By K.B. Tindal
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer
In the Northeast area in the United States, DJ Naim has made a name for himself as a popular DJ. Building a relatively large audience, DJ Naim is becoming a force when it comes to the music. Being around the game for a long time, DJ Naim is preparing an official takeover.
This summer, DJ Naim made plans to make mainstream waves. Earlier this week, he released his new single, “Crispy Hunneds.” With this song, DJ Naim captured the attention of the mainstream word, as his song included features from Gunplay, Jim Jones, Maino, and David Rush.
DJ Naim is still buzzing with “Crispy Hunneds” and Hip Hop Vibe reached out to him for an interview. Speaking to Hip Hop Vibe for a brief conversation, DJ Naim talked about how “Crispy Hunneds” came together and his future projects. Stay tuned to find out information about his next single.
Read the entire interview below:
You shut the internet down with “Crispy Hunneds,” how long have you been holding on to that song? Wow. Believe it or not, that song is almost two years old. Not all the verses, but I’ve had that track and hook for two years.
How did you land collaborations with Gunplay, Jim Jones, Maino, and David Rush? We hooked up through doing shows at clubs throughout Jersey. I told them about what I was doing musically and they all felt it. They were all cool about it with no ego and they jumped on it to support my mixtape. We all had the same thing in mind, to win. I sent the tracks via email and they all sent it back to me. Me and Jim Jones cross paths a lot, I am a big Dipset fan, so reaching out to him was nothing, again all love. Same thing with Maino, his management hooked it up. Everybody fell in love with the track when they first heard it. I think everybody liked the idea of being on the same track. David Rush is signed to Pitbull, but he is actually from New Jersey, so getting him was good too, he is multitalented across the board. It was a no brainer, he sent it right back. I made some minor adjustments to the track and then we got it rolling.
With “Crispy Hunneds” doing well, do you plan on dropping another single in the near future? Yes. But, I want to give the “Crispy Hunneds” record time to grow. Everyone I am working with is grinding and pushing this record, we are trying to make money and feed our families. We all know what we got to do, whether we all do it or not… (laughs). But, I want this track to do well before I drop another one. If this song doesn’t reach it’s full potential, then I will have to come back with another record.
Why did you choose to go the route of doing a posse cut single? When I was in the studio with the producers – people call me crazy man – I listen to beats and wait months to decide what I will do with it. When I first heard the “Crispy Hunneds” beat, I was going to scrap it, but after getting feedback, I decided to do something with it. I wanted to do a money track, so I got with the hustlers and I decided to do something with it, getting Gunplay, Jim Jones, Maino, and David Rush on the record. I wanted different points of view and angles on that record.
Do you have a release date for I Got Now? I am looking at the end of September, I don’t have an actual date yet, but no later than early October.
With so many DJs doing similar work as you, how do you plan to separate yourself from them? I don’t really focus on what the other DJs are doing. The talent and passion speak for itself. I am passionate about music and DJ-ing, I think that outweights and speaks for itself, so doing quality work and making music with substance is my focus. A lot of people will be able to relate to where I am coming from, coming from Newark, New Jersey. It’s not like I’m rapping myself, but I get into it with the artists and give them my vision, I give them my heart and I make authentic music. That puts me where I need to be.
Already, you have leaked your collaboration with Gunplay, Jim Jones, Maino, and David Rush, so who else should fans expect to hear on the new mixtape? I’ve got D-Block, Bleu DaVinci, Bun B, Joell Ortiz, Fred The Godson, and a lot of other people. This is definitely a big project, I don’t want to leak it all, but there are a lot of key people. The diversity of this project will surprise a lot of people.
How do you think I Got Now will impact the rap game compared to some of the other DJ compilation mixtapes that have come out? I think people will take me seriously. Anyone who knows me know that I am a thinker, I strategize, and when I do something, I give it my all. I am really serious about this. The fans are starting to take me seriously and things are going to increase on a much bigger scale
What are some other projects that you have in the works? I dropped two singles prior to this one “Trappin in my Suite” with Pusha T, Bun B, and Bleu DaVinci. But I am also in the clubs heavy all week and I am working on a book, this is my first time mentioning that, but it’s on the way.
Where can we find you on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? Everything is DJNaim and my Facebook is TMR DJ Naim.
