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DJ Zhontille Reveals Memphis Music Secrets | SWAY’S UNIVERSE
Oct 9, 2024
Discover the untold story of Young Dolph and his undeniable influence on the Memphis music scene in this captivating episode of "Sway In The Morning." Dive deep into exclusive interviews with guests who share personal stories and reflections on Dolph's legacy. From Chaz Aur's journey from Memphis to the big screen to DJ Zhontille's insights into the challenges and triumphs of breaking into the industry, this video is packed with raw and authentic narratives. As they reminisce about Young Dolph, explore the impact of his self-made success and his unwavering authenticity. Don't miss this chance to see how Memphis artists are pushing boundaries and uplifting their community. Subscribe now and stay tuned for more groundbreaking content from Sway’s Universe, where hip-hop meets inspiration and social change. Join us as we celebrate the life and legacy of Young Dolph and the vibrant culture of Memphis. CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Choppin it up with Chaz 00:39 - Young Dolph Insights 02:36 - Breaking Records in Music 05:14 - Getting Home After a Show 06:41 - Breaking a New Artist in Memphis 09:50 - DJ Esco and K Slay Collaboration 14:20 - DJ Zhontille & Chris Whammy on Artist Development 16:03 - Final Thoughts on the Music Industry Subscribe Here! http://bit.ly/SubscribeSU Watch the Best of Sway In The Morning! http://bit.ly/BestOfSITM Check out More From Sway’s Universe
View Video Transcript
0:00
Chaz
0:00
Right, so my name is Chaz Allura, but Chaz is like what I go by
0:05
How did you get into acting? Really, since I was a kid, I wanted to be an actress and a star
0:12
And my grandmother had passed like two years ago, and that was the only person that I really cared about her opinion
0:17
And she was like, you need to go do something real with your life. Like, she was more of old school
0:22
And so when she passed away, I was like, you know what, I'm raising my kids, and I'm telling them, you better go after your dreams and do what you want to do
0:29
So I'm like, it's kind of hypocritical if I never pursue my own dreams. And I'm telling them that
0:33
That's amazing right there. Yo. I love that, Chaz. And with these different platforms, like Atubi, you know, people have more access
0:44
Because Hollywood was hard to break into prior to that, right? Right, and it's so crazy because, like, I literally reached, I started doing music videos and stuff right when I turned 18
0:53
And I just was doing them for free, like, just trying to get exposure. And I'm 32 now
0:57
Tell them the video. I was on Dolph's preach video. Preach? Preach
1:03
Preach? That was like my first big thing. I was on BD, MTV
1:09
You know what I'm saying? Yeah, that's what we doing. Man, I see you rest in peace with that young man, Dolph, man
1:17
We used to come up on our show a lot early on, too. That's right. He was a really good person
1:23
The day that I filmed that video with him, I was with him literally from 7 in the morning
1:28
to like 2 a.m. doing the video and I just got to sit down with him
1:32
That was really before he just got the big buzz because I've been on him. I'm from Memphis originally
1:36
so I've been on him before anybody was, you know. But I got to sit down and like pick
1:40
his brain about just his brand and like just seeing him come up
1:44
and really hustle and do everything himself, like be completely self-made. Like I had so much respect for him
1:50
He even told me the day we did the video, he was like watch, you finna be on so many
1:54
platforms, like this gonna take you to the next level. and I was working in a nail shop at the time
1:58
and I had even told my nail shop, I'm like, look y'all, y'all gonna have to fire me because I'm gonna go do this
2:03
And then literally like a few months later, I turned on the TV and I'm on MTV and BET
2:08
Come on. I know y'all had a TV party that night, huh
2:12
Just celebrating that. Man, look, I cried. There you go. He was so professional and treated her with so much respect
2:18
He wasn't on no weird stuff. Right, right. We and him share the same birthday, so he's very thorough
2:25
I like how you said he wasn't on no weird stuff. You know, he be on the weird stuff
2:28
A lot of people do be on that, but, like, him never once, like, ever was on anything weird, ever
