Letting People In On Your Dreams

People love to comment on your dream… like they know better than you what you should be doing with your life. I firmly believe that by the time you are 20 years old, you should make your own decisions on the direction you want your life to go in. And then don’t tell anyone!

Everyone sees the world through their own prism. So when you tell someone about your dream, they comment on it like it is THEIR dream, and they critique it based on whether they think THEY would go down that path. Their words place doubt in your mind, making you less certain about your decision to follow your dream. After you have made the decision and have made it most of the way down the path, THEN tell whomever you like. At that point, you’re at the “no turning back” point and their words won’t weigh as much.

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

The Vibeology MixCast "R&B For The Hip-Hop Generation™" October 24th, 2011

The_Vibeology_MixCast_OCT24.mp3 Listen on Posterous

Okay, I'm back! A little extended hiatus… settled into my new place in Everett, MA (I live on the North Shore… weird) and I'm well rested and ret-to-go!

Here is another edition of the Vibeology MixCast, yours truly "Big Chicago" Reggie Beas (@DJReggieBeas) in the mix… thank you for all your suggestions on how to make this better for you. I'm feeling more comfortable on the mic also, getting back into the groove I had on the air at Hot 97.7, 97.7 WILD-FM and Hot 102.9. I'm looking forward to working on a weekly schedule so every Monday you'll get a fresh edition of the Vibeology MixCast.

All I ask is if you like what I do, pass on the link to this post to your friends. Thank you for your support!

Segment 1

Best Thing I Never Had (Lil Jon & DJ Kontrol Remix) Beyoncé (@beyonce)

Only Wanna Give It To You Elle Varner (@ellevarner)

You, Yourself And You Tiffany Villarreal (@1misstiff)

Champagne Life Ne-Yo (@neyocompound)

Attention (f/Raphael Saadiq) Kelis (@iamkelis)

Every Day Of The Week Jade

Trouble Bei Maejor (@beimaejor)

Stay Ne-Yo (@neyocompound)

Someone To Love Me (Naked) Mary J. Blige (@maryblige)

Holdin' You Down Jazmine Sullivan (@jsullivanmusic)

Too Easy Tyrese (@tyrese)

Segment 2

She Ain't You (f/SWV) Chris Brown (@chrisbrown)

Back In The Day Erykah Badu (@fatbellybella)

Stay Together (f/Jaheim) Ledisi (@ledisi)

Lonely Girl DJ Rogers Jr.

Crazy Love Ne-Yo (@neyocompound)

Repercussions Lauryn Hill (@mshillmnvgtrgt)

Vibin' Boyz II Men (@boyziimen)

Make It Last DJ Jazzy Jeff & Ayah (@djjazzyjeff215) (@ayahmusic)

Me And U Montell Jordan (@montelljordan)

Segment 3 (Vibeology Sidestage)

Groove Me Guy (@teddyriley1)

I Like Guy (@theaaronhall)

Do Me Bell Biv Devoe (@bellbivdevoe90)

If I'm Not Your Lover (f/Slick Rick) Al B. Sure (@officialalbsure)

Here We Go Again Portrait

I Want Her Keith Sweat (@ogkeithsweat)

Why You Getting Funky On Me Today (@bigbubtoday)

I Found Lovin Jeff Redd (@therealjeffredd)

I'm Dreamin' Christopher Williams

Remember The Time Michael Jackson

Segment 4

So In Love (f/Anthony Hamilton) Jill Scott (@missjillscott)

Already Taken Trey Songz (@treysongz)

Just In Case Jaheim (@officialjaheim)

Givemorelove Musiq Soulchild (@musiqsoulchild)

Hey Mr. DJ Zhane

6 AM f/Lalah Hathaway Rahsaan Patterson (@mynameis2long)

Good Life (f/Faith Evans) Funkmaster Flex (@funkmasterflex)

The One (f/Drake) Mary J. Blige (@maryblige)

Betcha'll Never Find Chantay Savage

Anything (f/Swizz Beatz) Musiq Soulchild (@musiqsoulchild)

 

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

New Music Alert or I'm Doing My Snoopy Dance!

