The Dirty Dozen

NEWS AND OPINION > COVER STORY

Kate Kilpatrick picks the city's top 12 DJs--and tells what makes them so great.

By Kate Kilpatrick

Add Comment | Comments: 2 | Posted Apr. 18, 2007

G. Dawson

Age: 23

Hometown: North Philly.

DJ Freak Nasty (Freak for short) was in a North Philly club holding down the mike when he started chanting, "Whoop that thing! Whoop that thing!" The crowd interpreted it as "Wu-Tang! Wu-Tang!" and Philly's greatest dance--the Wu-Tang--was born. The imported Dutty Wine and Walk It Out dances will come and go in Philly, but Wu-Tanging is here to stay. Freak's latest dance creation is the Twist It Pull It.

Label: DJ Freak Nasty is signed to Baltimore club king Rod Lee's Harm Squad Entertainment.

On party music vs. Baltimore club: "In Baltimore they have a dance called the SpongeBob or the Crazy Legs, which they do to a Baltimore beat. What we do here is the Wu-Tang dance to party music. They call it Baltimore club. We call it party music. In D.C. they call it go-go. We're all playing the same music. It's just got different names. The way I make my beats, I use extra claps, extra horns, keyboards, guitars, whatever. D.C. and Baltimore use extra bass. I just add a little spunk to it--something they can Wu-Tang to. There's a lot of action in that dance, like smacking the floor, raising your hands in the air and twisting and stuff, so I add more effects."

On party music's popularity: "It's a fast-paced beat, an energized beat with hard bass and hard claps. When I first heard it--'Percolator' and stuff like that--I thought it was a [whack] beat. Next thing you know I come into the club and I start doing it."

Top party records of the moment: "'What, What, What' by Rod Lee; 'Dance My Pain Away' by Rod Lee; 'Hands up, Thumbs Down' by K-Swift and 'Get Back' by me."

On up-and-coming talent: "DJ Lean Wit It, DJ Breeze, DJ Frecks, DJ Honey, DJ D.R. and Freak Productions--I'm going to get a team of DJs who just play party music."

On the Wu-Tang dance's longevity: "Wu-Tang's never gonna die. You see 5-year-olds doing it now. It's going from generation to generation."

You heard it here first: Freak was an all-public soccer player at Thomas Edison high school.

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Watch Freak Nasty on Urban X-pressions every Wed., 12:30am, and Sat., 2pm. Channel 35. The album release party for

Party Music With Freak

is Sat., May 5, 8pm. $7-$10. L&J Banquet Hall, 3419 Kensington Ave. 215.253.2642

DJs John Redden (left) and Ian St. Laurent: Best Indie Party DJs