2:35
I love that. What do y'all think about when you see Glorilla in the scene just blowing up right now
2:41
It's beautiful, especially with this new record, TJIF. I was playing the bootleg record a month before it dropped
2:48
It was real fuzzy, but the crowd knew it. You know, like, I've just been practicing breaking records
2:54
I'll play it three times. I've been having artists come up to Esco and just break it
2:59
You that one. That's in the spirit of what the true DJ does
3:04
Absolutely. Right? So I commend you for that. Keep giving breaking music, pushing the culture forward
3:09
Thank you. John T. And Chaz, huh? Chaz. All right. Okay, Chaz
3:15
I love what you said about your kids because we often give our kids advice
3:19
so we don't follow it ourselves. And that's the best way for them to learn. Right
3:23
You a star. Give it up for Taz. Taz already knows. One syllable
3:27
Just one syllable. Right. She ain't like this movie again? Up North on Tubi
3:33
On Tubi. And then we got, I'm telling y'all, like any Crem films, like that's who I rock with
3:38
He's from Memphis too. Okay. He got a major platform on Tubi. He just be dropping films back to back to back
3:45
Like he's really working. He started just basically the movie scene in Memphis and he really grinding
3:50
Wow. And he got an upcoming series coming up, Kingpin. And, like, we just really putting in a lot of work
3:55
So, shout out to him. All of Memphis is just working out. All of Memphis, man. See, the reason why I like how y'all talk about Memphis
4:02
usually people watch it 48 hours or something when they see Memphis Y giving us something positive uplifting about Memphis Well Memphis because that back to glow like seeing people like that like and where we come from like everybody just we really trying to make it out so like when you see people who
4:17
really making it and doing their thing and not only that putting people on from the same place
4:23
like it's just really beautiful because we're just trying to get up out of there I'm trying to come
4:27
see what's up with y'all. Oh, you did. You here. You ain't trying
4:31
You actually did it. New York is not a real place. No
4:35
Talk about that. Whoa. Like, they hustle. We went to the Sexy Red concert, and they had us waiting forever to get our tickets
4:44
DJ is not paying for tickets. So I waited at the wheel call. People were out there selling stuff, selling pre-rolls, selling jelly shots, playing sex
4:54
I'm going to go back hustling way harder from being around all of y'all
4:57
It's a different mentality here. Yeah, we made the mistake of staying in Newark, so it took us like
5:04
two hours to get here today. No, you just didn't know how to get here
5:08
Okay, yeah, we need the ride. Next time, whoa. I'm from Jersey, so you
5:14
drove here? Yeah, we were in the tunnel. You know I missed the exit
5:18
too, though. You had it 30 minutes with that. up in Connecticut
5:23
You in Newark, you stay in downtown Newark. Yes. You 19 minutes
5:26
from 34th Street on the train. You kidding me. You is kidding me
5:33
Let me tell y'all something. If we all left this place at the same time
5:36
I'd get home before everybody. I know it. I'm finna follow you. And I'm leaving Jersey
5:42
not too far from Newark. Two hours. Wow. You can't drive. You stuck in a tunnel
5:49
all day in the height of traffic. You wasted 90 minutes. I ain't going to lie
5:53
I listen to some good music on the way. That was intense
5:58
I'm like, I could not do this. Six bucks. You'd have been right here
6:02
What? Yeah. Okay. You live and learn. You live and learn. Do you know that from the last time I came on, when he said
6:09
Jhonti, what we doing? That's my tag. I've probably played it thousands of times
6:13
Really? Yes. I made a tag? Yes. And Memphis knows it now
6:18
Sometimes Esco will have me 10 hours in a row. They love DJ Z
6:22
Yo, just burn that thing out. Just keep going. Chante, what we doing
6:26
Right before the beat drops. That's too perfect. Yeah, that's my forever, you know
6:32
Keep rubbing it. She be working this. I'm taking you around the world and you don't even know
6:37
I appreciate it. I've sent something. Somebody told me they heard me in a club somewhere
6:41
In a club somewhere. What a thing about. You mentioned that there were some New York artists
6:47
