh, this new booty. It was requested by us. It's my wife's favorite song. It's for like her it's her jam. It's her entrance, it's her theme, it's just so and you just saw this look of like everything shifted. She went out there and just set the tone in the mood, and he was on fire lighting people up, and I think everything just shifted. Yeah. And it was like one of the best ends of the nights. Like the whole reception was one of my favorite moments. And of course, everybody got a little Crazy. BJ likes to remove clothing sometimes. Just the way it is. He was also wearing a purple swim cap. Because he was the one going out to check people's cars. And so he had us dressed all in black, shirt wide open, tie tied around his head. It did go up, yeah. Being pulled by someone onto the dance floor. One of our another one of our close friends who does not generally dance with Madden. She danced with Madden. But has known DJ for a long, long time. And it was just a hilarious moment in the night.

SPEAKER_05 44:40

Hey, listen, if the DJ bring it, I'm going to match the energy. Just a way to do that. That's real.

SPEAKER_01 44:46

For real. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'm here for that.

SPEAKER_05 44:48

I might need to be your hype man, you know? I mean, every wedding needs to have a BJ.

SPEAKER_04 44:54

What do you say? Every wedding needs to have a BJ.

SPEAKER_05 44:56

Every wedding needs to have a BJ. That's for damn sure.

SPEAKER_01 44:59

Just check his pockets at the door. No, that energy alone, though, is like what you build off of. You see that one person like turning up, it's like, and you're now digging for that person. Because it's like everybody is infectious. You know what I mean? Like somebody gonna see you dancing, everybody else can be like, oh day.

SPEAKER_05 45:17

Like so I figured it out. It's pretty easy. It's like, yo, that motherfucker out there acting a fool. I can't look more than a fool right here. I can't look more than a fool than that guy out there. So let's let's go. And then it gets going. Yeah. The wife's the same way. She gets out there and start dancing. She kind of breaks the ice. Then I come in and fucking slam it.

SPEAKER_01 45:40

It takes one courageous person to break the ice on the dance floor, and then it's out, you know.

SPEAKER_04 45:48

So I think this is a good pausing point. Oh, yeah. The silence lets us know the first disc is done, so we have one more to go. But we'll take this opportunity while we switch discs to pause for a brief commercial break. And everyone at home will be hearing a message from our sponsors. Yeah, we love them. You're tuned in to the Vinally High Podcast. And this moment right here is brought to you by Ghostface Gorilla Grow. When the night gets quiet and you're looking for that perfect premium THC flower, there's only one name to whisper: Ghostface Gorilla Grow, Master Cultivator and winner of the 2025 Crown Town Cannabis Cup for Best Flower. Hi, I'm Drew Beats, and Ghostface Gorilla Grow is the craft, the care, and the quality behind every smooth session. And the official flower provider of season four of the Finally High Podcast. So settle in, spark up, and elevate with the grower who keeps the nights mellow, Ghostface Gorilla Grow. Alright, and we're back. Thank you to that great message from our sponsor. We love all of our sponsors here on this show. Um, so much so that we have enough product that we've been able to do giveaways this season. Now, after the episode, as a thanks for being on the show, we have some complimentary promotional items for you as well. Um but our our our good friend, the Ghostface Gorilla, who has provided all the flour for our show, um has allowed it so that we can um give out some pre-rolls to our fan base as well.

SPEAKER_05 47:31

So we did a nice little collab with who's gonna be able to do that.

SPEAKER_04 47:36

What we've been doing um coming out of the break each episode is we're gonna ask a trivia question. Okay. I'm gonna ask you as the guest, it relates to the album or the artist that we're listening to that night, so it's not totally obscure out of a nowhere question. Whether you know the correct answer or not isn't the biggest deal. We'll still give the correct answer either way on the air. And then when the episode drops that week, uh we'll put some sort of post out to signal our listeners that hey, if you caught that question during the show, here's the time to answer it. Whoever gives us the DM with the correct answer first is gonna get a complimentary approval. So are you ready for your question?

SPEAKER_01 48:17

Yeah, let's do it.

SPEAKER_04 48:19

Okay. Kanye West received an honorary doctorate from what school in Chicago?

SPEAKER_02 48:32

Crazy.

SPEAKER_04 48:34

You're not expected to, but if you want to take a fun guess. So it was actually the school that he went to, and it's the school of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

SPEAKER_05 48:48

Seems like 30% right.

SPEAKER_04 48:50

He received that back in 2015. However, we're not gonna go into the ins and outs of Kanye's life. But uh the institution did rescind such degrees in in 2022.

SPEAKER_01 49:02

That's not right.

SPEAKER_04 49:03

Yeah, I guess. Which you don't hear of a lot, but I've heard I've heard a few times in the past. I did not realize that schools that give out honorary doctorates do sometimes take them back. Which doesn't mean much anyway, because it never meant anything in the first place, other than the prestige of like you've accomplished something in your life enough worth them noting it.

SPEAKER_02 49:21

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 49:21

Um, but we all know honorary doctorates are really just a scam for money.

SPEAKER_05 49:25

Oh, absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_04 49:26

And someday I hope to get one, so I'm not like putting it down. So if my alma mater is listening, which they're not, I would love an honorary doctorate for something stupid. Like they always make up the name, the name of the doctorate is always something that doesn't actually exist at that school. It has to play into what you did to achieve such recognition in life. So like I could receive an honorary doctorate in you know, something stupid for the podcast.

SPEAKER_05 49:53

Butology.

SPEAKER_04 49:54

Butology. Butology.

SPEAKER_05 50:06

That would be a wonderful.

SPEAKER_04 50:09

That is awesome. So that was that. Um, we're gonna set up the second disc and get that get that spinning, and then we'll just keep the conversation for that. So, Mr. Buds, do your job and fill that dead air.

SPEAKER_05 50:22

Man, I I I almost wanna I will. It's it's our show. I'm gonna I'm gonna touch on it anyway. I still absolutely love um this man because he is something that I I I try to be, which is when I do something wrong, I try my best to come back and make amends. And no matter what wildness he has done over the last couple of years, you have also seen him come back and get down on in one case, on a knee, and express that he feels what he did was wrong and to ask for for forgiveness, which as a man is something very, very, very, very tough to do in this society and in this world right now. Especially when you do it in the light that he has done it and some of the things that he has said and that he has done. Having the ability to uh through through uh identifying that he has received grace to come back and say, I'm I'm sorry, I apologize, whatever the excuse is, is it's something very difficult. Um, and there's always something to learn. I have sat down with my daughter and talked about what has happened with him over the last couple of years. And um, it is one of which a conversation of you need to understand no matter how you feel inside what you say matters and it can cause a much greater effect than whatever you were going to because uh what you whatever you wanted to happen, because communication is not what you say, it's what's received by by others. And so being at the beginning of like middle school, this is a good conversation to be having um with with someone like her. And she loves his music. Um she did come to me about what what has been going on with him in the in in the light, and we had that conversation, and I wanted to make sure she knew that there's that he he took it upon himself to sit down publicly and apologize, and that's something very difficult to do. Yeah, so I I do I do appreciate that. And um just had a concert what in in Mexico, yeah, right? Yeah, which I heard was fire, which I heard was amazing, still creating magic and everything. So I can't wait to see what he does moving forward. And listen, we're all human, we all make mistakes, and we're always growing, and that is something he's been doing for damn near 20 plus years now.

SPEAKER_01 53:10

So you know I love that you brought up being human part because that's what I was gonna say. He's just been human, and I think um human in the public eye. Come on, let's talk about it. And I was just about to say that, especially how parasocial people have gotten and feeling like these artists and these people in the public eye are their saviors or the people that's supposed to speak out about everything going on in the world, and it's like though, you know, yes, they have an elevated platform, we all have platforms as well. We we have platforms as well, whether it's on a smaller scale or the larger scale, you still you have to do your part too, absolutely wherever you're at to you know bring attention to those things that you know that need to be brought attention to. Yeah, um, but you can't expect, you know, any any celebrity, a celeb a human, human, another human, um, to you know, speak on those things that usually also need to speak to. So he's human. Um, we're human, and uh that's that's it, you know what I mean? Only God can judge us at the end of the day, and you know, that's it. We just gotta operate in grace, you know.

SPEAKER_04 54:18

Absolutely. I want to go back a little bit to what we were talking about before switching sides. Um, and honestly, all the way back to before we even hit record a conversation you and I were starting to have that we realized we probably shouldn't have because it was gonna waste that conversation prior to coming on. But I told you one of the things I really like about musicians or bands or DJs or whatever is hearing how you describe your own sound. And you put it in two different ways first. You know, one it's what bringing the raw northern grit and blending it with the rhythmic soul of the south. But then also you create sets to make music that feel like home, no matter who's listening. So it's kind of two separate things, but as you were, and we talk about it like you've been doing it for years, but literally a year ago, as you were starting to get into this and define the direction you wanted to take, how was that creating your own sound?

SPEAKER_01 55:24

Yeah, it's uh I'm still feel like I still feel like I'm creating it, but I understand what is the foundation of what my sound is. And I'm from up north, and I feel like especially up north, we a lot of our music just has that like that raw, that grit, that hustle to it. And um, you know, I'm from Pittsburgh, but like um, you know, grew up listening to like Freeway and you know Jay-Z and you know, all of these artists I just feel like got that, you know, that grit to them, like Jalen Kiss. Like, you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 55:57

Coming up in New York, and I will claim that like fight. I love all music, I love all hip-hop, but there is something about New York music hip-hop, especially in that era of when you were starting to find music.

