J.Period's probably best known for giving new life to old classics through his legendary mixtapes, but gamers know that his hustle doesn't stop there. After the buzz around "The [Abstract] Best," his mixtape with Q Tip, reached the top brass over at Activision, they tapped him to get involved with the "DJ Hero" videogame franchise. With "DJ Hero 2" hitting shelves today, J.Period took the time to put the records and controllers down and talk to us about how exactly one becomes a "DJ Hero."
Clutch: How did you get involved with "DJ Hero"?
J.Period: The guys over at Activision had become fans of my mixtapes. They first hired me to do music for this Tony Hawk video game, and the following year when "DJ Hero" came around I had been working on the Q-Tip mixtape and there was a lot of circulation. They called me basically to do a Q-Tip remix and it just grew from there.
So what was it like working with the Activision team? Did you just send them MP3s and wait to see what happened?
My role in the first one was doing a few remixes, so it was a process of going back and forth. Those guys are really knowledgeable about the music. They gave me a list of what they had clearance possibilities for, I chose from that and created my first round of the mix. Then I submitted it. They set it to the game and showed me which parts needed work or more activity because it's gotta be visual and sound-based. So I had to go back and forth with them a couple of times to get it just so.
"DJ Hero 2" already has a lot of music, with 105 hits and eight exclusive mixes. In a perfect world, if they could get anything they wanted, what would you have liked to see in the game?
Wow, that's a tough question. I think the hardest part of the music business these days is getting those clearances and I think Activision has done an incredible job getting clearances for songs that you wouldn't normally think they could get them for, like getting Jay-Z and Eminem in the first "DJ Hero." As a mixtape DJ, I run into this issue all the time. I know that it's really a tough one, so props to Activision for being able to pull off what they pulled off.
Are you a hard-core gamer?
To a certain extent. I'm kind of a "Halo" head. I like to get together with my boys and play "Halo." But I'm not a super crazy video-game head. I always preferred to be playing basketball outside as opposed to playing basketball video games when I was younger. But I definitely enjoy sitting down and playing "Halo" and "DJ Hero" every now and then.
You had your chance as a playable character in the first "DJ Hero," but if you could be a playable character in any game out there, which would it be?
As a DJ, the best you can hope for is to be a playable character in "DJ Hero." So that's a pretty good look right there. I can't even think of another game that I'd like to be a playable character in.
So we can't expect to unlock you like Drake in NBA 2K11?
LOL! Actually, if it was basketball game I could be a playable character. I'm a longtime baller since I was a kid.