Interview with Jiji Sweet, Los Angeles DJ

If you've been listening to L.A.'s Hip-Hop and R&B radio station 100.3 The Beat, chances are at some time or another you've been bobbing your head to L.A.'s "Hustle Girl," DJ Jiji Sweet. She has been mixing on the air there for the last four years, and I got the chance to catch up with her to find out what the biggest lesson she has learned within the last couple of years. Her answer, "That it's 150% grinding. People forget real easy in this business."

Jiji explained, "Take someone like Beyoncé - I'm only using her as an example because she's on my mind - you see her everywhere." She continued, "That's because you only get your fifteen minutes of fame, and people are out there over and over again trying to get everything they can get." Jiji was emphatic, suggesting that in order to stay in the minds of the people, one must stay in their face.

With a background in basketball, Jiji knows all about staying in your face. She attended and graduated from the University of Arizona in Tucson on a basketball scholarship, enabling her to travel all over the country and to Europe. In her senior year at Arizona, Jiji landed her first DJ-ing gig.

"It was a Kappa party. I couldn't do too much before then because I was traveling for basketball a lot." She said. The "Kappa" party she referred to is one of the Black Greek Fraternity chapters of Kappa Alpha Psi. According to Jiji, she was sought after for almost every Black Greek party and later landed a spot at Hot 98.3 in Tucson before moving on to Power 88 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

You may be wondering what Ms. Sweet is doing when she's not showing off her skills on the ones and twos. "Soliciting." Jiji said plainly. "What people don't understand is that DJ-ing is more than being at the party." Of course Jiji is not just "at" the party - but is working her tail off to create it.

"Everybody don't know about you," Jiji said. "And L.A. is the land of a million DJ's." So in her "free" time, she goes out and about to network, works to create mix tapes, watches TV (oh yes, she is human after all), goes to the movies, but most importantly, takes care of her grandmother.

I asked Jiji about the people she has met and who she has found to be the most fascinating. She replied, "I really don't know. I'm just always surprised at how nice people are and that they are interested in finding out about me and what I'm doing!"

And in regards to the many places she's been, she stated, "Even the smallest place is interesting. You know what I mean?"

Kobina: "Where are you from?"
Jiji: "Oh I'm from L.A."

Kobina: "Before DJ-ing in L.A., where were you?"
Jiji: "Arizona for 10 years."

Kobina: "Where is the most fascinating place you've ever been?"
Jiji: "I guess it would say Italy. Italy was cool. It's so spread out with the tiny cars going super fast. I would love to go back there now though, you know, as a DJ."

Kobina: "What was the last book you read?
Jiji: "The last book I read I think is called Sins and Secrets. I just gave it to somebody to read."

Kobina: "What is your favorite restaurant?"
Jiji: "Olive Garden. I don't like to try nothing new if I'm hungry."

Kobina: "I know that's right!"
Jiji: "There is one restaurant that's really good in Beverly Hills. I think it's called Fogo de Chao. It's an all meat buffet and it costs like $60 per person. It's really good. It's not the kind of place you just go to [alone]. You wanna go on a date or something so you don't have to pay for it."

Kobina: "What is your favorite day of the week?"
Jiji: "Monday! Cause it's the first day I get off after the weekend. I do a lot of car shows too and usually they're on Sundays."

Kobina: "Who is your favorite artist?"
Jiji: "My favorite group was 'A Tribe Called Quest' before they broke up. Now I guess I'd say Mary J. Blige. She has so many songs that you can relate to. You know what I'm saying? I have every one of her CD's too."

Kobina: "Have you had the chance to meet her yet?"
Jiji: "I'd love to have the chance to meet her. You know, she's inspiring. Every time she's in town or in the studio, I miss her."

Kobina: "What would you like your fans to know about you?"
Jiji: "That I'm probably softer than people think I am. I know I can kind of come across as being hard and from the streets. But I'm softer than a lot of people think."

According to Jiji, a DJ can stay in the game - "As long as you stay sharp - especially if you're hungry. Even if you're a little older because young people tend to be lazy." She quickly clears up that she doesn't mean all "young people" are lazy. For those who aren't, she says, "You can't knock the young people's hustle."

Some of her unforgettable credits include: Rap City - The Basement in 2001; The 2003 Technitions West Coast DJ of the Year; Tour DJ for SWV and Yoyo in 2004; Warm up DJ for Steve Harvey's Big Time in 2005; and Battle DJ for the Adidas television commercial in 2006.

Don't forget! You can catch Jiji mixing Monday through Friday nights on 100.3 The Beat. Also catch her on Saturday nights on Tucson's Hot 98.3.