Yeah. That you got hip to since you've been here and that you was going to bring out to Memphis. Who were they
6:51
This one right here, I was on the show itself yesterday. DJ Self, the legend
6:56
Give it up for DJ Self. And Chris Whammy brought me on there. Did not tell me that I was going to be on the mic or anything
7:01
They start asking me Diddy questions. I'm like, whoa. You know, I'm playing the fifth
7:07
But this artist named Connie. C-O-N-N-I-E. Connie Diamond. Connie Diamond. It's just real, like
7:16
You know her, Torch? Can I play or no? Let's play something. Play it on the mic. Go ahead. Play it on the mic
7:20
Okay. Put it on your phone Okay Connie Let's see if Torch got it
7:25
Connie Diamond We got it How do you spell the name
8:11
You know it Connie C Donna Connie Donna Yeah girl She You gotta get her on here That a girl That a girl
8:22
She has a strong following, too. Yo, crazy. Yeah. She's got a great voice
8:28
Yeah, yeah. She's got a great voice. It's like, you know, it's giving me Remy
8:33
It's giving me Connie. Yeah, it's giving me Connie, too. I think she has a song with Remy, though
8:38
Oh, Lord? Okay. Yeah. Connie Diamond's hard as hell, boy. Hell yeah. Man
8:46
Okay, real love. Real love. We got to get Connie's torch. Get Connie Diamond up here
8:51
Let's call it. Work on it. Can you get that torch? That's easy. All right
8:56
Check it. We're going to get Connie Diamond up here, Auntie, and it's going to be because of you
9:01
Yep. Wow. I'm breaking. I'm breaking. You're breaking all this. You're going to break all this from New York and New York
9:06
What we doing? What we doing? What we doing? What we doing
9:10
rap where you at rap okay rap represents connie donna oh man that's easy oh i met rap last night
9:17
okay that's gonna happen we're gonna tell them why too yeah okay so rapper understand
9:23
your importance your leverage your brand equity who you are you break music and you don't have to
9:30
be from memphis to be you know to get them get you to music right and the artists don't have to
9:35
necessarily be from Memphis, as you do break Memphis artists as well
9:39
That's your thing. Yeah. Okay, so we're gonna, because that's what you do, we're gonna get
9:43
Connie Diamond up here. Thank you. I like that. See our ears
9:47
to the street right there. I got a question. Yes. So, a few weeks ago
9:53
I met Drummer Boy. I guess he's been watching me for a while. It was 9-0-1
9:57
day. And you know, I'm not originally from Memphis. I moved to Memphis from LA
10:01
but they love DJ. So I DJed Nido one day. Drummer Boy told me that I need to study K-Slay for what I'm trying to do
10:11
So can you give me a K-Slay story? A quick one. Well, okay
10:17
Torch actually worked. K-Slay is a brother to us. Right. Last time, I'll tell you the last time I interacted with K-Slay prior to him
10:30
passing is K. Slay, the reason why Drummer Boy and anybody else will tell you, there was nobody
10:37
realer than K. Slay. Facts. K. Slay, there's nobody who's been realer and more
10:43
thorough than K. Slay. And like what you do, is what K. Slay did. Wow, that's why he brought him up
10:49
Yeah, that's why he brought him up. Because K. Slay was the true outlet
10:53
especially here in New York for all independent artists. You didn't have to have a major label, a major
10:58
crew none of that he just played music because he loved it and that's in the spirit of what this
11:03
culture was built on you don't 99 of the people ain't playing it because they just love it it's
11:09
some agenda behind it right it's some label it's some money it's whatever politics politics whatever
11:16
favoritism or they won't even play a record because of emotion right k slay wasn't that he was
11:22
everything you see yourself doing he'd been doing that he laid the blueprint for it so last time i
11:28
saw him um k slay used to do a lot of community events and i mean just places where people don't
11:35
go like this industry you'll find in new york you'll see people at the clubs they dressed up
11:39
you'll see them at the events but you ain't gonna see them at the places that k slay would go right
11:45
and he had an event on 124th street um under the train track right and where that is
11:54
you ain't gonna see people there other than people from the community in the neighborhood
11:58
and rats and rats and and he set up some turntables and he had some vendors that were
