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Eric B. and Rakim, and A Tribe Called Quest are just some of the influential artists fromwhat Jason “DJ Shogun” Murdock refers to as “The Golden Era,” when musicians’ styles were distinctive and messages were substantive.

Three local DJs have not only seen the music industry ebb and flow, particularly in regard to hip-hop music, but have witnessed a metamorphosis of their craft. Queens, N.Y. native Jason “DJ Shogun” Murdock began his love affair with music when he was a preteen. “Mesmerized” by a set of turntables at the home of an acquaintance, he later bought his own DJing equipment with savings from a summer job and became “hooked on the power a DJ has when he controls the crowd.” His ability to do so stems from having cut his teeth on those turntables first.

Have to scratch before you download

You have to crawl before you walk, as the saying goes, and Murdock believes the best way to become skilled as a DJ and develop showmanship is to spin records. “Back in the day you had to have records and two turntables . . .” agrees Diarra “DJ DR” Mayfield. Now, anyone “can just buy the software and download his boy’s MP3 files, and he’s a DJ overnight because he has Serato (vinyl emulation software), and he’s never touched a record in his life. If you’ve never put a real record on a turntable and dug through crates (of records) to find the next song to rock the party, you’ve missed the whole spectrum of DJing.” Mayfield, a Philadelphia native who says he is a producer first, began DJing almost by accident when a friend invited him to fill in as a DJ at a local club. Though technology has made both producing and DJing easier, the DJs insist that the essence of what they do comes from having knowledge of music and learning to mix or blend records. As a producer, Mayfield also feels that, unfortunately, many “bedroom producers” (people who produce songs by using the Internet or software at home instead of in music studios) can sell beats and become famous overnight but still “have no clue about production” and fail to understand concepts like timing, measures, notes, keys and chords. “(The software) puts everything together for you. All you have to do is know how to use a computer, and you can make music,” he explains. “Anybody can make music. A 4-year old can make music now.” This lack of training, say the DJs, might provide instant gratification but hurts the industry in the long run. “They’re amateurs and not respecting the art form and are also hurting the economic basis of the profession by taking less money because they don’t know their value or have the skills set,” Murdock states. “Right now you have a lot of undercutting,” agrees Andre “DJ Butterfingers” Martin, a radio mix show disc jockey at 97.9 FM WPEG. “The young DJs come in and they take whatever the promoter is going to give them, and they haven’t built themselves up. They haven’t paid their dues . . .” An 11-year DJ veteran and native of Danville, Va., Martin came to Charlotte 10 years ago to work with Hot 92.7 (then a hip-hop station), until 2004 when that station changed formats and he joined WPEG. Being a DJ was a dream of his from childhood, when he would look in the back of Right On magazine and see the turntables that his parents would not buy him. So when he turned 18, he got a loan and bought the equipment himself. He says it is not just those playing the music who are to blame for watering down their craft. “People have gotten away from it, too, because they pretty much don’t respect (your job as DJ). They just want you to play what they want to hear, and that’s what a DJ is supposed to do, but still a DJ is supposed to control” the crowd’s response to music, he says, either by playing songs in a particular genre or changing the music entirely.

Golden Era vs. New Millennium

Pete Rock, DJ Premier, Marly Marl, Gangstarr, Eric B. and Rakim, and A Tribe Called Quest are just some of the influential artists from what Jason “DJ Shogun” Murdock refers to as “The Golden Era,” when musicians’ styles were distinctive and messages were substantive — the opposite of what the DJs say is the case today. “To me, when I grew up I was being educated,” says Murdock. “Now, it’s like they’re dumbing down the kids. They’re dumbing down the listeners. They’re not making them think. Music as an art is supposed to be thought provoking. I think these guys, if they really use their brains, they can do both.” One thing that irks Diarra “DJ DR” Mayfield is the notion that “it’s cool to be hood.” Much of it stems from the prevalence of what is known as “trap (drug dealer) music” by mostly Southern rappers such as Waka Flocka Flame and Yung Jo. When that music is played in the club, he often notices that the atmosphere changes from lively and fun to rowdy and aggressive and has seen fights occur as a result. Even though gangster groups like NWA rapped about selling dope in the 1990s, Andre “DJ Butterfingers” Martin says they didn’t glorify it.“They looked at how their neighborhood was and they pretty much reported everything that was going on in their neighborhood,” he explains. Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five’s song “The Message” is a prime example of how Murdock says rappers used to be like reporters delivering constructive “news in the hood.” He says these days many artists are so focused on rapping about themselves, money, women or violence that it discourages him from wanting to play the songs. “The message is there is no message, or it’s the wrong message,” he bristles. “It just seems like everything is about sex, money and drugs now,” confirms Martin. He favors 1990s hip-hop and artists such as The Lost Boys, Jay-Z, The Notorious BIG, Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and Busta Rhymes. Now, “cookie cutter” artists make it difficult for creative individuals to receive radio airplay. He says the Internet has made it possible for people to become overnight stars but has affected the quality of music.