#DJ

Jun 24, 2017

EP 105: Zen Freeman: How to give people what they actually want

You might say Zen Freeman leads a charmed life. He DJs for the sexiest brands in the sexiest places around the world. He also does festivals and clubs, and makes his own music. In today’s episode, he gives us a glimpse into the work it takes to make all of that happen, and how he’s taking things to the next level by launching his own festival: RHA Fest, debuting at the end of July in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Listen up, and then get your tickets at https://rhafestival.com

Apr 19, 2017

EP 97: DJ Vice: How to be cool with making mistakes

Vice is the type of dude to make everything seem easy. His DJ mixes sound effortless, jumping between genres as if they didn’t even exist; he’s a natural interviewer on his YouTube show, Electric Taco; and he seems to slide from business to business (music production, sneaker shop owner, to name a couple) with style and grace. Turns out Vice works really hard to develop his skills, and he matches them with a confidence that he describes as humble bragging, but doesn’t sou

Feb 3, 2017

EP 86: Sam Spiegel: I need strong people around me

Sam Spiegel tells us how about the time he critiqued Kanye West’s music, and Kanye liked it. We dropped by Sam’s house to soak up some knowledge. He gave us water and let us in on the secrets to his success. - How he built a company that makes music for the coolest brands in the world - How he made a music video for his group NASA (North America, South America, not the space program) that caused an online scandal - How he knows what kind of people he wants to hire S

Jan 26, 2017

EP 85: DJ Skee: How to just go for it and not worry about mistakes

DJ Skee has retired from more successful careers than most people have ever had. He's been a DJ, producer, marketer, TV host. Mark Cuban called him the Oprah of music and he's been called the Ryan Seacrest of hip-hop. These days, he's the founder of Dash Radio, which aims to be the #1 online radio platform in the world. They're off to a good start: Dash hosts Rebel Radio on the Theory of Mind channel, and also features shows from many of our previous guests: Baka Boyz, DJ Hap

Jan 20, 2017

EP 84: Justin Rezvani: How to be Relentless

Justin Rezvani wants me to get an Amazon Echo. I don’t want an Amazon Echo. I want Apple to get it’s shit together and make products that blow us all away. What’s great about Justin is that he isn’t weighted down by all of that nostalgia. His favorite DJs are some guys he heard at Burning Man last year. Not some dude he’s been rooting for for the past three decades. In other words, Justin’s only real passion is success. And it shows. At 28, he was recently named to Forbes

Jan 11, 2017

EP 83: You have to be self centered because you have to put your art first. — With Erik Abel

Today’s guest has seen all sides of the music business. Erik Abel been an artist, producer, DJ, and most recently booking agent for folks like The Beatnuts, The Cool Kids, Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and DJ Quik. He stops by Rebel Radio to share some lessons he’s learned along the road, including: - what Chance the Rapper, Kid Rock, and Abba have in common - why you shouldn’t drink all day and eat McDonald's - how to get your money’s worth from a gym membership He also

Jan 5, 2017

EP 82: DJ Hapa [part 2]: How to appreciate every single moment

Epilepsy affects one in 26 people. Hapa is one of them. True to his nature, he doesn’t hide from his condition. Instead he uses it as a vehicle to inspire and enlighten. Kind of the same way he approaches his DJ career. In part two of our interview, Hapa gives us some insight into how he handles obstacles, like being told he can’t go to college because of his epilepsy. And his secret for appreciating his life. He also tells us what’s up with his new label, Phil N Good,

Dec 28, 2016

EP 81: DJ Hapa [part 1]: How to be bilingual in business

Calling Hapa a DJ doesn’t quite tell the whole story. Actually, his story is so big that we had to split the interview in to two episodes so we could bring you all of the lessons he has to share. In Part 1, we’ll dig into the beginnings of Hapa’s journey — from early inspiration from the Invisibl Scratch Picklz to becoming America’s first TV news DJ, to launching the LA campus of Scratch DJ Academy and helping build that brand as a leader in DJ culture. We get some insight in

Dec 21, 2016

EP 80: Mr. Choc: How to be a team player

Mr. Choc is a great DJ. You probably already know that. He’s been on Southern California airwaves and parties for over three decades. He stops by the Rebel Radio studios to explain why DJing is a team sport. Choc has spent the last decade teaching new jacks both the skills and the culture, and has been a part of some of the most influential crews around, including the World Famous Beat Junkies and Skam Artist management. Choc’s secret weapon: Don't dwell on anything that'

Dec 14, 2016

EP 79: Taso: How to keep it positive no matter what

Taso is an interesting dude. Boston street kid with a heavy spiritual side and a powerful positive mental attitude. In our interview, he quotes The Four Agreements and remembers The LOX vs. G-Unit battle. How often do both of those come up in the same conversation? He seems like the type of dude who would find a way to be successful at whatever he does. But he’s also 100% music. As part of the Teklife collective, Taso is helping bring the footwork genre to the forefront of da

Nov 30, 2016

EP 77: Slimkid3: It's good when you hit rock bottom because there's nothing but you.

