A Powerhouse DJ Movement (KRATE DIGGAZ)

PHL: How long have you been a DJ?


KRATE DIGGAZ: I actually started dj'n late, I started in 1997 in Houston Texas while on the road working for Dj Kid Capri! Kid's road manager Jim asked me if i would help out and open dj for the crew due to the fact that i knew where all of kids records where since i had the distinct job of putting them all away at the end of each night he performed, and set them up during sound check. At first I just played records that I knew Kid wouldn't play and then i started to develop a style by watching Kid and then later on the current opening dj Technician the DJ.
I started in the game 6 years earlier with Redhead Kingpin, with the intention of becoming a rapper in the game. but I soon changed my mind, after David "Redhead Kingpin" Guppy, taught me that the real money was in the background positions of the game and not in front of the lights and camera's, so i then chased the dream of becoming the next Berry Gordy, Sean "Puff Daddy" Combs (who I happened to go to the same high school as him in the bronx Mount St. Michael Academy), or Andre Harell. During my pursuit to being a mogul, I eventually met Kid while I was working for Andre and Kevin Brown the 2 owners of the Uptown Comedy Club, managing their last location in Harlem on 12th ave. by the cotton club. they had to close the club due to some fire damage to the back of the club and during the hiatus Kevin Brown had an opportunity to sell merchandise on the Def Comedy Jam Tour, and asked if I would go on the tour and rep the Brown Brothers. That was the end of one career move and the beginning of a new career working with Kid Capri. ever since 1996 I have been friends and worked for David "Kid Capri" Love. I stopped working with Kid due to My mother becoming ill with cancer and I took it upon my self to help take care of my mother and ended up moving to Albany Ga where i currently reside.


PHL: Where are you from? 


KRATE DIGGAZ: I am originally from the Bronx NY, born May 18 th, 1971 in Manhattan hospital. I then moved to Teaneck NJ in 1977 until 1985 when I moved back to the Bronx and started going to Mount St. Michael (parents got divorces and I stayed with my cousin until my father got a big enough apartment).


PHL: What artist have you worked with?


KRATE DIGGAZ: I worked with Redhead Kingpin, Brice Willson of Grove Theory, One Life 2 Live, Intelligent Hoodlum, tone and poke of trackmasters, Diamond D, Mark the 45 King, Little Cease, D-Dot, Raz Kaz, and DJ Kid Capri


PHL: How do you feel about the hip hop being played on the radio stations today?

KRATE DIGGAZ: To be honest I rarely listen to the radio I got tiered of hearing the same songs over and over and due to me being in a much smaller market than what I once was in NY, there are not a lot of choices to choose from. I believe I only listen to the radio when I am checking to see what records that radio are now playing after receiving much of the radio singles in advance I sometimes find myself slowing my self down when I listen to the radio cause I usually get music anywhere from a month to 3 months prior to being released for radio. I listen to the NY radio stations every now and then through the internet to see where my home town radio sounds are at. It makes me so home sick, I love New York radio.

PHL: What projects are you working on as we speak?

KRATE DIGGAZ: Right now my life has changed over the last 4 years, once my mother told me they had found breast cancer for the second time, I thought I was finally finished with the entertainment business. Then my greatest achievement my son Brandon was born which totally changed my life and motivated me to get a regular 9 to 5 that I have had for the last 2 and half years working as an I.T. at AT&T. Then my second greatest achievement my daughter Brielle was born and so my family has been my biggest project that I am working on. Despite all of these changes in my life, the one constant was my desire to make a difference in this entertainment game not just hip hop, i never wanted to limit my self I want to make an impact in the entertainment industry on a whole. I knew that since Hip Hop was a passion with me that I would make my way into the Game through Hip Hop. Since Kid Capri was the last person I worked with and DJ'n was a new found passion and love of mine I created a DJ servicing company called KrateDiggaZcom after creating my first company KnowzEnewZ.com an online Entertainment Magazine. The DJ'n service took off much better than the online mag so I decided to concentrate on KrateDiggaZ first then build on the mag. We look to have the official site for KrateDiggaZ.com up by the end of February 08, we are actually building our own server starting it with at least 4 Terra bites of space. Essentially creating a myspace like community for DJ's only. We currently maintain a music blast email list of over 3500 DJ's World Wide, if there is anyone who is a DJ reading this interested in joining please email me at knowzenewz@gmail.com

PHL: Do you have any people that you would like to recognize?

KRATE DIGGAZ: There is a whole lot of people that I would love to recognize that influenced my life. First and foremost I would like to thank Redhead Kingpin and DJ wildstyle, they taught me the game in '91 and introduced me to the people that helped put me deeper into the game. I would like to recognize ICU who was apart of boogie down productions for showing me the streets of the game back in '91 special shout out to Larry O and K-Def who was in the struggle at the time trying to get a record deal, and Fatman Scoop who at the time I knew him he was called Scoop Roc and was affiliated with the new jack swing group Wrecks in Effect, he was one of the nicest freestyles i knew at that time in the early 90's before I heard Biggie. I want to thank Jimmy "Henchmen" Rosmond of Czar Ent. for giving me a job and taking me in to the company like a family member in '93. Definitely have to thank the Brown Brothers, Kevin and Andre Brown along with the rest of the Brown Family (Ms Brown, Mr. Brown - mom & dad, and sister Lashawn Brown) who gave me my opportunity in the comedy game as both head of promotion and then later in the mid 90's gave me the opportunity to manage and work at a higher level in the entertainment game. If they had not put me under their wings (Kevin & Andre Brown) I would have never met the legendary Kid Capri who inspired me to do what I am doing today, which is running an up coming powerhouse DJ Service and Movement called KrateDiggaZ.