Crunk 101

DJ-ing is a multifaceted
profession, encompassing nightclub DJs who finesse the crowd, radio DJs who make
rush hour livable and scratch artists who use records as raw material for their
deconstructivist masterpieces. With the death of live music, the DJ has become
king, a personality in his (or her) own right. Dance and hip-hop is now the music
of choice for many local teens, and turntables have supplanted more traditional
instruments in their imagination.

The
program’s founder, James Coles, a DJ and creative director at 104.3 XME, says
he decided to create Musical Youth of Hawai’i when he realized that, for all the
popularity of DJ-driven music, local teens didn’t have an easy way to get into
the creative side of the scene. The necessary equipment-a pair of turntables,
speakers, a mixer, a mic, headphones, not to mention a few records-can cost more
than $1,500. “What we’re trying to do is give the kids a chance to touch it and
realize it,” he says.

Coles and the other volunteer instructors aren’t just
teaching the flashy parts of DJ-ing-the mixing and scratching seen in music videos-the
teens also learn music theory and production, as well as the ins and outs of the
local entertainment and promotions business.

“When the kids see the equipment,
they all want to get up there and cut and scratch and make all this noise,” Coles
says. “I tell them, ‘Guess what, you’re not going to touch any of this stuff for
a month.’ I have to teach them the fundamentals first: how to count, how to match
beats and phrases. A lot of them actually drop out, because they had no clue about
what’s involved. And that’s OK-at least they got to find out. That’s what being
a kid is about.”

Coles launched the program in April 2003, and says the
response has been overwhelming. There are 150 students currently enrolled, and
almost 200 on the waiting list. “I’ve actually stopped talking about it on the
radio,” he says.

The Boys and Girls Club of Hawai’i provides the facilities,
and Coles funds the program with periodic all-ages parties-parties which happily
coincide with the program’s mission. “As I’m putting these events together, I
teach the kids every single thing I do,” says Coles. “Think of a name for the
event, hire the DJs-which in this case are the students-buy the radio ads, create
the flyers, work the contract out with the club and cross your fingers.”

Then
the teens get onstage, where the real learning happens. “You can study mixing
in the classroom,” says DJ Betty, “but when you’re onstage in front of 1,500 people,
it’s totally different.” She recalls her first time playing at Zanzabar last November:
“It was pretty scary. I forgot what I was doing, and I was just dripping sweat.”

The experience has paid off, though; seven parties later, DJ Betty is a
lot more comfortable rocking the crowd. “I still sweat, but it’s about different
stuff now. Now I worry about why the people aren’t dancing, who’s not dancing-that
kind of stuff.”

Musical Youth of Hawai’i now has a regular weekly all-ages
event, Crunk Fridays, with open mic and turntables to allow more teens the opportunity
to get hands-on.