On a cold October evening in 2002, Jason Mizell, more widely recognized as Run DMC's DJ Jam Master Jay, was fatally shot and killed in a Merrick Blvd. studio in Queens at the age of 37. Not only was his murder a devastation to the hip hop community but it also veered all attention to the role of the deejay. In a 1988 interview, Run was quoted as saying “We'll never have a band, his [Jam Master Jay] one-man sound machine, that's our band.”

Jam Master Jay was among the old school deejay's such as DJ Red Alert and Grandmaster Flash who brought hip hop to a different plateau. Paving the way for the superstar deejay's of today, Funk Master Flex, DJ Clue, DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Green Latern are just a few of today's selectors that are blingin' out of control because of their success on the turntables and mixtape sales. With Justo Faison's creation of Justo's Mixtape Awards, the skills of the street dj are put to the test. Who will be crowned the best?

In the 2003 Mixtape Awards, DJ Vlad along with fellow dj's Green Latern and Dirty Harry proved to be the best when they took home the award for Mixtape of the Year for the 2Pac: Rap Phenomenon II mixtape. I had a chance to chat with DJ Vlad about the role of the deejay and the impact that winning such an award can have on a dj's career. Not only did DJ Vlad touch on the role of the dj in today's hip hop, but he also shed some light on the hardships and downfalls that a struggling dj endures when trying to make it to superstardom.

The Ave: I understand you started out b-boying. Did that have any influence on your decision to start dj'ing?

DJ Vlad: I was just trying to find a place in hip hop. I tried breakdancing but I wasn't really that good of a breakdancer. So then I went into music production and at the time I wasn't that good of a beat maker. Then I went to dj'ing and something kinda clicked. So from there I started getting some recognition. At one point I started to do things that were getting me recognized internationally on the hip hop level. I definitely think that starting out as a b-boy made me wanna be a part of the whole thing. It definitely influenced that.

The Ave: Who was an artist that you were really into back in the 80's?