Hampton Roads - When you hear the name DJ BabeyDrew, do bells and lights not go off?  The only way you have not heard the name is if you are living under a rock in an abandoned field outside the world of music. 

It’s impossible to box DJ BabeyDrew into one specific genre, even one as big and diverse as hip-hop.  Most have marveled his ability to move crowds of extremely different tastes.  Carrying the position as one of Vibe Magazine’s Top 100 DJs, he can keep a crowd of people moving at the Granby Theatre in Norfolk by mixing dance music, and then in the blink of an eye be seen taking the hip-hop crowd of Club Blakley’s in Chesapeake through a mix of Baltimore club, reggae and top 40.  His superhuman power to control the atmosphere makes him one undeniable force in the party scene worldwide.  Never biased to any form of music, he has been known to introduce new genres to crowds with his chiseled skill of mixing.  I myself was introduced to the fist pump by DJ BabeyDrew in a club where no one had heard of it, but all left loving it. 

“Do you sleep?” I asked when introduced to him by promoter extraordinaire Big Sam, a.k.a. “Mr. Everywhere”.  His response, “No, not really" [laughs].  While busy crossing the globe with multi-platinum selling artist Chris Brown as the official DJ, spinning for radio station powerhouses Z104 and 103Jamz, he somehow still finds the time to produce projects and mixtapes.  He has a resume most turntablists can only dream of, including appearances on the Grammys, the Oprah Winfrey Show, MTV’s TRL, BET’s 106 & Park, Ellen DeGeneres, the View, the Today Show, Good Morning America, Regis and Kelly, the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the Kid’s Choice Awards, and Jimmy Kimmel Live.  In addition, he has been seen on stage supporting Kanye West, Nickelback, Christina Aguilera, Ludacris, Gym Class Heroes, and many more.

I caught up with Drew for a brief moment and asked him a few questions about his journey in music.  Here’s what he had to say:

33: As far as your career as a DJ, you have been fairly successful, but you’re a man on the move.  What do you want to have had accomplished ten years from now?
DJBabeyDrew: Ten years from now I still want to be DJing and producing hit songs on the radio.  I’m producing now for some real major acts at the moment so hopefully by then I will definitely have become an established worldwide producer/DJ. 

33: What influenced you to become a DJ?
DJBD: I had older cousins that DJed, and I was always fascinated with the equipment and the buttons, and I just wanted to do it.  There was an abundance of it, and it kinda just turned into a career.  When you love something and you do it strictly for the love, work hard at it, and have a good business mind, you can turn it into something big. 

33: How old were you when you first became a DJ?  I know that you were fourteen when you booked your first party, but when did you get your hands on your first turntable?
DJBD: I was twelve.  I didn’t own any equipment til I was like eighteen, so I was borrowing people’s equipment for the longest.  Not until I was in college did my mother buy me my first personal set of turntables.

33: Do you have any advice for those who aspire to follow in your footsteps?
DJBD: Work hard.  70% of this is luck, and the other 30% is hard work and dedication.  Do it cause you love it, not just for the perks and the limelight.  If they take away clubs and the money from DJing I would still be around cause I do it for the love.  Be real about it because people can sense that, and it will project when you spin.  You can keep going from there.  

DJ BabeyDrew is nominated for two awards at this year’s SMES (Southeastern Music and Entertainment Summit) Awards held at the Holiday Inn in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  Categories include Mix Show DJ of the Year and Club DJ of the Year.

You can find DJ BabeyDrew by stepping out on the town or online at:

Facebook.com/DJBabeyDrew

MySpace.com/DJBabeyDrew

By Correspondent: Monet Freeman

Monet Freeman hails from Virginia Beach and has her roots dug deep into music.  Most of her childhood was spent singing in the church choir Voices of Tomorrow in elementary school and chorus in middle school.  By the time she reached high school she found that her calling was not in the spotlight but behind the scenes.  Finding comfort in journalism, she began to write poetry and raps to help cope with the growing pains of life.  Now she has found that the best way to find herself is in the service of others, thus leading her to aid the exposure of others who are finding their way in the music industry.  With her loves of fashion, cosmetology, photography, writing and music, she feels there is no better way to live than with her heart planted in hip-hop.

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