I love it when I stumble upon a song and it demands my attention. Don't know who @dee1music is, but this just came across my computer and it is my new favorite song. Mostly because this is exactly how I feel about the many females who have come and gone in my life (or, in reality, have come and put me in the friend zone). I've had love songs that tapped into my thoughts, but never a hip-hop song. This may not be a hit, but it resonants with me.

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

One Great DJ is better than 4 Average DJs or DJ Roulette

I hate it when I go to one of my favorite night spots and the regular DJ has been replaced with another DJ who sucks is not doing the job. I would much rather hear my favorite DJ be lazy, playing the same great songs again, than DJ Minute Mix acting like a live action iPod on hyper-shuffle.

A great DJ sets the tone for the night. That consistent vibe is what is missing when you keep switching DJs. Let me make this clear… a night doesn't become great because of multiple DJs, but a great promoter or promotion can overcome inconsistent DJs and make a great night. An iconic night marries a great DJ with a great promoter… that is the holy grail every nightclub is looking for.

The key to having one resident DJ is having someone who can switch up the music every week without the quality suffering. The reason why promoters use multiple DJs is because 1) DJs get lazy and play the same songs in the same way every week; and 2) DJs can't ask for more money because there are always 2-4 DJs waiting in the wings to take that spot for the same money you're turning down (promoters don't want you to realize that, DJs).

It's easy to fall back on the routines and sets you know already work, but that's the mark of a great DJ, to be able to keep people interested week after week. Yes, you do have to play the hits, and yes, we all are pulling from the same basic music, but instead of playing Poison, play Do Me Baby. Instead of playing Award Tour, play Electric Relaxation. Instead of playing Rock The Boat, play Back and Forth.

(Easy DJ Tip) One easy way to keep from getting into a rut, playing the same songs over and over again, is going to hear other DJs spin. What, you're too good to listen to other DJs? They ain't got nothing on you? Doesn't matter. Go listen to other DJs, and steal see what songs work for them. Add those songs to your mental rolodex of songs. 

(Advanced DJ Tip) Clear the dance floor by playing a hot new song that you know your crowd doesn't know, but will want to soon. Or you can play a throwback that nobody has heard in years. If you trust your talent, you will be able to get them back on the dance floor easily. But remember, there is a difference between playing a hot new song in the middle of a hot set and throwing a grenade, killing your dancefloor for 15 minutes or more. A great DJ knows how to recover from a grenade… once again, if you know your music and trust your abilities, you can move people from the sidelines, to the dancefloor, to the bar and around again at will.

 

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

Friday Funnys or I'm Cryin' Ova Here

This is simply the funniest thing I have seen all year! DO NOT watch this at work if you can't laugh out loud. I am not responsible for you getting fired.

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

My Favorite Blogs or Procrastination At Its Finest

One of the best and worst things about the Internet is that everyone is at your fingertips. I have signed up for so many self-help, informational, "be a better man" sites, that my email is completely clogged up… and I end up only reading a select few. Google Reader is even worse, because I get full news stories every minute of every day. I'm so backed up that I just found out that Kim Kardashian just got engaged! I'm just playing, but only slightly.

But here are 3 blogs/sites that I read religiously and am excited about. Some are about the life I want to live and some are just escapism. But all are cool enough for me to clue you in about.

Black 'n Bougie

I absolutely love this blog. I understand that in the Blackiverse "bougie" has a terribly negative connotation, but Michele Grant @onechele celebrates bougie as upscale, upwardly-mobile, socially-savvy Black folks. I'm with it.

Grantland

Bill Simmons @sportsguy33 (pictured) is my favorite writer on ESPN (aside from Jemele Hill, who gets my vote for more than just writing ;-)). He became so successful that when the idea for Grantland came up, ESPN let him run with it. I must admit, the website design overwhelms me most of the time (it's not very easy to figure out what stories I missed). But every time I'm there, one of his many world-class writers is shedding light on a topic, whether related to sports or not, in a way that is enlightening.

