Rob Swift is a turntablist pioneer. From his extensive work with the X-Ecutioners to his solo projects, including the political War Games, he has always worked to sharpen his craft and expose audiences to the pure art of turntabalism. A Rise makes her formal introduction to A Rise readers getting personal with Rob about his future behind the tables, why Bruce Lee is his biggest influence, and what it means to be a DJ.
A Rise: How does your character as an individual line up with who you are onstage? Is Rob Swift and Robert Aguilar the same person when you perform, or do you assume an alter-ego when you do your thing in front of people?
Rob Swift: I think there are characteristics of Robert Aguilar that are in Rob Swift. I think phonically, what you hear me do on albums, what you hear me do on stage, is an extension of who I am, as you know, an everyday person, you know, Robert Aguilar, but, the way I present myself on stage is definitely completely different from who I am as a person. What I mean is you know on stage my whole goal is to really get the attention of the crowd that’s in front of me. I’m a lot louder on stage, maybe even boastful in a way, like when I get on the mic but when you see me on the street I’m not that way. If you see me in the crowd of a bunch of people, I don’t really stand out in my opinion. I try to be discreet so I think that is difference with me [considering that] what I present on stage is more of an alter-ego but I think what you hear me do...musically, is an extension of who I am as a real person...
A Rise: What would you consider like the most influential aspect in your career? What do you think stands out the most about your contribution to hip hop considering the collaborations you partaken in?
RS: That’s such a hard question because there’s so many things that I’ve done, and each thing I cherish in its own unique way.
A Rise: Does anything really stand out above others as your favorite memory?
RS: You know, I think, when I look back on my career, the thing that I probably value the most about what I’ve done I really feel, not to toot my own horn, but I really feel that as far as the turntablist community is concerned, I feel that I’ve been the one that has led the way on the vocal standpoint. What I mean by that is, you know, for the most part DJs are quiet, don’t interview much, whereas, I think that I, for a while now...really since I started on the scene being in DJ competitions, and the videos and stuff like that I have always championed the idea of being heard you know? And not just being heard by my skills, and people listening to me scratch and ****, but more so being vocal, and speaking about the art form, educating people about the art form, and doing interviews. Most times DJs just wanna cut, and wanna scratch, but I always knew that it was just as important, if not more important, to expose the art and explain it to people, explain what we’re doing so that when they come see us they know what’s going on and they’re not just confused. Especially the ones that are my peers, the ones that I came up wit in the DJ battles and stuff like that. I mean we deejayed for other DJs like yo check this new style out, look how I’m killing this record, and a lot of times we neglect the audience, and I think that I kinda credit myself as being the guy at the forefront trying to bring in the audience and tryin to explain to them what it is that we do and why our art is so important. I think for me, out of everything that I’ve done, being in music videos, GAP ads, dropping albums, that’s the thing that I look back and feel that I can say that I left some sort of a legacy cuz yeah, DJs are so quiet, you know?
A Rise: Well, some of them aren’t I mean you got your DJs that do the mixtapes and are really loud and get a lot of publicity and their face is everywhere, and they really don’t even know how to **** with a set of Technics. You just see them sort of behind the tables and you hear them talking over the records and doing the voiceovers on the mixtapes, and I’m not gonna name any names, but they really tend not to have the raw.
RS: I hear you.
A Rise: I guess you would call them turntabilist skills. Obviously you stand out, as do some others..I mean, where do you think the legacy you’ve laid down is going to go and how do you see your career developing in the future? Are you going to continue to push the envelope and create other subgenres like you did with War Games? I mean, it seems like folks like you are still out, but you don’t get the same type of props that these guys (e.g. commercial DJs) do, or you could say you get them, but not to the same degree..
RS: Yeah, I know exactly what you’re saying. I think that uh, folks like myself do it for different reasons. When I step on the turntables, I’m not doing it to get girls or so that people notice me when I walk into a club. I do it because I genuinely appreciate and love the idea of making music on the turntables you know what I mean? So whether I’m at a small club in NY that packs 400 people, or whether I’m performing in an arena in Italy somewhere, what I get out of it is the same you know. I’m being creative and I’m taking an opportunity to showcase the art form to people, so that’s really what I see myself continuing to do in the future, just figuring out different ways you showcase deejaying as an art. War Games was a way for me for to make a political-social statement with the album, but it was also a way for me to say look what I can do with the turntable. I don’t have to just show off my skill I could communicate, I could debate and touch on political-social issues by scratching. That was a way for me to showcase the turntable as an art, because there so many people out there that don’t see it as art and that don’t respect it right now. I’m currently working on a DVD that’s more or less a biographical look on my career since my first battle.
A Rise: When was your first battle?