SPEAKER_01 56:11

Yeah, it's it was different. Um and just such a I think every every region has their distinct sound, but like you said, back in that era, it was different. Like you can again, going back to that hungry, you could hear and it was hungry, like they were hungry, they were hungry. Literally, you can frustrating their bones from mouth. It's so raw. Like um, even just the production, you know what I mean? It was just that, like, ah, you just had to be there. No, but but I truly feel like um I mixed that, like I I always feel like I go back to like those sounds, those nostalgic sounds that I grew up on and blend that into what's going on now. Um, I feel like it's not until you bridge those gaps in generations musically where people are more open to what they're hearing. You know what I mean? And um, you know, I've been like I was telling you, I've been in the South now about the same amount of time that I've been in Pittsburgh. Um, so I feel like one, I feel like growing up, I always I always had appreciation for like the South's music, right? Because even growing up, like we I was still listening to Young Bloods and Ludacris, and you know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 57:22

All those there was something going on in the South at the same time, it just didn't come out until a little bit later.

SPEAKER_01 57:29

But like But I was paying attention.

SPEAKER_04 57:31

You can't talk about hip-hop and not talk about what was happening in Atlanta, and you know, everything with Jermaine Dupree, and then everything with like Outcast with Goody Mob and like and then you know, branching further out into the western south with everything that was going on in Louisiana and stuff like that. So you you definitely took two very different sides of music to blend together.

SPEAKER_01 58:00

And those are the sounds that uh that I paid attention the most growing up too. So I think like naturally, like I found a like a nice sweet spot to blend those, but also try to mix you know sounds globally into that because I think the biggest thing with DJing is like, yeah, you could go so many different lanes with this, you know what I mean? You could I you know I claim I'm open format. Um, but you know, there's some people that just their specialty is dance hall, or their specialty is is just hip hop, you know what I mean? Which I think is like dope when you know yourself and you know that's what you really want to refine and sharpen and bring that into a space. I think that's perfect for like open format. Um, I think you really have the privilege of just being able to kind of pick little things you like and just throw them all together into a pot, right? So, yeah, and I I love I love the you know the idea of that melting pot, you know, musically. You know what I mean? Like there's so many people you can reach, and again, like just merging those cultures to music is like super important.

SPEAKER_04 59:02

And I love that you bring that into it in that that mentality of I want to make you feel like home, no matter where you are and where and and who you're listen listening to or whatever. You know, if I hear certain things, I'm taking back to New York. If we're out and you know, my wife's from Jamaica, but grew up mostly in in southern Florida. And so if we're out and she hears anything reggae or reggae tone or certain Florida sounds, you know, it's in immediate, and that's why when we had our wedding, the music choice, we didn't give a lot of like it has to be this, this, this, this. I want you to be free and do you, but also this is the sounds that are important to us because of that reason. Like you there's something when you feel like you're back at home, no matter where you are, and that music comes out.

SPEAKER_01 59:45

Yes, yes. Yeah, the best feeling, seriously. And that's just felt like that place of belonging. It brings you back to a place, but then you feel like oh, this I feel safe because I hear something that is safe to me. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 59:58

And you feel safe to then be you in that environment, you know, that club or that scene that you're at.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:04

Yeah, that's real. That's important to me, seriously. That's what I love about it. Like music and just break. Generally, like I said, too, generationally. Music is so different, and you know, there are those generational wars where people feel like, well, they don't make music like they used to.

SPEAKER_04 1:00:24

There always will be, and we are BJ and I are in that age range where we're actually having that conversation regularly with people, and I've become that older gentleman that now is like, well, the music. But honestly, all jokes aside, think about it. Yes, I do believe we grew up in one of the greatest eras for music only because of how much of it was happening. Yeah, the 90s and early 2000s was such a melting pot for experimentation and music. You had more genres happening at one time than any other decade. Yeah, it was the rise of hip-hop, and everything.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:02

There was everything too.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:04

There was the bubblegum pop scene, there was grunge, there was heavy metal, there was new metal, like so. And even within news, even within certain genres like hip hop alone, you had New York, then you had what we just talked about. You had all these other areas, you had Kanye coming out of Chicago, like there was just so much happening, yeah, and it was all so good because everybody was on their game, yeah. And then something shifted going into like 20 after 2010. 2010.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:34

Yeah. At that especially like even now, I think uh now in y'all's position, like being when I was in like teaching the high school kids, hearing what they like too. I'm like, you're listening to this sad ass music.

SPEAKER_04 1:01:50

There's a reason all of our kids are still listening to our music, like almost a hundred percent.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:55

Yes, from facts, and there's and there's a reason why they want to go back to that feel of what our music sounded like. It can't really be replicated. You see, even with DJ and you see so many of these oh 90s party and 2000s party, which I think you know, the idea itself is great, but I think that people forget that their audience aren't those people that blew up in the 90s and 2000s, so it's not the same appreciation, or they might enjoy a couple songs, but then they want to hear what they know, right? So it's like you really gotta gauge like just how you want to approach things like that too, because uh usually I've you know I've been at parties like that, and it's like you hear the instant change of like what we're hearing because they wanna they want to go into it, but they it's again it's not that appreciation for what it is, you know.

