DJ BabeyDrew lives the life people dream of. When he’s not spinning records for millions of listeners to Virginia radio station Z104, he’s on tour rocking crowds with one of the biggest artists in the country. This musical devotee sat down with HipHopWired to tell us his plans for the future, how a New Yorker ended up in the Commonwealth and how he got the gig of a lifetime as Chris Brown’s DJ.
Origin: Queens, New York
Current Location: Virginia Beach, VA
HipHopWired: What were you doing before you got started in music?
DJ BabeyDrew: Before I got started in music I was a baby.
HipHopWired: So I take it you’ve been doing it your whole life then…
DJ BabeyDrew: Since I was like 12.
HipHopWired: So what made you want to start DJing?
DJ BabeyDrew: Music was something I always did for fun because I loved it and then it just turned into something. When you’re doing something you love and you’re in the right place at the right time then something can blossom from it.
HipHopWired: Right. If you’re from Queens originally, then what brought you to Virginia?
DJ BabeyDrew: I went to college there, I went to Hampton university. I went in ’98 and graduated in ’02.
HipHopWired: So how would you describe the Virginia music scene. There’s a constant debate on whether it’s North or South. What’s your take on it?
DJ BabeyDrew: A lot of music comes out of Virginia but they do just that, they come out of Virginia. You got Timbaland, Missy, Pharrell, Teddy Riley, all of them bubbled in Virginia and then they left. So the music scene breeds a lot of people but in Virginia the music scene sucks. Virginia people don’t support other Virginia people.
HipHopWired: Tell me about how you got started working at Z104? Did you work somewhere else before?
DJ BabeyDrew: Well I did college radio before that and then from college radio I did 102.1 and then from 102.1 I went to Z104.
HipHopWired: So then how did you get to be Chris Brown’s DJ?
DJ BabeyDrew: When I was at 102.1 Chris was doing a radio run with his manager and I met them. I told them that if he ever needed a DJ to give me a call and I kept in contact with them. Then I went to this DJ Power Summit in the Bahamas and all the DJs go out there every year. Then ironically they came and sat at the table with me and they were getting ready to do a showcase on the beach and I said, “Oh I should DJ for the showcase”, and his manager was like, “Yeah I’m with it.” So he talked to Chris and ever since I’ve been his DJ.
HipHopWired: What’s it like being on the road and being on tour with him?
DJ BabeyDrew: It’s cool, it’s great. It’s work at first but once everything gets rolling. It’s real easy and real laid back.
HipHopWired: So I know you’ve seen the interviews and the going back forth between him and Rihanna and a lot of people from his camp agree that Rihanna’s been less than honest. Since Chris is your friend, what’s your take on that?
DJ BabeyDrew: Well I can’t really speak on that…
HipHopWired: Well what can say for your friend? Can you vouch for him?
DJ BabeyDrew: What can I say for my friend? I can say that he’s accepting of his mistake and moving on with his life. He admitted to his wrong doing and that was it. To me he’s taking the higher road by not really releasing other details.
HipHopWired: Okay, cool. Let’s switch gears…when you’re not on tour with Chris are you doing mixtapes?
DJ BabeyDrew: Yeah I do mixtapes but I suck at mixtapes. Put it this way, I’m good at doing them but I suck at putting them out. I have a lot of mixtapes but they’re just through the years. I might do two or three a year.
HipHopWired: Well is it because you’re so busy?
DJ BabeyDrew: Yeah because it takes me a long time to do a mixtape. Some people will just put songs together and that’s there mixtape but for me It’ll take me a week or two to do one mixtape. I never do a mixtape where it’s just songs.
HipHopWired: You actually scratch and blend and put all of them together.
DJ BabeyDrew: Right.
HipHopWired: Well besides DJing are you doing any projects on the side?
DJ BabeyDrew: I have Smash, it’s a record label and a clothing line. There are three sections, one is a record label, one is a clothing line and the last is a sports management company. The sports management won’t be ready for another three years but we’re rocking with the music and the clothes.
HipHopWired: Are the clothes available in stores?
DJ BabeyDrew: Not yet, we have promo tees with our logo on it. We’re working on some designs now.
HipHopWired: Okay cool. So do you have any shoutouts?
DJ BabeyDrew: Shoutout to my momma, shoutout to HipHopWired and shoutout everybody out there who’s been a fan since day one.
HipHopWired: And if anyone is looking to get in contact with you, how should they do it?
DJ BabeyDrew: Email me at Drew@DJBabeyDrew.com or check me out on Facebook.
