On March 26, Atlanta-based marketing veteran Craig Stroud II and craft beer pioneer Ale Sharpton came together to craft the perfect mashup experience called “Ale Max Day.” The two brought together the craft beer and sneaker community to celebrate the iconic Nike Air Max. March 26, known as Nike Air Max Day, celebrates 30-plus years of style, culture, design and innovation.
DJ Kerosene was the mixer for the event, and he featured a perfect music mashup of ’80s pop and hip-hop from the ’90s golden era. Kerosene spoke with rolling out about the event and gave props to up-and-coming DJs.
What was your mindset in preparing for your set on Air Max Day?
This is all family and friends. We see each other all the time, but I was looking forward to doing something like this in downtown Decatur, [Georgia]. They wanted me to tie in the sneaker theme released in 1988, so ’80s music. I specialize in boom bap [subgenre of hip-hop] and purist hip-hop. I do all the classic music and new music as well.
What song should every DJ have in their set right now?
Every DJ should pick their own personal favorite, so everyone has a different song in their set so we don’t all sound like jukeboxes. … I don’t care about what’s hot, what’s popular, or what you hear in the club a million times every night of the week. I want to hear something different. Find what you like and shine the light on the dope s—.
Who are some DJs that we should be looking out for?
There are too many to name. There are a lot of dope young cats coming out here. Keep the music first, keep the creativity first over the commerce, and stick to the original foundation of deejaying. The responsibility is to put people on to great music. Shout-out to everyone putting the music first, learning the craft, putting in 10,000 hours, and giving back to the people. Salute to all the up-and-coming DJs.