SPEAKER_05 1:02:42

Yeah, I remember like when when I when I graduated around the 2005-2006, going again, going back to the club, like that was reason you could dance too. Yeah, like I just don't I just don't see a lot of the stuff that's coming out now in the last couple of years. How you could go into a club at like 10 and dance till two with a stock that's alone, right? No way.

SPEAKER_04 1:03:06

There still is, it's just harder to find. And we've we've had this conversation before where it's it's almost like music is oversaturated right now because it's all digital, and anybody can do it at any time, upload it anywhere. Yeah, and so you have millions of artists who are just honestly similar to you, and that's where my question is going is it may be oversaturated, and there's a lot of pure crap out there to sort through, but you do find those diamonds in the rough sometimes. But as an artist, because you are an artist, how important is the digital age we live in as an entrepreneur, an unsigned artist, entrepreneur starting this venture for the first time? Like you have that ability to put your stuff out there in ways artists didn't when we were growing up. You had to go to the CD store, you had to stand there, scan the barcode, listen to five seconds on your headphones and say, I like that enough to buy it. Right, you can put your entire catalog out now all at once.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:01

Yeah, it's uh it's interesting because I even feel overwhelmed sometimes with how much is out there. Yeah, and the biggest thing too is that, like you said, like everything is digital and there's so much social media consumption, right? And a lot of deal before it was the radio was the thing that determined what we've and now it's it is so much to where you're like you could be on one side of TikTok, but what's trending and popular on this side isn't on this side, for sure. So then there's this disconnect with what you're playing out sometimes, like you'll play this viral song, but some people ain't moving to it. They're like, oh, okay, they don't they actually don't like this song. They like the 10 seconds they saw on TikTok and get the viral. That was it, yeah. Literally, that was it.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:54

So it's like it's brought me to a bunch of labels.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:57

It's just something that you kind of gotta play around with, you know. It's uh DJing is just experimentation, like with you know, with music for real, for real. Like it's you never know who's in the crowd, and it's a it's like a constant game of just like throwing things out until you see what they react to. Right, right. So I don't know. For me, it's like a I think it's always gonna be a little difficult because you're just always trying to read a crowd and read people that you haven't read before, you know, like there's no longer really a a sweet spot to like DJing. I think, like probably before, like in the you know, in the early 2000s, 2010s, like where you could play something and like you instantly know, like, oh, they're about to they're about to eat this up, you know what I mean? But like now it's just like you just you really gotta gauge like what crowd is coming to what you're DJ. Right. You know, like and and everybody we you know they got phones out all the time. People don't want to dance. People are too scared to be viral on TikTok. You know, viral online. And I feel that too, you know. Sometimes I'll be like, let me get out this camera. You know, and it sucks because it just takes that little bit of like, I don't know, that that free, that free spiritedness out of people. Like they don't, they're there's who's they're thinking about everything else that could end up in the public eye that they completely like just shut down.

SPEAKER_05 1:06:31

I hate that. I'm I'm terrified for that because like like even just think about me. Think about me, Jeremy.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:40

You've never been you've literally been on national news with no shirt on. And you're afraid of someone making you viral on TikTok?

SPEAKER_05 1:06:52

So you I understand. I like I I understand where people too.

SPEAKER_04 1:06:59

It was for a football from preseason camp.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:05

Yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:07

I I do. I I hate I hate it for for folks that that I think I'm just a little more I'm just a little more confident. I don't care.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:13

I know that.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:14

I don't really just don't care, but I do understand you're you're sitting on the dance floor, banging a song on. I want to get out there, but if I get out there, there's gonna be somebody that's gonna videotape me. Yeah, and then who knows what direction that that video is gonna go. Who who knows? Because I don't think really truly don't think that most people are like, I'm videoing to embarrass uh this person for the rest of their life. I don't think that's what anybody's thinking.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:41

That's what I think, actually. I wait to find those moments to embarrass somebody.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:46

I cry.

SPEAKER_04 1:07:47

Well, this is why I have certain videos on my phone still.

SPEAKER_05 1:07:52

I but still, but still, like me, I don't I don't care too much. I mean, yeah, money on the city.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:59

I'm like in between, like I don't really care, but then I don't know, it just depends. Like I said, like people are so parasocial, like they just immediately they could see a viral video and be like, oh, well, why are they looking like that? She must hate her. Like, it's just it's the way that like people can just completely like make up their own little scenario about what's going on, and it has nothing to do with anything, completely different than what they're doing. It's just a fun little video, and then it gets turned into this whole thing piece, and it's like, y'all, like, just enjoy the damn content.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:30

Like, it's nobody knows how to enjoy things.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:33

Yeah, no, not at all. Everything has to be analyzed.

