DJ Premier is a legend. As one of the greatest producers in hip-hop history, he continues to influence hip-hop fans and beat-makers alike with his trademark style of gritty, booming beats and jagged, cut up samples. While Premier may have made his mark as a producer, however, he still loves nothing more than going back to his musical roots as a DJ, and can’t wait to rock the crowd as part of the massive line-up at the Buggin’ Out tour scheduled to hit Australia and New Zealand later this month. Primo took time out from the studio to talk to ITM about his past, present and future as he prepares to unleash a barrage of ‘real’ hip-hop on his antipodean fans.

“My biggest influences growing up were mainly a lot of the artists that were coming out with new stuff in the 70’s” says Premier (real name Chris Martin) from his Brooklyn, NYC base, his gravely voice booming down the phone as he reminisces on his introduction to music. “I was brought up in the whole Motown era, the Aretha Franklin’s, the Natalie Cole’s, Grover Washington, Al Green, Curtis Mayfield, Barry White. We also had a lot of jazz and blues in the house as well. There was a lot of variety in the music that I listened to growing up, there were so many good artists to choose from back then that were great. I was lucky to be coming up as a young kid, and have all of this music surrounding me that had such passion and quality behind it, youknowhatimsayin”? Premier’s exposure to music that exhibits both passion and quality has obviously been a major influence on his career. Indeed, it is these two characteristics that shine through time and again in both the beats that he crafts and his DJ sets, and have allowed him to create hip-hop history on a regular basis while carving out a reputation as one of the true innovators in the production realm alongside the likes of Dr Dre, Prince Paul and RZA.

Premier’s musical appreciation and background have stood him in good stead since his formative days as both a DJ and producer, which began while he was still at school in his native Texas. “I already knew how to pick a good record [before I started DJing]” states Premier on his early days as a DJ. “I had a good ear, and I had already heard so many dope records [when I was growing up], so when I first saw someone scratching a record on a turntable I knew it was what I was meant to be doing”. Premier eventually brought his own turntables, and quickly earned a name for himself as a DJ on the rise. By the time he finished school, Premier had decided it was time to try his hand at production after being inspired by the likes of legendary beatsmiths such as Marley Marl. “I began to understand the concept of how hip-hop was put together through listening to other producers” says Premier. “After listening to the music I started to figure out how to make a beat, and I just wanted to experiment with that concept myself. It became a passion for me”. In a bid to get closer to the action, Premier packed up his records and made the move to New York City, the undisputable home of hip-hop.

It was in Big Apple that Premier would meet his partner in crime Guru and form the legendary group Gangstarr. This would prove to be the making of Premier as both a DJ and producer, as he honed both skills to perfection while Gangstarr rose through the ranks to become one of the most revered groups in hip-hop history. Fast forward a few decades, and his track record speaks for itself. Premier’s legacy is undeniable, with hip-hop royalty such as Jay-Z, Notorious B.I.G., Rakim, KRS-One and Nas all reaching out to him to apply his midas touch to beats on what have become classic hip-hop records. According to Premier, being original in his approach to making beats is the key to this continued success. “I think my style is original, in regards to the art form of sampling. Sampling these days ain’t really all that original – I mean, you gotta respect the people who made those sounds in the first place, rather then just jack their shit. What I do is rework other people’s music; I’m kind of like a remixer, I take and rearrange the tasteful parts of a record and freak it. It’s all focus and know-how, I know what works”.

With Gangstarr recently splitting with their label, Virgin Records, both Premier and Guru are now concentrating on their solo careers, although there are plans for another Gangstarr album in the future. “Right now I’m working on my label Year Round Records, that’s a label dedicated to the hardcore, real hip-hop music” says Premier. “I’ve been focussing on that for a minute. You know, Gangstarr has done a lot, and we can always come back together and cut an album when the time is right. Right now though, Guru has been working on his 7.0 album which is out right now on 7Grand Records, which is his new label. With me, I’m also doing my solo album which is called A Man Of Few Words. It’s been a long time coming, you know, I’ve been stopping and starting, stopping and starting. But I’ve been putting in work on that recently and we about to get that cracking”.

The transition from artist to label executive seems to have been an easy one for Premier, as he has surrounded himself with a core of artists that he hopes will help him in his quest to bring hip-hop back to where it started – the streets. “I got a couple of artists that I’m working with on my label” Premier notes. “The first group is NYGz who we already released some records with, and then there’s Blaq Poet who’s also on the label. He’s from Queensbridge; he’s a veteran MC who will slaughter anyone out there who thinks that they can rhyme. His album’s called The Best That Ever Did It. Also we got the NYGz album coming out which is called Pros & Cons. Everything is going to plan with the label, you know? We just on the hard grind, that’s all”.

While Premier is admired around the globe as one of hip-hop’s greatest producers, he is just as adept behind two turntables and a mixer as he is in the studio. His quest to spread the real hip-hop now sees him taking time out of his busy schedule to make the long trip south to Australia and New Zealand, where he is headlining the Buggin’ Out tour alongside the likes of Methodman, Redman, DJ Kool, Rahzel and DJs JS-1. Premier is looking forward to rocking the crowd in the Southern Hemisphere again – “I’m just gonna do my thing and watching everybody enjoy it” he says enthusiastically. “You know man, [I’m just gonna be] buggin’ out, youknowhatimsayin?! I didn’t even know that was the name of the tour, but that’s exactly what I’m gonna be doing. I’m just gonna bug out and do whatever, I’m just gonna have fun with it. We gonna get up to all sorts of crazy things, you know, so everyone should definitely come check it. I’m just planning on doing what I do and making it one big party”!

You can see DJ Premier on the Bugg’n Tour performing alongside Redman, Method Man, DJ Kool, Rahzel, DJ JS-1 and Phrase this September:

Fri Sep 16 – Perth, Metro City & Heat
Sat Sep 17 – Melbourne, Festival Hall
Sun Sep 18 – Adelaide, Shores Complex
Thu Sep 22 – Brisbane, Arena
Sat Sep 24 – Sydney, Hordern Pavilion