DJ Nabs, legendary DJ and prolific businessman, is still rocking the crowds and doing things the A-Town way in the name of good music and good times. Not everything has been rosy for the southern turntableist though. In 2007, Shawntae “Da Brat” Harris was arrested for assaulting a worker at Jermaine Dupri’s Studio 72 night club, a crime for which she received three years behind bars for committing.
The first female emcee to garner a platinum plaque for an album, fans and friends alike were shocked at the harshness of the sentencing, with no group being proverbially hit harder than Brat’s So So Def family. Over two years have passed since the incident and people remained steadfast in supporting the incarcerated superstar, especially Nabs, whom has decided to give Brat more than moral support in a way that only he can.
Speaking exclusively with Hip-Hop Wired, Nabs touched a little on his relationship with the “Funkdafied” lyricist, speaking of his support and their brother/sister-esque relationship.
“Brat and I are like brother and sister to a degree,” said the Atlanta legend. “I’ve been to see her and we talk on the phone when she calls. She’s doing well. It gets to a point in the music business that you actually develop real relationships outside of just doing work in the studio or just touring with people. So Brat and I have that sort of relationship.”
Currently serving time at Lee Arrendale State Prison in the sleepy town of Alto, Georgia, Da Brat is close to completing her three year isolation. Perhaps displaying her willingness to return to the business that she pioneered, Brat has been organizing a talent show, sharing her classic flow and commanding showmanship with fellow inmates. The move has precedence but never has a prison talent show been so publicized. Adding to the excitement of the affair will be the music itself, as DJ Nabs has been tapped to deliver custom mixes for the participants to use during the show. The Chicago rapper is hoping prison officials will allow her event to become an annual affair.
The consummate hustler, Nabs is also taking steps to bring people into his world, going to a place that most in the music realm have not accomplished enough to venture into.
“It‘s called In the Lab With Nabs: An American DJ Story and I‘ve been working on it for years,” exclaimed the innovator.
The documentary will be a documentary of the professional and personal trials and triumphs of the man that epitomizes what it means to be a musical maven.
Stay tuned for the feature, DJ Nabs: Still in the Lab, a Hip-Hop Wired exclusive!