SPEAKER_04 1:08:37

But luckily, we have been gifted this amazing thing to help us relax and be social at the same time. Um, and it's called cannabis. It is yes indeed. And I always one of the big reasons I do enjoy having DJs on the show is you have a completely different perspective, you know, of the music scene in any city, or what you're seeing and what's going on. And it's interesting to find out from the club scene how you're seeing more and more plant medicine come into play and less and less alcohol. And there are trends, we've talked about it, we're not gonna go into a hardcore here, but like alcohol sales are way, way, way down uh to the point where they're bribing the government to put a ban on hemp so that big whiskey won't suffer anymore. And we're gonna talk about that in a minute. But I do want to hear um from your perspective, you know, how do you do you see things shifting when you're out doing your gigs?

SPEAKER_01 1:09:38

Yeah, uh I you know what? I even see it in um just myself and like the other DJs sometimes that I play with. Like a lot of us don't drink during our sets. As crazy as it sounds, like I think um, you know, even myself, like I just recently turned 30, but like I, you know, I had my partying days in college, like are you drinking like crazy, collecting all the alcohol bottles on the same cabinets? Like, I've been there, but like now I'm just like, nah, like it's already bad that I'm out late. Now I'm like not trying to be out late and drunk and then try to get home and have to.

SPEAKER_05 1:10:17

And Ubers are more expensive.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:21

It's 945 now. I'm telling you, like, I don't even want to quit. It's crazy. So it's it's really cool to see us shift in that way and just worry about like our jobs. You know, this is our job. Like, we're in a social space, but like I don't have to say I'll be outside, I just worked outside, you know what I mean? So it's a completely different um perspective now, too. I always say I'm grateful I'm a DJ now because if I was a DJ in my early 20s, y'all be like, this girl is crazy. I don't know what the hell is coming out these sneakers, but but it's so true though, but I do see it shifting, like even like at Holy, I think they do like some type of CVD drinks or something like that. And um, people be loving that stuff. Like they get them a nice little genome, whatever. And they just, yeah, they be vibing. Like, I'm not even a huge, like, I don't even smoke like that for real. Like, my fiance smokes, that's his thing. And um, you know, I like I said, I barely drink anymore. I'll do a little shot, you know. If it's a celebration, I'm like, yeah, you know, we'll do a little something.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:24

But there's so many different kinds of products now. Then if one thing isn't your thing, if you don't like to smoke, then you've got gummies, you've got drinks, you've got one of the greatest things about doing this show is just discovering all the different kinds of products that are out there and the ingenuity that's that's going on. I mean, we got to try uh one of our other sponsors from the show, True Bloom Wellness. They sent us um like oral strips, like Listerine strips.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:49

Shut the hell up. Yeah, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 1:11:52

Right on the tongue, melts right in your mouth. Melts five milligrams, but not.

SPEAKER_05 1:11:57

You're out and about, you put on your tongue, everybody thinks you might be putting a breath strip in. It's not even crazy.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:04

When when I talk about things shifting, it's also incorporating all those new products because they're easier. These are discrete things you can keep in your pocket, you bring it in your purse, yeah. You wanna you just wanna lift, and I'm not talking about getting high, I'm talking about people that wanted to just lift put your shoulders down, yeah, yeah, get that social anxiety down, and be able to let loose, dance, and have fun, but you're not gonna be detrimental to yourself.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:27

And then not to mention alcohol is mad expensive. Like you ain't lying. Why is it the same?

SPEAKER_05 1:12:32

Like, you ain't lying, bruh.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:34

I'll be like, I think that's even more reason not to drink. Like, I don't want to go out and then I'm paying 16, 17 for a drink, and I still gotta eat it.

SPEAKER_04 1:12:43

You can do like shit the next morning, even as a beer guy in my heyday, to pay seven, eight, nine bucks a beer out, you're like, this is dumb. Give me one ten dollar, fifteen milligram drink, and I'll be good for the night.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:58

Yeah. It's crazy.

SPEAKER_05 1:13:02

So what what is your uh do you do you consume THC products?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:07

Not really. Like, I'll I'm I say this all the time. I'll smoke if there's a blunt in rotation, like I'll do a little hair. But I just I I don't know, I'll just be chilling. I think sometimes I react fine to it, and then some days I'll be like, I'm paranoid. I don't like this.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:22

So this is where we get scientific and educational.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:27

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:13:28

You may just be having the wrong things. And actually, one of the things too about us diving further into it because of doing this show is how much we've learned scientifically and it's growing up as kids, you you just bought wheat, you didn't know what it was, what were it, what I didn't know there were different kinds, I just thought weed was wheat, marijuana was marijuana. Exactly. Now we have so much more knowledge on finding the right terpene blends or profiles within whatever products you like to actually get the mood you want on it. So if you don't want to feel paranoid, you don't have to.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:02

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:02

You can find products that'll help you know calm you, will make you focused if you have ADD, it'll you know calm you down socially without making you act a fool necessarily.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:14

My side, I I do it when I want to go to sleep. Right. There's some stuff that'll bring you right on back and turn this couch into a wave pool. There's our blends.