I Will Teach You To Be Rich

Crazy title, right? Let's be real, if it was easy to be rich, we'd all be driving around in Maybachs. But Ramit Sethi @ramit is not handing you a magic elixir to drink, asking you to swallow blue and red pills or passing you the combination to the secret lair of the Illuminati. He is giving you systems, scripts, and new ways of thinking about how to find and get your dream job and how to maximize the money made from that job. He gets you to answer hard questions about exactly what you want to do, and gives you proven ways to attain it. But he makes no bones about it… it is hard work. His theme for 2011 was "hustling"… that doesn't sound like he's opening up the back door to the bank, does he? But that's why I'm in it 99%, and seeing if that extra 1% is worth it (you'll understand when you go to the site).

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

The Vibeology MixCast "R&B For The Hip-Hop Generation™" September 26th, 2011

The_Vibeology_MixCast_SEPT26.mp3 Listen on Posterous

1. Beautiful—Noel Gourdin
2. Joy—Blackstreet
3. Say Aah vs. Step In The Name Of Love (BeasMix)—DJ Reggie Beas
4. 4evermore f/Algebra—Anthony David
5. Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)—Usher
6. Only You—112
7. Holdin' You Down—Jazmine Sullivan
8. Joy—Ledisi
9. Sending My Love—Zhane
10. Heard It All Before—Sunshine Anderson
11. Freaky In The Club—R. Kelly
12. Champagne Life—Ne-Yo
13. Don't Mess With My Man—Lucy Pearl
14. Borrow You—Eric Roberson
15. When You Get Home—Montell Jordan
16. Sumthin' Sumthin'—Maxwell
17. Walking—Mary Mary
18. Let Me Love You—Lalah Hathaway
19. Sweet Thing—Mary J. Blige
20. Everything—Mary J. Blige
21. Love No Limit—Mary J. Blige
22. Love No Limit (Remix)—Mary J. Blige
23. I Can Love You—Mary J. Blige
24. Mary Jane (All Night Long)—Mary J. Blige
25. My Love—Mary J. Blige
26. I Love You—Mary J. Blige
27. Reminisce—Mary J. Blige
28. Reminisce (Remix)—Mary J. Blige
29. Love Is All We Need—Mary J. Blige
30. Family Affair—Mary J. Blige
31. Be Happy—Mary J. Blige
32. Be Happy (Remix)—Mary J. Blige
33. Oooh—Mary J. Blige
34. Not Today—Mary J. Blige
35. You Don't Have To Worry—Mary J. Blige
36. All That I Can Say—Mary J. Blige
37. You Remind Me—Mary J. Blige
38. You Remind Me (Remix)—Mary J. Blige
39. Enough Cryin'—Mary J. Blige
40. Real Love—Mary J. Blige
41. Real Love (Remix)—Mary J. Blige
42. You Bring Me Joy—Mary J. Blige
43. Back 2 Life 2001 (f/DJ Clue)—Mary J. Blige
44. MVP—Mary J. Blige
45. The One—Mary J. Blige
46. Just Fine—Mary J. Blige
47. Just Fine (Treat 'Em Right Remix)—Mary J. Blige
48. My LIfe—Mary J. Blige

 

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

The Comforter Speaks… or A Whole Bunch Of Quotes

See the full gallery on Posterous

I joke that I have a reality radio show called The Comforter, where I talk to my female friends about their relationship issues. Sometimes I tell them what they need to hear, sometimes I tell them what they want to hear and sometimes I don't want to hear it. In the course of talking I come up with statements that speak to reoccurring themes with my friends. If you read something that resonates with you, please take it and run with it. At some point, each of these quotes will be a blog post of their own.