12:06
family members and friends that local people that were serving food t-shirts the whole nine
12:12
he asked me to come i live not far from the area i was just walking and i saw him i came on
12:18
helped him co the event we gave our laptop computers to kids from the neighborhood we gave out a whole bunch of stuff we did games the whole nine that was like maybe weeks prior uh to with him passing away so i wanted to understand
12:33
what he what he does for the culture but i wanted to understand who he was for the community you
12:39
know and so that's a big part of a lot of people say culture and all of that they really talk in
12:43
rap business they talk in industry if you talk in culture you in the community you ain't just saying
12:48
it you're not just dialing it in you're not just sending money you're touching folks yeah you know
12:54
you're shaking hands you're taking pictures you're eating with them you know yeah we sat and ate on
12:58
paper plates with people that was from that neighborhood and we walked away there wasn't
13:04
no limos or nothing like that so that's that's case slave but torch worked with him really
13:08
personally and intimately on for how many years yeah um probably about over six wow okay over six
13:17
or so. That was my guy, man. One thing about Slay, like he was always on time
13:23
for anything. Like whatever he did, he was on time and he always kept his word
13:28
That was the one thing he taught me. Keep your word. So he'd see somebody
13:32
whether it's a rapper, yo, Slay, I'm a fan. All right, all right
13:36
slow down, slow down. Give me your information. I'm going to bring you on the show. And that person
13:40
would be on the show the following week. You know what I mean? And then there was
13:44
another situation. You know, he had a magazine. Excuse me, I'm getting emotional
13:47
um straight stuntin yeah straight stuntin and it was a girl who came to him downstairs
13:54
and she was like messed up like oh Slay you know I met you
13:58
it's this guy and he was doing this and he slow down sweetheart
14:02
slow on give me your information or whatever we gonna talk and they talked
14:06
and she was the cover girl for the magazine the following month wow you know what I mean
14:10
so he was a person that always kept his word yeah we gotta go do that
14:14
what you guys did a few weeks ago in Oakland soon. You be everywhere, huh
14:19
I thought you'd go to St. Memphis. No, Oakland. You know, I was in, I went to
14:23
music school in Oakland. That's right, that's right. You went to the same school they were
14:27
I hate how Oakland is right now. I used to feed the homeless at E-CAP
14:33
and during COVID I would be out there DJing for the homeless, but I wouldn't let anybody
14:37
take a video of me because they might not be there forever, you know what I mean
14:42
Yeah. But that moment reminded me of what I was doing in the Bay. I like
14:47
you, Jonti. You're amazing, man. Give that young lady a round of applause. How can people reach you
14:52
You can follow me on Instagram at DJZHONTILE DJ Jonti. And my sister
15:01
is at Chaz underscore Allura A-L-L-U-R-A. You'll see her on my page
15:07
Okay, C-H-A-Z-Z underscore A-L-U-R-E. Who is A-L-L-U-R-A? Okay, A-L-L-U-R-A
15:18
Allura. Allura, yeah. Yes, I like that. And say your name again, bro
15:27
Chris Whammy. Chris Whammy. Chris Whammy. W-A-M-M-Y. Like Press Your Luck
15:37
Like the video game? The game show. I mean the game show Press Your Luck
15:41
No Whammy. So this is Chris Whammy. Chris Whammy does the email blast
15:46
like he helps break artists me and him are working together now but he
15:50
I've discovered a lot of new music from the emails I get from him
15:54
he emails DJs so I just hit him up and he was like you need to come to New York
15:58
so he brought me on the show with DJ Self and I brought him to
16:02
meet you guys today that's what's up man this is my guy he's a real New Yorker he can't drive
16:06
he can't drive he can't drive I'm real New Yorker yeah New York is not a real place
16:16
New York is not a real place I love it here I'm gonna catch the train
16:21
Get on the train y'all I love it man Y'all doing great and your family should be proud
16:29
Y'all out here doing it What we doing John T? We gotta sway his universe
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