SPEAKER_04 1:14:24

There's our blends where we just melt into the cast. Honestly, there's there's there's blends I'll take because I'm doing a lot of spreadsheet work and I just need to focus and concentrate. And believe it or not, there is stuff that can help with that. And so you gotta know yourself and you gotta know what you're taking, and you gotta kind of know the terminologies behind it.

SPEAKER_05 1:14:43

But and then start off slow, low and slow. Oh yeah, for sure. Five millivanilles. I I say five millivanillies, maybe ten millivanillies, but milligrams, but just start off light so your body can see what it what it does, and uh, and then when you when you can't feel anything happening, you just wait. You keep waiting. You just wait, you keep waiting.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:10

Give it give it another half hour, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:12

Yeah, don't because that mistake before. Oh, what a lot of people do is I can't feel it, and then they pop another five, ten, and now you got five trains coming back to back to back coming forth coming to coming to the station. They about to arrive.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:31

Seriously.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:32

But there's so many different ways to consume it. Um, there's the weirder and crazier ways that we've talked about, and then you know, you're gummies, you're gonna be.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:41

I'm gonna mention it again because I'm gonna keep mentioning it until they get one sent to us.

SPEAKER_05 1:15:46

We need two, because we can't share this. We can't share this.

SPEAKER_04 1:15:50

I believe it's like it's a multi-pack anyway. Like if we were to actually buy it, it's like a 20-pack. So there's a company called uh Boomi, B-H-U-M-I. Okay, they predominantly do chocolates and they're delicious. Fantastic chocolates. They're um Atlanta-based, I think, but are very widespread in the Carolinas. Um, which is how we came across them. Phenomenal, phenomenal chocolate. I mean, every flavor is amazing. So I was scrolling their website one day at the shop section, going through all the different flavors and styles of chocolates, and then at the end of the list was something that stood out, and I texted BJ and I said, We need to get this. I'm not sure why, but we need to get this. For scientific building, they're actually recently promoting this product for Valentine's Day, which so it intrigued me even more again. So I know it's legitimate, but it's so funny when you read it to be like, Oh, does this exist? They sell suppositories.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:52

Oh, shut the hell!

SPEAKER_04 1:16:54

Um now you can now you can take them rectally. Or you can take them vaginally. Either one. Um, and supposedly they they help clean, but also help make things better. Enhance, yeah. Enhancing certain activities.

SPEAKER_01 1:17:14

That's crazy.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:16

I said if we get them sent to us for free, I will do it live on the screen. See what happens.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:23

We're gonna attach a mic to them. Yo, that's live as well.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:29

When I say when I say the creativity is through the roof right now, it is through the roof.

SPEAKER_05 1:17:34

And then there's other there's companies that have it in hot sauce and barbecue sauce, and then like some of our wonderful guests brought it in pizza crust, you know, all over the place, maybe.

SPEAKER_04 1:17:46

Spinellos, big shout out to spinellows. If you've never had a spinellow's pizza, go to your local shop and buy one. Fantastic. And that's fascinating. But the mean old government wants to shut everything down.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:59

Yeah, of course.

SPEAKER_04 1:18:00

And so we've been mentioning this every episode as well to get everybody's perspective on it. But also just spread the word. There is a ban on hemp currently. To reopen the government, there was some language inserted into a bill that put a ban on hemp that won't actually be effective until this upcoming November. Uh, and so a lot of people in the industry have been fighting to help protect the plants because if this ban goes through a lot of jobs, a lot of products, and a lot of people who rely on those products as their unconventional forms of health care, we don't know what we're gonna do, right? And so there's a big initiative out going on right now to just encourage everybody who believes in this to reach out to your representatives and senators, join, you know, join organizations if if that's your thing as well. Um, you know, we're we're teaming up with an organization called Project Protect the Plant right now, which is a Charlotte-based initiative that is building steam outside of Charlotte as well. Now I know you don't do it a lot, but we always like to ask, you know, what when you do do it, if it's just a social or pass around, you know, what do you enjoy about it and why is this plant like something we should be fighting to protect?

SPEAKER_01 1:19:21

Honestly, like I when I feel like, you know, tree brings everybody together. I feel like everybody gotta start, like, oh I remember when I first smoked with you, and you know what I mean? Like, it just like genuinely brings like people together in ways that you know we never even realized on these days. Yeah, but uh I personally like like you said, I don't I don't smoke a lot, but I don't mind like it, I don't mind it either. Like I definitely think I would be more open to it, like or open to consuming if like it wasn't just smoking. Oh yeah. Like you said, like there's other options.

