On Oct. 6, a lively crowd of hip hop heads gathered at The Promontory in Hyde Park for the 6th annual 7 Wonders DJ Battle. The battle, curated by Ashanda Jai, allowed five local DJ’s to battle it out, competing in front of a crowd of roaring hip hop heads. There’s no doubt that Chicago DJ’s have helped mold the landscape of Chicago’s music culture. Chicago DJ’s are responsible for creating genres such as House, Ghetto House, Juke, and Footwork, all staples of Chicago’s party scene.
The battle consisted of two rounds, where each DJ was given seven minutes each to do their thing. Both rounds required the DJ’s to utilize different skills. The first round focused on sample usage, scratching and turntable skills. The second round focused on creativity and crowd engagement.
The five competing DJ’s were DJ Dolo, The Chicago Rambo, Young Lord Scotty, DJ Trouble Kid, and DJ Ken. In the end, it was the crowd rocking selections, energy and mixing skills of DJ Ken that caught the judges eyes, crowning him the winner of the battle. He took home a $1,000 cash prize.
The four judges consisted of legends in their own right. Judging the competition was famed West Side record store owner George Daniels of George’s Music Room, legendary ghetto house DJ, DJ Slugo, and DJ AMPM and DJ Mustafa Rocks from Power 92.
Hosting the event was Power 92’s juke DJ, DJ Nephets. The TRiiBE briefly spoke with DJ Nephets after the event concluded.
“It’s important to the DJ community to support each other, and to let people know how valuable the DJ is to your club, your party, your event,” he said.
“Music is social,” Nephets continued. “So we have to be around each other to see what we like and what we don’t like, to build the right music up, and introduce good music.”
Nephets also credited the creator of the event, Ashanda Jai, with having the vision to put on an event that showcases Chicago’s best DJ talent while also honoring and celebrating the necessity of DJs.
A South Side native, Jai said she’s always appreciated the art of the DJ. She expressed to the crowd at The Promontory that although the budget for DJs are overlooked, they are the most important element to any party.
The TRiiBE briefly spoke to Jai in a phone interview on Oct. 7. She explained why the competition had taken a five-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the loss of her parents.
“So it was like, you’ve been dormant for five years. Is it something that you could really pull off?” she said. “With a lot of different life happenings that I have going on right now, like outside of this event, it was like, is this not a good time?”
Jai got her answer after witnessing the electricity in the building from the crowd.
“I think last night was like the confirmation that it was a good time,” she said.
Jai, who works in operations and business development, said she got the inspiration for this event while bartending on the side and witnessing a similar competition. “There was no other compensation for it besides bragging rights,” she said. “I was like, we gotta start marketing Chicago DJs differently.”
With a true love for the artistry, Jai made it clear that she is simply trying to celebrate and help move Chicago’s DJ culture forward. “The DJ community in Chicago has always been there. It has always been rich. It has always been something that is full of talent,” she said.
When asked what’s next for the 7 Wonders DJ Battle, Jai mentioned that she would love to take things to the next level, making the competition a national one while still highlighting Chicago DJ’s.
“I want to be able to take Chicago DJ’s to the next level,” she said. “I think that having a nationwide footprint where Chicago DJs can be showcased is probably one of the major goals.”
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