The DJ is one of the most important elements of Hip Hop! Over the years DJs have truly grown and established much success. Many times we are not blessed to get to know the ones that are doing this because they love it and money is not the number 1 issue. Most people in this world that get a chanced to get noticed are all mainstream and it time for it to change. The people that are the true MCs, DJs etc are the ones that have the most talent beyond what you are hearing on your local radio station and are always overlooked. Until NOW!

It was a perfect opportunity to introduce the world to a brother, friend and Funkey Flash Back Official DJ, his name is DJ Jemani (pronounced Gemini). Listen up and see what he has to say about the state of hip hop today, it is quite interesting. So Funkey Flash Back is taking you back, Live in the Vault with DJ Jemani (pronounced Gemini).


FFB: Where are you originally from?

Jemani: I am from all over the place. Born and lived in The VA DC area as a kid. Pittsburgh PA, Baltimore Maryland, hung around a lot of Brooklyn dudes in my teenage years in Miami for a few years then moved back up to Baltimore. Then down to Florida in 2000 where I am chillin these days .


FFB: How did you get the name DJ Jemani (pronounced gemini)?

Jemani: My Brother Big Halo is from Bushwick Brooklyn & he was in a crew that used to tag a lot called U5 . Halo & Myself hangin out chillin messing with the turntables back in like 92 . He was like yo son you use Gemini equipment ( at the time we could not afford Techniques) and I was a wild dude in High School, I had like a split personality. So one day Halo is taggin ups & hes like yo look at this I wrote Jemini. A year later we switched it to JEMANI then it stuck like that.


FFB: What made you want to pick up the turntables, how did you get started?

Jemani: My Best friend Daryl ( DJ SHORTY ) was always into music & he started to DJ in like 89. He lived in the projects & every one would be at his apartment. He had just got 2 Technique joints & a Numark mixer and every week we would go to the stores & hit em up for as much wax as we could find. About a year later I got my joints & we used to be into music heavy. Back then it was about cutting & doing blends . Not really into the party thing but that was cool. Shout to Daryl who got into beat making which I don't have the patience for LOL .


FFB: Who influenced you?

Jemani: My father & mother R.I.P.
My Big Dawg Daryl ( DJ SHORTY ) LOL. of course all the mixtape dj's & producers from the 80's & 90's. A lot of my friends back in those days had been some real wild dudes & most are gone, but it was just a different time .


FFB: Who are your top 5 producers?

Jemani: 1) DJ PREMIER 2) PETE ROCK 3) DIAMOND D 4) SHOWBIZ 5) Q-TIP
I can go on

FFB: Who are your top 5 rap artists?

Jemani: Well not too many these days , most now are just so boring you need a pillow to hear a lot of this new shit .

1) Rakim
2) Big Daddy Kane / Kool G Rap (tie)
3) M.O.P.
4) Treach
5) Slick Rick


FFB: Who are your top 5 DJs?

Jemani: 1) DJ Scratch 2) Dj Premier 3) Jazzy Jeff 4) Roc Raida 5) Ron G


FFB: What are you top 3 Albums of all time?

Jemani: 1) Illmatic By Nas 2) The Low End Theory By A Tribe Called Quest 3) Daily Operation By Gang Starr


FFB: What is your most memorable hip hop moment?

Jemani: Chillin with Rakim


FFB: If you could change 1 place in time in hip hop what would it be?

Jemani: When Master P Came out


FFB: What is wrong with the state of rap music today?

Jemani: Everything! There is so much wrong with it because it's not really Hip-Hop. It's a mess of crap. These new country idiots make no sense & have no substance. Its like a game to see how trashy people can act. Long are the days of music that actually sounds good & makes sense. I don't even look at this new shit as music! I don't know how it went from Rakim to LiL Wayne, but its insulting & the worst part is watching people accept this shit. Music needs to put its middle finger back in the air that's for sure!


FFB: How can we fix it?

Jemani: We cant! We can try & do some things that will fix it a bit like mother fuckers not being all about chasing money & ass & trying to be killers. Shits just to far gone to me at this point. I still support the artist I supported back in the day and I like to do music to have shit to listen to. But I'm glad I lived in my time, I feel sorry for the kids out there because they missed it .


FFB: What is your thoughts on the dirty south, east and west coast rap?

