Tia MitchellWith the scratch of vinyl records and a drop of the bass, DJs have the power to move a crowd all night long.
Under the pressure of other DJs, winning the crowd over with a sound and a rhythm can prove challenging.
In N.C. Central University’s Alfonso Elder Student Union on March 24, NCCU’s “The Plugg” AudioNet show hosts, Kelvin Walker and Jonae Raenetta, held their second DJ Battle.
DJs competed to see who would take home the crown of top DJ, a cash prize of $300 and a $100 gift card to clothing store DTLR.
“The Plugg” will host the next DJ Battle in the fall, which will mark the event’s one-year anniversary. Walker said he hopes to keep this event going every semester and make it a tradition for “The Plugg.”
“It shows the DJs their talent,” said Walker. “It gives them an opportunity with their peers to show how their skill level is compatible within the state with others, all in one place.”
The competing DJs were DJ Badhabitz, DJ TJ, DJ Shizz, DJ Cue, DJ Cdubb, and DJ On-1. Each DJ had two minutes and two rounds to prove they could keep climbing.
The first round started with Shizz and CDubb. Shizz started strong with hard-hitting, pulsing beats, while keeping her flow together. CDubb built his rhythms and ended with a bang.
However, the bang wasn’t enough to move the crowd, and Shizz advanced on to the next round.
In subsequent rounds, DJs balanced old jams and the newest, hottest music, such as “Work” by Rihanna, on their turntables. A few competitors performed with the same track, but that didn’t stop anyone from serving his or her own style to the crowd.
In the finale, TJ and On-1 were left standing. TJ kept it consistent and didn’t lose his momentum during his turn.
He brought energetic beats and memorable songs of the past, which swayed the crowd.
On-1 gave it his all and kept steady at his turntable, using a similar method to keep up with TJ.
In the end, TJ prevailed and won the competition. This was TJ’s second time entering the battle. The first time he competed, TJ lost to DJ Double J. He said he was glad he was able to win this year.
“Everybody has their own strengths and weaknesses,” he said. “Whenever I get out [to perform] in front of people, I get really nervous but I have to bite my tongue and push hard. I was glad I was able to do that, because with the confidence, I came out on top.”
On-1 said he enjoyed battling against TJ in the competition, but felt he lacked preparation that night.
“I’ve known TJ for a little while,” On-1 said. “I went to march in the band at Winston-Salem [State University]. He went to [North Carolina A &T University] and marched in the band there. Him and I were meant to battle it out. There’s always next time.”
