Exposed Vocals Interviews DjRolow
Hey My Name Is Roland Jackson AKA Dj Rolow I AM a Dj An Producer From Chicago,IL an thegenre music i make is Footwork, house an Juke an I Have Been Doing This For about 8 Years Now An I really Enjoy It. I started at the age of 15 years old with my cousin dj yb He is also a dj an producer and also a footworker. But the person who really made me start to produce an Dj was my other cousin Dj Manny One of TekLifes djs. so from that moment on iv been putting all of my heart an soul an passion into my music. but I really love what I do thanks to some of my really close friends an inspiration’s like, Dj Manny, Dj Spinn, Dj Rashad, Dj YB, Dj 2Tall, an Dj Curt An a Few other .
Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?
DjRolow: I grew up in Chicago, IL on the south side. Growing up on the south side of Chicago I was a kid that always was doing something were as to going outside playing my game an always jamming music. So As I Got Older I say around at the age of ten My Family Had Moved to Atlanta. That’s Where I Had Really Started Getting into listening to music a lot more. Growing up I Would Hear My Parents Playing Oldies an R&B songs Slow Jams all that good stuff down to the good old Chicago house and juke music to. I would love listening to the music to the beat an the artist I would vibe in my zone an just think like man I wont to learn how to make music like this just making beats period.
So what made me decide to become an artist, it was a random year were we had took a vacation to Chicago, And we were spending the night at one of my favorite aunts house and I seen my cousin Manny on the computer making a beat but in Chicago the genre of music we listen to called footwork, house, juke we got a few names for it LOL but anyways, I had asked him what was he doing he said making a track I was like man that’s sounds so dope MAN!!! The Base and the sounds and just overall work on it was dope it just made you won’t to move your feet, an also at the time he was young to starting off. I was like hey cousin you have to show me how to use this fruity loops program before I go back to Atlanta. He was like ok I got you so from that Moment on that’s when I made up my mind that I wanted to be a Producer, Artist and a Dj.
Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?
DjRolow: I came up with my name with my cousin YB and at this time I was older as well i was fifteen at the time also to an he’s a producer and Dj also. So one day we were just chilling in my room I was also back in Chicago at this time to I was staying in Chicago Heights and I was attending Rich East High School also. But we were just chilling an talk about Dj names an what not he was like yo I’m going to go with Dj YB I was like yo I like that because his name is Donja and he said he was young and blessed, I was like man you came up with a dope name. Then I was like yo I’m going to go with Dj Rolow. I went with that name because I always said I was going to go by the name of Dj Rolow once I started making music an Djing. So the next day at school I’m in chemistry class talking with a couple of my female friends I was asking them like how’s Dj Rolow sound for a Dj name for me, They said it was dope they stared trying different names like DjRoRo an some more names but I just stuck with DjRolow.
My Inspiration behind my name came for the motivation I seen in my cousin that day when I seen him making a track on the computer in Chicago and I said to myself that once I make it big in the music industry I won’t people to remember my name DjRolow. An plus my friends I hang around are big inspiration to me to because these guys are known all over an people got mad love and respect for these guys an I wont to be great just like my friends an spread the culture of the music we create.
Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?
DjRolow: My thoughts on online music sharing, Well for me personal as an artist I think online sharing is a great idea because it gives people the opportunity to here different types of music and different genres of music an it helps people to notice you also you might have a different type of music genera you make an nobody never heard it an you start sharing it an the right people hear it will open up different doors an opportunities for that artist.
Do I every give my music away for free yes sometime because you no since you are an upcoming artist you really don’t have no fan base so you have to give the people some free music to help out your exposure and to help get your name out there. And the reason why I give my music away for free sometimes is because I loving sharing my music with my fans and the world to listen and to have the opportunity to make it big with the genera of music I make an to show the other great producers coming up that anything is possible with god an being humble an patient.
Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?
