On Thursday February 5^th, I drove out to the Red Bull Thre3style Regional Qualifier in Chicago, held at Concord Music Hall in Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood, with a few buddies from school . I had never been there before, but the long line at the door was a sign that this venue was fit for a good time. Even from the line outside, I could hear the booming base from the speakers inside. Good thing I’m all about that base, bout that bass, no treble.

Six DJs were set to compete, with the winner moving on to the next round of this worldwide competition. Competitors had just 15 minutes to drop their hottest set for the judges, the panel of which included last year’s champion – Trentino. I was psyched for this thing to start. As soon as the opener (Trentino himself) dropped his first sample – a remix of A$AP Ferg’s “Work,” into an emphasized loop of Ferg’s “Tommy Boxer” lyrics (where he yells “Babeh!”), I knew this would be a great show.

I ghetto danced my way around the entire venue, grooving my way through the crowd to a catch the show from a new view. Luckily, I was able to see the show from all vantage points, having access to guest areas through my buddy Mike Dickerson. The stage’s background included tri-fold monitors with the center featuring the DJ’s timer and the side panels giving an awesome look inside the DJ’s booth. The Red Bull Thre3style logo was, of course, front and center.

Covering this event offered me the chance to mingle with guests from all around the Chicago area. I did some audience analysis, but basically spent my time talking to strangers about rap music. I asked who they thought was going to win and what they liked about that DJ. Because I know my opinion is the only one that matters, I only pretended to listen to their responses.

For what it’s worth, I was able to come up with my own list of the top 3 DJ’s from the event:

3^rd Jake Hill – Opening up with a sample of an upbeat James Brown telling you to “get on up,” this DJ did a pretty good job of mixing in his samples. He had some solid skills, I could tell. What lost it for me was his song selection for most of his set. He ended with a country song, completely killing any hype he created earlier in his set. The crowd could not believe they heard country music at a DJ Competition! I will give Jake Hill props for going first in the competition. I also appreciated him using “Chicago” into the loop of 3OH3IE’s “Miami Bitch.” Hearing “I’m in Chicago bitch!” while I’m in my own city shaking with my titties, ass, hands in the air made me feel like the man of the year.

2^nd DJ Metro – This artist began his set pumping me up with DMX’s intro to X Gon Give It To Ya, reminding us “Fuck what you heard, it’s what you’re hearing.” A great choice for a sample considering he was the last DJ of the night and some fans may have already chosen their winner. While he was not the only DJ to mix with the popular “Uptown Funk,” I liked his rendition the best. Around the 6:00 mark he played this “Rock Yo Body” song, into a stretch of music that just hit home for me. It was something off of an old scratched up Chicago Juke mix CD I had heard before, back when CD’s weren’t just weapons. This DJ played a lot of old school Chicago tracks, really playing to the taste of the crowd. That would have won him the competition (in my mind, and the judge’s) had it not been for…

1^st Boi Jeanius – Horns blaring - the mariachi trumpet type – lured in the crowd. Immediately prompting us to dance and “feel good in this mother fucker, get right in this motherfucker” played a trumpeting Mystikal sample. The most technically talented DJ among the field, in my opinion, paired with his originality, made him stand out. His song choices ranged from as hood as “OG Bobby Johnson” to as Drake as Drake’s “Worst Behavior.” It was creative thinking to loop Drake’s “Remember?” in that song with Michael Jackson’s “Remember The Time.” Not to mention it also kept everyone moving and dancing instead of bopping up and down to drill music. Breaking out the best in his last five minutes, Boi Jeanius played music that appealed to my taste the most – old school hip-hop. Jr. M.A.F.I.A.’s “F*ck B*tches, Get Money” remixed with that byte of Method Man yelling ,“Get the money” off of “C.R.E.A.M.” was perfectly done. All of this genius mixing along his ability to make the samples play seamlessly into each other made Boi Jeanius the winner in my book. He actually won the competition, too.

I want to thank Red Bull for allowing me to attend this amazing event. If you're into hip hop, DJing, turntables, great music, and great vibes, you have got to come with me to next year's Qualifier in Chicago. For more information on the event, including how to get tickets to the next show, check out: http://www.redbullthre3style.com/