1. Relationships are easy, people make them hard.
2. We are so busy trying to figure out what's wrong with a person rather than looking for what's right.
3. Trust that the person whose hands you are putting your heart into has your best interests at heart. That trust goes both ways, ladies and gentlemen. 
4. Many of the problems people have in relationships are the expectations we place on each other.
5. Find the person who is already the person you want them to be instead of trying to make that person into what you want them to be.
6. Don't be afraid to be alone… your self-worth is not tied into having a mate.
7. Be the right person instead of looking for the right person.
8. When a person shows you that they are trifling, and you continue to deal with them, you have no right to complain, because you chose to still deal with them.
9. Look for an amazing person who thinks you are amazing.
10. If you are doing what you need to be do in a relationship, you have no need to worry about your other half cheating.

 

 

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

Dreams… You Got One?" or "In My World, I'm That Dude!

I talk to my friends all the time about following their dreams. I am completely amazed at how many of them don't have a dream! They are unable or unwilling don't take the time to paint the picture of their future selves. Now, I understand needing to make money in the now… the future seems so abstract. But dreams are necessary. Just the simple fact of having that dream in your head pushes you closer to making it a reality.

From now on, I'm not going to talk about dreams. I'm redefining the term "dreams" as "creating my reality." Creating my reality means looking forward and figuring out how to make the reality I desire happen. It's like starting at the end and working back to where I am now… reverse engineering my life, if you will. I'm going to illustrate creating my reality by writing about what I'm doing to do just that in my DJ life. What you read in my real life experiences may be the catalyst you need to start down the path of creating your reality yourself.

The reality I'm currently creating is having COMPs (club owners/managers/promoters) consider me the premier upscale urban DJ in the world. COMPs fly me out to their city, put me up in an elegant hotel, and let me do what I do on the ones (shoutouts to @msalissap). It is a concept I started actively working on a year and a half ago when I became the resident DJ for 30+, a monthly upscale event in the Boston area catering to the urban socialite.

Meditation is a big part of what I do, visualizing exactly, in the present tense, what the whole experience looks like. I visualize what I'm packing for the trip. I visualize how comfortable I am in first class. I visualize the customs officer putting a stamp in my passport. I visualize the person with the hand-written sign saying "BEAS" who leads me to the limo. I visualize getting dressed in my 5 star hotel before the event. I visualize the email from the bank telling me another 4-figure deposit has hit my account. I visualize the line outside the event that I'm about to rock. I visualize a sea of beautiful people dressed in suits and ties, dresses and heels, dancing in every corner of the venue to my blend of old school, neo-soul, house, smooth R&B and hip-hop. And I love visualizing the COMP's excitement in their event being a smash hit.

But visualization is not my only weapon. I also write out in detail the whole process. It's like writing a script for my life, how I want it to play out. It helps slow my mind, letting the visuals stick in my brain, allowing my body to "feel" the experiences. I go to 750words.com and do just that, writing my reality in 750 words (or more) a day. It sounds crazy, but ever since I started writing my reality in March of 2010, I have been more successful in my nightclub DJ career than I was when I was on the radio as the program director and afternoon personality at 97.7 WILD-FM in Boston and Hot 102.9 in Dayton!

Practice is very important also (yes, AI, we're talking about practice). About three years ago I realized that practice helps me even though I'm already great at what I do and I've been performing for many moons already. Practice allows me to 1) know exactly how to get in and out of every song I play while keeping the crowd partying; 2) get away with playing new music without losing the dance floor; 3) bring back old songs that everyone forgot that they loved; and 4) freestyle when I need to, because sometimes the crowd is going left when I'm going right.

And my actual gigs help create my reality also. When I'm performing at 30+, I'm visualizing myself rocking the industry after party for the BET Awards. When I was on stage opening for Musiq Soulchild at Showcase Live in Foxboro, MA, I was visualizing myself on stage at the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. When I'm creating The Vibeology MixCast, I'm visualizing myself doing a radio show on WBLS in New York City or WGCI in Chicago. I call my gigs paid practices because every time I'm performing, I'm practicing for the next time I'm performing, trusting that the next time is on a bigger stage.

