Hip hop raised me, it's helped me find my path in the world in the coolest way imaginable. From DJ'ing, to being an artist producer & mentor, to sitting down for interviews with Kanye West, Drake, Jay-Z, and Eminem, to performing onstage with the Wu-Tang Clan, Rick Ross, Nas, Migos, Travis Scott, Skepta, Dizzee Rascal and the cast of Black Panther.

I've just launched the Hip Hop Raised Me Podcast; in-depth conversations with artists across the globe including Chuck D, Busta Rhymes, French Montana, Sheff G and Jeezy to name a few.

Episode 1 is live today: listen to it on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/hip-hop-raised-me/id1544868330

Proof here: https://www.instagram.com/p/CJ6UPMDLACD/

**Ok, I'm signing off. Thank you. This was dope, gonna do again real soon. Stay safe!

Comments: 269 • Responses: 44  • Date: 

ocin_orion120 karma

What did Drake mean when he said "I love thick women because my aunt she rode equestrian"?

DJSemtex59 karma

i have no idea lol

Rollswetlogs72 karma

What’s the deal with so many B-list celebrities that become DJ’s? People like Paris Hilton, hell even Elijah Wood is a DJ (Although, he’s an A-listing in my mind).

DJSemtex111 karma

Most of the time it lasts a season, or they turn up with a DJ that actually does all the work.

I hate that shit. Its a mockery of the real DJs that put in the work, but we're in an age where people will pay to be in the same a 'celeebrity'. Right now, in this pandemic, DJing lives on Twitch. Follow Skratch Bastid, DJ Craze, Green Lantern, and Lil Jon. Ive watched more DJs than ever before.

proace36056 karma

How'd you get the name DJ Semtex?

vorlin3761 karma

Yeah why not DJ Molotov or DJ Flash bang?

DJSemtex59 karma

Never crossed my mind. And I had the namee before Call of Duty.

Flash Bang would make a great artist name. Someone should use that.

plantyTHEplant6941 karma

I heard he gets his background vocals from MC SAM Turret

DJSemtex26 karma

πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

DJSemtex52 karma

My first name was DJ Steel 😩

When I started doing house parties in the hood, and student parties, people were like 'you blew that up', so I wanted a name that was kinda self fulfilling, but easy to tag at the same time. I was good at tagging Ss, Es, and Xs....DJ Semtex it wasπŸ’₯

bohanmyl33 karma

What celeb persona was the most different from the image they put out vs what you saw when interviewing them?

DJSemtex97 karma

Jay-z. He's very cool. You learn from him when he speaks, as much as when you hear his music. Very inspiring person. Last time I interviewed him he said, 'We meet again, that means we're both doing something right, lol'. It's not something you would expect him to say.

evergreenMelody30 karma

Respect for doing this. I wanted to ask if you were already DJ'ing before you lost your arm, or is it something you did after? How has it shaped your technique? Did the move to CDJ/Digital make this easier?

EDIT: The reason I asked this is because a younger friend lost an arm at a very young age and has dreams of working in music, I realise it's a personal question and I'd totally understand if you decide not to answer it.

DJSemtex34 karma

I was a Hip Hop dancer before DJing. I got into DJing because other DJs weren't playing what I wanted to hear. I was always had the calling for music. It caught me. It got me through the pain. I started DJing after I lost my arm.

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. If you want to do something you will make it happen one way or another. There's people who aree in far more challenging positions than me, but they are mean on the decks. I started out using vinyl, I got sick of losing cratees of records at airports, so switched to CDJs when they started appearing in clubs, now Im Serato'd up. It's more about the luxury of having 30,000 tracks at your disposal when you step on stage. Im looking to cop that Rane One immediately.

I

MrRoyThomas25 karma

How do you expect living through such a turbulent time will impact & influence musical output in the coming months and years?

DJSemtex52 karma

We will only get more great music. Challenging times, bring about great music of substance.

colossuskidd24 karma

What was your reaction to the death of MF DOOM?

Pineapple on pizza? Yes or no

DJSemtex60 karma

Pineapple on pizza, always.

The passing of MF Doom was tragic. Still pretty hard to comprehend. His whole career was challenging, but he turned it around. His art lives on. Rest in Beats MF Doom πŸ™πŸ½

domjolly17 karma

Hi, think you were djing when I saw Dizzee Rascal in London Kentish Town about 15 years ago - my first hip hop gig! How is he doing and what is he like to work with?

DJSemtex17 karma

I haven't seen him since the Q awards. He will always be cool. He's incredibly hard working, inspiring, and funny. That was a sick show.

CrassostreaVirginica14 karma

What's a cool story of yours that you never get an opportunity to tell?

DJSemtex32 karma

I was in LA to interview DJ Khaled, and I passed by Power 105 to interview Just Incredible. But before that I gate crashed a BET party where D Nice was DJing. So, I had a few drinks. Kinda not a good idea before an interview. So I end up talking to Just Incredible maaaad drunk. Debating the best Jay-z albums, I was getting extra passionate about 'The Blueprint'. He must have thought I was a crazy English yob πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚

MrPussyFart14 karma

Who is your favourite person you've interviewed?

