As I grow as a DJ and reach new platforms, I still stay true to those artists  that first rocked with me. The ones that came to the showcases, got slots on my mixtapes, and came to be a face in the crowd at my many venues, those are the ones that I will reach back to and bring with me to the next level. With that said, in 2017 take care of the basics before you leave the studio so your transition to these bigger stages will be that much easier.

Before you leave that studio, before you walk out that booth, make a clean version of your song! Don’t wait weeks to go back and make a clean version, do it right then and there. Not only does it save time and save you money, but you never know which one of your songs a DJ will like and will want to play on the biggest platform still around, FM radio. Too many times I am ready to play an artist’s song that I am working with, but he or she does not have a clean version of their song. Even worse, they can’t get access to their sessions to even make the clean version, which brings me to the next topic.

In 2017, take more control of your music and your situation. Buy a $50-$75 external hard drive and when you finish that session, tell the engineer to load up that Pro Tools session onto your hard drive. Why? How many of y’all studio hop? How many of y’all can’t get back in touch with the engineer in a timely fashion? So what do you do? You take your hard drive and your session to the next studio and keep it moving. Y’all know engineers are like barbers, if you don’t come back the next week, they act funny, and move slow. Forget the headaches, travel with your sessions so you can get to work at any time.

The last basic I need y’all to get back to, is having great artwork for your lead and follow up single. Before we see you, we see your artwork, which inherently represents you. Stop letting your homeboys do ya artwork. Spend the $50 for great artwork. Hell, if you look hard enough on Instagram you can find great graphic artists that will do mixtape and single covers for $20.

2017 cover the basics. You can’t count to 3 without 1 and 2. Cover the basics and the rest will flow naturally. Control what you can and outsource the rest. Let’s cover the essentials and save time and money. #3000!

DJ 3000 

#ViewsFromDaBooth is an informative article for the artist from the South’s newest record breaker, DJ 3000. DJ 3000 is creator of mixtape series Off Da Brick, Finesse Game Strong, Private Party Kush, and DJ or Die Tryin’. He currently DJs at various night clubs in the Atlanta area. Follow him on Instagram @3000_da_DJ.