DJ Kris Stylez encompasses his unique Miami flavor with his signature skills and style. After getting his break in high school, this innovative playmaker networked his way to the top. His drive and determination ultimately landed him the gig of a lifetime, touring with The Game and traveling the world. Deemed by his followers as ‘Mr. International’, The Game’s tour DJ gave HipHopWired insight on his humble beginnings in the nation’s playground and the impact Hip-Hop has worldwide.
Origin: Miami, Florida
Current Location: Miami, Florida
TOP 10 PLAYLIST:
1. BIRDMAN FT. DRAKE & LIL WAYNE- MONEY TO BLOW
2. DRAKE, KANYE WEST, LIL WAYNE & EMINEM – FOREVER
3. YOUNG LIFE FT LIL WAYNE, PUAL WALL- I’M A BOSS
4. LIL WAYNE FT DRAKE, YOUNG JEEZY- I’M GOING IN
5. GUCCI MANE FT. PLIES & OJ DA JUICEMAN- WASTED RMX
6. RICK ROSS FT ROBIN THICKE- LAY BACK
7. SNOOP FT THE DREAM – GANGSTA LUV
8. DRAKE- JUICE
9. BLACK DADA – I’M ZOE
10. GUCCI MANE FT SHAWNNA & THE GAME- MIGHT BE
HipHopWired: Tell us about your background and how you got started DJing.
DJ Kris Stylez: At the age of 14 I was hanging around with my cousin. He used to have his own equipment in his house. I used to watch him practice on his own until one day we went to a house party and I saw how he was making the crowd move, and I was like “Man I’m really interested.” So I started staying at his house and he started teaching me how to blend records until I finally got my own equipment . I started out with something real cheap and then my uncle was the one that really sponsored me and gave me all the high end equipment. Then I started practicing on my own by 17.
HipHopWired: When you started out at 17 how’d you establish your fan base?
DJ Kris Stylez: I started doing things at my high school. I worked out a situation with my principal because I didn’t really like school so I told him that I could guarantee him on national skip day that I could make sure he has 100% in his school, which means that every kid will come to school. He asked me how I would do that, I said you just gotta come, take the attendance and during lunch hour we’ll give them a small concert. I’ll bring in radio stations some of the most known acts in Miami, just to come do a performance. We tried that out, the first time we tried it out it was alright. The second time it was a success, everybody from school came. After that it became real bad and we had to hire cops because people from other schools would come to our school. So that helped me get events at school and I started doing all ages events.
HipHopWired: Tell us a little bit about how you ended up being the The Game’s tour DJ.
DJ Kris Stylez: I went to a ‘Hard Knock Life’ concert and I was like wow, how can I do that? I wanna get to that level. So then I started hanging around with a local artist and ended up I ended up meeting pit bull, I ended up giving him records. From him I ended up meeting someone who was close to mario winans. Then I became real good friends with him and that record, I don’t wanna know dropped amd he hit me up and said yo u wanna go on tour? I said if ye moneys right. I’m working right now I mneed some moneuy. He sent me a contract started on tyur with him. Thanks to him I got to see the world, o got tp network, meet a bunch of people especially the management company. I ended up signing with them, jimmy henchman and tony….. Czar entertainment. Once I got with them I started doing every club I started doing Europe. I ended up getting a demo of The Game. So I started trying to get to game and jimmy ended up being his manager. So I told him u got to get $e to him. Noone knew who he was back then. I heard his record and it was dope. I really saw a star in him. Jimmy introduced me to him. Ever since that day I started seeing him everywhere. I saw him in New York, L.A., Miami. And he said to me, bro I see u everywhere. Let me get ur number, something’s gonna happen. So I took it like he might call me, he might not. His album dropped and he called me saying yo u readuy to rock? And I started rolling with him. I’ve been with him since I was 21. Its been five years. a lot of people mistake me for dj ski or new jersey devil becuz they’re the ones to do the mixtapes. I’m on the road getting money, if they wanna do mixtapes let them do that.
HipHopWired: So What’s it like going on tour with game?
DJ Kris Stylez: Man its a great experience this dude is so humble. A lot people think he’s snobby, It’s a great experience, the dude is so humble, a lot of people think he’s like you know snobby what not, dude is so normal, treats everybody the same, he aint even big headed, since the time I met him when he didn’t have money to now he hasn’t even changed the clothes and jewelry that’s’ about it……to me, I see him like a good person he brings all his homies, let’s his homies see the world, im talking about places I wouldn’t even imagine I would go, definitely, it’s like a whole family, nobody disrespects nobody, it’s a good time on tour.
HipHopWired: Let’s talk a little more about the international music scene because you’ve been all over the world, What did you see when you were overseas, how is Hip-Hop really influencing the international market?
