Today we’d like to introduce you to James Vickers.
James, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
My name is James Vickers, better known to my students as Mr. Vickers and to nightlife and radio as DJ SCrib. Born and raised in the “Holy City” aka Charleston, SC, I established a plethora of hobbies that later turned into passionate careers.
Education and music have both always served as a passion in my family. As I pursued my career as a middle grades and elementary teacher at the College of Charleston, I found another passion I never thought would have turned into a full-time career.
While attending a house party, my friend’s iPod was connected to a speaker and the songs were shuffled randomly where it wasn’t bringing the right vibes to dance to at all. I asked if I could choose the songs for the night and right then and there my life changed. I continued to do house parties by using an amplifier from one of my other friends from gospel choir, an aux cord and my laptop with a free DJ program called Virtual DJ. The buzz went around and I was asked to DJ events on campus. This shocked me because I didn’t consider myself a DJ at the time because of the equipment I lacked. Finally, I invested in some turntables, speakers and a microphone. It went from small college parties/events, weddings and corporate events to opening for mainstream artists such as Big K.R.I.T, Yelawolf, and DRAM.
With almost ten years in the music industry, I have established a large support not only from my own city but around the nation. I recently joined the Mixstars/Chopstars with the legendary OG Ron C and I am also a member of the 400+ DJ coalition called Fleet DJs. Since joining both DJ crews, I’ve networked and was given the opportunity to perform a DJ set on Sway Calloway’s “Sway In the Morning” show.
Even with a busy schedule as a DJ, I still manage to teach Science at Meeting Street Academy located in Charleston, SC. I make sure my kids learn through song and dance, projects, open discussions, books/articles and written assignments. At my school, my principal believes that all students should follow their passion and created a budget so I was able to teach students how to DJ during their extended day program titled, Passion Project! I was given a classroom set of headphones, speakers, controllers and Serato (DJ software) to give them a full DJ experience. While in class, students learn to blend, transition, scratch, use sound effects and make event specific playlists just to name a few parts of the course. So far, I’ve had multiple students perform in front of their peers and family during school events and assemblies. I think it’s important to expose students to new skills while preserving the culture through DJing.
As a black husband and father, myself and 3 of my closest friends created the YouTube page titled, The Real Husbands of CofC. We are a group of College of Charleston alumni who came together to bring our perspective on what we think it means to be a husband while providing entertainment as we discuss current events and other facets of everyday husband engagement.
I am grateful that I am able to shift the thinking of the next generation and show what black men are capable of through hard work and networking in their community.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Every venture I’ve wanted came with challenges. From my childhood to today, there were people that told me that I wouldn’t amount to be where I am today. As a teacher, I have had some administrators state that the students I worked with were not capable of completing the work I had for them. My dreams of creating a mix of the classroom and music was shot down multiple times before I came to my current school.
As for DJing, I’ve had radio stations and clubs tell me that my mixing was “too much”. I would send in multiple résumés, press kits, and mixes just to get an ear. Some companies I never received an email back even after a follow up. Some clubs told me to my face that they didn’t want the atmosphere to be “too black”, “not for our crowd” or “we will call you back”. I’m glad that I didn’t give up on myself because of just one or two opinions about my craft.
I went through a time where I was literally doing events for free just to gain exposure from bigger names that were on an event. From there, my name started popping up into conversations and creating a large audience every time I stepped behind a pair of turntables.
It quickly went from not getting a call, to multiple calls and over booking myself and establishing accolades from my community such as DJ of the Year for my city in 2019.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with your work – tell our readers more, for example what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
My diverse music crates, are why I’m known as the Basquiat of Djs. My DJ superpower is blending any genre of music together to create a masterpiece! I always showcase my diverse repertoire of sets and styles, from Hip-Hop, Trap, and R&B, to House, Lounge, and Dancehall (while dabbling in Jazz and Reggae). My collection of music over the years plays a vital role in creating an experience for every audience to remember at each event. My style gives the crowd some of what they love, some of what they used to love, and some of what they should love. You ever heard Kirk Franklin to trap music or Drake to Salsa music? Well those are the surprises I love to create! I am also known to be a nostalgic story teller through each DJ set I perform.
Not only do I DJ events but I love to create events specifically for the art and music community. While I have established myself over time, I make sure that crowds are able to support other local Djs, musicians, artists, brands and any other forms of community around me. My goal is always to discover new talent that has not received the exposure I think they deserve.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
My future plans are to establish my brand even more. I want to venture into the field of having my own radio show or becoming a mix-show DJ for XM radio.
I also want to be a resource for other A&Rs, labels, and playlist makers to find talent specifically from South Carolina as well as around the world.
I would love to create a program to display DJ skills and the business aspect such as rates, résumés, press kits, and email etiquette.
Contact Info:
- Website: djscrib.com
- Email: info@djscrib.com
- Instagram: @djscrib06
- Facebook: officialdjscrib
- Twitter: @djscrib06
- Other: https://www.mixcloud.com/djscrib06/
Image Credit:
Charleston City Paper, New Moon Visuals, VS Party ATL
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