What is a record pool? What is TJ’s DJ’s? How do I get a record spun on the radio? When am I gonna get my big break? Every up and coming rapper, singer, or whatever wants these questions answered. So Illroots.com went to one of the largest and most sought after record pools, TJ’s DJ’s, and got you, our faithful viewers, a one on one with Keith Kennedy, TJ’s DJ’s Pool Director, to answer some of these questions. As well his insight into the record industry is invaluable. Education Separates the Peasants from the Kings....illRoots.com: First off I’d like to definitely thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule for me I truly appreciate it.
Keith: I love talking to those who try to help themselves.
illRoots.com: If you could briefly explain the importance of record pools to hip-hop.
Keith: Well record pools are something that hasn’t been spoken about too much in the industry because for the most part people have no idea what they do so I happy that you asked me that. For the most part, from my estimations, a record pool is a marketing company that takes new music that we get directly from the labels, artists or where ever we get them from then we go ahead and play the music early to the public or to the dj’s that way they will be able to run them before they get a chance for them to get pushed before their album comes out and if used correctly they can help save time, energy and money in the future because it lets you know what your working with.
illRoots.com: For people who don’t know what TJ’s DJ’s is or what it constitutes do you mind giving a brief explanation?
Keith: No worries. TJ’s DJ’s has been around since 94’ and I’ve been working with them since 97’ and essentially what it is, I would label us more as a marketing company or a promotional company. Where we make sure we get this music and enter it into the market place and allow consumers a chance to hear this music and also get an opportunity to run it, listen to it, and give feedback and in turn we’ve been able to take that thought and apply it to different concepts. For instance we have a quarterly conference called the “Taster Makers Only” it’s a dj music conference and it was more of an idea of linking all the dj’s together to listen to new music and it became so popular that we eventually had to upgrade from the lounge at the Moon to the largest area at the Moon went from a couple hundred people to literally a thousand dj’s, artists, labels, media outlets, retailers, models, everybody who is young in the game to those who have done it and that’s a good mix because your able to learn from each other and network and those guys are so popular that we link with Ozone magazine to put together TJ’s DJ’s and Ozone weekend down in Miami this past summer it was feature on MTV Jams and BET was on it. It was nice man we had shoot over 5,000 people come through maybe even 10,000, it seemed like every time I looked up it was more and more people, it worked out pretty cool.
illRoots.com: Since yall deal with such an alarming number of dj’s firsthand what to you constitutes a good dj?
Keith: A good dj to me is a party rocker somebody who can when they get on the wheels, and the best dj is a dj that is never noticed at a party you know what I’m saying because when people get tired of going through what their goin through they just wanna go hang out and all they wanna hear is “that’s the shit” all weekend. It s the type of dj that helps you get all the troubles out and knows what record to play to control your emotions and not only that a great dj is one that on the business side of things will be able to take it and be able to help they career as it goes on and to have the ability to expand their market as well. Lets say like a DJ Drama for example somebody who has taken the mixtape game to another level because he’s not just doing it for the music but for the people as well and the business.
illRoots.com: In light of DJ Drama, what’s your opinion of the R.I.A.A. (Recording Industry Association of America)?
Keith: I do feel that there is a limit to what they do, and they should be able to hunt down the bootleggers and the people who are disrespecting the craft, but I feel mixtapes are not bootlegging. I feel mixtapes is a good promotional tool that the labels have been using and continue to use to further their artist and brand.
illRoots.com: What artists can you say that TJ’s DJ’s can take credit for breaking them into the industry?
Keith: Gucci Mane, Yung Joc, Pretty Ricky, David Banner, Lil’ Rome, actually it was funny we we’re watching 106 & Park one day and 7 out 10 of the artists we had direct involvement with.
illRoots.com: That shows your success and how much this process actually works. But Where is Hip-Hop going in your opinion?
Keith: To being a multi-billion dollar business as well as people who have the power are going to continue to keep the power and the thing about hip-hop was born from the down trotted struggling to find a voice and I feel like that’s always going to be the case the problem is that when you have people that dictate what people want to hear instead of the people telling them what they want to hear. Your always going to have that conflict between art and commerce. Art will win out one or another.
illRoots.com: Thanks fam, keep looking out for TJ’s DJ’s as they continue to drive the standard for excellence in hip-hop higher and higher.