SPEAKER_04 1:20:00

I just never really and drinks drinks are huge, they're skyrocketing. Yeah, they are if that's something you want to get more into, we can always give plenty of recommendations for sure.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:10

Yeah, but too, like my uncle, like he, you know, medically he uses like he needs, you know, to uh relax like his uh legs and stuff like that, leg muscles and whatnot. So like there's always with anything, there's you know, there's good use for it, you know what I mean? So I think that um even the way they do like tax, you know, how they have been taxing, like you know, meat and stuff like that lately. It's just crazy because yeah, that yes, it's good for recreational, but a lot of people need it medically, so it's like and and it's a better option than some of these crazy medicines and all types of stuff they putting out insane it's good for us, but it ain't, you know, so you know, there's a whole lot behind that. But you know, I think that if you know it was able to be put out there and you know, in a way where everyone was able to have it safely, you know, and use it and consume it safely for the things that we need, whether that be recreationally or medically, it should be available to us. And you know, it's it's unfortunate how um, you know, they found ways to, you know, to give it to us, but with all the extra shit attached to it, you know, it's it's unfortunate. But yeah, I'm hoping that, you know, something works out to where those petitions and stuff like that. I hope so. Get some theme behind him for real.

SPEAKER_04 1:21:31

There is a a proposal um that so there was uh some meetings in Washington the last week, last couple weeks. Um and uh there was a representative from from Charlotte, uh Mike Sims, who owns the Crowntown Dispensary brand name, who is big into all the movement, doing the work. Um thanks so much for everything he does. I shout that out all the time. So he was there as part of this meeting, and there's actually been a proposal for a bill um in DC that will extend the deadline three more years to give everybody time to come up with the best ways to regulate it. And the the tagline really is um we're not looking for prohibition. It's regulation over prohibition.

SPEAKER_02 1:22:20

That's right.

SPEAKER_04 1:22:21

We can all come to terms to agree that yes, there should be some regulation. Should we make it a 21 plus only thing? Maybe keep it out of the hands of of younger people who maybe aren't equipped enough yet to do it responsibly. Um lab testing products need to be lab tested so you know the breakdown of everything in it. And the the thing is the respectable shops are already doing these things. Yes, even though there are no laws, the respectable shops have signs that say not under 21. They're already putting they're putting the QR codes on every product so you can scan it and go straight to all the facts from that lab testing. So I mean, if we all keep doing that, there shouldn't be a lot of problems. And we're you're screwing up people's lives. Even if you look at it from a recreation standpoint, I think the recreation side is still hugely important because within that recreation, you're doing it to let loose, to calm down, to relax, to unwind.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:17

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:23:18

Beyond that, there's so many other important uses for pain management, mental health, ADB, just the list can go on of the things it can be used for, not to mention the industries. I mean, it's a multi-billion dollar industry at this point. There are farmers, there are local shops, small businesses. These people, what are they gonna do if this this ban all of a sudden hard November? You're done, you know.

SPEAKER_03 1:23:45

Yeah, that's crazy.

SPEAKER_05 1:23:48

We gotta save it. Yeah, yeah, we gotta save it. Definitely worried about it, definitely thinking about it. And um, I think it'd be good for for anyone who uses it recreationally or uses it for um one of the plethora of reasons why you would just to take a second, and we're gonna say it every show, and hope that everyone one uh one day after one of our listen to one of our shows, you just take a second and just see what's going on in your area and who's leading an initiative, and you know, sign a ballot or you know, just reach out to someone, let them know, yeah, hey, we appreciate what you're doing um to keep this movement going. Because inevitably, if if you don't say anything, the date's gonna come, it's gonna shut off, it's gonna cut off, and everything's gonna stop. And it's a lot harder to get a train moving. Uh, keep it's a lot easier to keep a train moving than to try to pick it up once it's stopped. And we don't want to have to do that, so you know.

SPEAKER_04 1:24:51

Not to derail the seriousness of that conversation, but you know how you mentioned there's always a part in a record that comes on like a part of the episode, and just as you were doing that, the chorus in the background just like you planned that somehow.

SPEAKER_05 1:25:12

Couldn't if I tried, man. I couldn't if I tried.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:17

But the ending of that song also means we are just about at time for this episode. It's been a good time. It has been a great time.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:27

Yes, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_04 1:25:28

Um, but obviously the last thing we always want to do before we wrap up this episode is just tell everything and everywhere that everybody can find you.

SPEAKER_01 1:25:37

Yes. Well, I go by DJ Meachi. Um, all my platforms are the same at Meachamilly. So M-E-E-C-H-A-M-I-L-L-I, um, SoundCloud, YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, literally anywhere. Anywhere in this platform, it's probably at Meachamilly. So feel free to follow me on those. Um, SoundCloud. I usually try to post at least once or um really once every one and two weeks. Uh it just depends on how I'm feeling. I'll let the movie, I'll let the music guide me. But yeah, that's where y'all can find me. I don't got anything too crazy coming up. I know y'all said this will probably air in April, April 20th, 420. But but yeah, right now, like I'll just take it day by day, like as as the gigs come, you know, whatever. I I enjoy it. I do my thing, but I'm grateful for y'all having me. I really, really enjoyed this. Seriously, y'all are great guys.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:32

And of course, if they f if they follow you, they can find where you're popping up. But you did mention obviously the residency and a residency is standard show.

