The usual suspects have dominated West Coast Hip-Hop for well over a decade and counting. Even though the same names tend to be recycled on a regular basis, other acts have still managed to make a decent career for themselves, and among those happens to be Dilated Peoples.

The trio, which consists of Rakaa Iriscience, Evidence, and DJ Babu have kept California’s underground scene up to par with songs like ‘No Retreat,’ ‘Worst Comes To Worst,’ ‘This Way,’ ‘Back Again,’ and ‘You Can’t Hide, You Can’t Run.’ But quietly, away from the three-man set Chris “Babu” Oroc has built a name for himself as a producer and facilitator of his Duck Season series.

Now with Duck Season in its third installment, the Filipino-American continues etch his name on the list of note-worthy producers. For the battle-tested veteran DJ and affiliate of the Beat Junkies collective, being recognized as a glorified “record spinner” is a stigma that he’s escaped with ease, and with his consistency the credit line reading: “Produced by DJ Babu” should become a lot more noticeable than before. 

SixShot.com: You had Duck Season vol. 3 come out not too long ago, why did it take five years for you to release it?

DJ Babu: There were a lot of reasons, but at the time I finished up the se cond one, I was still in a deal at Capitol Records with Dilated [Peoples], and being with them takes priority over everything else. I could’ve done it earlier, but I put a lot of time in by doing the Likwit Junkies project, and right after that I went into the next Dilated [Peoples] album. But I think for the most part, it was actually good for me to hone my skills more, and get nastier with my beats, and get down with MC’s more.    
 
SixShot.com: What first gave you the idea to start the series?

DJ Babu: Well previously the first one was released on a different label, but before that, I had gained a lot of notoriety from Sound Bombing 2. From there, the buzz about my DJ career really started to pick up, and that’s basically how everything got underway. Then the second one evolved into me producing half of the record, and by that time I was already a couple of albums deep, so I had more experience in the lab, so it only made sense to come back with a third one.  
 
SixShot.com: Are you going to continue on creating them?

DJ Babu: I’m actually putting out Duck Season 3.5 which is a collection of songs that didn’t make the record, and those are going to be some real exclusives. But far as going onto volume four, as long as I can still create something that the people want to hear; definitely. But I just want to see what really happens with [volume] three before I try to get into four. 
 
SixShot.com: When did being a DJ/Turntablist first catch your attention?

DJ Babu: Well my first glimpse at it was probably back in ’84 being in Southern California, and I was exposed to all the Hip-Hop that was happening. I ended up getting turntables around 16-years-old, and that’s when I really started DJ’ing. I was able to get a job and get them myself, because I asked my parents for them, but they didn’t want to buy me two $500.00 record players as they put it. So at that age, I made my decision and bought them with the job I had. Even before I had turntables, I always felt like I knew how to scratch, because I was drawn to scratching more than DJ’ing. Early on, my whole expectation was learning how to scratch. Then around 22-23, that’s when I started to make a name for myself by doing DJ battles internationally. 

SixShot.com: Speaking of learning how to scratch, was there any one particular technique that gave you a lot of trouble, and required a lot of practice?

DJ Babu: I made it a point to try and be good at everything, but early on one of the scratches I practiced a lot was the “Chirp Scratch.” A real good example of it is on Gang Starr’s ‘Ex Girl To The Next Girl’ where DJ Premier uses that really high-pitched scratch. I literally remember sitting there hours on end for about a week trying to master that scratch, and now it’s the most ridiculous thing now that I think about it.  
 
SixShot.com: [Laughs] Is there a difference between a Turntablist and a DJ, or are they one in the same in your opinion?

DJ Babu: I do feel as if they’re very similar, but they’re two distinctively different things for me. When I think of a Turntablist, I think of someone using the turntables and the mixer to create all different types of music out of context. I feel like a DJ is someone that’s taking tunes, and moving the crowd, selecting, and just having the ability to bond with the people. But I do think there are a lot of similar things that you have to do in order to be successful at each, and I definitely try to keep up on both. 

SixShot.com: With all that you’ve accomplished most people still consider you as an “underground Hip-Hop act.” What are your thoughts on your own career thus far?

DJ Babu: When you talk about something like that, it all depends on whom you’re talking to. You can get someone who calls you that, and they can mean it in a good way or in a bad way. But for me, I just try to keep my head down and make my music pure. You can’t make everyone happy, and whatever shoe they want to put on me, I’m going to try my best to make it look good. As far as I’m concerned, I’m still a student of this, and I still have many chambers to reach before I call it quits. So I still stay hungry, and I do it for the love of doing it.  

SixShot.com: With Hip-Hop evolving at such a fast rate, do you think the traditional stuff like the DJ’s and the Turntablists are being left behind?

DJ Babu: I think it’s at a decent place, and for the most part I think we’re far from being left behind. If anything I just think there is more slots and more lanes for people who have those kinds of skills to apply themselves. But for me personally, I feel like my job description has broadened, and its not just about records and turntables. I feel like right now its part of my job to keep up with technology, and there’s just so much responsibility I have with my group and within my own world. When I’m with Dilated [Peoples], I’m responsible for the hard drives, keeping our sessions tight, and all the pre-mix kind of stuff.   

SixShot.com: When you were competing in competitions like the ITF or the DMC World Championships, did you have any pre-game rituals you did before you performed your set?

DJ Babu: For the most part, the biggest thing that I always did was just practice, practice, practice. I was also blessed because at the time I was competing, I lived under my mother’s roof. As far as having rituals, I’m not a very superstitious person I guess, but I just practiced to the last minute. I’d just pretty much get locked into my zone, go out there and do my best, and vibe with the crowd.

SixShot.com: Were there any other DJ’s that would always give you a run for your money on the competition circuit?

DJ Babu: There were always people like that, and I remember having to battle Mista Sinista and Total Eclipse from the X-Men; they would give me some trouble. I always had a great respect for anybody I competed against, but those two guys stand out in my mind. I’m a real humble cat, and I was up there battling myself just as much as I was battling those other dudes. I always had a certain amount of fear and respect for whomever I was battling, but at that time I was really crazy. I was trying to serve everybody that I went against. I never wanted to do a routine twice, and I probably lost competitions just by keeping it too real to be honest with you. I wouldn’t even use whack songs, it had to be song real Hip-Hop sh*t.   

SixShot.com: Also, when you have somebody who is accomplished such as you, do you still think its necessary to compete in DJ competitions?

DJ Babu: I can only speak for myself, but for me, my reason to enter battles is because I’m innovative. If you look back and see a video of me on any of those battles like an ITF or a DMC, I rarely came with a routine twice. When I did come with something, I was always trying to put something down in a way that I never seen before in the previous years. But to be honest with you, the level to where kids are at right now is ridiculous man, and I really don’t feel like I’m doing anything technically innovative that’s worth putting out there.

All those earlier battles are like the archives from over the years. If you look at my history and my track record, I was really putting down styles. Even though I’d get my ass whipped, and I’d lose to somebody it would be Rob Swift, [Mista] Sinista, [DJ] Shortkut, or somebody. I still felt happy that I got that routine off, or that I got that technique off. If I thought that I had something that was groundbreaking and innovative, please believe I’d enter a battle and I’d be serving fools! I feel like I’m not doing the most technical scratches, but you know a [DJ] Babu scratch when you hear it.