LGBT Underground Catch up with one of the UKs Number 1 DJ within the LGBT scene to play nothing but Hiphop, a Rap , Trap and R&B, we find out a little more about who is MistaMaker what is this ChiChiBass club night all about…

DJ MistaMaker

LGBTUDRGRD: Hi Hun, how’s it going?

MM: It’s going really well thanks.

LGBTUDRGRD: Can you give us a quick introduction of yourself for our readers?

MM: I go by the name of Mistamaker and i deejay urban music on the gay scene in London.

LGBTUDRGRD: I found out about you a long time ago via a site called Gay HipHop.com , one of the first to do it as far as I knew, so can you touch on about how & why you set the site up in the first place?

MM: Gosh! well back in the Late 90’s (yeah i’m showing my age now, think dial up modems and rubix cubes lol ) i had enough of the homophobia in hiphop, at that time i was strictly just deejaying on Pirate stations and house parties. I wanted to feel a part of hip-hop but with people like Smiff n Wessun being openly homophobic just infuriated me to become part of a gay email group called The Phat Family which was for LGBT people who like hiphop (there wasn’t many of us out then) i ended up meeting a few people from San-fran who also wanted a hip hop scene to get cracking for us LGBT, so we did. I started gayhiphop.com to get awareness in all honesty and it worked great. As usual with “new things” the press loved it and word got about, i must have done at least 20 odd different TV appearances talking on the subject, but it was that media frenzy (at the time) that lead to us throwing the worlds first ever gay music event called Peace Out in 2001 in Oakland that was sponsored by East Bay Pride, This gave me inspiration and i kept running the site until about 2005/6.

LGBTUDRGRD: Have you made any official mixtapes if not do you plan on making any ?

MM: Yeah loads, if you check my mixcloud @ http://www.mixcloud.com/mistamaker i have recently done some Oldskool Hip Hop & RnB
but i like other genres to like Jungle, DnB, Dubstep so there is some other shit there too but mainly hip hop. I put the MP3 download usually in the comments section if you wana check it out !

LGBTUDRGRD: I have had the privilege to perform at one of your “Gully Live” nights, do you plan on doing more nights like that?

MM: Hell Yeah, just waiting for Qboy to get cracking as he’s in charge of the live side of stuff but for real there will be more soon, if something doesnt pop off soon i’m gonna grab the wheel. http://www.facebook.com/gullyhiphop

LGBTUDRGRD: How did you get into club promotions & djing?

MM: Im 41 and bought my first pair of turntables when i was 18 so i have been deejaying for 23 years (gasp) to start with it was mainly on the str8 scene house parties (not house music) FM Stations and raves, doing jungle and hiphop. After a few years of seeing how it was done (creating an event) i just decided to start throwing parties and it worked 🙂

LGBTUDRGRD: What new nights are coming up that we should look out for?

MM: The main one which is one of My babies is CHiCHiBASS and it;s this THIS FIRDAY 29th August
Facebook

It’s picking up every time and people are starting to dig the vibe, it’s everything from RnB and Hip Hop to Bashment, House and Trap, in all honesty we usually just go with what the crowd is on the night.

LGBTUDRGRD: What can we expect at one of your Club Nights?

MM: Proper Music, Red Stripe Beer, tolerated areas to bun a zoot, real chilled out people who all just want good music and no bad vibes basically. We also do a few live P.A’s so if anyone interested reading this wants a spot hit me up on my facebook http://www.facebook.com/mistamaker

LGBTUDRGRD: Is it not hard to run a “Gay” Hiphop night, & are the “Gay” folk into HipHop?

MM: When i used to get gigs in the states when it was all new, over there it was easy as fuck, but coming home people didn’t want it, what we had to do was tap into the diva side first. Bringing out Lil Kim and Foxxy Brown etc… and work around that, now some of them are full on. I went to a night in Shorditch last month that was waaaaaaaaaaay better than any str8 hiphop night i have ever been to, i think people are ready, at the moment it’d mainly south and east london thats really poppin off.

LGBTUDRGRD: Can you name your three top Albums of all time?

MM: Outkast – Aquemini ( this album got me through allot of good and bad times)
Slick Rick – The Art Of Story Telling (mainly because he features sooooooo many other artists on it, but it’s still dope)
Clipse – Lord Willing (flawless album for real, it’s goes so hard)
Krs1 – Return of the Boom Bap (when most other hiphop was being wak, this album got me through the dry partch, sorry i had to add this one)

LGBTUDRGRD: What do you think about the music artists within the LGBT community nower days?

