While the DJ is known in hip-hop for their job of breaking records and bringing some of the hottest into the game, one DJ from Chi-Town has more than one mission. That DJ is DJ Roosevelt Treasurechest. Not only is he talented behind the wheels of steel, he is also a writer, an activist for hip-hop culture and an inspiration for the youth.

We caught up with the talented turntabilist to talk about his career and upcoming projects.

Alex, you’re well connected in the industry and I happen to notice you’re a DJ by the name of DJ Roosevelt Treasurechest. Talk about your early career in the industry and your involvement with DJing?

First and foremost I got into the music industry from just being a kid. I grew up on the southside of Chicago in a neighborhood called Hyde Park and anyone familiar with Chicago is probably familiar with that area. It’s a very cultural and diverse community, it’s just a great place to be a kid and it has all kinds of music.  I remember getting a Dilated Peoples’ album, their first album The Platform and listening to that and looking around me and actually thinking and feeling ‘I want to be a part of this.’

When I got to college I linked up with this group called Hip Hop Congress, which is a non-profit organization that emphasizes activism within Hip Hop culture. They try to get youth socially and politically aware of what’s going on . That got me noticed in college and I started writing for soundslam.com. That’s opened a lot of doors. As I continued to network with people it opened more and more doors. I got involved with DJing because as I kid I would record something and stop it and record something else. I later learned that those are called pause tapes, but when I was making them I was just doing it to mess around.

When I was a student in college, my parents were going to buy me a car for my last year of school so I could drive around and take the young ladies on dates. Kind of at the last minute I thought, ‘a car is going to cost just as much as turntables and a mixer,’ so I asked for that instead. I didn’t have a car and I walked everywhere, but I was happy. It was the best decision I ever made. Being a DJ, combined with writing, the Hip Hop Congress, and the other kind of stuff I do with companies like Bandit Productions and PHLI Worldwide, it took all those tools to succeed at what I love to do.

Well like you said it was kind that you sacrificed a car, because you’re trying to make it in the industry they say you do have to sacrifice!

That’s true and I definitely agree. I think anyone in the industry is tough, I think people play it up as being a tough and cut-throat industry which it is, but at the end of the day you find people with good desires and the good people are the ones that really last and have solid careers. That’s who I try to stay around…I agree that at some points you have to separate your love of something if you want to make money from it, and look at it as a business. The good people I try be around are the ones that inspire people, but also do what they love and know what they are doing. That’s what I try to do. Everyday is a balance between that and making money, and to make moves based on the fact that I have to pay my rent [laughs]. I truly believe that what I love and who I am will help me in becoming truly successful in the music industry.

Just to let you know Q The Question is one of the good people you’re going to be dealing with in the future [laughs].

Oh yeah I’ve already seen that man, I don’t think we would be having this conversation if not. You know that too man, that’s how it works, as so much of it is based on trial and error. When you meet someone that’s just a genuine person that’s very easy to tell when you got a good vibe. I just feel the vibe with what you and Trel Mack are doing, I see you guys all over the web, so yeah for sure.

You DJ, you’re an activist in Hip Hop, and you write for a site. How do you handle all of it, don’t it get stressful at times?

Just to clarify, I am not ‘an activist in Hip Hop,’ but I hope that by being a part of Hip Hop Congress, what I do supports them…But, yeah, it definitely gets stressful ,as I’ve grown the emphasis has changed. One can breed into the other as it’s a big balance, but it definitely gets stressful. I went overseas last year and this is what I think about every time I get stressed, like even today I was really tired. 

I went overseas last year to a cemetery for people who started their own community. The cemetery would commemorate the first people who came over with absolutely nothing, who started this community, which blossomed. They found their diaries and in their diaries they just have all kinds of problems with people being lonely, not seeing their family, having to get up at five in the morning after going to sleep at one. They would also write how blessed they felt and how every morning they would jump off the haystack, because they were really doing what they wanted to do. The point is that in life you gotta find what makes you jump off your haystack, because every job gets stressful.

I taught in Inglewood which is another area of Chicago and that was way more stressful, even the students that I had lived more stressful lives everyday. I look at it like I’m being paid to read, write, and play music and help other people accomplish their goals as well. I feel lucky and even when I’m stressed and tired I just think this is what makes me jump off my haystack.

I know you’re a DJ, but you’re also a part of the Hip-Hop Congress, which we just mentioned. Why did you take this role and decide to teach the youth to be more active?

Yeah, well I got involved in teaching through another organization called “Teach For America” which takes top college graduates that may or may not have been interested in teaching before hand, not having considered a career in teaching. It’s good as it gets kids exposed to a wide range of people, and also gets talented people into the classroom. I chose to do it because basically I just felt like I have a responsibility to do it. I remember the teachers that influenced me and I wanted to be one of those teachers. This sounds really cliché, but kids are our future. Even me and you now we are getting to an age where we are going to be running these companies and later the youth are going to be doing it. I think it’s really important and I run into people all the time who never really thought about being a teacher, but just spend some time in the classroom and expose kids to the kind of person who you are.