This is just a sliver of the total reality I'm creating for myself… I've created a whole alternate universe in my head! It is all about how I move through the world… health, dress, relationships, how I'm living, what I drive. It sounds delusional, but the more I visualize, the more I write, the more I know exactly how I want my life to be, the faster it becomes a reality.

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

So You Want To Be A "Celebrity"* DJ, Huh?

It's not how good you are.

It's not even how great you are.

It IS "what makes you special?"

The key is getting club owners/managers/promoters (COMPs) to understand that your name will bring people in the door, that your skills will keep people in the building, and that their patrons' experience will get them to come back.

How to do that? Have easily identifiable attributes that resonate with the COMPs you are trying to reach. What are your unique selling points? What are the things about you that compels a COMP to say "I need to hire you?"

Idris Elba (picture 1) spun before he became famous, and he still spins now. Selling point. Sky Nellor (picture 2) is a female former model turned DJ. Selling point(s). ?uestlove (picture 3) spins when he is not drumming for the premier Hip-Hop band, The Roots. Selling point.

Now, 99.9% of DJs don't have those selling points, but there are plenty of DJs who have parlayed their unique selling points into gigs making thousands of dollars a night. Some of them are on the radio. Some are doing remixes. Some dominate their city to such a degree that their name travels on its own. 

What are not selling points:

Playing the best music (you're SUPPOSED to play the best music!)

Being great at cutting and scratching (almost every Hip-Hop DJ can do that… it's only special if you are a turntablist), or at blending (that is rule #1 for House/Electro/Dance)

Rocking the mic (depends on the COMP, whether they value it or not)

What ARE selling points:

Other people consider you the best/most prominent/go-to DJ in that genre. Your name is the first that comes up. In Boston, Chubby Chub is that dude for Hip-Hop. DJ Bruno is that dude for Deep House. Junior Rodigan is that dude for Reggae. I'm that dude for Old School.

An affiliation bigger than yourself. I had never heard of DJ Spider, but he was a "Myspace DJ" (waaaay back in 2008 when that was a big deal). DJ Mark Da Spot is down with Monster Cables. There are a bunch of DJs that are signed with agencies such as Deckstar, Moodswing 360 and S.K.A.M. Artists that are the Ford, Elite and Wilhelmina's of the DJ world.

A tag line next to your name that is impressive. Or at least "sounds" impressive. I love DJ Dru Nyce's "The Most Requested DJ". Las Vegas' DJ G-Squared looks nice because we know only major DJs play in Las Vegas. NBA DJ Dallas Green makes you look twice. DJ Timbuck2, tour DJ for Lupe Fiasco… sweetness. I'm still wrestling with a tag line I can go everywhere with. Big Chicago Reggie Beas, the Upscale DJ, is cool, but that doesn't have that "umph" that tips the needle (and it makes it seem like I'm spinning in a tux).

Ultimately, it really comes down to your value.  If a COMP spends $3,000 on you, will that translate into higher profits at the door and bar than spending $300 on DJ WTF? It doesn't even have to be true, the COMP just has to be convinced that your value is worth the extra expense. Your goal is to define yourself in such a way that COMPs see the value in flying you in, putting you up and letting you play.

 

*I put "celebrity" in quotes because anyone who is traveling worldwide as a DJ I consider a "celebrity" DJ, not just celebrities who decide to DJ.

 

Posted via email from nineteen degrees

Favorite New Song: Elle Varner f/J. Cole "Only Wanna Give It To You"

My litmus test on whether I like a song or not: do I jump around the room, scream "yes", then do my Snoopy dance?

This song made me do my Snoopy dance. Just one of those cool songs that is instantly identifiable, yet unique. It has that "IT" factor that I know when I hear it... too bad I can't bottle "IT" and sell it. This song may not be that one that breaks her out, but this is that buzz record that puts her on the radar of tastemakers everywhere.

More on Elle Varner:

http://www.ellevarner.com/

https://www.facebook.com/ElleVarnerMusic

http://twitter.com/#!/ELLEVARNER

Posted via email from nineteen degrees