Source: DJ OMINAYA / DJ OMINAYA
Cassius had the chance to interview trailblazing DJ Ominaya and get his perspective on DJing for notable artists like A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and inspiring others.
For those who love Hip-Hop and all of its elements, they know it takes a good amount of time and passion to be a solid representative of the culture. For DJ Ominaya, that is evident in his resume. The Bronx native got into DJ’ing in his teens and turned that love of music into a career that now sees him behind the turntables for Sherri Shepard’s daytime talk show in addition to being the tour DJ for A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Brooklyn’s own Lola Brooke. We had a chance to sit down and learn more from him about his passion for the music and the culture.
CASSIUS: Let’s take it back a bit and get into how you got to where you are now. I saw that you started spinning at 14 years old, what drew you to the turntables at that age?
Ominaya: So as a young kid, I used to play baseball. And there was a guy I used to play baseball with. His name was George, he went by DJ G Storm. He was a little bit older than me. He was already a DJ, as a hobby and stuff. And then he introduced me to it. But, prior to that, I always loved music since I was like, five, six years old. So I always liked music. He introduced me to turntables and records and ever since then, I just learned it and ran with it.
CASSIUS: You’re from the Boogie Down Bronx, right?
Ominaya: Yessir. (Laughs)
CASSIUS: So with coming up and learning how to DJ along the way, who were some of your influences? Who did you get guidance from and get to rock shows with?
Ominaya: Influence-wise, I would say, Kid Capri. Brucie B, DJ Enuff. DJ Camilo, and DJ Self. I’ve pretty much DJ’ed with all those guys at events, parties, and concerts. It’s definitely a pleasure to be rubbing shoulders with the people that I looked up to and grew up on.
CASSIUS: In terms of DJing with the current landscape of how it is and comparing it to how you were learning coming up – do you feel that there are more pathways to learning how to DJ the right way? If there is a right way?
Ominaya: The thing is, DJing now – there’s so many ways to actually DJ, that is crazy. You don’t even have to learn turntables to DJ anymore. There’s people that DJ internally – when I say internal, I mean, just off their laptop and a mixer, right? And you’ve got DJs that actually use CDJs. Then we have controllers, which are a one-unit thing that has turntables and a mixer built in, and then you have people that have learned the vinyl way. So I mean, there’s so many different ways. It’s not the traditional way anymore. It’s pretty dope to see people gravitate towards the DJ world. But I think personally, you should learn all aspects of it and especially the way it originated, which are turntables, and then CDJs. I would suggest that to the DJ coming up, learn every aspect of it.
CASSIUS: You’ve also been on the road with Lola Brooke and A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie. How has that touring experience been for you with both artists?
Ominaya: It’s been crazy. I mean, the thing is like Lola…she’s still a new artist. So she’s developing, I’m helping develop her stage presence, helping her build her show and finding herself on the stage. She has the personality and, she has the music. So now we’re trying to define her onstage. But she definitely kills the stage every time she’s up there. And Boogie, I’ve been with him for about seven years now. So helping develop his stage from the beginning to what it is now is like, super insane.
We started out in 500 cap rooms, maybe 1000 cap rooms. Now, we’re doing arena tours and festivals. The end goal is to get Lola there as well, with some hard work and putting the shows together, but it’s been a crazy experience. Lola’s my new baby. So it’s like, I’m trying to herd her to where Boogie’s at, you know, or, you know, similar levels and help her grow as an artist. So, it’s been crazy though man, just seeing the way people react to them. It’s just a beautiful thing, man.
CASSIUS: Let’s go into what you have going on now, what’s new on your plate?
Ominaya: I’ve got a few events going weekly. There’s “Taco N Vibes” Tuesdays in the Bronx, I’ve got a Saturday party going on called Members Only, and then I have a “Color Me Bad” R&B brunch on Sundays.
CASSIUS: Lastly, how does it feel week after week to get the love from folks who attend your shows and get a chance to listen and hear you spin?
Ominaya: It’s just crazy to know that me just playing music makes people happy. That alone just puts me in a place where then I’m able to help people lose themselves in having a good time. Just being somewhere where I’m playing music, and just taking them to a whole other place where they sing and dance, and whether it’s having a drink, or whatever, like, I’m just happy to be able to be a part of that. And I get joy from that. A lot of people get into DJing because they see it as fast money, whatever. But at the end of the day, if you’re not good at it, or if you’re not creating a moment for people, you don’t feel the satisfaction. Like, I love that part of it.
Source: DJ OMINAYA / DJ OMINAYA
