DJ Tay James is Justin Bieber’s touring DJ and has over 70 mixtapes under his belt! So, what is next for this superstar DJ? We got to chat with him about it all!
Touring DJ for Justin Bieber for seven year is a pretty big gig! How did that come about?
It was pretty crazy actually and looking back it feels like a true blessing. I was being mentored by another DJ, working hard, doing club gigs and parties when my mentor gave me this opportunity. He was actually working with another client and wasn’t able to take on this new artist who so he passed the artist to me. That artist happened to be Justin. We hit it off from then and I’ve been touring with him for years. I mean, it almost sounds like a movie script ha!
Other than Bieber, you have a bunch of other A-list clients. Have you ever been starstruck?
Man, I try not to be just because I have to be professional at all times, whether it’s performing on stage with Justin and his artists or at a club with a ton of other artists and entertainers. I am human though! And I’ve met Jay Z and Kanye West. Those were two of my idols who I was very excited to meet. At the end of the day, I just remind myself everyone is just a regular person. That idea keeps me grounded and focused!
We can’t believe this number, over 70 mixtapes! Woah! Plan on making it to triple digits?
Oh most definitely, I love making mixtapes. I will keep releasing them on Audiomack as long as people are downloading them. You can count on that.
You’re also a Hampton University graduate with a degree in business. What’s the best business tip you could give to teens?
Off the top of the dome, I would have to say the most important thing is to pay your taxes. We see too many people getting messed up for not paying their taxes and it’s not hard to do but you have to make it a priority. I studied business but finance and anything financial is scary but there are a ton of apps and tools to help you out with this stuff now.
Clothing line in tow! Tell us all about it.
So for a long time I have been saying that DJs don’t have their own clothing line or apparell. Then I started to talking to people and hearing that they also thought that! Nicky Diamonds is a good friend of mine so we linked up and started have conversations about it. Now it’s finally happening! Kinda crazy. We launching a clothing collaboration with Diamond Supply this year. You’re gonna see hats, t-shirts, hoodies, jackets, the list goes on. I can’t wait to showcase this to the world.
Tell us more about WeKnowTheDJ.
There are so many DJs out there that it’s too damn hard to follow all of them! On top of that we really don’t know exactly what their life is like beyond just standing behind turntables and playing parties. The truth is we do way more than that from traveling to producing to seeking out new talent to collab with. So we created a platform where all this can live. That real estate was so necessary. I want to give DJs an ability to show the world what they’re about and give the world a look behind the veil. It’s a home for Djs and the DJ lifestyle
Lastly, what’s your go to song to get people dancing?
Fat Joe and Remy Ma– All the Way Up
Make sure you check out, weknowthedj.com and follow Tay on his Twitter HERE!