DJSemtex31 karma

I like all my interviews, I appreciate and respect anyone that shares their stories or insight, but Kanye is definitely one of the greatest artists to talk to. No matter what you think of him he is a genius, an alien. He is everything he says he is. I respect his audacity.

blindcc12 karma

What hip hop are you enjoying from Manchester at the moment?

DJSemtex18 karma

G-Rok, Meekz, Kulps, IAMDDB.

ocin_orion10 karma

What is the craziest interview situation you've been in, where you had to keep the composure and get the job done?

DJSemtex28 karma

I was in New York heading to the Rock The Bells festival.

I interviewed Mickey Factz in a studio, but I had maaaaaad hay fever, and kept blowing my nose. Half way through the interview my nose starts dripping blood on the floor...but we carry on with the interview. I was trying to act like this isn't happening. He carried on as if nothing happened. Afterwards we went our separate ways and never said anything. He must have thought I was a crackhead or something πŸ˜‚

I actually spoke to him about recently on Clubhouse, and he said he was confused as fuck lol. That was a surreal moment.

Neon__shark9 karma

What is Kanye like in person? - huge Kanye fan

DJSemtex17 karma

Very cool. He's a great person. Years from now he will be revered more than what he is now.

MrRoyThomas9 karma

Who is the person you've always wanted to interview but haven't had the chance yet and why is it Dr Dre?

DJSemtex17 karma

Dr Dre. There was a moment where it was going to happen, then he cancelled the trip because some drama unfolded in the US. I was so gutted.

I hope it happens one day, but I've probably got more chance of interviewing Obama and Trump together than getting Dr Dre. The more successful artists get, the less they want to talk.

parishiIt0n15 karma

You could say that it's better that you (puts glasses) forget about Dre

DJSemtex2 karma

Unfortunately I haven't got the time to game. Its not a time is money thing, it's a time is music thing.

πŸ€¦πŸΎβ€β™‚οΈπŸ˜‚

MomentsInTruth9 karma

Hey, not a question, just well wishes! You used to feature on BBC Radio One, right? I remember your name coming up for shows happening after some of my favorite Essential Mixes.

Cheers, mate!

DJSemtex8 karma

Thank you πŸ™πŸ½

MrRoyThomas8 karma

Can you tell us a bit about your interview process, how you decide what you want to talk about, research etc?

DJSemtex12 karma

It starts with an angle I really want to know more about. I dont do research. I feed of the answers and reactions. Written questions are a distraction from the conversation.

The 'More Life' interview with Drake was almost an hour long. I memorised the areas of talk that I wanted to address. My last interview with Chance the Rapper was an hour long, I think I asked him 6 questions, out of those there were 2 that formed the basis of the interview.

Roisin88687 karma

Name your top 5 lyricists???

In order....

DJSemtex17 karma

It changes, right now...

Jay-z

Kendrick Lamar

Andre 3000

Nas

Dizzee Rascal

cyrus98986 karma

I gotta ask, you said you had MC Semtex before CoD and stuff, but do you game a lot now or is life too busy?

DJSemtex14 karma

Unfortunately I haven't got the time to game. Its not a time is money thing, it's a time is music thing.

barneyleigh6 karma

Which show stands out as one you'll always remember - either one you've performed at or one you've been in the crowd for?

DJSemtex12 karma

Public Enemy at the Manchester Apollo. I actually posted the picture earlier on the gram.

I saw Terminator X on stage djing throughout the show. It was an epiphany moment for me, I wanted to be a DJ after I saw what he was doing on stage. I turned up to the show as a stan, I walked with the intent to blow the fuck up.

Its why the first episode of this podcast is so significant. Chuck D and Public Enemy changed my life.

Throwaway4mumkey6 karma

Do you know anything about the wearabouts of Jack Ma?

DJSemtex7 karma

Nah. I hope he's ok.

WildinBham6 karma

Where's a good place to start expanding my kids love of hip hop,? Ages 10, 7 and 5. They love beats, they love rhyming, but we're still in the stage of appropriate listening materiel, yet I want them to learn more about the culture and why it's important.

Their favorite song "Can I kick it?"

DJSemtex1 karma

Thats a good question. Probably radio shows as they can only play clean versions. Every radio station has a rap show.

youngeng4 karma

Who is the most down to earth and approachable artist among all the ones you've interviewed?

DJSemtex8 karma

They all are to a certain extent. At the beginning of their careers they are the most open, when you follow their journeys, and they see that you respect their artistry they always remember that you were there when the hype merchants weren't.

hypedstoic4 karma

As an outsider to the scene, it kinda feels like the discourse about mumble rap has a lot of parallells with how the talk went when the Punk scene erupted back in the day. "That isn't music, They're not skilled artists, just deadbeat junkies, there's no respect for the music that came before them" blah blah "kids these days!".

