SBC DJ/106 KMEL Rick Lee The Dragon

Interview By: Shianne Lenhof of Go Der Magazine


1. How long have you been a DJ?

Ive been DJing longer than folks have been born...going on 24 years this year...I started back out in 1984-85. near the birth of when hip hop started


2. Give me a rundown of your history.

I lived in Daly City all my life...the heart of the best DJ's in the Bay Area...(Q Bert, Mixmaster Mike, Short Kut, Apollo and of course my crew the SBC DJ's just to name a few off top)...I am currently going to be 39 this year...I Graduated from Westmoor High School...like I said been DJing since the mid 80's. I was caught between being a pro skate boarder, break dancer or DJ. I swayed towards DJing...was easier to make money at the same time more fun just playing with music and getting beeeatches!...to make a long story short I grinded with my crew the SBC DJ's (short for Style Beyond Compare DJ's..which is now a legit DJ business) between 85 to 95 hard in the clubs, streets, weddings, private parties and most of all my street mixtapes till I got my call on 106 KMEL from Chuy Gomez to come do a guess spot on the radio...shortly after met Franzen & Trace dog and they all pushed there boss to give me a shot...There boss came down one night to my club which I DJ'ed on Wednesday nights @ City Nights.... they seen me rock to 2000 people on a off night and approached me to come down to the radio station the next day...from there its been history...from 95 to 2008 ive been on the 5pm Drive on 106 KMEL the 4 Market in the world for Hip Hop & R & B...because of the changing economy on $$$ I only do Saturday nights from 6pm to 8pm....I continue to be still a strong forefront for KMEL on breaking music.


3. Working in the Bay, you've been responsible for exposing many of the now regionally and nationwide popular artists. How do you choose who you play?

Its a very touchy subject...I'ma keep this one short and because so many people in this game abuse my advise and take it the wrong way...all I wanna say is send me music to DJRickLee@SBCDJS.com and I will T R Y to listen and consider your music. Things outside just your music that I look for is your Business...if your business aint right nobody of my standards is gonna wanna mess wid you or give any attention...I wanna see your on your grind by going out being on the streets and clubs meeting all the right people in the industry, I wanna see $$$ behind your promotions and marketing, I wanna see you on mixtapes with all the right DJ's creating a buzz for yourself beyond just your 1 block radius of your hood, and last but least...I wanna see your fan base ONLINE & OFF LINE at shows....to me this all accents your music to what it is. So if your music and business is shit...then you will be nothing but Shit! So pride yourself on both your music and business to the fullest...its not all about just being the popular guy on the block with broke pockets & a mouth piece. Sounds easy but yet hard.


4. How did you and Network meet?

I met Network with a guy from an Independent Bay Area record label at the time who came to KMEL to take us radio mixers out for lunch one day to promote....I thought dude had ADD from all the food we ate but never thought we would turn out to be partners in the music game...the guy got a lot of talent talking to people and a huge database of INDUSTRY networks....so maybe that's why we all call him NETWORK! But naw yeah I seen his hustle and his grind for this label he was rolling with and he approached me one day to sponsor me on all my mixtapes...that means pay for everything vs pay for it my damn self...so it was an offer i couldn't refuse...from there we grew into partnership with each other and started doing more and more projects down the line.


5. Tell me about your mixtapes, how many have you put out?

We put out enough to keep the next one going ....lets put it this way...Mixtapes is a non money making machine but the greatest promotional tool I use to push my own Bay Area scene and music that I wanna break besides just me as a DJ...if anything we put more time & money into making the cd then what its really worth....ive always done mixtapes from the gate of my career so I feel that I should keep the recipe of how I got here to what it is today! And it don't stop...best believe!


6. Explain what Go Der means to you.

Go Der means going where you aint suppose to go (like a slang word for taking a risk of some sort) to make things in life happen for yourself....wether it be smackin dat girl on the ass without her getting mad turning around slappin you in the face...and u end up getting away wid it....or just plain doing something and taking it to another level with all risk involved....like making this magazine we puttin out outta nothing into something....and ima GO DER!


7. What makes you different from every other DJ in your opinion.

I am creative and I keep myself 10 steps ahead of the next DJ....I sharpen my skillz on scratching and blending like I am working out at the GYM....on top of that as a business I currently I have the first Digital music pool here in the Bay Area since 1999 for DJ's using Digital devices for DJing (SERATO)....and to take it up another notch I am the first DJ in the Bay to DJ using music videos in the clubs...as well as providing Music Videos for in my pool as well for the DJ's.


