4$IDE interviews DJ Drewski from HOT 97! By Arden F.

4SIDE
4SIDE
Nov 1 · 4 min read

It seems like every day in the world of music, someone is getting discovered or elevated to greater fame. Even though in some instances, those people are new to the next phase of their career, it’s not always the case for the majority. There are a lot of people, who before their “big break”, worked extremely hard to get where they’re at and earned their spot. A prime example of this belief is no other than DJ Drewski.

Although the HOT 97 DJ is known for his work there along with starring on VH1’s “Love and Hip Hop” series a couple of years ago, Drewski has always been apart of the culture. Whether it was serving as an A&R or producing Angie Martinez’s HOT 97 show, the New Jersey native willingly put in his “10,000” hours and is determined to contribute to hip-hop in various ways.

4$IDE had the chance to speak Drewski on Monday at HOT 97’s “Who’s Next” event in SOB’s.

4$IDE: What makes “Who’s Next” such a unique event for New York’s rap scene?

DREWSKI: I would say because it’s bigger than New York rap, to be honest. When people think of this event and venue (SOB’s), they know of the artists who came through here such as Drake, J. Cole, etc, so they already know what time it is.

While it’s great for local artists to perform here, it’s more about any artist having that opportunity to showcase their skills and expand their fanbase. Another big factor is that with us being HOT 97, we don’t have to do this at all; yet we embrace all artists and always willing to do this for them. It’s been a lot of fun watching them grow.

4$IDE: Do you believe it’s easier or harder for artists to come up?

DS: It’s a mix, to be honest. I can say it’s easier because there are many outlets for artists to use to gain exposure, while at the same time, knowing it’s harder because of the playing field. You see a lot of people range between being an actual artist and someone, who thinks they’re one. At the end of the day, it opens the door for a lot of garbage to come in and as a DJ, it makes my job harder to find that “gem.” I’m not saying, talent doesn’t exist because they do, but I can’t find them the same way I use to.

4$IDE: How do you feel about these new DJ’s who step into this business, not having the right intentions?

DS: Those DJ’s, especially young ones, don’t understand the amount of work it takes to thrive in this position. I’ve either heard or seen them look at me and think it’s easy because I’m “popping” and have relationships with various artists and people in the industry. But they don’t know, I do this 24/7 and don’t have time to focus on anything else. You can tell the difference between those who want to take this seriously and who doesn’t. Matter of fact, let me tell you this since a lot of people don’t know.

Even though I first got on the radio almost five years ago at HOT 97, I had already been there for several years. I had to put in a lot of work because you just can’t walk up to HOT 97 and think you’re getting a great job or hundreds of thousands of followers on social media. It doesn’t matter what era it is, you can’t advance in your career and maintain if you never worked hard and stayed consistent.

4$IDE: As a long-time listener of HOT 97, I noticed what seems to be a family-like atmosphere between all of the DJ’s. Is that true?

DS: Oh, 1,000%! Without question. We normally stick together and while there’s a friendly competition between us, it never becomes serious because we’re focused on elevating the brand and helping each other out. If someone says something wrong about one of my friends or co-workers, I feel obligated to defend them and I have no problem doing so.

As for work itself, we hold bi-weekly mixer meetings and my crew and me, the Heavy Hitter DJ’s, are going to Mexico in less than two weeks. We’re talking about 40 DJs from here and across the country, having the chance to be a family and doing whatever it takes to help each other out. It’s something, I love most about what I do because it’s a tradition I embraced and it was here before I came along. Those guys know who to trust and let in their circle, so once you’re in, you’re in.

*IMAGES DON’T BELONG TO ME

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4SIDE
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