Today we’d like to introduce you to Germaine Mapp.
Hi Germaine, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I started DJing in college. I was in the band at South Carolina State and we used to throw parties after away games. This one particular trip we didn’t have a DJ and I had a bootleg copy of Virtual DJ on my laptop. So my friend asked if I could DJ the party. We had to use a car AUX cable and plug it into the headphone jack on my laptop. This laptop was so full of viruses that the music would start skipping every hour or so. I would have to take the battery out and reboot the whole computer to make it stop, lol. My friends would make beats on the walls or sing songs accapella until I got my computer back up. I didn’t even have turntables. I was using the mouse pad to scratch and do transitions. It was definitely a rough start to my career. In 2011 I enlisted in the Marine Corps and DJing as a profession took a back seat. I still did it as a hobby but I wasn’t playing for an audience. After my time in the Corps, I began doing private security. I enjoyed it but being so close to the music industry and not making music was eating me up. When the pandemic hit and we weren’t outside anymore, I really got back into my DJing bag and decided I was going to do it full time again. Best decision I ever made! I was able to leverage the connections in the industry I had made doing security to secure bookings and I’ve been able to stay booked ever since.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
By no means has it been easy. When I first started, I wasn’t even getting paid. I didn’t have turntables or a DJ controller. I was literally using my mouse pad to do scratches and transitions. When I left school and came back to Atlanta, it was almost impossible to get booked because all the clubs already had established DJs. It’s an industry where. A lot of promoters have DJs that they work with so you could be booked one week and the next week the club is telling you they hired a promoter who has his own DJ. I’ve had my gear stolen while packing up after a wedding. I’ve had clients cancel last minute or try and book 30minutes before their event. There’s a lot of pitfalls that come with this industry. I just try to stay focused on my reason for doing it and remain positive.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
As a DJ, it’s my job to create vibes. I want everybody to feel like it’s the best party they ever been to. I think my specialty is blends and remixes. I love taking two songs and making a new one out of them. Imagine hearing Lil Baby rapping over a “Melodies From Heaven” instrumental or Minnie Ripperton singing over a Moneybagg Yo track. I think that’s what sets me apart from a lot of DJs. I’m not afraid to try new things and push the envelope.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
As a kid, I was always heavy into music and sports. I played football and baseball growing up. I started playing drums at 8, keyboard at 11, and trumpet at 12. I was a class clown all throughout school but my teachers still loved me. Maybe because of my potential. Either way, I was always trying to make people laugh. As a kid, my favorite thing to do was go to the Battle of the Bands. Atlanta has a strong marching band culture and the fact that 150 people could play in unison to create music always fascinated me. I think that’s what really sparked my love for music.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: www.Instagram.com/djbalmaine
Image Credits
Donte Rose
