Sebastian Gündel initially made hits while on the gridiron. After several years of playing American football in Berlin and Rostock, Germany, Sebastian Gündel decided to delve into music.
Now known as DJ Gün, he is one of the premier DJs in Europe and also owns an event management company, Weekend Warriorz.
DJ Gün recently shared his love for hip-hop and broke down the difference between American and European trap music.
Who are some of the hip-hop artists that you followed as a youth?
It all started with Nas. The very first album I listened to was Illmatic. Although I had no clue what the hell he was rapping about, it still had me hooked. Afterward, I began to listen to rappers such as DMX, 2 Pac, The Fugees, Biggie, Busta Rhymes, Three Six Mafia and OutKast.
When did you realize you could make a career out of music and entertainment?
That came later. I was an athlete before I got into the music business. I played U.S. football, but I got injured real bad and I wasn’t sure if I could come back. That’s when I knew I had to think of something else. That’s when we came up with Weekend Warriorz. So we established the brand and started to organize the first couple of hip-hop parties in a local club in Rostock, Germany.
How does Weekend Warriorz help to keep hip-hop alive in Europe?
Weekend Warriorz is an event and booking agency that specializes in event management, sound and light engineering, live shows and concerts. We also perform. We were able to play about 40 shows last year and got the chance to perform in London and Switzerland. We also established an event series called ‘TURN UP!’ with a strict focus on international trap music that we are now concentrating on connecting with live acts from the U.S.
What are your thoughts on trap music that hails from Atlanta with artists such as T.I., Young Jeezy and Gucci Mane?
I listen to a lot of artists from Atlanta. One of the homies who co-founded Weekend Warriorz with me went to Atlanta for an student exchange program. So he kind of kept me on track with music coming from Atlanta. It’s crazy how many new artists came up within just a few years leaving a mark in the game. We respect guys like Trinidad James, Future, Migos, Mike Will Made It, Young Scooter, Young Thug, and Rich Homie Quan. I like it. Keep it coming.
What do you think is the future of Trap music?
I don’t know, it’s hard to predict. But I know as long as producers continue to mix it up with other electronic genres, it will continue to built up a bigger fan base and reach more people. So I guess [the] sky’s the limit.
Check out DJ Gün’s music HERE:
