By Hard Knock
S.T.I.L.L.: Delaware has a lot of hungry, talented artists, both in hip hop and R&B, that haven’t been heard yet. What’s your advice to those artists that are still trying to get enough “buzz” for their music to reach the hands and ears of the entertainment industry, and are you open for assisting artists that you deem to be "talented" by helping them get spins, etc.?
AMAZE: Artists should be booking and promoting shows, doing mixtapes, ringtones, and anything they can. I don't think music needs to reach industry hands to be successful. I think that is the misconception! Why not do it big on your own and have the industry eating out of YOUR hands? I try to help but I'm only one person, and what artists don't understand is, if people aren't familiar with your music, it's hard for a DJ to break it in and get any kind of response in Delaware. Sure people want me to spin their joints, BUT they expect me to play it at a party when nobody else has heard of them or their music. That is a set-up for failure.
S.T.I.L.L.: Do you have any tracks you’re working on that you can hear an industry artist rhyming, or singing, on that you think would make the track even hotter? Like, is there anyone you’d like to collab with in the industry on your future tracks? And where can people go to find music from DJ Amaze?
AMAZE: Yeah, I do a lot of remixes where I sample or use verses from national artists. I did "I Can't Believe it", the T-Pain song. I gave it a dance hall beat, and it works heavy in the clubs and radio. Shout out to Benja Styles for puttin' the remix together. I also manage D. Goode, a R&B singer who wrote on the "Day 26" album. He is currently on tour in Singapore for our label, Hood Elegant Music. You can check me out on Itunes, Rhapsody, Emusic, Amazonmp3 or, of course, www.DJAMAZE.com.
S.T.I.L.L.: Now, let’s rewind a little bit. Let’s talk about your involvement with Funk Master Flex. How did you first hook up with Funk Master Flex to be the DJ at his car shows?
AMAZE: I did a different car show where he made an appearance. I basically told him he'd be a fool not to use me. I, then, did my research and found out who else I could talk to about getting on the tour. I was very vocal about it and backed it up with my performance. Last year in Ocean City, I basically hosted the entire show, so I'm not even just deejaying them anymore!
S.T.I.L.L.: Alright, so we know you do live shows and rock the crowd on a regular basis. When and where are your upcoming shows?
AMAZE: Well, I do a lot of shows around University of Delaware and a lot of the colleges around here. But, I also make appearances at different clubs and can be heard on both OC104 and Sirius XM Radio. Best way to check my upcoming shows is to take a look at the website, or MySpace, because I am averaging three to four shows a week.
S.T.I.L.L.: So, let’s chat a bit about what you’re doing with your music right now. What's going on with you as far as your album and you producing for artists?
AMAZE: Well, the album dropped last August and was welcomed very warmly. While physical sales of CDs are down across the board, it is doing decent in digital download sales. I've taken a step back with production right now; I've got a lot on my plate and only want to put out quality. So, because of this, my circle is growing. My label is starting to bring on in-house producers to help handle our projects and get the best possible product out.
S.T.I.L.L.: You’ve attained a level of success that many DJs in Delaware have yet to achieve hailing from “The First State”. How have your appearances with Funk Master Flex as well as others helped you to further establish yourself as a DJ?
AMAZE: It's all about the experience, really. I don't get star-struck working with major artists. To me, they are just co-workers there to do a show just like me. At times they rely on me to play their music, introduce them, or entertaining the crowd before and after they perform.I am very appreciative of the folks who have supported me over the years but, at the same time, I keep my eyes focused forward to the future.
S.T.I.L.L.: I know you travel with the Icon Model Group. What’s up with them, and what can we expect from them in the future?
AMAZE: The Icon Model Group is my model team that comes out to a lot of my shows, as you mentioned. They recently got a contract with Nuovo, so they have really started to take on a career of their own. I'm very proud of the ladies professionalism and their effectiveness at an event. Sizzel is the director of the group now, and you can check out pictures of the ladies at www.myspace.com/iconmodelgroup They are for hire!
S.T.I.L.L.: Let’s talk about mixtapes...Do you have any mixtapes out right now, or coming out later this year? And, if so, what are the titles, and when can we expect it??
AMAZE: Man, I always have a mixtape out, in some form or fashion, for the last 12 years! A lot of my mixtapes I make available online now to cut the cost. It also helps drive traffic to my website. I do a mix every week on my site and offer it as a free download. I also have a podcast channel and, in addition to that, I post new mixes regularly on www.Delawhereyouat.com radio.
S.T.I.L.L.: Who would you say are your influences, and what DJs inspired you to be the best DJ you can be?
AMAZE: My influences are too broad to name in the music industry. I guess the main point is to keep your mind open. I was watchin' a DVD of a group GENESIS who did a show in Liverpool, England. They had over 100,000 people at their show! So, beyond Hip-Hop, I just wanna know how I could draw that many folks to one of my shows. I just keep my mind and my eyes open. DJs who influenced me are, locally, DJ Shorty T and, more popularly, Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri, Qbert, and Jay-Ski.
S.T.I.L.L.: Out of all your records in your collection, which three records would you most like to do a sample from to hear a rap artist on the track?