Slimkid3 was a member of The Pharcyde back in the 90s, bringing us some of the most fun hip-hop at a time when most of the music coming out of New York and LA was so damn serious. Their hits like "Passin’ Me By” and “Runnin’” blew up worldwide, and then everything fell apart for the group. Now Tre is in our studio telling us how he was able to start over and build a career that’s now into its third decade. Today, he’s partners with DJ Nu-Mark in TRDMRK; he’s part of the

Nov 23, 2016

EP 76: Bua: As an artist you have to evolve

Bua blends hip hop, graffiti, and fine art in a way that’s completely unique. His painting, The DJ, is among the highest-selling posters of all time. I’m sure a lot of you have had it hanging in your bedrooms. But Bua started out with everyone telling him he was no good. His teachers and friends urged him to give up painting. Good thing for us he didn’t listen. He inched his way out of mediocrity, ignoring the critics at every step, working harder and harder to master his

Jul 20, 2016

EP 58: R3LL: How to build core fans that really support you

R3ll stops by Rebel Radio to tell us what it’s like to be young and enthusiastic. He moved to LA after becoming a popular party promoter and DJ in the Jersey Club scene and is now bringing his energetic bass sound to audiences across the country and around the world. He gives us some insights into how he keeps it fun for himself and for fans, and how he tries to create an experience that goes beyond the music. "They need to remember that like weeks, months, like, 'Yo, las

Jun 22, 2016

EP 54: DJ Spider: How to make DJing great again

DJ Spider isn’t just a great DJ; he makes it look fun too. He preaches work-life balance: “I don't know how long term you can be burning up the clubs without burning up your life." He makes hilarious videos, such as his Vine series Mag Life or the multi-million-view Whole Foods Parking Lot featuring DJ Dave. He goes on tour with rockstars: Blink 182 this summer. He starts social media firestorms in his spare time, like the viral hit Make DJing Great Again baseball cap

Jun 7, 2016

EP 52: Claude VonStroke: How to breakthrough in the music business

EXTRA SPECIAL 1-YEAR ANNIVERSARY EPISODE. Today we bring you a special birthday treat: Lessons from one of the best in the business. Never give up. That’s the lesson we get today from Dirtybird Records chief Claude VonStroke. He’s a DJ, producer, label boss, and the leader of a tribe that trusts him to provide a full-service entertainment experience that includes events and merchandise. The Dirtybird BBQ daylong cookout with DJs have become a favorite of fans around the

Jun 1, 2016

EP 51: Super CW is going to help you beat cancer

Warning: Today’s episode gets pretty deep. Don’t worry, we’ll be back to our regular shallow selves next week. Super CW flew in from Hawaii just to chop it up with us. She’s on a break from being one of the island’s hardest working people: DJ, blogger, marketer, documentary filmmaker, and part of the Pow! Wow! crew that is becoming famous around the world for its cutting-edge art shows. Last year she added one more distinction: cancer survivor. While she battled breast cancer

Apr 29, 2016

EP 46: Them Jeans: "Hey, my brain is full of cool ideas." What about you?

Them Jeans is our tallest guest so far! He’s a DJ, producer, and host of two popular podcasts: The Stew (food) and Tall Tales (music). Josh knew him as the doorman at Cinespace at the forefront, literally, of the electro-indie explosion that birthed the careers of Steve Aoki, Franki Chan, Thee Mike B, and the like. Jeans stops by Rebel Radio headquarters to tell Josh he looks like Ray Romano and get some parenting tips (although he doesn’t have a child). They also discuss wha

Apr 14, 2016

EP 44: DJ AM helped DJs out of the corner and on to the stage

It’s hard to overstate the influence DJ AM has had on the art of DJing. There are a handful of DJs who have massively influenced the art of DJing. - Kool Herc taught us we could mix two records together. - Grandmaster Flash taught us we could scratch. - Q-Bert taught us the turntable could be a musical instrument. - AM taught us we could play whatever records we want. Before he died, DJ AM inspired DJs around the world to break through boundaries many of them weren’t even awa

Apr 8, 2016

EP 43: JAYCEEOH: HOW TO COLLAB AND COMPETE AT THE SAME TIME

Jayceeoh drops by Rebel Radio World Headquarters to play us tracks from his new collab with the funk Dr. Spock (aka Redman). Sorry, no snippets (yet), but we can tell you the energy is electric, and the duo is fittingly called 1,000 Volts. He also gives us some insights into his creative journey. Jayceeoh is a very competitive dude, as you might imagine. He’s a two-time DMC finalist and winner of VH1’s Master of the Mix as well as McDonald’s Flavor Battle. Even his mixtape se

Mar 25, 2016

EP 41: 6 reasons you need to hear more from Vikter Duplaix [Part 2]

We hope you enjoyed last week’s interview with Vikter Duplaix. There was so much good stuff that we had to re-up for a second week. If you missed the first part, you can check it out below. In part two, Vikter tells us about his first big break and how he learned (the hard way) to take credit for the work he’s done. He also explains how he managed to stay focused on his creative vision when people were expecting him to be something different. Then we get to hear about being m