DJ Y2k

Introductions- By Monty Aguilar aka DJ Y2k I began listening to Hip-Hop around the age of 14 in the 7th grade when I started to really get tired of listening to the radio in San Diego. I thought of it as an exciting new genre to get into since the radio is primarily top 40 music aside from the typical Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Sublime songs that have been played constantly since they were written; the Hip Hop stations were different insofar as that there was far more turnover and circulation of songs. In other words 'popular' songs took precedence over 'favored' songs. Although the hip-hop on the radio was and still is primarily dance music, the infectious beats and lyrical complexity that permeates the genres stimulated a more analytic disposition in me to look into the songs and style deeper; it inspired more internal movement within me opposed to external. From a social standpoint, at this time I attended mostly Metal concerts and listened to it very conscientiously as a guitar player, traditionally this was the type of music that inspired me to move externally and participate in mosh-pits, walls of death, stage diving, and all that fun stuff. Thus for me dancing to Hip-Hop is not a cathartic act like moshing, in fact dancing to most music makes me want to let loose and throw myself at the crowd which often is not very well received. Instead hip-hop removes me slightly from the physical dimension of music and forces me to focus on the intricacy of rhymes and feel the weight of the bass, really experiencing the multiplicity of style internally while only barely participating physically in dance. Currently I like to listen to hip-hop on long car rides as it puts my natural aggression behind the wheel at ease and I can sit back and have the sound wash over me until I have arrived at my destination. Two songs: OutKast: Return of the G This is a favorite of mine because Andre 3000 has a style that is hard to pin down, but still has massive commercial appeal Death Grips: Thru The Walls To me Death Grips is an anomaly for me, borrowing many samples and sounds from Hardcore and Metal music that make me want to move, but weaving it into a sound that pushes past the limits of many genres into an intense flow