Voice Of The Metro

So you say you’re a DJ? You’re sitting at home with your moms old turntable with the duct tape on the old 12″ singles and scratchin’ them up? DJ Torkaveli takes a different route…no turntables at all. Just hot tracks, hot artists, and a sick set-up of a playlist for a great mixtape. Voice Of The Metro speaks with the creator of Metro Rap Radio to find out about his beginnings and lets him speak to you haters speaking ill of his moniker. Tell ‘em, Tork!

Voice Of The Metro: Introduce yourself to the world, homie.

DJ Torkaveli: I’m DJ Torkaveli - mixtape DJ, rapper, producer, basically a jack of all trades when it comes to this local rap movement.

VOTM: Cool. So for the people who aren’t up on you, give some history about what you’ve done so far in your career.

DJ T: It really got started when I was in high school. When I was about 15, I won a WKYS freestyle contest with the Live Sqaud. I had always liked to rap, but that was when I realized that I could actually entertain others with it. From then on, I just rapped with my friends, my cousin, and in my neighborhood. I did a few mixtapes that I just gave to my friends, then started battling in online battles. This was before MySpace. Then, in 2007, I decided to start putting my mixtapes on the internet for a wider audience. With me doing that, I saw firsthand the challenges that a local rap artist faces when trying to have their music heard. You’ve got many obstacles. You have go-go’s dominance, you have radio politics, and then there’s a general apathy in this area when it comes to local musicians. That’s where I got the idea to start an online radio station last summer called Metro Rap Radio. I started that in July ‘07, and it started off well and brought a lot of attention to the local talent that’s right here in our own backyard. It also gave artists an outlet to showcase their tracks that they’ve worked so hard to create. Unfortunately, it didn’t prove to be worth the effort in the long run. So still wanting to work towards the same goal, but in a more productive way, I applied the same idea to making mixtapes. Metro Rap Radio Vol. 1 came out in November and really opened some eyes to just a sample the talent that lives in our very own area.

VOTM: True, that’s what’s up…our area needs people that will expose some shine on the DMV, hence this site here. So tell me, how did you get into hip-hop and DJ’ing?

DJ T: I’ve been rapping for fun for as long as I can remember. I’ve always been interested in the art of wordplay. As far as DJ’ing, I’ve never done turntables or anything like that, but I use the title “DJ” in the sense of putting together songs and trying to have some type of theme together, which can be an art in itself.

VOTM: Oh OK, true, so you’re not a DJ in the conventional term of the word, but in the artistic sense. I can dig that.

DJ T: Yeah, and believe me. The traditional “2 turntables and a mic” DJs have been letting me hear it. But I ask them this: would you say a person’s not a movie watcher because they use DVDs instead of watching an actual film projector? I made my website with old-fashioned HTML programming, but do I have the right to say that a person who made a website with Flash didn’t make a website? Or am I not a fan of rap because I bought a CD instead of a vinyl, or a tape, or an mp3? My point is, whether I use turntables or an ipod, a DJ is a DJ.

VOTM: Word, i can definitely dig that. So what do you have in the works right now?

DJ T: A whoooole lot. First, I’m hosting mixtapes for J-Rich of the 5 Star Team and the Dymond City Rydaz that should be out REAL soon. They both have supported the radio and mixtapes from day one and they’re still supporting now. I’m also starting to collect tracks for Volume 2 of Metro Rap Radio the Mixtape. I’m also making beats as well as rapping, so you may get another mixtape out of me too. I’m also making surprise appearances in ‘08, you don’t know what stage I’ll pop up on, I’m jumping in out of nowhere like The nWo lol. And who knows, if I can get it to work, I would love to bring Metro Rap Radio back because I loved doing it.

VOTM: Definitely, that would be a good look…DMV needs that, because there isn’t much of a presence of the DMV hip-hop scene on the local radio. So, I know you said you was done speaking on it, BUT…seriously, what’s up with the bammas having a problem with your “Torkaveli” alias?

DJ T: Yeah, people are always going to try to reach for something to pull you down on when they don’t have anything better to do with their own lives. If anyone has an issue with my name, they can go check out my blog on MySpace, I’ll break it all the way down to them. It gets to a point where you get tired of always feeling you have to defend yourself against things that people say and you just gotta ignore them or spaz out.

VOTM: So aight, we get to this section…favorite go-go band?

DJ T: I’m not deep into go-go so don’t hold this against me, but without a doubt, CCB.

Young Lyriciss: Favorite carry-out?

DJ T: That’s a tough one, but I’m gonna have to say…uhhhhh…Danny’s.

VOTM: Which one?

DJ T: Right, it’s like 100 of em. The closest one when I’m hungry lol

VOTM: Favorite DMV rapper?

DJ T: I’m gonna have to go with Multiple Man.

VOTM: Word, very dope…shouts out to Multiple Man. Tell him to holla at me about an interview…I tried to hit him on the MySpace, but it has so much shit that my computer froze lol! I gotta get some more ROM/RAM/somethin to hit him up!

DJ T: LOL Right, I couldn’t get on his page until I got my new computer.

VOTM: Favorite clothing store?

DJ T: Who, me? Gallos LMAO. Keep it low budget. Either that, or I make my own shirts like my new FREE MIXTAPES shirt.

VOTM: LOL I can dig it. So any last words for the people?

DJ T: Yep. Download my mixtape, and go to my website http://www.metrorap.tk or myspace.com/metrorapradio

VOTM: That’s what’s up. Be safe out here and keep doing it for the DMV.