Jemani: LOL . ! South ? Well besides Scarface, Outkast & them I don't wreckonize what's poppin these days ain't hip-hop. I wish east coast heads would stop and really acknowledge the fact of why these dirty dirty motherfuckers ain't like we are when it comes to hip-hop. While we was rockin the Rakim & Public Enemy ... the south dudes was into old school r&b and shit. Their world is on some other shit. I'm not mad at mother fuckers getting money. But if I'm in line at a store with my crew & then a bunch of Lil Wayne's come in next to us I don't want the cashier to think we are all in the same crew LOL . Them south clowns need a new title for the music they have . If shit don't stop soon it will be like Rakim & all the greats that came before spread wisdom in music for nothing because these young motherfuckers are lost. I think its the under 30 crowd that killed it.

FFB: If you could start hip hop from one point in time what year would it be and why?

Jemani: 1991-92 was my era & everything was just different it was fun & wild at the same time . But all the music was classic and its the last year every one was kind of innocent .


FFB: I see you are down with Krumbsnatcha and the W.O.L.V.E.S., how did that come about?

Jemani: Well in 1997 when I was in Baltimore KS had just had got a lot of attention on The Gang Starr album. I used to call the phone numbers on the back of my records & try to get free wax LOL. So I called the number I found for the Label & one of my people up there put me on to street team work so i was doing that. Then I fell off music for a while with my mother getting sick, a sour relationship with a girl at the time & getting arrested. Then in 2004 with the internet I got back in touch & its back in action like that. Awooooooooo shouts to my wolf homies . Dramatik put a lot of things together so him & Itchy make a lot of things happen. My homie Dr. Mario is always on his job .


FFB: Artists such as Lil Wayne, Soulja Boy, T.I, how do you feel about them and their music?

Jemani: LOL well next question.


FFB: What made you want to do the "Live in the Vault Series" with Funkey Flash Back?

Jemani: Well The vault series is something I came up with about 2 years ago in my mind to kind of keep the rare hip-hop from being lost forever . No one else has a lot of knowledge of music like myself & my team so I was like boom lets put this lost shit out & besides it sounds better then anything new. Plus new music is so wack & there is not enough material coming out these days to put together a new mixtape each month. The mixtapes are really a dying element of this! Boom then you got FFB so it just fell together perfect.


FFB: What is in your ipod or cd player right now?

Jemani: Hmmmmm.. Well in the car its on the jazz & classic rock station. On a CD I usually play out my mixtapes before I drop them to the public, so I don't really like to listen to my music after I make it cause it gets played out to me. A lot of my homies such as Has-lo & some Krumbsnatcha, some Saigon joints, some AZ and old Mobb Deep joints. I like music that's not too violent, smooth but hardcore in the CD player .


FFB: What are you plans for 2009? Any new projects you are working on?

Jemani: New Radio Show WYDU wake your daughter up with my homie & co-host, HAS-LO from Philly will be on Champion Radio out of Miami. Our shows pre-recorded so we can have time for other projects. We will have more vaults out again around Feb or March.


FFB: If you could do an album with a rapper dead or alive who would it be?

Jemani: This is a hard question. I would do a compilation album with artist I like to hear & Oh I would bring back the lost art of the posse cut paring artist together that would be weird to hear together. Right now I can't say any one in particular maybe Saigon or M.O.P. cause in my life at the moment I relate to those artist the most .


FFB: How many mixtapes have you put out in your career?

Jemani: Damn I don't even know I always did once a month from the days when my shot was wack till now .. so once a month for 17 years . Do the math on that and if there's any floating around out there send them to me LOL. We used to toss everything out in the street for free just like now on the internet. It's better then a business card.


FFB: Which of your mixtapes is your favorite?

DJ Jemani: WOW ! For some odd reason The Nightmarez Before Christmas


FFB: So when it comes to fashion what lines did you grow up rockin'?

Jemani: LOL From my Cross Colors to Karl Kani then on to Polo and Guess. Fashion is not the same anymore.


FFB: How did music influence your sense of style?

Jemani: Everything had style unlike today.


FFB: Where will we see DJ Jemani in 5 years?

Jemani: I will be here asking you guys how did it get this wack ? I thought 2008 was wack LOL but damn 2013 . I can't imagine what these little motherfuckers will be wearing, they probably gonna wear Bras on their heads, since I actually seen a man wearing a pink shirt in 2008 LOL


FFB: Do you want to show love or shoutouts for anyone?

Jemani: Every one out there from Has-lo, W.O.L.V.E.S, WYDU, FFB, Big Owen, Champion Radio and the list goes on. Shout to every one supporting peace & love. Keep it safe & stop killing each other with poisoned lyrics that don't make sense .



Thank you DJ Jemani for taking the time out to speak with us


Make sure you contact DJ Jemani on his myspace page if you are interested at www.myspace.com/theonlydjjemani

Interview by: Sher Sher