Today we’d like to introduce you to DJ Fly Guy.
Hi DJ, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
My musical journey to becoming DJ Fly Guy started at about 8 years old, playing instruments in elementary school which opened my ear to hear things in songs the “average” wouldn’t. I’d hear a certain note, or catch an old song bass line in a new song and instantly know where it’d come from while I got this crazy look as they were trying to figure out what I was even talking about. First off I thought everybody heard and felt music that sent the “Ah Man!” effect but I think that’s a gift to us musically gifted. Moving along, I go on until about 12 just playing instruments until I lied about my age to get a job at Skate Towne Roller Rink in my neighbourhood since I was always skating on the weekends anyway. Get the job and I’m thrown in the skate shop to pass out skates at $5.25 an hour but I noticed the DJ got paid $25 an hour. The pay alone for me being so young motivated me, along with made me more eager to learn the how to, so I figured out how to jail break a PSP, Limewire for all the music and viruses the computer could handle and added DJ software to it to practice anywhere. The days I went to work I’d hop in the DJ booth and just figure out the functions of the dual disc player, like BPM knobs, the fader, pitch and everything that’s in serato software, that are physically on turntables. Well I guess the owner heard me practicing one day because I came to work and the house DJ had quit before his shift and I was thrown in the skating rink’s teen club. Being a teen myself made it easy to know what to play like Lil Jon, Jeezy, Pastor Troy, Crime Mob, Black Mob, D4L, Soulja Boy, Pretty Ricky, Chris Brown and a lot more I’m missing at the time. What I learned was based off what I played as long as you capture the people’s attention with smooth transition and familiarity you get them in the trance of the music and can kind of control them. I’d test it with jumping from R&B to the hottest rap song out and just watch the momentum and energy go from “get the girls numbers” and “grinding on them” then just switch it to “crunk” “mosh pit” running through the club. I learned that formula and gained the trust to handle the Rink outside of the teen club. Fast forward a little to about 15-16, I helped build up the skating rink by providing the song I knew my age would want to hear along with convincing the owner to bring artist like Pretty Ricky, Soulja Boy, Roscoe Dash, Future, Yung Tone through to perform when I DJ the main rink. I caught the attention of a few of the artists, one of which I ended up working with instantly (Yung Tone), while the others I caught up with later down the line. Yung Tone & I would throw teen parties every high school break for the kids that would stay in town and these parties would sell out at clubs! Like the “Ritz 2” packed out at 2200 or 2500 people, whatever capacity was. Tone came across some young talent, Self Paid and their song “No Cuffin” and the rest was College Park history with Future (see how he falls back into the picture) hopping on the remix along with Hot 107.9’s Stuey Rock aka J Nicks. Yung Tone gained his wings with Future’s Freeband Gang and we took things on tour from there. I had already known J Nicks & ET from 107.9 due to interning for one of the mix show Djs, DJ Hershey, who just happens to also be my uncle. While doing more southern state tours with Freeband Gang, Roscoe Dash ended up reaching out to me needing a DJ for XXL’s 2012 Freshman concert in New York along with Future, French Montana, Don Trip, Machine Gun Kelly, Danny Brown, Hopsin, Macklemore & Iggy Azalea. I gave my all that night, connected with all the artist and ended up Roscoe Dash’s official dj for 8 years after the night. Being a signed artist’s official DJ, while kept me busy, I’d still come off tour and work with artist like Young Thug, Bankroll Fresh, Lolife Blacc, OG Maco, QUE, Yung Mazi, Gunna and a few more I know I’m missing that you can check out on streaming platforms like soundcloud and all the digital streaming platforms. Doing all of that on and between tour got me my own dj tours in Japan where DJ Drama’s night was competing with mine was insane! Especially being a fan of his work. To Italy, Amsterdam & a few other countries in Europe at least twice a year, pre-COVID. Locking in with all these artist, going on these tours, taking artists with me when the budget made cents ($$$), not sense, before they were house hold names along with shaking promoters hands myself helped me build a bridge to randomly move out of Atl and take a shot at club residences across the world to current day. As I’m finishing up my 2 year dj residency in Arizona with the title of the states top rated & paid DJ via the booking agency and ratings, coming back to Atlanta is necessary to build on the name I started here and branded every where else.