RS: 1991
A Rise: Wow
RS: Yep, yep..15 years ago you know? So its like a DVD that’s more or less mapping out the last 15 years of my career as a DJ, what I’ve done, ups and downs, from winning my first competition, to deciding to leave the X-ecutioners, but again, that DVD isn’t so much about Rob Swift and this that and the other, Its just me showcasing my love for the art and where the art has taken me. I’m trying to figure out different ways to expose the art to people because there’s so many more people out there that still don’t even know it exists, that still don’t know much about it. I perform today at clubs and kids will come up to me afterwards and say yo, I’ve never seen a DJ like you. And its like [for me] this ****s been around since the beginning of hip hop so, you know, that’s where I see myself in the future, just continuing to educate people and expose them to what I do and to what others do.
A Rise: So who has been the most influential figure in your life? You have a very prolific mind in terms of how you chose to express yourself musically and as an individual. I read that your dad was a DJ, latin music, salsa and meringue..
RS: Yeah, yeah
A Rise: Would you consider your father to be the most influential musician in your life or would you consider it to be a hip hop pioneer like Caz or Flash, or whoever. Who’s made the biggest impact on you?
RS: It may sound like a weird answer but the most influential person on me in regards to my career was probably Bruce Lee, because for one, he has really passionate about martial arts, and I kinda model myself after him in that it wasn’t just about him standing out as the best martial artist, he also wanted to use his martial art to educate people about Chinese culture. He grew up in a town, where, just like Blacks, you know Chinese were made fun of and he didn’t appreciate it so he wanted to show people that martial arts, for one, was something that was created by the Chinese and almost used that as a platform to say look, we are creative people. We are people that should be respected so in the same light I kinda feel like I’ve been trying to do that as a DJ in my art form, and represent my art form, and show people that, you know, just cuz you can have a DJ on stage with a rapper, and the rappers more or less dominating the show, the spotlights on him, still, in an indirect way, the DJ’s more important than the rapper. I’m kind of the one speaking up for the DJ, just like Bruce was the one speaking up for the Chinese. So I would say also that he’s influenced me in [that way by] what he really emphasized. Like in martial arts you have people that follow certain schools of fighting, so you have people that think that judo is better than any other type of martial art, or karate, then you have other people that feel that karate is the best, then jujitsu is the best. Well Bruce was like, do everything, judo, jujitsu, some karate, ****in bite your opponent if you have to! In a fight anything goes, there’s no rules so you wanna incorporate everything about fighting that you possibly can when you’re in a fight. He used to study Muhammad Ali, all kinds of self-defense, he would study, so in that sense, I kinda feel like I’ve been the same way toward music, I’ve tried to open myself to a lot of these different forms of music, be it Spanish music, that influence with my dad, be it, hip hop, you know the original hip hop, that influence with my brother, be it jazz, um, anything, and everything that sounds good I try to learn about and embrace so that I could grow as a DJ. So for those reasons I would say that Bruce Lee had been more of an influence on me than any musician or whatever.
A Rise: So do you feel like you’ll be doing this your whole life? Turntables to the grave?
RS: You know that’s a really good question because I was actually having a conversation with [my friend] about that, and I was telling her how I could see myself, you know, 6 or 7 years from now, lets say just opening up a little business and not even being in the limelight as a DJ but more so doing it for myself, and not necessarily touring and **** like that but then she helped me realize that, no matter what, this is what I do, and that, maybe there’s more people that I need to touch, and expose this art form to you know what I mean? So to answer your question, I don’t know. I don’t really think about doing this forever, but at the same time, I wouldn’t rule it out. I didn’t realize I’d even be doing it this long. I thought that, by now, at the point where I am in my life, I would be a therapist with my own practice, applying what I learned in college and making a living that way. I never really saw myself at this point in my life doing what I do supporting myself financially. It all just kinda happened. I don’t know. I really don’t plan ahead like that, which may not be a very good thing.
A Rise: Well, at least you’re living life freely, and approaching it from the stance of a free spirit which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
RS: Yeah. I’m just going where it takes me kinda.
A Rise: It is what you love.
RS: It is and so, to answer your question even further whether or not Id be doing this publicly or whether or not people would be seeing me on TV or on stage I think I could always see myself developing as a DJ, practicing, because I love being on the turntables so much you know?
A Rise: You know deejaying today is almost like a big fad nowadays. Like in Hip Hop, not to downplay it, but just to say that its almost like something where you turn on MTV, BET, and you’ll see people messing more with cds more than vinyl [turntables]..What happened to it as a just a musical form of expression?
RS: Well, I do believe that there are definitely DJs out there that do it to be in the limelight and to be amongst celebrities you know? You’re right. I think that deejaying to a degree is kinda like, in style. It’s dope to be a DJ. You even have rappers whose careers aren’t necessarily going anywhere, that turn to deejaying to support themselves because their rap careers are over and that in a way kinda makes me feel weird too because its like well, would you be deejaying if your albums were still selling? It’s kinda like you’re just kinda falling back on this just to keep the money rolling in not because you necessarily wanna contribute to the art. That’s the type of stuff that definitely bothers me but all I can do is just focus on me and focus in on what I can do for the art because no matter what, there’s always people who will exploit something that is lucrative. That’s in all areas of entertainment. There’s gonna be people that are gonna come into it with a true appreciation for it and they’re gonna wanna make a dent in that field, whether it be music or acting, or whatever, and then there are gonna be people that are just gonna do it to do it, or make money, or whatever. All I can really do is focus on myself and try to balance out the bull****. It’s tough, because it seems that the media pays more attention to the bull**** most of the time, rather than the real **** you know? But that being said, at the end of May, on the 26th of May, Ill be making an appearance on the Conan O Brian Show.
A Rise: Oh really?
RS: Yeah, I’m gonna be on there with this singer named Mike Patton. I’d rather see someone like myself in that position than someone not to name any names, but we know the DJs out there that don’t give a **** about the art, that don’t practice, don’t even scratch or anything but call themselves DJs and are benefiting off that title. [They] don’t really care about their skills but we’re all making strides like the Pepsi commercial with [Roc] Raida like that’s dope! You know the fact that they even used Raida, someone who has battled, its not just some actor thrown in, pretending he knows what a battle is. Raida has battled, he has titles, so to have him appear in a commercial like that goes to show that while there are people out there exploiting the art and making money off of that, every now and then you’ll see a true head reppin the art the way its supposed to be repped.
A Rise: Word, that’s mad deep. Do you think that there are gonna be more commercials like that? As hip hop is interestingly being used to market products towards an urban audience, do you think that that’s going to become more common?
RS: Yo, You know what? I really don’t know cuz you figure the Gap commercial [I was in] happened in 2001 [so] it took what five years for another commercial with a real DJ like Roc Raida or myself? Gap commercial was fall 2001, the Pepsi commercial is spring 2006, five years pretty much. I don’t know!
A Rise: They really just started to use former underground hip hop artists, which are now pretty much borderline mainstream, to really market products. Even now you see old underground poster boys appearing more and more on stations like MTV.
RS: And you know what? The thing that I think we need to be careful about is us exploiting ourselves too. You know I think we all need to learn from what happened with the b-boy. B-boying was created in the mid-70s, at the time when say from the mid-70s through mid-80s, everybody and their mother was breakdancing, you know what I mean? But then you started seeing it so much that it played itself out and in a way, the b-boys themselves were to blame because they were just running around the minute anyone asked them to breakdance in front of a camera and threw a couple hundred dollars in their face, they’d do it and it was almost to a point where they let themselves get exploited you know what I mean? Then it just got to a point where it got played out..and you had people breakdancing that had no business breakdancing, and not even doing the **** right first of all you know what I mean? I feel like we need to realize that while it’s good to be in commercials and its good to be on TV and all that we have to be careful about presenting it the right way, because then what happens is Sprite says that we gonna do a hip hop commercial and you know what? Were not gonna even bother getting Rob Swift or Roc Raida let’s just get this actor that looks good to pretend he’s doing all that ****. Then you have a lot of clones out there, fake ass DJs trying to be what we are and not even doing the **** right, and you know, the art just gets played out
A Rise: While were on the subject of fake poser DJs is a person who use cds not a real DJ?
RS: I don’t know! I can’t respect someone who calls themselves a DJ that never picked up a piece of vinyl, or who doesn’t have a vinyl collection, or never used turntables. I mean, technically, a disc jockey, a DJ, you’re playing music for people, so it really depends on what your definition of DJ is.
A Rise: So, what is your definition of DJ?
RS: Well, my definition is, yeah, you gotta know records, you gotta understand the importance of playing a night club, and making people dance, and also, like you just bought up, the equipment itself because on the flipside you have DJs that do use turntables, and do use a mixer, but all they do is ****ing scratch for two hours, and they don’t know how to play music at a club, they don’t know how to make people dance. You give them two records to blend, and they can’t even match beats together cuz all they know how to do is scratch. Just cuz they use turntables, does that mean they’re DJs?
A Rise: Right, I hear you
RS: So it goes beyond someone who only use cds. You know that’s why we have to be careful in what we say is a DJ because if its the equipment, then, I know a lot of dudes that I don’t consider DJs, but use turntables, and mixers, and records. Deejaying is about being well-rounded, it’s not just the equipment you use it’s how well-rounded you are. Could you play as a club? What’s your knowledge of music? And records? You know some DJs that use vinyl and all they do is scratch All they have are battle break records, you know what I mean? They don’t have “Nobody Beats the Biz” by Biz Markie, they don’t own a copy of “Sucka MCs” by RUN DMC you know what I mean?
A Rise: Or “The Bridge”
RS: Or “The Bridge,” exactly. It’s such a touchy subject, you know what I mean? But as far as cds are concerned, no, if you’ve never owned a pair of 1200s or turntables period, if you’ve never touched a piece of vinyl, I mean, you don’t know what its like to pick up a needle and drop it on the vinyl, then its hard for me to respect you as a DJ. Technically you can DJ, you can DJ a club, you can DJ a party, using cds, but I don’t respect you as a true DJ you know?
A Rise: So when you DJ parties, what do you use?
RS: Well, let’s say that I get booked for a show where they want me to spin music for an hour and then do a showcase where I do my tricks and ****, Ill bring my laptop. On my laptop, I use a Sorano software that allows me to play the mp3s through my ITunes onto this special vinyl called Control Records, and the control records, they read midi, so this way, I can travel with, you know, a thousand hours worth of music without having to carry a thousand hours worth of record crates, you know what I mean?
A Rise: So just to clarify, you bring your laptop for the songs that people dance to and your still bring actual records for your showcase?
RS: Exactly, also when you go to the airport they check your **** in you gotta worry about the baggage handlers throwing your crates around..um..or losing your ****! You get to the city and your records aren’t there and you can’t work so that’s the beauty of a laptop
A Rise: How many times did that happen to you?
RS: Oh, it’s never happened to me, because even before the laptop, I would only pack enough for that hour so I would make sure that all my **** was always carry on. I always had that fear of losing my records. As a DJ your records are your prize possessions. That’s how you make your money so if you lose that ****, you ain’t eatin you know what I mean? So, I think for that reason I do like the technology, the fact that they came up with that software that allows you to use the laptop, you throw **** in your backpack, and you got your work with you. If you lose your clothes, you can always replace clothes, but you can’t replace an original copy of “Rock the Bells” L.L. Cool J.
BA: So what is your most memorable career moment?
RS: My most memorable career moment…you know what? I would say, um, it’s between appearing on the MTV icon tribute for Aerosmith with the X-ecutioners that was cool because I grew up cutting Aerosmith records. I used to learn how to scratch on “Walk This Way.” Knowing that we were doing a tribute to a group that was such an influence on me, and then knowing that we were in front of people like, you know, Cher, Janet Jackson and ****in the whole Aerosmith family. Doing what we do, it was just amazing then appearing on the MTV Video Music Awards in 2001 with Linkin Park. That was a highlight as well.
A Rise: Is that one of your favorite collaborations?
RS: Yeah, hell ya!
A Rise: That really improved your marketability and the audience who knew about the X-ecutioners, and showcase DJs grew exponentially when you guys collaborated with them.
RS: That’s so true. That was a pivotal, pivotal collaboration you’re right.
A Rise: Does anything else stand out like that?
RS: Being the studio, working on the first turntabilist group album, Xpressions with the X-ecutioners, was a memorable time period, working on “War Games” even, up until now doing an album that went beyond showcasing how good I am, but also addressed how I felt about what was going on in the world and all that. That felt good.
A Rise: I heard that you weren’t able to do anything.
RS: Nah, I was stressed yo. I was stressed out man. I mean I cancelled shows cuz I was not gettin on planes. I was just, literally glued to my TV, like I became a couch potato. My whole word revolved around what was being reported on TV and I realized after a couple of months that I just wasn’t getting any work done, you know? So, I just kinda got myself up outta that rut and just used all this **** that was going on to kinda get creative again and that’s how the album started to take shape.
A Rise: Although War Games is relatively recent are there any other albums in the works, maybe dropping in 2007? Any mixtapes?
RS: I gotta mixtape comin out. I gotta a mix cd that’s coming out that I’m doing with these cats in Japan that should be out by early summer, like June.
A Rise: Stateside?
RS: Yeah, were gonna release it worldwide. We’re calling it Dusk to Dusk and I’m doing it with the guys that released War Games in Japan. As far as album is concerned, I’m not the kinda person that’s just gonna do the album again, just to put an album out. It has to be something that has some sort of relevance, that’s gonna push the envelope, that’s gonna be different from anything I’ve done, or from anything any other DJs done. So while I flirt with the idea of doing another album, and getting started, nothing concrete has hit me yet where I feel like alright, I understand what I wanna do on my next album, so until I feel that, I can’t really see myself doing another album. I gotta top “War Games,” I gotta top what that **** is about. You know what I mean? That being said, whether it be an album or a DVD, Ill always be putting out some kinda product that’s gonna, again, showcase the art, expose the art.
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New Rob Swift Interview
