By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
When it comes to real hip hop, it does not get more real than The Legendary DJ Dice, who has been spinning records for over two decades. Along the way, DJ Dice earned his full name, which starts with “The Legendary.” DJ Dice has worked with the legends and has become their go-to DJ.
Since DJ Dice first began DJ-ing, the game has changed. DJs now release full albums and their mixtapes are very commercial. The Legendary DJ Dice, much like everyone around him, has noticed this. However, the difference is what The Legendary DJ Dice is doing to bring a change to the mixtape game.
The Legendary Dice boldly dug back into the old school and put together a compilation of hit singles from years past. These compilation of tracks make up his new mixtape, Music We’ve Been Missin’. Featuring songs many longtime hip hop fans would be familiar with, the project is set to be released tomorrow. In the meantime, The Legendary DJ Dice spoke to Hip Hop Vibe about the mixtape and his plans for the immediate future.
Read The Legendary DJ Dice’s interview with Hip Hop Vibe below:
What changes have you seen in the mixtape game since the internet has taken over? I think it made people promote themselves more and the internet was just another outlet we needed. It gives DJs more of an outlet and things have changed drastically with the help of the internet. You don’t see as many DJs handing out CDs anymore, most mixtapes are online now
What inspired you to do Music That We’ve Been Missin’? What inspired me was listening to the radio and how the DJs have changed how to play and what to play. A lot of people from the 1980s and 1990s have been forgotten and DJs no longer focus on putting a show. There are many true DJs who feel the same way. There is no creativity in the new music, the old music will always be my favorite. This is no knock to the new music, because there is a lot of new music that I like.
The tracks on the mixtape are previous hit singles, correct? Yes.
How do you feel the reception to Music That We’ve Been Missin’ will be? I think a lot of people will embrace it with open arms if they are into that real music. That is how I look at it.
The old school inspired this new project, correct? Yes, definitely the old school.
What is next for you following Music That We’ve Been Missin’? Part two is what is next for me. I will continue to bring that heat, there is a lot of new artists who have been doing their history, as far as old music goes. These artists will be featured on the second edition of Music That We’ve Been Missin’, that is my next move.
How do you think your mixtapes set you apart from other DJs? For one, my mixtapes, which you don’t hear a lot from mixtapes, features a lot of scratching, mixing, cutting, blending. Since Serato came out, everyone wants to be a DJ. The essence of the original mixtapes is gone. My mixtapes feature this, which separates me from the other DJs. Me, along with a few other DJs actually do mixing, scratching, cutting, and blending.
What do you feel the hip hop game has to do to restore the “music that we’ve been missin’?” Creativity, bottom line. Bring back the feel of real hip hop. Hip hop back then was fun and it is not like how it is now. It gets crazy now, I understand we have to make a living off this, but a lot of people forgot the essence of this. A person wakes up and all of a sudden is a rapper, just throws a song out there and calls it a hit. A lot of us are older and we have been around the game, if the game does change, we may not see it until generations from now. Right now, it is what it is, but the creativity has to come back. I am thankful for the people who really know their hip hop are around keeping it alive.