So I'm wondering if you think the hiphop scene is bound to follow the same patterns as the genres that came before them? Do you wish future artists will break norms/traditions of the current scene? And if so, how?

DJSemtex2 karma

I don't think Hip Hop follows the trajectory of any other genre.

It will out last Rock.

cenobyte40k3 karma

are you named after the plastic explosive?

DJSemtex3 karma

Yeah

GreatScotch3 karma

Who hit you most emotionally music wise? Who is someone you just F'ing love to listen to?

DJSemtex1 karma

Kanye West. As time goes on the albums get better.

pissedoffnobody2 karma

This was a pandering waste of time. What the fuck was the point for real? Dude barely answered fuck all and didn't even get double digits, let alone four figures. This was James Corden level bullshit.

DJSemtex1 karma

My first time on here, and I tried to answer everyone, but tell them why you mad.

Quackmatic2 karma

What's the worst time you've clanged / otherwise fucked up a mix during a live performance?

Also, do you still get the stage jitters?

DJSemtex1 karma

Never

flyingjesuit2 karma

As an English teacher I try to incorporate Hip Hop into my lesson plans whenever I can. I've used Ice Cube's Good Day to teach narrative poetry, I juxtaposed RTJ's Ju$t with Langston Hughes' Let America be America again, and I plan on playing Lupe Fiasco's Go Go Gadget Flow when teaching A Raisin in the Sun.

My question is, given Hip Hop's influence on your life, what songs/artists would have most resonated with you in a classroom setting?

DJSemtex1 karma

I wish I experienced this. Please continue to do what you do.

Anything by Public Enemy, Kanye West, Nas, Ice Cube, Jay-z, etc.

Public Enemy - Fight The Power. This is necessary audacity.

Public Enemy - Shut Em Down. This promoted economic empowerment, at a time when it was unthinkable.

Jungle Brothers - Black is Black. This actually opened my eyes to issues of race when nothing else did.

Kanye West - Cant Tell Me Nothing. This is like the ultimate self mantra for positive thinking. The hustler's prayer.

adamgoodtime2 karma

I still got the crunk & grime cd from big apple records, have you released any new ones? .... just wanted to say thank you for many many good years of listening.... plus u smashed it at Glastonbury with dizzee i I think 2007 (the year with jay z and amy)....Big ups and stay blessed u legend!

DJSemtex2 karma

Thank you bro.

This is my most recent mix https://www.mixcloud.com/djsemtex/2020-closure/

mcbeef892 karma

Do you feel that hip hop has lost its way since the mid 90s?

DJSemtex1 karma

Nah, it's just evolved.

nikitachhn2 karma

If you were to play a marvel superhero who would it be and why?

DJSemtex3 karma

A Reaver. I can relate.

PureLemonLeaf1 karma

Do you ever listen to genres like footwork or halftime? As an aspiring DJ, my aim is to keep building a bridge between genres you'd find at a festival and blend them with hip-hop/rap.

DJSemtex1 karma

Nah, I havent. I'll check it out though.

Turn1to101 karma

You ever had to rewind a song because you couldn’t believe what a rapper said? What song was it

DJSemtex2 karma

Most good diss tracks. Common - Bitch in Yoo was crazy.

MerryMythras1 karma

Long time fan. Why do you ignore some of the best Hip Hop artists in the UK today ? In the past this was different but right now I don't see you playing or even mentioning artists whom I listen to daily

DJSemtex1 karma

I dont ignore anyone. But I don't think anyone has time to chase down an ever expanding legacy of artists.

matheman421 karma

How did you amass your music library?

DJSemtex1 karma

I work on it everyday. I add music to my hard drive on a daily basis, everything is tagged, labled, and filed. I need the clarity and ability to search for a track instantly.

TheD1v1s1on51 karma

How's mumble rap these days?

DJSemtex1 karma

It's doing very well.

Gimme_yo_dang1 karma

If you couldn't be a DJ, what would you want to be?

DJSemtex1 karma

I cant answer that.

bonermcface1 karma

Is there anywhere I can listen to your Juice WRLD interview again? I remember hearing it live and it was so good, now that's he's gone I'd love to hear it again but doesn't seem like I'm able :(

DJSemtex2 karma

I'll post it again

thamightypupil881 karma

Will you cover J.Dilla? Could you get an interview with Ma Dukes/Illa J/Busta?

DJSemtex1 karma

Busta Rhymes is the next guest on the podcast. Drops on Monday.

MikeSpace1 karma

What do you think separates the artists who make it in the industry from those who don't?

Also, any up and coming new artists that you think are worth checking out now?

DJSemtex1 karma

Belief and a great team. If you have 2 people that believe in you, you can change the world.

There are loads of new artists worth checking out, I play most of them on my Capital Xtra show. Check out Keys The Prince, and Boy Nash.