AMAZE: Man! I'm embarrassed to say that I don't even know 25% of the records in my collection. I have a really big collection, but it isn't organized at all. It's actually my New Year's resolution to start organizing it so I can start playin' some joints ya'll don't even know about! But, for now, I can't answer that.
AMAZE: Artists should be booking and promoting shows, doing mixtapes, ringtones, and anything they can. I don't think music needs to reach industry hands to be successful. I think that is the misconception! Why not do it big on your own and have the industry eating out of YOUR hands? I try to help but I'm only one person, and what artists don't understand is, if people aren't familiar with your music, it's hard for a DJ to break it in and get any kind of response in Delaware. Sure people want me to spin their joints, BUT they expect me to play it at a party when nobody else has heard of them or their music. That is a set-up for failure.
S.T.I.L.L.: Do you have any tracks you’re working on that you can hear an industry artist rhyming, or singing, on that you think would make the track even hotter? Like, is there anyone you’d like to collab with in the industry on your future tracks? And where can people go to find music from DJ Amaze?
AMAZE: Yeah, I do a lot of remixes where I sample or use verses from national artists. I did "I Can't Believe it", the T-Pain song. I gave it a dance hall beat, and it works heavy in the clubs and radio. Shout out to Benja Styles for puttin' the remix together. I also manage D. Goode, a R&B singer who wrote on the "Day 26" album. He is currently on tour in Singapore for our label, Hood Elegant Music. You can check me out on Itunes, Rhapsody, Emusic, Amazonmp3 or, of course, www.DJAMAZE.com.
S.T.I.L.L.: Now, let’s rewind a little bit. Let’s talk about your involvement with Funk Master Flex. How did you first hook up with Funk Master Flex to be the DJ at his car shows?
AMAZE: I did a different car show where he made an appearance. I basically told him he'd be a fool not to use me. I, then, did my research and found out who else I could talk to about getting on the tour. I was very vocal about it and backed it up with my performance. Last year in Ocean City, I basically hosted the entire show, so I'm not even just deejaying them anymore!
S.T.I.L.L.: Alright, so we know you do live shows and rock the crowd on a regular basis. When and where are your upcoming shows?
AMAZE: Well, I do a lot of shows around University of Delaware and a lot of the colleges around here. But, I also make appearances at different clubs and can be heard on both OC104 and Sirius XM Radio. Best way to check my upcoming shows is to take a look at the website, or MySpace, because I am averaging three to four shows a week.
S.T.I.L.L.: So, let’s chat a bit about what you’re doing with your music right now. What's going on with you as far as your album and you producing for artists?
AMAZE: Well, the album dropped last August and was welcomed very warmly. While physical sales of CDs are down across the board, it is doing decent in digital download sales. I've taken a step back with production right now; I've got a lot on my plate and only want to put out quality. So, because of this, my circle is growing. My label is starting to bring on in-house producers to help handle our projects and get the best possible product out.
S.T.I.L.L.: You’ve attained a level of success that many DJs in Delaware have yet to achieve hailing from “The First State”. How have your appearances with Funk Master Flex as well as others helped you to further establish yourself as a DJ?
AMAZE: It's all about the experience, really. I don't get star-struck working with major artists. To me, they are just co-workers there to do a show just like me. At times they rely on me to play their music, introduce them, or entertaining the crowd before and after they perform.I am very appreciative of the folks who have supported me over the years but, at the same time, I keep my eyes focused forward to the future.
S.T.I.L.L.: I know you travel with the Icon Model Group. What’s up with them, and what can we expect from them in the future?
AMAZE: The Icon Model Group is my model team that comes out to a lot of my shows, as you mentioned. They recently got a contract with Nuovo, so they have really started to take on a career of their own. I'm very proud of the ladies professionalism and their effectiveness at an event. Sizzel is the director of the group now, and you can check out pictures of the ladies at www.myspace.com/iconmodelgroup They are for hire!
S.T.I.L.L.: Let’s talk about mixtapes...Do you have any mixtapes out right now, or coming out later this year? And, if so, what are the titles, and when can we expect it??
AMAZE: Man, I always have a mixtape out, in some form or fashion, for the last 12 years! A lot of my mixtapes I make available online now to cut the cost. It also helps drive traffic to my website. I do a mix every week on my site and offer it as a free download. I also have a podcast channel and, in addition to that, I post new mixes regularly on www.Delawhereyouat.com radio.
S.T.I.L.L.: Who would you say are your influences, and what DJs inspired you to be the best DJ you can be?
AMAZE: My influences are too broad to name in the music industry. I guess the main point is to keep your mind open. I was watchin' a DVD of a group GENESIS who did a show in Liverpool, England. They had over 100,000 people at their show! So, beyond Hip-Hop, I just wanna know how I could draw that many folks to one of my shows. I just keep my mind and my eyes open. DJs who influenced me are, locally, DJ Shorty T and, more popularly, Jazzy Jeff, Kid Capri, Qbert, and Jay-Ski.
S.T.I.L.L.: Out of all your records in your collection, which three records would you most like to do a sample from to hear a rap artist on the track?
AMAZE: Man! I'm embarrassed to say that I don't even know 25% of the records in my collection. I have a really big collection, but it isn't organized at all. It's actually my New Year's resolution to start organizing it so I can start playin' some joints ya'll don't even know about! But, for now, I can't answer that.