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Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Meet DJ Hustla, One of Second Life’s Hottest DJs on the Scene- Lanai Jarrico Reporting...


DJ Hustla rezzed on the scene in December of 2010 and has been spinning across the grid at numerous venues since.





He entertains at weddings receptions, rezzday celebrations, house parties and private functions with a growing fan base. DJ Hustla’s genre of music covers a wide range and he adapts his set list for any theme or occasion. That is what makes him one of the hottest DJs on the grid.

 We here at The SL Enquirer are excited to be one of the places he will be featured every Thursday from 4-6pm SLT at Lanai Beach.

SLE sat down with DJ Hustla for a one on one so you can learn more about the man behind some of the best parties in Second Life.







Lanai: Hi DJ Hustla, it is a pleasure to sit down with you and get to know you better. Welcome to the SL Enquirer family, I cannot wait to see the energy you bring to our venue.

DJ Hustla: Thank you Lanai, I'm very excited to be a part of the SL Enquirer family, such a great product you put out, I'm very pleased to be chosen for this opportunity. I look forward to bringing my energy to your venue and of course a rocking good time.
Lanai:  Sweet I’m sure you will bring it. One thing I love about Second Life is it’s a global community and everyone has a unique story. Where you from and what are brought you to Second Life?

DJ Hustla: I am from Florida and despite it being a great place to retire, there is not a lot to do here at least not in my area, so I started looking online for 3d virtual worlds as a way to meet people and see what it was all about. I joined in 2008 as ImaHustla85 Denimore but when I first opened up secondlife (at the time I didnt know about 3rd party viewers) I was just a white cloud puff floating around this spaceship asking in chat “where do I get a body?'' I then realized that my computer wasn't strong enough to handle SL so I uninstalled and two years later got a new computer and found another virtual world called Kaneva after being bored by that I reinstalled SL , found out about 3rd party viewers such as phoenix and came back to SL.

Lanai:lol yes, we are all familiar with that ungodly white cloud look. I’m glad you decided to give Second Life another shot.  I’m always interested in what inspires the unique names I see here in Second Life.  According to urban dictionary, a hustla is “someone skilled at turning a profit no matter what the enterprise.” Is this accurate?

DJ Hustla: Well Lanai, like they say “You can't put it on the internet if it's not true.”  My screenname actually was inspired by Cassidy's song Im a Hustla which came on after about 10 minutes of me sitting there thinking “What screenname should I use?”. Seemed catchy enough at the time, so that's what I went with, I now wish I tried Hustla instead of ImaHustla, as it's always being shortened to Ima which is not what I'm promoting.

Lanai:  And you let it be known not to call you Ima lol. So, what inspired you to be a Second Life DJ?


DJ Hustla: Good question. I started out hosting in Second Life and did that for two years and was always working hard, I have a bachelors degree in communications so I love to talk. One day I was complaining to a friend about how hard I was working hosting while my DJ went afk and said nothing on air or local and still had twice as much as me in tips. My very good friend Kaveri Darkfold aka DJ Darkfold whom hired me at my very first hosting gig at The Myth showed me how to get Sams and taught me how to DJ and I just ran with it.  I love music and I love that I get to bring my musical love to others in second life. Being a 28 year old classic rock DJ surprises many when they find out my age and how passionate I am about my music, really brings a smile to my face when they tell me I know my music as good as anybody who lived through the 60's and 70's.

Lanai: Nice I’m working towards my BS in Communication now. I agree it is very important to have a well rounded level of communication skills and knowledge about the music you play. That’s two great things to have in SL, if you are a DJ.  Can you describe your style and what separates you from other DJs in Second Life?

DJ Hustla: That's a good question. I hosted for two years as I said, and I had three keys to successful hosting and I tried to translate that to when I'm on air as a DJ. Mind you these three keys are copyrighted, I'm just kidding of course, but key 1 is self deprecation, key 2 is fake cockiness and key 3 is corniness.  I am very much a funny person and when I get on air I'm not afraid to have fun, I'm definitely corny and people seem to enjoy my sense of humor. Should I ever be on stage without a hostess, I'll break out a valley girl voice and dictionary and fake host for myself. Just gotta have fun up there and when I'm on air, my big rule is “This set isn't about me; it's about you, the vip's.” I want people walking away and being able to say “That was really fun and the music was great.” Vip's to me are the king and queen and you need to make them happy.

Lanai: I love your key concepts. lol Your words ring true about making people feel special and just having a good time. Humor is definitely important when it comes to dealing with a plethora of personalities here. I’m sure with all the events and parties you have hosted, you’ve seen some pretty interesting things. What is your most memorable moment here in Second Life?