8. Who are your favorite artists?

From the Bay Area I would have to say Keak, E 40, Too Short, Jacka, Mac Dre (R>I>P>), 2 Pac, Messy Marv, Frontline, Ea Ski, The Pack, San Quinn, Big Rich & definitley Yukmouth...outside the Bay...Lil Wayne...that guy is off the chain right now and just spits some crazy scenarios like he did them all in one take....others would be Kayne West, Jay Z, Young Jeezy, T.I., Lil Jon & the newest likes would be Plies...that fool as the dirtiest mouth but at the same time still keeps it movin.


9. What are your current projects?

Just to name a few...I have Bay Area Boom Box number 8 hosted by Keak Da Sneak & I have Ice T's lady on the cover....big ups to Ice T & Keak for holding ya boy down....basically that cd has all the newest Bay Area smashes from music from all over that we playing on the radio & streets...I kinda wanna say that's my crossover cd which I use to break music besides radio. I just release Shooters a mixtape with Jacka who is one of the most talented artist right now in the Bay Area making a lot of noise...big shot out to Jacka and his whole crew for making a long time coming happen...and of course I got the 2nd issue of Go Der magazine about to release which has I have covers for & articles on Lil Wayne, DJ Drama, E 40 & Kilo (Thizz ENT). Other than that I have so much instore...and the mixtapes keep coming and coming! So dont expect me to give up anytime soon! We just keep it pushing and movin!


10. Describe a day in the life of DJ Rick Lee.

I DJ 5 outta the 7 nights of the week beginning Tues all the way to Saturday and sometimes Sundays at Bay Area Night Clubs...Saturday nights are my most busiest times....I DJ on the radio from 6 to 8pm with Big Von & the KMEL Allstar DJ's and then go directly to my Club which I dont get home to the wee hours of 5am in the morning.....right now Mondays are my only days off to do anything both personal and business...So in a nutshell I barely sleep and stay on dem 100 Racks energy drinks at all times. But yeah this also includes my duties of maintaining my DJ crew of 15 DJ's the SBC DJ's..directing them and marketing them at all the clubs & mobile DJ events we got going constantly... and then its time to find time to handle my music pool which new music comes out Tuesdays to the mass DJ population of the Bay Area and beyond....finding extra hours of editing and putting together the tracks for these DJ's are probably the most strenuous task...then Sundays I have my 14 year old son RJ which I take the entire day to spend with then at night go right back to grinding out at night.


11. How did you get the nickname the dragon and why?

I chose the stage name or nick name Dragon cause when I started on the radio nobody new what I looked like...so I chose The Dragon to symbolize my ethnicity as being Oriental...at the same time the Dragon is one of the most powerful symbols in my culture which I new one day would reflect in my work beyond just being a DJ.


12. What do you see as the future of Go Der and what kind of team do you have to help further the awareness of the magazine?

Basically the future of Go Der is big...hopefully I can find more time to excel it to a national level and be one day bought out by a big corporation...so those who ride wid us will be reap the benefits from its early makings....for now we pride ourselves on being and staying consistent...that is one of the hardest things to do...its all about FOCUS....thanks to a team of folks from my SBC DJ's crew and outside team Network has put together to handle articles and write ups while I can maintain other portions of business. I really just want to give readers an inside from the DJ's point of view since it is always the other way around feel me? And of course goin Der where no other DJ's have done before is what makes Go Der magazine a tad bit different!


13. What is in your future?

I plan to DJ still till I am in a freakin wheel chair because that is what I luv most...but again always having the biggest open mind for the whole business in the end of it which makes it all tick and tock. Producing is one of the biggest things on my list right now....I wanna make the hits you hear on the radio, TV & beyond using my DJ skillz...but only if I could buy more time is my biggest pet peeve....if worst comes to worst Ima be a PORN STAR!!!


14. What is something you live by everyday?

I live by staying hungry like I just got in this game yesterday (this way everything always stays FRESH, exciting and not boring & repetitive to me)...don't change anything business wise that made me who I am today....like they say if it ain't broken don't try to fix it...focus and maintain the same recipe to how I got where I am today...most of all live by being nice to people and humble....by doing just what I described it goes way longer than just going a long way. It's GO TIME!


15. Add anything I may have left out in the questions
"Listen up ima bout to get dope"....rest in peace Mac Dre & 2 Pac....and I wanna say thank you to my crew SBC DJ's for the past 24 years new school and old school members for helping me build OUR empire...thank god for mysteriously running into Network and makin it happen...the shit it was meant to be! Shout out to KMEL of course for letting me do my corporate thing! ...I can't complain...Last bust least all my fans & supporters it couldn't be done no other way without yall! Check out my myspace page http://www.myspace.com/DJRickLee http://www.SBCDJS.com http://www.GoDerMagazine.com http://TheBlock.106KMEL.com/SBCRickLee
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