At ZAlebs we’ve always believed in giving shine to artists and DJ’s who are on the come up. On this week’s Friday Playlist we will be bringing to you a DJ who’s not  that well known in the commercial circuit but by the looks of things  DJ Papi is soon to be a house-hold name.  When we heard his playlist a few of us were tempted to holler “Ai Papi!”

We speak to Papi this week to hear what this fresh young talent is about and what he has to offer our ears this coming Friday.

I always knew I wanted to be a DJ even though it took me a while to get my own equipment.

Wanting to be a DJ was one of those things I always wanted to do; it was a no brainer for me.  It all just started with playing around with TDK cassettes and old vinyl’s as a kid but because I had no income then my DJ dream then went on halt for a few years because I couldn’t afford any Deejaying equipment until about three years ago where I was able to get my own equipment that’s when my career started taking off.  It’s been a difficult road to drive on but ever since I’ve been able to get my own equipment I’ve never looked back on being a DJ.

The first songs I ever mixed were…

Missy Elliot’s ‘Party People’ was one of the track’s I use to play around with in my early days of Dee-jaying.  I loved that track, even now I always mix old and new school Hip hop, that combination is always loved by the crowd on the dance-floor. 

Challenges I’ve experienced as an upcoming Hip Hop DJ

Trust has always been a challenge for me as a new kid on the block; people don’t trust you because they don’t know your brand or product.  Club promoters get a little sceptical because they obviously haven’t heard you play anywhere else and they wouldn’t want to invest on a DJ who’s not going to bring in the crowd.  It’s a sensitive situation because it involves customers and hype and if you’re not bringing in the hype to a promoters club he loses money and you lose your credibility as a DJ so trust is definitely one of the biggest challenges I’ve experienced in my Deejaying career.  But I’ve realised that with those club promoters who’ve given me a chance to play at their clubs they’ve become loyal towards my work and have continually called me back to come play again which is always a great thing for a DJ.

The one DJ I’d love to play against

If given the opportunity I’d probably want to play against DJ Naves or Sphectacula the reason being that I actually played with them a couple of weeks back in Cape Town and it was great fun so I wouldn’t mind doing it again.  I also listened to Switch’s mix on ZAlebs and I think I want to take on DJ Switch too [Laughs] I feel like he’s a great DJ to compete with.

DJ Papi is currently living in Cape Town but is originally from Johannesburg.  Living in Cape Town has helped him build up a healthy credible list of clients who are always willing to let him play at their events. 

Twitter: @PapiOrangefarm
Facebook:  Papi Orange Farm