OP! has joined the ranks of the respected cadre of tastemakers and bootyshakers in the New York underground scene. Homegrown in Brooklyn, his path began there, but along the way has taken him halfway around the globe, from the US to Africa, and back again.
Growing up in the golden age of hip-hop, OP! first caught the dj bug from listening to Kool DJ Red Alert and Marley Marl on the radio, and dj battles on Ralph McDaniels’ seminal pre-MTV Video Music Box (little did he know that he would soon be working in both radio and television himself). In high school, a friend of a friend, a dj at a local college, took him under his wing, and soon OP! was djing on that college’s radio station… while still in high school. He went on to become the Hip-Hop Music Director there, and a major musical force on the campus.
After college, honored with a Watson Foundation Fellowship to research hip-hop and radio in South Africa, an opportunity to work at the first, and newly formed, commercial youth-oriented radio station there arose, and soon OP! was on a (long) flight to Johannesburg. YFM 99.2 exploded onto the scene (the station has well over 3 million listeners now) with OP! (formerly know as Absolut) eventually working on three ongoing shows, including his own mixshow, one of the first hip-hop mixshows in South Africa. After two years, having become a well-known and respected hip-hop dj there, OP! came home to Brooklyn.
He spent the next years cutting his teeth in the industry at TVT, 88 Hip Hop, and then Sub Verse, where he played a central role in the then emerging solo career of MF Doom, overseeing the re-release of KMD‘s shelved sophomore album, Black Bastards, and Doom’s groundbreaking first solo effort, Operation Doomsday.
OP!’s next move brought him to the position as Project Manager at Studio Distribution, handling labels like BBE, Sound-In-Color, Raw Fusion/Jugglin’, and Draft. He quickly made his mark there as being responsible for Hezekiah’s Hurry Up and Wait, Da Beatminerz Fully Loaded With Static, and the huge success of newcomer Foreign Exchange’s (Phonte of Little Brother and Netherlands producer Nicolay) Connected. OP! was also involved in other projects include albums from Alice Smith, Hugh Masekela, Freddie Cruger (aka Red Astaire), Masta Ace, Up Hygh, Hearin’ Aid, and J Dilla.
Currently, OP! is working with Cornerstone Promotions as the Urban Online Lifestyle Project Manager, responsible for the online marketing campaigns for major label artists including Outkast, Diddy, Pharoahe Monch, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, Ludacris, Sleepy Brown, Rhymefest, and a host of others.
With his feet firmly planted in the industry, OP! turned his attention back to the turntables. This move has seen OP! spinning at such notable events as Rich Medina’s Connect the Dots Loft Party, the RMFRP event at WMC 2005 in Miami, the RMFRP event in NYC, the Black August Building Sessions, and the Escape 2 Brooklyn parties. OP! has also spun at venues like Triple Crown, Joe’s Pub, Table 50, Halcyon, APT, Canal Room, Aura, Moe’s Bar, Sputnik, Afrokinetic/718 Dinner, The Vault @ Element, and the Knitting Factory in the company of DJ Spinna, Blu Jemz, Ge-ology, Waajeed, Bobbito, Peanut Butter Wolf, Language, 9th Wonder, ?uestlove, DJ Junior, DJ Center, DJ Chris Annibell, DJ Statik, Keb Darge, Kool Dj Red Alert, Large Professor, and Wax Poetics’ Monkone. As well, OP! with his long time DJ partner Scribe started a monthly new music salon event (co-sponsored by BBE, K7, and Raw Fusion/Jugglin’) called Nu-iSh (www.nu-ish.com), focused on exposing new, exclusive, and current but soulful music to the masses.
And on the live side, OP! has shared the stage with legends like The Roots, De La Soul, Poor Righteous Teachers, Executioners, and Hieroglyphics, and future legends from Alice Smith to Tortured Soul.
Champion Sound! w/ DJs OP! and Sam Champion
@ Soda Bar
Champion Sound brings the classic Brooklyn party vibe to Prospect
Heights. Dancing, soulful music, beautiful people... DJs OP! and Sam
Champion rock every other Saturday. Just blocks from the Brooklyn
Museum.
Event Information:
Every 1st & 3rd Saturday
10:00 PM - 4:00 AM
21+
cover: FREE
music: Hip Hop, Classics, Soul, Funk, House, Afro-Beat, etc.
Venue Information:
Soda Bar
629 Vanderbilt Ave.
Prospect Heights | b/w Prospect Pl. & St. Marks Ave. 2, 3 at Grand Army Plz
Brooklyn, NY
(718 230-8393)
OP! @ Donuts Are Forever 2 (Thank You Jay Dee)
OP! @ Kissey Asplund Birthday Party - Courtesy of Vimby
FINALLY, NEW MUSIC! "The Art Of Broken Glass" (EP), click myspace.com/mrjmedeiros and take a listen! Available on itunes or directly from my site. New Mr.J songs to add to your profile! WORD!
You can also follow on twitter.com/mrjmedeiros for free music.
wudup doe homeboy?! gotta get you the new album ********************** The long-awaited full length album Behn & Tara Nova presents TOMORROW is now available for download on i-Tunes, Amazon, and Napster!
TOMORROW is the brainchild of the astounding songstress Tara Nova and producer extraordinaire Behn. The project is an uplifting, wondrous musical experience filled with hope and optimism. Tara Nova and Behn remain true to their innovative and eclectic style of music. Written entirely by the dynamic duo, the project explores a variety of topics providing enlightened commentary on an array of personal life experiences. More importantly, it is infused with the hope of a better TOMORROW individually and collectively as a people.
From the minds of the amazing, sultry songstress Bliss and visionary producer Behn…we present Shooting Starz… Shooting Starz is a wondrous, mythological, fantastic love tale. Bliss utilizes her unique mellow, smooth voice to create a beautifully eclectic sound. Behn’s next-level production combined with the “Isley-esque” guitar skills of Kiva provides a psychedelic, new wave ride through the lands of rock, funk, and alternative music. Enjoy.
WOW, what a classic!! New french producers craft this amazing soul track featuring mixes from Stereo Mutants & Keith Thompson.
Rebound is a beautifully crafted house track that oozes soul in all it’s forms, Nassau are Thomas Deschamps & Didier Limonet, with previous releases on Soulfuric and Yellow Productions and their recent remix of Rachel Claudio these guy’s are serious new contenders in the house scene. Krista wrote and perfomed the vocal which compliments the production perfectly... To finish off the package the Stereo Mutants turn in 2 mixes for those deeper dancefloor moments and Keith Thompson gets to turn in a special little mix too….
Thanks 4 The Support. Staying Alive. Best Regards . Didier Limonet Member of Nassau.
OP!!! Whattup :) It was a pleasure chillin with you and Sarah and the rest of the crew. I am still getting settled and will send you some goodies really soon. I'll phone you too. In a min.
screw manhattan - keep warm this friday dancing @ the new DubTempo
free admission - super soundsystem
eclectic soul, classic hip-hop, disco, reggae