DJ Kris Stylez: To tell you the truth, when we go to Europe, they show love to everyone, even on the radio station you might hear somebody you don’t even know. Maybe somebody sent them their track from the states and maybe that radio station loved that track and started getting a buzz out there of them, they’re probably not famous in the states but they’re known in Europe. They open up the doors for everybody, they’re not scared of listening to just the same old thing. The thing is as a DJ, you know how, every club plays the same format that every club would play. Over there, you can drop a Wu Tang record, a dirty south Rick Ross, a Ludacris record, they’ll go nuts, They are so influenced by old hip hop, new hip hop, dirty south. It’s crazy, when we went to Japan, they feed off the internet too much, it’s crazy how you see the different aspects, like they’re crews, these people will dress like esses, you can tell that’s like the LA crew and then these people with the long tees and the air brushed t-shirts is like that’s probably representing the south and the A, you got your heads dressed like jim jones so that’s the NY side……and they know all the dances that’s like amazing. When I see that I say wow music travels. We got to places like, they listen to game here, man there music travels all over here……we went to Africa. It’s amazing how people just get the music, it travels like everywhere, I always fun every time in Europe. I’m gong to be honest I do, when I’m not on tour I just go straight back to Europe, I haven’t dj’d in the states in a long time. When I come home I just come home to family, that’s it.
HipHopWired: Being that you’re a dj from the south, do you, when you’re over there and you’re DJing do you prefer DJing southern music, or are you flexible?
DJ Kris Stylez: At first, before all this I was starting off with the whole hip hop, little west coast, down south……but now I’m more into open format, I play everything. I want that check, I don’t just want that hip hop check, I want that check. Because I know if I can’t do an open format the next dude will. At the same time I’ve jus7t been trying to separate myself a little bit from everybody saying that’s Game’s DJ, that’s just hip hop and hardcore hip hop, nah man, I play everything else. My range now is open format.
HipHopWired: So mixtapes, what’s the last mixtape you put out?
DJ Kris Stylez: Well, I also work for an Indie label in LA, called Far West Entertainment and I’m trying to fall into A&R. I have a lot of A&R friends, a lot of managers I’ve seen that work, and I’ve been around them. I’ve seen the way they move I see the way they get money, I’m not saying it’s easy, but in this field it’s who you know. Basically I got the same connections they got, putting money in somebody’s else’s pocket and making things happen for the artist. So basically I took that job over there on the west coast with far west with this kid named Young Life. I don’t vouch for nobody, I get a lot of cds and I never wanted to get into like being responsible for somebody’s career but this kid just I saw something else, man, if I’m paying attention to him, I m pretty sure I can get a couple people to pay attention to him. Then I helped him out, structure his last mix tape with DJ Big Mike from NY, we went in and we got a track with Lil Wayne. We just made an exclusive mix tape but we ended up dropping it in Japan……there’s a magazine supposedly it’s like The Source, but with cars out there. They wanted to do an exclusive 8-page spread on him, they’ll get us on the spread and they wanted to put a cd in every magazine……if it’s going throughout the whole Japan might a as well do it. The company sponsored it, it did good and now I’m working on my next mixtape. A live tour mix tape, trying to give everybody the feeling of the tour. Not only Game, everybody part of his crew, whoever else was on tour with us, opening acts, show them love on there. I know everybody wants that live, raw cut so I’m trying to drop that one.
HipHopWired: Let’s talk some more about these business endeavors you have besides DJing, are you still helping out with the Black Wall Street Label?
DJ Kris Stylez: Correct, still support every act that Game has, trying to help out the artists that he has on the label, just have open avenues, I’m not just concentrating just on Game hopefully another artists pops, that’s another check, that’s how I look at it. It’s a business you got to make sure you stay humble and forward and not fall back. That’s what I got going on, A&R aspects, and the Indie label.
HipHopWired: Anything else you want to say? Any message to your fans?
DJ Kris Stylez: Real soon I’m going to be doing a consulting company. A lot of people write to me on myspace, face book, twitter, for advice and stuff like that. I’m just gonna cut corners……cut deals, if I can make something happen, I might as well put you into the right hands with the right money. It’s a business, as long as that company has the right money I can put them into the right people, guide them into the right places. Because I’ve seen a lot of Indie labels, they got the money they just don’t know what to do with it, if not they go to somebody else and that person might take them for granted just take the money and keep it moving. I always look at this as long term, if you got the money, I’ll help you out. I’m willing to help out anybody, but it’s just it’s got to be right……not just oh you just picked up the mic and you think you’re gonna rap, because everybody is like that now. Other than that I just want to say that, and I want to pay my respects to DJ A.M. because that’s a tragic thing that just happened.