SPEAKER_01 1:26:41

That's actually something to say.

SPEAKER_04 1:26:42

When is when and when can they come to that?

SPEAKER_01 1:26:46

Folia, I'm usually there on Fridays or Saturdays. It changes each month because they always, you know, have different bookings and people that book out for private events and whatnot. But usually I'm there Fridays and Saturdays. But yes, if y'all follow me, um, you will know exactly the days, usually right before the month even pops up. So yeah, definitely make sure y'all check me out there.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:06

And honestly, watch the videos on Instagram and TikTok, go to the SoundCloud, listen to the mixes. I'm not kidding. For someone who has only been in it for a year and actually professionally less than that.

SPEAKER_05 1:27:18

Thank you. Wow, thank you.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:20

The the blends and the mixing that you're doing, I I think you describe it perfectly because again, it's the stuff I grew up with too. And so I took that. I mean, I read I read this after having listened to some of your mixes because I had to check you out first before we started like for sure, for sure. But I was like, all right.

SPEAKER_02 1:27:39

You gotta be your research, okay?

SPEAKER_04 1:27:41

You guys are gonna like it, but just go, I'm not kidding, listen and then go out live and support as well. But the the videos don't disappoint. You you get a good feel of your style by listening to your song called mixes. Um, everyone definitely go check that out.

SPEAKER_01 1:27:57

Thanks, y'all.

SPEAKER_04 1:27:58

Any any last thing you'd like to see? Say it all before we officially sign off.

SPEAKER_01 1:28:02

Man, I don't know. I I guess go and do what you want to do in life. I know that sounds you know most emotional, but um, it's never too late to start anything new you want to do and uh whatever you do, just be great at it and just do it.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:18

In in less than a year, you can go from being a teacher to a DJ.

SPEAKER_02 1:28:22

Yep, or give a crash course, Mr. Buds.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:28

You're like this, man. I don't like when we come to the end of this, man.

SPEAKER_04 1:28:33

I just don't because you I always make you follow the guest and they say something really cool, and then you're like, shit, I have to close off.

SPEAKER_05 1:28:39

Yeah, I ain't got nothing, man. Just can't wait to see you again. Next show's gonna be even better. Next week. That's right. Oh, I can say my I can say my little quote again. I think it's important Do you even remember what you said? I it just it just came back up. I think it's important um in our lives to take advantage of an opportunity of a lifetime within the the lifetime of that opportunity. That's what it's about. That's like her whole story. I love it. I love it. That's not the exact way you said it before.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:09

I'm gonna cut that out and post that. Something close.

SPEAKER_02 1:29:13

Something close.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:15

But of course, we wouldn't be a show without our listeners. So we always like everything with thanking all of our listeners. I think at this point we may have gone from like five to six. Oh, I like it. So we're growing. It's growing, we're growing, we're growing up. Actually, honest, serious no. I'm gonna say this because this is if I say it out loud, it'll happen. Right? That's manifestation. Let's do it. So we have at this point over the course of three seasons, we have had downloads in every continent except one.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:48

What's that one? Africa. We got to get you Africa. Come on, Africa.

SPEAKER_04 1:29:53

So I need at least one listener this season to download a single episode that lives in Africa.

SPEAKER_05 1:29:59

Not you.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:01

Just catch your location on your phone. We need to get someone. I need every continent represented. And right now, we're at it, we're at a uh very close with obviously, you know, we we're in Charlie Ruth California. So our biggest listening base is here. Outside of that, our next biggest listening base is in like Berlin. I like you. So I want to see this year, I want to see the country's battle. Can we see somebody creep up behind that and maybe take over?

SPEAKER_05 1:30:28

Egypt, or I don't know. I don't I don't know. I don't know. Just throwing stuff out the Congo? I don't know. Come on.

SPEAKER_01 1:30:34

That part.

SPEAKER_05 1:30:34

We can we can have somebody dub it in in one of the beautiful African. Oh, please.

SPEAKER_02 1:30:42

Oh god.

SPEAKER_04 1:30:44

I mean, on that note. Yes, sir. Thanks for tuning into the vinyl high podcast. You guys all know this is the podcast where the grooviest tunes turn into the craziest discussions. We hope you've enjoyed this auditory journey with us. Remember, stay tuned, stay mellow, and always keep your final vibes. And until next time, keep reaching for the Sonic Sky and always stay vinyl high. Today's episode of the Vinally High Podcast was powered by Ghostface Gorilla Grow, the legend in the garden and the name behind the loudest premium THC flower out there.