DJ Hustla: Oh, so many choices, what set that always stands out to me is when I was doing a set this past new year's eve at a club and song after song everyone kept yelling “tune” and gesturing after every song I played. They were really digging the music but 1 hour into the set my tip jar was still empty, they kept tryin to get me to strip down to a thong and I said no, then finally said get my tip jar to 1k and i'll DJ in a thong the rest of the set. I swear to you, it took less than 30 seconds and 3 tips and I was at 1k. I was left in nothing but a thong and scratching my head “What were they really there for?”



Lanai:  Hahaha to funny. I think people just like to have fun in unique ways. We are all beautiful. The woman are all perfectly sculpted and the men are all chisel chested  in SL so being in a thong just added to the visual entertainment. People choose things that they love to do and it becomes part of their virtual world lifestyle. 

Have you DJ’d in real life? If so, what are the similarities and difference between rl and SL entertaining? Which do you prefer?

DJ Hustla: I've been in a DJ studio and voiced while in college as I was a Communications major and we had a field trip to the school's radio station. My experience there was short lived as we just tested stuff out and I don't think we were even on air, but the big difference is the amount of buttons, controls, switches, it can be overwhelming. It's a huge station, compared to Djing in second life with just a mouse and Sams, getting songs and dragging them where they need to go. I prefer Djing in SL because I get to see the reactions in local chat and get IM's telling me they're enjoying it and how they've not had this much fun in a while. Whereas you don't get that instant reaction on air in real life radio, so you immediately know if you sink or swim here and I think that's really cool.

Lanai: Cool perspective of both sides of DJing. You have to love what you do to do it well and your reputation precedes you. What is the most rewarding thing for you as a virtual world DJ?


DJ Hustla: I could say it's the tips, as I use the money to convert it to USD to take care of my ill family member here in real life, but honestly it's when I get those IM's from someone who tells me “DJ Hustla, I was having a crappy day and didn't think it would get better, thanks for helping me forget about it and have a great time.” Just being able to make someone happy and give the crowd a good time is what it's all about for me. It really enforces what my standard/motto is, the VIPS' are king and queen and it's my job to rock them and entertain them.

Lanai: Well you are doing a great job of it. Being here for 4 years, I bet you have a substantial playlist. What genre would you say is the most requested by your followers?

DJ Hustla: Seeing as I DJ at Blackhearts, Muddy's, Wet Willies, Big Daddy's, Hard Rock Live and also Black Horse Country, the genre most requested is classic rock, a lot of the clubs I work at are genre specific so when I'm there I follow the genre, but definitely classic rock. In regards to most requested out of genre, would definitely be rap/hip hop.

Lanai:  I really like hip hop, Pop and party music. So I like to be front and center requesting songs and overwhelming the DJ lol. Some people might find it hard to DJ in SL but you make it look so easy. What advice would you give new DJS about the most important things needed to be successful here in Second Life?



DJ Hustla: For me it's all about being myself, I don't mind looking silly or like a goofball, I'm all about having fun and giving others a great time. The most important thing is to be yourself, of course you need to be able to be comfortable speaking on microphone. I found a note card I made from my first shift where I had written down exactly what I was going to say to open with and I laughed as I used that about two times and then have been free-styling it since than. For me you can't plan things, if you do than you could be limiting yourself, but for new DJ's the biggest thing is be comfortable talking on microphone, it was what I was most warned about. I went from reading off a note card to doing a fake British accent impersonating mission impossible “DJ Hustla your mission should you choose to accept it is to follow that amazing set before you. Do you accept this mission?” To breaking out a valley girl voice when I don't have a host. Be comfortable and not planned, people will react to it a lot more.

Lanai: I think you have a great attitude. That is exactly what Second Life needs. Some people here take themselves to seriously and forget to laugh and have fun. Before I free you from this interrogation session…How can venues contact and book you for events? What is your fee?

DJ Hustla: Venues can contact me by messaging ImaHustla Resident and sending a note card (in case IM's are capped) or emailing me ImaHustlaResident@Gmail.com. My fee is 500 L per hour + tips although if it is a regular gig  or they are tight on funds I am always willing to negotiate on price and help people out. I do this for fun and at the end of the day I'm getting paid to play music that I'm enjoying as well.



Lanai: Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. I look forward to partying with you at The SL Enquirer.




Join his group:  Hustla’s Homies
Check out DJ Hustla’s  Event Schedule

1 comment:

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