DJ Rah2K - Ozone Magazine Interview Article

Mix and Flip

By Andrew Bess

Straight to your doorstep from the Bay area comes DJ Rah2k. Over the past five years he's been grinding out mixtapes with the fury only matched by few. Rah networked with the drama king Kay Slay and joined forces with Streetsweepers and over the last year has hit the game with over 70 mixtapes - not to mention he is the official DJ for Sick Wit It Records own Turf Talk. Let's get it poppin' - forget the Bankhead, bounce with the Bay.

A lot of music is generated by regional sound. Being from the bay, what makes your sound different from the rest of the region?

Well first off a lot of these DJs don't break records. That's something I think I do different. Also, I bring an east coast attitude to the mixtape game out here talking shit, Doing shout out's to store's, label's, sponsors etc... I think my style of mixing and hosting is one of a kind, not too many DJs in the bay can rock the turntable's and rock the mic at the same time. This is why I get a lot of mixtape hosting as well and club gigs, cause I'm a beast when I'm djing. I've travelled all around the country and seen a lot of DJs and most of them just play their region.

How did you get involved with the drama king himself, DJ Kay Slay and the rest of Streetsweepers?

I hooked up with DJ Radio of Streetsweeper's via my dude DJ E-Rock of Sick 

Wit It Records. So now we have a series called "That's The Bizzness." 

We've made over a dozen different tapes. Last year I went out there for the 

mixtape awards and chilled with Radio and Slay, and I've been in Radio's ear 

about bringing the Streetsweeper movement out here, and I hit Slay about it, 

and he told me to rep it out here and that if I ever need anything to holler at him.

You are also the official DJ for Sick Wit It Records artist, Turf Talk who is E-40's cousin. How did you become his local and road DJ?

[Laughs] This was dope, I remember I was djing this club called Angels in 

San Jose, and I saw Mugzi and my dude Nanell & E-Rock outside. I'm inside 

mashing up the club with hella bay shit, and once I see Turf and Mugzi and the 

rest of Sick Wit It Records enter the venue, I start running threw hella Sick Wit It 

Record cuts. Mugzi told me to call him and I thought I played some exclusive shit 

that I shouldn't have. Anyways, he called and asked me to DJ for Turf Talk. 

Of course I said yes.

A lot of the bay area is nationally associated with Hyphy music. What are your thoughts on critics saying it was just a fad?

Well that's what really put us out there on TV, but I would tell the critics to 

come out here. There's a lot more then hyphy going on and artists are really making 

good music. It's not just going hyphy and ghost riding your whip. We just gotta keep

pushing for these radio stations to pick up on bay artist music.

You've worked with many artists like E-40, Big Rich, San Quinn, and others like Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Akon and T-Pain. Who has been the best to work with and why?

Turf Talk and Big Rich are the easiest and best to work with - both got hella bars, 

and when it comes down to it they about business. Juelz Santana was high as a kite 

when he hosted a mixtape for me one time and that shit was a hella funny session.

Mixtape DJs put in a lot of work but don't get recognized for it. You've dropped over 70 mixtapes alone in 2007. Why do you think mixtape DJs have to work harder than your average artist who drops a record or two a year?

That's simple. Money talks - mixtape DJs do it their selves, 

I know for a fact a lot of artists you see in magazine's with there full 

page adds and so on get outsold by mixtape DJs. 

Think about that for a second - the DJ sells more then the artist. 

It all goes back to money and promo budget. As for me I'm just pushing 

tape after tape to support these artists who don't have major labels behind 

them to pump their single.

You were recently nominated for Justo's Mixtape Awards in NYC were you are up for "Best West Coast Mixtape DJ." What does mean for your career as a mixtape DJ?

All the hard work has amounted to something, not just selling tapes to support my 

rock star habits. This is what I do day in and day out - eat, sleep, shit mixtapes.

What other west coast DJs are you up against?

Honestly, I'm not gonna even step on anyone's ego, so I'm gonna say 

log onto www.themixtapeawardsonline.com and see for yourself.

You've had a strong presence this year in the mixtape game. What do you have lined up for 2008?

Some projects I'm working on are with artists like balance, Hot Rod of G-Unit, 

my dude Bailey, Papoose, Mistah Fab and Turf Talk.

Many artists who are successful in the mixtape circuit aren't able to pull it over to mainstream albums. Why is there such a big difference between albums and mixtapes when it comes to creativity in artists?

I can say that if you doing mixtape numbers over 20-30,000 you should just keep it up, 

cause someone will notice the fact you pushing weight. Go to as many functions like the 

Power Summit or award shows anywhere there are record labels. I've seen artist do 

good numbers with street albums, but when it comes to a mixtape they might not do so 

well. It all comes down to if you have a good following and if you have the bars to 

out gas the rest of the competition.