Grandmaster Jay Could Learn A Lot From These DJs

Recently, Grandmaster Jay attempted to showcase how "real" of a DJ he is with a wack DJ routine that has done nothing more than baffle the DAD staff a

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Recently, Grandmaster Jay attempted to showcase how "real" of a DJ he is with a wack DJ routine that has done nothing more than baffle the DAD staff and DJ aficionados worldwide. Why he'd choose to let his ship sink any further is beyond us, but it's really sad that he put out that video to highlight what he felt was prominent DJ skills for someone deemed to be "legendary." Now we know of a number of talented DJs, across a number of different genres, that would crush Grandmaster Jay, but instead of totally pissing on his parade, we figured it would be better to highlight DJs that he could study, ones that could help emphasize qualities that Jay's lacking. Here are a number of DJs that are better than Grandmaster Jay, and what he could learn from each of them.

D-Styles

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Quality: Turntablism

Many of you might know of D-Styles via his feature on Craze & Klever's Scratch Nerds II mixtape, but he's been around for a while. Turntablist fans first heard him as a part of the mighty Invisibl Skratch Piklz crew, and he's since branched out to bring more of a leftfield take on the art of turntable music. This video for Serato is a great definition on the limitless possibilities the turntable presents, from crafting your own drum patterns to being able to knock out dope trumpet solos.

DJ der guten Laune

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Quality: Enthusiasm

"DJ With Good Spirits" might not be the most technically-sound DJ, but neither is Grandmaster Jay. Where der guten Laune wins is he looks like he's actually enjoying himself. Check out his face when a new track that he loves comes on - he's raging just as hard as you are. He doesn't even mix, but if you see him perform live, he's almost the perfect embodiment of a music fan. More of us should approach music with good spirits.

Granny Teller

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Quality: Not taking oneself so seriously

Sue Teller, aka Granny Teller, is all about you doing your own adventure. We're not sure who turned Granny Teller onto the art of the mash-up, but the way she turns something stale into something fresh is a thing of beauty. Sure, she might not even be a real DJ, but she made sure she hit the "world wide Internet," got crunk, and turned her "really old school" style into something current. And the people in her home (aka that couple at the end) aren't mad at the beats she's throwing down. No need to pad your resume or anything, just do what you love and have fun doing it.

Roc Raida

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Quality: Building a dynamic set

What was Jay trying to prove with that quick set he built? Was he plotting out supreme displays of his technique like Roc Raida did here, building his 1996 DMC World Championships set? Mind you, he had to cut a lot of what you see in this practice session out - and he was doing all kinds of ill shit in this set. When you look at what actually became Roc Raida's '96 DMC World routine (including the infamous "Ninja of Rap" bit), you should realize what a TRUE grandmaster can do on the decks. Rest in peace, Raida.

DJ Baby Chino

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Quality: Educating

DJ Baby Chino taught Steve Harvey how to scratch. That's right, this little kid is a little cocky, but he has a right to be: he's on national television teaching a comedian and host how to scratch and blend. And oddly enough, he's a part of the Beamz nation, and shows us how to use the product better than anyone else has.

DJ Granny

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Quality: Thinking of the fans

One thing that bothers us about Grandmaster Jay is the idea that his "legendary" status makes everything he does shine. Most of the DJs he referenced don't vouch for him, yet he throws out these self-congratulatory items out there like people a) know who he is and b) give a shit. In hearing DJ Granny speak, all she wants to do is cold-rock a party.

DJ Sara

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Quality: Unique scratch techniques

This video is from August of 2012, when Sara was 13-years-old. We chose to highlight this because she stuck to tunes that Grandmaster Jay might recognize as staples of the old school. For some reason he spun a number of classics in his short, wack routine, but didn't add anything special to his (off-)cuts. Sara wasn't born near the time these classic tracks were prominent, but she's found a way to incorporate her signature style over these tunes. Plus, she's been at it for years, and has a little brother (Ryusei) who is flames as well. Trust.

This kid from London

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Quality: FUN!

Remember that, Jay? Having fun instead of trying to prove how connected your career is (to the careers of others)? You seem to have lost that in this rave of proving how important you are. And this kid can't be any older that three, but check the smile on his face when he plays with the volume. That's the best shit in the world to him. Do you even remember how that feels, Jay?

DJ Face

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Quality: Style

From the intricate braids on his head to the tracks he's selecting, this youngster oozes style. He's teasing tracks (that play off of each other well), is always smiling, and looks like he's enjoying himself. Jay, your last video had us questioning what you were trying to prove. DJ Face let's us know: he's rocking a party.

DJ Lance Rock

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Quality: Track selection

No way Grandmaster Jay could genre-hop and choose such a eclectic selection of records for the Yo! Gabba Gabba creatures. Lance Rock does go in live, but digging into the variety of tunes he breaks down in this trip to Amoeba, you know he has to have an awesome selection of music at home. Knowledge is power, Jay.

DJ Aladdin

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Quality: Not giving a fuck

Truth be told, Jay's problem might be the fact that he cares too much about what others thing about what he's doing. Aladdin took the decks at Scratchcon 2000 as a pioneer in the turntable arts, and even though he had recently gotten out of prison, he never lost his love for the decks, and throughout a number of fuck-ups and drunken transitions, he showed the crowd how Compton gets down on the decks. If Jay did less caring about what others thought and more nurturing his art, he could properly not give a fuck like Aladdin does.

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