Dexterity
Hip-Hop/Reggae DJ

by Lisa Dumas
Co-Editor

He's been in the business almost since he can remember-and plans on staying in the game forever.

The music business.

26 -year-old Dexterity says it's his life. "It's in my blood. I've just always been around music. It's just like it's a part of me."

IN THE BEGINNING…

At the youthful age of seven, is when he first had thoughts of becoming a DJ.

"I used to have a friend-his brother was a DJ," he recalls. "I used to always be around him, then I wanted to learn how to be a DJ."

Time passes, and by age 13 he gets his chance. After saving money he earns working a newspaper route, he has enough money to buy a mixer, which he adds to his set of make-shift turntables (two old record players).

"I would put a quarter on the needle and just practice cutting," he says.

Fortunately, as his skills get better, so does his equipment. He works summer jobs so that, at age fifteen, he can afford one Technic SD12 turntable and one Technic SL 1200.

Between the ages of 15 and 16, his everyday routine is to go straight home and practice cutting, scratching and mixing for two to three hours at least.

He begins learning more complicated cuts and putting his phone number on the backs of his tapes. In the meantime, he also graduates from high school and attends Fairleigh Dickinson University from which he graduates with a bachelors degree in computer graphics and video production.

Eventually, he starts getting phone calls from people wanting to know where they can copp tapes. This leads to him being selected as an artist for Tape Kingz, one of the biggest mix-tape distributors there is, and forming his own company at age 23-Binghi Mon Productions.

"There are different types of D.Jing. There's the party/club aspect where, you have to know the right records to play, when to play them and for how long," says the New Jersey native. "Then there's making mix tapes. You have to know what joints to play so they won't be old by the time it comes out, and you have to know how to put it together. I'm good at both."

IN THE PRESENT…

Today, Binghi Mon Productions has expanded and developed into 13th Floor Productions and Dexterity has taken on the task of producing tracks and recording songs for an up-n-coming artist, "General", in addition to selling his mix tapes.

This accomplished DJ says he is meeting with A&R directors from various record labels and just finished another mix tape titled "Reggae Classics Part II." Reggae Madness 2000 and Hip Hop Reggae #6 are soon to come.

But, in spite of being blessed with this success, he says he would never take it for granted.

"I never slack off, no matter what," he says. "And that includes sound, quality--all that. Other big-name DJ's are wack now because they take sh*t for granted. I ain't goin' out like that."

"I like doin' it all. I like being in the studio-all that sh*t. I could have a million dollars and I'd still want to do it."

Living up to his name, which by definition means "skill in using the hands, body, or mind," he plans to use his musical talent to make things happen.

IN THE FUTURE…

As for what is to come, Dexterity says he plans to keep doing mixed joints, try and get "General" a record deal and start producing tracks for major recording artists.

Meanwhile, until he reaches those goals -and he unquestionably will--he has his music.