MM: The truth of the matter is 90% of them just want to be on facebook looking all pretty on the mixtape cover, they make people like you (Evon) and me literally chase them up for promotion. There is a 10% out there who really work hard at the craft and are genuinely trying to improve and get a shine and make moves. I think these days the skills level is much higher though, so some of the fakes are just making themselves looking silly it’s kinda like “ohh i cant sing so i might as well rap” thinking it’s easy. Nahh but i gotta say i’m proud of the people putting work in, it makes me happy hearing people talk real talk on a beat and it seems to be getting better especially with people still representing like YOU. XX

LGBTUDRGRD: Do you have any favourite LGBT Artists old & new artists?

MM: I have made good friends with Cakes Da Killa since i Deejayed for him last year and it really got me into his experimental vibe, Mykki Blanco is pretty dope too, im really feeling his production. I was a really big fan of Soce especially when he went on NYC’s Hot 97 and battled some dude and killed it. Last Offence has good lyrical play too and obviously i love Frank Ocean and especially his crew The Wolf Gang (who are mostly hetro) for supporting him, thats what you call real homies….

LGBTUDRGRD: Do you think it’s harder to make it in this industry as a (LGBT) Artist?

MM: 10000000000% yup, but it wont be long i can feel it, i think there will soon be a few major gay artists, there has to be…..
When i was running gayhiphop.com i called up a very famous UK rapper management trying to get on the free record distribution and was basically told to fuck off.
Now i reckon if your unsigned and you can really flow you can get there, just push harder. Look at Goddess and She, they we world touring all the time, big shout to my girls.

LGBTUDRGRD: How important do you think it is for new Djs & artist’s to know their history and appreciate the different elements of music?

MM: I dont think it’s important at all, hip hop has always been kinda ignorant in that way, most rappers have people who inspire them, i wish people would look back at the history of gay people in hiphop but as long as they are looking forward and progressing im happy as fuck, just recognise us if/when you make it.

LGBTUDRGRD: Why do a lot of Djs (within the LGBT club scene) don’t play Music LGBT Artist music?

MM: Simply because the beats are not banging enough mixed with the fact people don’t recognise it, in the clubs it’s mainly about the beats and people want to recognise the tune.

LGBTUDRGRD: What advise would you give other up & Coming Djs & Artists?

MM: Put the work in and network, stop smoking too much weed it’s sucks away motivation, get of your arse and get some gigs it’s fucking easy. Don’t hit promoters up looking for gigs if you have never been to the club, they need to know your face and see you support their hustle which is running club nights, thats how i get a ton of work. Stop selling your CD’s if it aint costing you much money, people dont want to be spending ￡5/￡10 on CD unless they are really feeling you. Save some money, press a few thousand CD’s (it’s cheap as hell) and go out every weekend outside whatever club and give that shit away free…. also free up your downloads unless you got enough followers to support you to rap as a career, don’t try and run before you can walk….

LGBTUDRGRD: What are your goals for the future?

MM: Im going to continue Deejaying and promote all the nights i do, whilst trying to link other similar heads together, basically, just keep doing what i’m doing really. IM currently looking for a decent manager to pimp me out for local and over seas gigs, but just being innovative and creative and keeping my head above the water. I love my freedom and i couldn’t ask for a better profession, it would just be nice if i could get booked every weekend.

LGBTUDRGRD: Any final words / shutouts before we finish?

MM: Big Shout to Evon and Blaze for being the realest peeps i have met in a longtime. Shout to Qboy, Ninebob, Nokki, Neil Prince, Martyn Fitzgerald, Nastee McQuaid, Mark Ashley Dup’e, DJ Sugar Bear, All the Bootylicious crew especially MC Tyron, DJ Smoochie and Misty B, Dirrty in Soho, E.N.V who i deejay for. Swanny River, Josh @ Hard Cock Life, Work, Barcode, Club Union, DJ Baker, Bone Intel, Click on wednesdays, All the Misfits crew, All the peeps @ Lush, East Bloc and Vogue Fabric, Q-fam, all my Trans people holding it down regardless, and all the people who come to my nights and Chase1 who’s getting outa jail this year whoohooo. All the promoters in london giving me regular work and all the Pirate Stations keeping FM alive… sorry to anyone i didn’t mention you know i love ya…

…And don’t forget come check me this friday @ chichibass all the event info is here https://www.facebook.com/mistamaker thanks peeps for the support…..