Beat Junkies
California turntablist crew founded by J. Rocc in 1992.
The Beat Junkies is an American hip hop crew of DJs specializing in turntablism, established in 1992 in Cerritos, California by J. Rocc. The crew has won prestigious DJ battles and competitions such as the DMC, the Supermen, and International Turntablists Federation competitions, and has toured across the United States, Japan, Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada. As of 2014, the Beat Junkie Crew also host their own record pool, clothing line, and radio station.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- Cerritos, California, U.S.
- Genre
- Hip hop, turntablism
- Years active
- 1992–present
- Label
- Beat Junkie Sound
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The Beat Junkies opened their own DJ school, the Beat Junkie Institute of Sound, in Glendale, California in April 2017.
- In January 2018, the crew announced plans to go online and launch beatjunkies.tv.
- Peanut Butter Wolf was so influenced by the Beat Junkies that he recruited Homeless Derelicts, who were featured on Beat Junkies Vol. 1, and released them as the second ever Stones Throw Records release.
- The Beat Junkies play at Amor y Tacos in Cerritos every Friday night.
History
The Beat Junkies crew was founded in 1992 by J. Rocc. Its first members were Curse, DJ Rhettmatic, Melo-D, Icy Ice, Symphony, and What?!. Later that year, Shortkut, D-Styles, Havik, and Tommy Gun joined, with DJ Babu coming aboard by late 1993. Mr. Choc became the most recent addition in early 1996. In spring 2014, the group started a membership-based record pool, curated by its members, offering exclusive cuts and edits through their website. That same year, a clothing line aimed at music fans and enthusiasts launched, with a 2014 lookbook featuring comedian Russell Peters, chef Roy Choi, radio personality Rikki Martinez (known as Letty), and artist AntiGirl. Early 2015 saw the debut of Beat Junkie Radio on Dash Radio, hosted and curated by DJ Babu, Mr. Choc, and Rhetmattic. Their live program, Soundcheck, airs every second and fourth Tuesday from 7 to 10 PM, with live sets from select crew members and guests like Egyptian Lover, Hitboy, Dom Kennedy, Anderson Paak, Knxwledge, and The Alchemist. To mark their 25th anniversary in 2017, the Beat Junkies opened the Beat Junkie Institute of Sound in Glendale, California. This school offers beginner and advanced DJ courses, workshops, private lessons, and a chance to join a community dedicated to learning DJing in the Beat Junkie style. Their teaching philosophy is not limited by genre, music style, or technology. Instead, they treat DJing as a discipline, a fine art, and a passion, stressing that mastering the mechanics, techniques, and history is essential to earning the title of DJ.
More in Hip-hop Groups from California
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced