If there was such a thing as a classically trained DJ, it would be Chicago’s DJ Showtyme. Since he was a youth watching his parents and their friends play Bid Whist, Showtyme was drawn to old school classics like Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and the like. At the tender age of 5, he was blessed with his first crate of music by his pops and his musical interests have broadened from that day forward.
After studying Rado/TV at Southern Illinois University, Showtyme landed a prominent spot with Full Impact DJs and was later recruited to join Violator All-Star DJ for his adept mixing skills and ability to keep the party lit.
Showtyme’s list of accomplishments is long and impressive, having opened for some of the biggest names in the industry, including Twista, Common Crucial Conflict, Tribe Called Quest Black Sheep, Omarion, G Herbo, NLE Choppa and Project Pat
He’s spun on Hip Hop Nation, Shade 45, WGCI and WRBJ among others and currently holds down the fort in Los Angeles as Blazin 95.1’s co-founder and program director.
Showtyme recently sat down with rolling out to share his wealth of knowledge and let us know where to get some good eats on the late night in the Windy City.
City: Chicago
Current venue: Voodoo Lounge OMG Bowls
Style/Genere: Open Format/ All Genres
Tag Line: The Total Package
Social Media Handle: IG @djshowtyme7, FB Larry Clark, Twitter @djshowtyme
Who were your first musical influences?
My early musical influences [were] Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind and Fire, Zapp and Michael Jackson. I grew up a Bid Whist baby in the late ’70s and early ’80s listening to music my parents played during their card games. My dad bought me my first crate of vinyl at 5 years old.
List three DJs you admire who made an influence on the culture. Why these three?
I have to name four because these four have helped my career in the last 15 years. These DJs are DJ Scrapdirty, DJ Freddy B, Naki the Beatman and DJ Terry Hunter.
Who are your three favorite producers of music? Why?
Three producers that I like, because they each have distinctive styles and sounds, are DJ Premier, Kanye West and Dave The King. Recently, I have been playing music from the Midwest supplied by Adam Murphy and Midwest Mixtapes. We do a show together on Sundays at 8 pm CST on 103.7 Da Beat. I love spinning local independent artists with great music. It balances the culture.
Click through to read more.