Teach them that all teachers don’t have a certain stereotype and that’s why I chose to do it. What I choose to do with Hip Hop is that I’ve brought in everything that inspires me, and I wanted to know what inspired my students. It just so happened that my students and I could connect through Hip Hop. I could interview an artist and they know of him so why not use that to my advantage. That’s what teaching is. Whatever they are inspired to learn they will want to go get it on their own.

You’re from Chicago, and a lot of the city’s artists have been definitely putting the city on the map. Common dropped a good album, Kanye West, and the same with Lupe Fiasco. I recently talked to upcoming artists like MarVo, Add-2, in which they explained how tough it is for Chicago artists to get on. Why do you continue to show Chicago Hip Hop some love?

I mean this is just where I am and Chicago is me. I love it, my family is from here, and Chicago Hip Hop is excellent right now. It’s definitely cut-throat and we really don’t have the industry here. At first when I was younger I just thought all these dudes were hating on each other and that’s why they’re not coming out. The real heart of the problem in why people are so cutthroat and hesitant to put each other out is because there is no established industry. There are no record labels here and they don’t even have branches. There is no set way to do things in Chicago, so you have everybody doing it their own way with no rules, everyone has their own plan. MarVo’s plan maybe way different than someone else’s. Like Lupe said “I come from a city in the Midwest, the best in the world”. I couldn’t imagine myself not being a part of the Chicago Hip Hop scene.

One saying that I notice you quote often is A Poor Craftsman Always Blames His Tools can you explain that to the readers?

A poor craftsman always blames is tools is when I was a kid it’s something my brother would always say to me. I think we were playing a video game and someone was complaining about the buttons. People always make comments that this didn’t work, that didn’t work and my philosophy is that at the end of the day you have to work with the tools you have. If you’re a DJ and you’re at a bar a lot of times at the bar you’re not going to have the best equipment. So already you’re thinking,“Maybe I won’t be able to perform like I wanted to.” You still have to work with your tools. A poor craftsman is always someone making excuses for themselves. They are making excuses why they’re work is late, why they don’t have any quality stuff, the whole belief behind it is to look at yourself and take responsibility and be proactive. Whatever tool you have, those are your tools and a poor craftsman is always going to look outside before working with them.  And it is also a reminder for me, and a way to check myself when I am making excuses.

You go by the name of DJ Roosevelt Treasurechest, so let me ask you when you get rappers or whoever to do a drop for you do they have a hard time saying it?

Definitely man, that’s one of my favorite parts and one of my worse parts is getting drops. I’m really thinking of putting a mixtape out of all the bloopers on there. The name is very good because when I tell someone it always sparks a conversation. Not to look down on anybody else’s name, but DJ Scratch, DJ Mix, or whatever is not as memorable. People will remember Roosevelt Treasurechest.

It’s a good thing because it’s different in a way!

Yeah it’s a really good thing and I enjoy it man. I actually thought about changing my name before, but everyone around me told me I can’t. I love it now, it really represents me and I’m really happy with the name.

It’s funny because I was telling somebody I’m about to interview somebody named DJ Roosevelt Treasurechest and they was like “What”!

Right that’s exactly what the reaction is a lot of times.

Did you ever think of getting into the whole mixtape thing as a DJ?

Yeah I put out a couple mixtapes with the series A Poor Craftsman Always Blames His Tools. When I was teaching full-time I had to step away, since a year and a half away from the classroom I’ve been able to do a lot. I did a Podcast series where I would make autobiographical mixtapes. I would take music from one artists and one label, then inside of that I would tell a story with music and have it narrated by the artist. I did one with Dilated Peoples from their first recordings to their last album, I was telling the story of the group and mixed it in the end. I did one with Russell Simmons with all Def Jam music, I did one with Devin The Dude, and one with Naledge from Kidz in The Hall. I’m also with a group called The Fallen Angels and expect some stuff from them. I just don’t want to do mixtapes with the newest stuff, people yelling, or gun shots, I want to do stuff that really gets down with the blends, scratches, and a cohesive mixtape that’s concept driven with artist that are talented. I want to make it like an album.

By the end of 2008 what you want to be your biggest accomplishment?

Honestly if I had my way by the end of 2008 I want to own a house and a new car. I think everyday I hit a new goal. I just started a new website Rubyhornet.com with my partner Benny Rocs. I want people to embrace a poor craftsman always blames his tools. I also want my group Fallen Angels to have a project done too. I just want to stay happy and keep growing, I met so many of my goals already like right now it’s just icing on the cake. By the end of 2008 I want to be known not just as a quality DJ, but a quality writer and everything overall.

Final message for Sixshot.ccomand how people can get involved with Hip-Hop Congress?

I want to thank Sixshot for interviewing me.  I’m a fan of the site. To get involved with Hip Hop Congress, www.hiphopcongress.org.You also find me on MySpace (http://www.myspace.com/roosevelttreasurechest), and check out the site RubyHornet.com.

This interview was conducted and written by Quinton Hatfield for Sixshot.com.