“Freedom of the mind is the only Freedom that exists.”
DJ Bizzy’s passion for music and the turntables originated in Philadelphia, starting his journey towards creating a signature sound heard all over the globe for the last decade.
“I want to make all types of music,” Bizzy said. “I want to create music that educates, music that makes people move their feet, music that makes people remember, music that makes people forget and above all music that makes people have FUN.”
Born in 1979 as Mark Smith, Bizzy has been around music all of his life. The son of legendary musician Dwight Smith, best known as a leading swing drummer from the 1950's and 60's, Bizzy was immediately influenced by the beats and music surrounding his childhood. However, it would be the emerging sounds of hip-hop that would prove his first love affair at the age of five. By the age of 13, he became a graffiti artist named “SAE 5,” extending his name throughout Washington D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia and all areas in between.
Living a life immersed in music, Bizzy started MC’ing and performing as a hype man at the age of 15 for clubs in Pennsylvania and Maryland. His love of DJ’ing took shape while watching such iconic artists as QuickSilva, Cee-Lo, D.J. Milk and Shmoove at parties in D.C. and Baltimore and such DJ’s as Jazzy Jeff, Jay-ski, Touch Tone, Adam Bomb, Sat-One and Ghost in Philadelphia. From this exposure, Bizzy decided it was his calling to take the lessons of music and drumming learned from his dad and mix it with what he loved most – hip-hop.
“Music is life changing to me and can be life consuming depending on how much you love it,” Bizzy added. “I just combined two art forms into my own creation and used DJ’ing as a path to express myself and better my life!”
At the age of 18, Bizzy sought new challenges, which would lead him to start a career as a radio DJ. Moving to Berlin, Maryland, he quickly landed a gig at pop-rock radio station X106.9 DJ’ing a weekend underground hip-hop show. While it was a bid for the mainstream, Bizzy’s penchant to also go against the ordinary remained intact. It would also result in a new love affair -- broadcasting and mixing on the radio.
Bizzy would return to Philly, where he was a part of the Gathering, the city’s longest running hip-hop event. The monthly event was held at the Rotunda, a well-known art venue on Penn's campus. Hosted by I-BE 4 Eva, Tu-Phace and Sara Green, The Gathering is a free, all-age multi-media experience that focused on all aspects of hip-hop culture, from dancing to spinning. During his return to Philly, Bizzy would also DJ on a local pirate radio station on the west side called 92.9 Street Radio, which only blasted for about a 40-block radius, but had a strong neighborhood following. Soon after, he also started interning at Q 102 and Wired 96.5.
Upon graduating from college, Clear Channel offered Bizzy a mixing and hosting position with a station in Detroit. Being a huge fan of Detroit art and music, he jumped at the opportunity to learn from some of the world’s greatest musicians and producers in the field. Soon, Bizzy was an on-air mixer with his own mix show and a live broadcast every Saturday night from the State Theater, the largest nightclub in Detroit and one of the hippest parties Biz had ever encountered, rocking 1,500 people with an amazing sound crew and system.
Within two years of creating a profile as the top mixer and co-host on the 1 ranked night show in Detroit’s highest rated Top 40 station, Bizzy decided to start a new career promoting some of the artists he’d met on his travels. To date, the artists he has championed that have since garnered recording deals are Pittsburgh Slim, Yung De', Tangled Thoughts and Brilliance, with still others in the pipeline.
After being a staple in the Detroit and Philly hip-hop scenes, Bizzy now makes Los Angeles his home. Continuing to nurture his passion for spinning, he is still unleashing a signature sound for some of the city’s hottest celebrity events at all types of clubs and venues. Today, Bizzy’s client list includes several major Hollywood studios as well as such popular culture leaders as the National Academy of Recording and Arts, Clear Channel, Kenneth Cole, Details Magazine, Def Jam Records, Good Hands Records and Nike. In addition to performing for an extensive celebrity guest list, his presence has also rocked such legendary clubs as Sugar, The Standard, Crown Bar, Winston’s, The Dime, Avalon, Sevilla, Southside, Greenhouse, LAX, Encore, Blush, Jet, Palms, MGM, The Ivy and many more.
Today, Bizzy continues as the official DJ of Pittsburgh Slim on all their tour dates and shows. He also continues to be heard all around the world from NYC to L.A., Las Vegas and everywhere in between. Bizzy has also joined sides with The Bum Squad DJs, a globally known and respected DJ organization.
“Music is a tool that can be used to bring people together from all walks of life,” Bizzy said. “Even if you don't speak the same language as someone else, you still hear the same beat!”
In addition to his own career, Bizzy manages and DJ’s for other indie hip-hop acts in L.A., Philly and Detroit, including VIRO the Virus, Brilliance, Tangled Thoughts, and Yung DE. Bizzy and his artists have opened for acts such as The Roots, Camp-Lo, Ja Rule, Nas, Nelly, Jurassic 5, KRS-ONE, Snoop Dogg, Clipse, Ashanti, Method Man, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Usher, Naughty By Nature, X-ecutioners, Paul Wall, T.I., Dem Boys, Rampage, Sugar Hill Gang, Phife Dawg, and many other underground hip-hop artists from all coasts.
After a year full of great music and constant hustling, Bizzy had another dream come true when longtime friend Pittsburgh Slim signed a record deal with Jay-Z, L.A. Reid and Def Jam Records! Slim’s album -- “Tastemaker” -- is in stores NOW!
“Music is the creative outlet I have used to express my art to the world,” Bizzy concluded. “DJ’ng is the way that I have decided to reach out to my generation as well as the ones before and after and joining us all together by cuts, scratches, and mixes, using bass lines, and beats from every genre and era.”
If you haven’t heard, Bizzy is the sound of today…and beyond.
BizzyBooking@Gmail.com for direct bookings and for Pittsburgh Slim/Dj Bizzy contact : Zag@PremierTalentAgency.com