DjRolow: Well first I would say to any upcoming artist always make sure you work hard and put in the time an effort on your music every day to master it an always remain humble an patient. Make sure you surround yourself with people that’s going to help push you and help you succeed to get were you need to be. I say this because I’m still starting out myself you no and I’m just now starting to get shows an everything now so you most definitely have to stay humble and patient when it comes to getting were you need to be.
Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?
DjRolow: Where do I gather my inspiration from, well for me it comes from my great producer friends Dj Spinn and Dj Rashad, DjManny, Dj YB, Dj 2Tall, Dj Curt. These are the guys that give my motivation to keep me going with my music because if you every heard a Dj Rashad Track or any of the teklife members tracks It gives you this feeling that touches your soul like damn this track is Fucking dope the way they chop the sample an add some nice high hats some snares an base and a nice freaky sound to go with it. An also hearing music coming from the upcoming underground artist like DjYB an Dj2Tall, DjCurt they gave me the inspiration to because these guys have come a long way like me an we all started out at the same time making tracks. They have really grown in their music so that’s really what inspires me to keep going.
My usual process of making music comes when like I hear I dope song or sample I love an it catches my ear you no then I chop it up you no add my own swagger to it. You no with some nice snares some high hats and a nice base line with exotic sounds that compliments the beat or the sample IV used
Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?
DjRolow: Do I have a band website no not at this moment but it’s in the process of getting built for my label so I can network an give my fans the upcoming an new info on my music an new project’s I’m working on.
My online platform on how I share my music is threw social media. I share my music threw Facebook my fan page twitter, soundcloud you no things like that. And I just constantly share it every day on my face book promoting it to my fans and different people.
Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?
DjRolow: if I were given a half a million dollars and a year off I would take care of my family first off and start my own music label to help the upcoming producers like myself to get to where they won’t to be. I would travel the world touring doing shows an spread the culture of the music I create all around the world
How I would spend the half a million dollars I would most definitely give back to the community from where I grew up you no and help out and try to change the environment by adding new schools library’s even providing jobs. I would spread positivity threw the community by helping the people of Chicago. And I also wanted to add a preforming arts music studio for all the kids that have talents in making music or producing or Djing, rapping and singing they would have a place to go to fulfill that dream and I will also make it affordable for the people. That’s how I would spend it.
Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?
DjRolow: how do I find ways to promote my music is to find out what’s the best website for upcoming artist to promote their music on an ask around from different people on what’s the best option on sharing music most people would tell you, you have to put money behind yourself to get the best results when promoting your music and I most definitely agree because when you do you get a lot more opportunities an doors to open when you put money behind self-promote.
But what works best for me though is that I just always been using my social media accounts and sound cloud to promote my music and it has given me a lot of opportunities to meet new people and hear different music.
Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?
DjRolow: My Upcoming projects I have coming up are my new Eps I will be dropping this year real soon. The first Ep is called The Manifest Ep and the Second Ep is called The Conscious Mind Ep. These eps will consist of a couple of remixes of my favorite songs from the new school to the old school so I just really hope my fans really like it. So be on the lookout it’s going to be on band camp for sale also so be looking out for those to new eps real soon
Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?
DjRolow: if I wasn’t making music I would be in school working on a different career like HVAC you no stuff like that. An also I would be doing a lot of traveling to that’s the main thing I wont to do is travel and see the world. And I would be helping my sibling and my family to reach their goals as well as mine to.
Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?
DjRolow: well for me how I juggle my music life an stay head is that I try to at least when I’m not busy I try to make at least a track or two a day because since I work I really don’t have the time like I use to but I make sure when I’m not busy that I find the time to make music always.
Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?
DjRolow: Well my fans can be looking forward to my new Eps That’s Dropping real soon The Manifest Ep and The Conscious Mind Ep you no one of my closes friends I meet he lives in Sydney Australia an he’s working on for me to come out there and do some shows like in the middle of this year so be looking out for that. An to all my fans be ready because I will be in a town near you very soon I really hope you guys enjoy my music an everything much love and respect. But For Show Booking ETC… Please Email at [email protected] an if my fans would love to check out my music here’s a link to my soundcloud
www.soundcloud.com/djrolowteklife/tracks thank you guys and god bless.