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never easy or a smooth road creating one of your own, especially if you’re me because I’m create my lane on the “flight line” to where everything I touch has direct access to take flight. The struggles I’ve encountered on this seemingly smooth road have been things like moving to new states like Colorado in the freezing cold and DJ when my two wheel drive could get me through the snow or up the slopes to give you a visual of how that looked (hahaha). Although it was cold, the shows were “dope” because everything was “4-20” based. I started deejaying for and with dispensaries, branding artist from here like Skippa Da Flippa, Rich Da Kid, Sahbabi and a few more from every where else that I crossed paths with that knew I had a “4-20” partnership going to get their own strain or sponsorships for tour runs, pop up shops and more. I needed that challenge of a struggle because one thing that can’t be controlled is weather that we know of and like a “pilot” I embraced the turbulence I couldn’t control and rode it out to the destination of warmer days in my next move, Arizona. To move again after just getting my name in the “Rockies” to start from ground zero, talking starting my 12 year old journey over and over again just in the opposite climate. Was deejaying in Arizona two weeks before I was officially moving so I knew it was the right decision. Got there and the demand for talent behind turntables from transitions, blending, breaking records, hosting to crowd reading and control I spread like the “Bighorn fire”. I use that recent natural disaster because I watched it from my balcony daily maybe 5 miles away from my house for 48 days straight. Still didn’t stop me from going to become the top rated “Pilot” of Arizona as I’d like to call it. Won’t lie being attached to such great artist gets me in the door for a guest DJ set here and there but the struggles turned hustle to get residencies in these states. I have to convince not only the club but the people in it, the promoters, owners and local artist to take a gamble on why I should be the resident DJ in their state with already so many pretty decent local ones. I love the challenge because it keeps me hungry and always focused on evolving to fly higher than the competition. Traveling worldwide can you imagine how many different cultures, music and hits there are that we don’t really catch wind of in Atlanta? Imagine having folders of music by the 100,000s for different regions because what’s “it” here isn’t there yet or big yet. Now picture bridging the gap with all of that when possible, that’s the daily some what struggle, I’m making contact to make global contact between the world and Atlanta. People states apart will be listening to a completely different artist that’s huge to them but you’ve never heard of, will you pick up on it and add it to your catalog or pull the “my city not listening to this”. I add it, anything I hear to my catalog, apply it to my set when I can and even break it in other cities, states or countries. I go so far as venturing into learning top records and popular plays in other genres outside of hip hop, top 40 & r&b to constantly stay booked. The struggles I’ve encountered are just challenges testing my desire for greatness so I embrace them so much to the point where the only “struggle” I even give the name is to constantly have to work in new records, or the go to record at the right time during a set, and how to communicate with my “flyers” or crowd if you will to make sure every experience in like a smooth sailing flight with some “turbulence” that you just know gets you turnt.
I say all that to say it’s always something new to be a struggle in a forever evolving industry, evolve and embrace the struggle that never lasts, find your niche to where you help contribute to the evolution or get out the way for those you paved a way for to, is the only option for me.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a tour DJ that travels worldwide solo or as an artist’s DJ. Known for my work with Roscoe Dash, Young Thug, Future, Scotty ATL, and touring frequently overseas to break rising artists. My most proud work currently is helping my artist achieve what I’ve seen or assisted signed artist do, as an independent. I’m not just the normal DJ that just hops on records screaming, only posting on social media or only in the club. I DJ with corporate companies like DTLR, Fabletics, and Victoria’s Secret, as well as a few syndicated hip hop & R&B stations across the states. I also DJ ANY genre there is, even if I don’t know it. Leaves me with a challenge to conquer on the way to the main goal to be the top dj for more reasons than just the club, radio or mixtapes.
What makes you happy?
What makes me happy is being able to wake up and do what ever it is I set my mind to. If I want to travel I can hop on a plane due to my frequent flyer miles and set up shop in any state to bring the DJ Fly Guy experience. That freedom and ability is like a super power and is satisfying once I go some where and all enjoy the music and forget about their personal problems as long as the turntables are spinning.
Contact Info:
- Email: booking@djflyguy.net
- Website: DJFlyGuy.net
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/dj_fly_guy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/djflyguy
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/dj_fly_guy
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/DjFlyGuyTV
- SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/dj_fly_guy
