iHipHop Interview- DJ Blazita: 4-Alarm Fire…

Once upon a time, the late Marilyn Monroe said, “I don’t mind living in a man’s world, as long as I can be a woman in it.”

To this day, that quote is basically the code of honor, that is lived by every single woman who walks the face of the earth; regardless of whatever world they choose to step into.

But what about the DJ world? Is it possible for a woman to be recognized amongst her peers of the opposite sex as one of the best in the field?

Luckily for DJ Blazita, that’s a question she doesn’t have to answer, because her accomplishments do all the talking instead.

The Brooklyn native first caught the bug for vinyl while attending Penn State University, which lead to gigs on Sirius Satellite’s Hip-Hop Nation, Shade 45, and ultimately winning in the category of Best Female DJ at the Justo Mixtape Awards last year.

So what’s next in store for the spinstress? That’s easy to answer, and you don’t even have to know how to execute a chirp scratch to find out…

iHipHop.com: When did you first get into DJ’ing?

DJ Blazita: About 6-7 years ago at Penn State [University]… I haven’t been doing mixtapes for that long though, maybe for like a couple of years…

iHipHop.com: What initially made you want to get into it?

DJ Blazita: Well, I started off as a radio personality, but before that I was always into music, so it was basically a natural transition for me…

I had a radio show in high school and in college… Then in college I met some DJ’s, and I just went from there, and learned how to use turntables…

iHipHop.com: How long did it take you before you really started to make the rounds, and people started recognizing your name?

DJ Blazita: I was doing parties while I was at Penn State, but it’s only really been like the past couple of years since I’ve been doing mixtapes…

I’ve worked with artists, and things like that, and plus last year I won the Justo Mixtape Awards, so that helped a lot to get my name out there…

iHipHop.com: How was that experience like for you? Were you shocked that you won it?

DJ Blazita: Well, I worked really hard, so I felt like it was an honor, but I was kind of expecting it because I was working really hard… [Laughing] I was going hard with the mixtapes, and I was happy to be nominated, and I didn’t really know I was going to win, but I was happy to win…

iHipHop.com: When you were first starting off, were there any techniques that were difficult for you to master?

DJ Blazita: Um yeah, my left hand… My left hand so WHACK!! [Laughing]… So I had to work on that, and the rhythm of scratching is not something that’s easy to learn… I still don’t have a transformer yet, but I’m working on it… [Laughing]

iHipHop.com: [Laughs]… Do you have any projects in the works right now?

DJ Blazita: I just released Sex In The City pt. 5 not too long ago, which is classic R&B… I also have a mixtape coming out called Natural Born Killers, and it’s going to feature tracks produced by Vinny Idol…

iHipHop.com: Plus you were also doing your thing on Shade 45 Radio. How was that experience for you?

DJ Blazita: I got booked for the Shade 45 spot, but it was just a one-time thing… Right now I spin every weekend on AlistRadio.net, and the hottest DJ’s out right now are on that… The show I do is called Saturday Block Party, and I’m with four other DJ’s from 5pm to 10pm every Saturday…

iHipHop.com: So what’s your take on Serato? Do you love it, or hate it?

DJ Blazita: I like Serato… It makes it so much easier for me because before I was carrying crates, and carrying crates, as a female wasn’t fun to do… [Laughs] So I think Serato is more convenient, and you can basically have like any and all music that’s out…

iHipHop.com: Most DJ’s ultimately make the transition over to making beats as well. Has that thought ever crossed your mind?

DJ Blazita: [Laughs]… I don’t have the patience for producing… That is a natural transition for some people, but I have friends who are producers/DJ’s and I’ve been in the studio with them, and I’m like, “I don’t have the patience for this, I can’t do it!!” [Laughing]…

So I don’t think I’ll be beat making anytime soon, but I will be working with some artists that I have, and I will be busy with that…

iHipHop.com: How do you feel about being a female in basically a male-dominated profession? Do you still feel like it’s a boys club?

DJ Blazita: The door is open as much as you want it to be, but of course it’s male-dominated and I deal with BS everyday… I’ve just learned how to deal with it, and I don’t let it affect me as much…

I just do me and keep moving forward with the opportunities that have been presented to me… I’m really focused on that, so it hasn’t really gotten to me; you know?

iHipHop.com: Would you say that the DJ world is a competitive one? Like are all DJ’s battling each other to get gigs?

DJ Blazita: It’s competitive… But the thing that bothers me the most are these people who aren’t DJ’s, and their undercutting, and the promoters who undercut…

Things like that are very frustrating, so it’s competitive to a point, but there’s also a bunch of BS that you have to deal with, and it can get ridiculous… But you deal with it [Laughing]…

iHipHop.com: [Laughs]… What would you say has been your biggest achievement so far?

DJ Blazita: Definitely being recognized as the Best Female Mixtape DJ has been the biggest achievement for me, because when I started that was a goal in my sight… I wanted to be recognized as one of the best, so that was a really big thing for me…

iHipHop.com: Have you found it easy keeping your head above water when it comes to the mixtape circuit?

DJ Blazita: The mixtape circuit is even more competitive, because people bite ideas, and there’s only so many ways that you can actually present new material… So a lot of things come out, and you’re like, “Damn, I was just about to put something like that out!” [Laughing]…

So it’s pretty competitive when it comes to that, so you just have to find a way to separate yourself…