Detroit DJ talks about his issues with Eminem & D12 and how J Dilla gave Kanye his swag

Dear readers,
Today I am more than pleased to announce that a big name on the Detroit scene kindly accepted my interview. This excellent artist happens to be Barry Yett aka DJ Butter who is notorious for his numerous mixtapes and collaborations on the local scene. DJ Butter used to hang out with Eminem, Bizarre, Mr Porter and Proof back in the golden days of the Hip Hop Shop. Very dedicated to his hometown, DJ Butter is currently working on an important movie, the 7 Mile movie that depicts the Detroit scene as it is. Wanna know more? Listen to DJ Butter’s words!

1.DJ Butter, you are notorious on the Detroit scene and well known for your numerous mixtapes that include a lot of local collaborations. How did you get started in the hip hop business?

- I was making mixtapes in High School selling them to my friends. My cousin, Shon used to got to New York and bring me back mixtapes in the late 80’s. My late friend, Patrick got me started as a DJ for his group, Sudden Strength.

2. What is the story behind your nickname?

- I have a light skinned skin color and I thought DJ Butter was marketable.

3. Can you define yourself as an artist within a few words?

- Multi-Talented. I can do all the elements in Hip-Hop.

4. You were a personal friend to Marshall Mathers aka Eminem. How did you meet the talented artist?

-I used to see him at the Hip-Hop shop in the early 90’s all the time. We got to know each other closely by going to the How Can I Be Down? music summit in the late 90’s. It was me, Proof, Mark Hicks, Bizarre, Eminem and Paul Rosenberg all together trying to get seen and heard out in Miami. I used to see Eminem all the time, in the streets selling his cds, while I sold my mixtapes. I was one of the first dudes to put him on mixtapes and featured him in my magazine, FUNKFRESHINTHAFLESH

5. You were also befriended with Deshaun Holton aka Proof whose life was cut short in April 2006. It is really a great loss for the hip hop community as far as I am concerned. To what extent did his death affect you and the whole Detroit scene?

- Proof was the voice of our Hip-Hop culture here. We had our ups and downs, but I was glad to talk to him before his death.

6. Who have you collaborated with on the local scene?

- I worked with almost everyone into the Rap Scene here. Except Kid Rock. That’s my next goal. I recently just got from a month long tour with, Esham. He’s the main reason for Detroit’s Rap Scene.

7. What is your best memory in Detroit?

- The Hip-Hop Shop and the unity we had a St. Andrews before the radio station fucked it up. The days before our major deaths of our rap stars.

8. Besides the Detroit scene, which artists have you collaborated with already?

- I’ve worked with Reggae legend, Junior Reid, Dipset, Yukmouth and I threw a huge party with the legendary, E-40.

9. A few words about your upcoming 7 Mile movie?

- My film, 7 Mile is the before and after of Eminem’s 8 Mile film. I’m just giving the fans a documentary version by covering the Motown Era until our music scene in 2009. I’m just showing the world, why Detroit is the mecca of music and reminding folks that Michael Jackson made his first checks here and that J Dillla gave people like Kanye West and Pharell their swag and all the footage is from my cameras.

10. You are the CEO of Crazy Noise Productions. Can you tell us a little bit about your company?

- I started my label at the age of 15 and released 5 albums under my label.

11. What are your current/ upcoming musical projects for 2009/2010?

- I’m working on some original music with Slum Village’s DJ, Dez and getting set to drop a mix-tape with Proof’s former producer, Essman.

12. Which artist(s) earned your respect on the local scene and why?

- I got love for Black Milk and it’s real cool to see Royce Da 5′9 re- invent himself. I respect all the guys here.

13. What is the biggest challenge you faced as an artist?

- When Eminem and D12 went against me. I just never under stood how I can break bread with those guys before the big label deals and they couldn’t break bread back. They made me out to be the bad guy. I was supporting Denaun Porter’s music before he was making any rap money from Shady Records or any other platinum artists he deals with today. I paid those dudes to do songs for my label and they gave the tracks to Em’s label. Last time I talk to him, he said he was gonna be a better DJ than me. I was there from the earlier days, when Eminem wasn’t returning there calls. I always wanted the best for the Shady family and it’s always been some bullshit politics. I have a conversation with Denaun on the phone, that will wake a lot of people up and I just didn’t leak it. It’s a G-Unit radio on Shade 45 and not D-12 radio and that’s my point. But, I understood why Eminem waved a walked away on the 8 mile movie.

14. What is your personal outlook on the Detroit scene?

- Our Music scene is the shit. We just gotta stop killing each other and going against one another. It’s crazy to see the world have that much love for J Dilla and Proof after they died. Those two struggled so much to display their talent and it seemed they all died with financial problems, even Mc Breed. To have rich business partners and to die broke is not my destiny.

15. According to you, what makes you appear as a unique artist on the Detroit scene?

- I really care about our rap scene. I’ve been documenting the rappers here for more than 15 years. I’m not the DJ that you can email a song too and I scream over it and say, I’m the best DJ in Michigan. I got the master tapes to prove it. The DJ’s on the radio here don’t give a fuck about the artists. We too busy trying to make Gucci Mane more richer.

Stay tuned! www.7milemovie.com

l
Copyright© by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved


SPECIAL THANKS TO:
www.theeminemblog.com