DJ Kittie on the One-and-Twos

DJ Kittie is no stranger to the one-and-twos, having played Tao, Lavo, and other Las Vegas hotspots for the past few years. Of course, a girl as pretty as she is shouldn't just remain behind her turntable, so we brought her to the front and center. In this interview, we talked about her DJ-ing style, how Eminem and 2Pac inspired her, and what it was like growing up in Kansas.

—Bernadette Giacomazzo (@bgiacomazzo)

Twitter: @DJKittie
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/DJKittie
Website: djkittie.com

How did you get your start as a DJ?  
My start actually came with messing around with my friend's turntables, DJ Vince. I was messing with them and he was teaching me some things, not knowing it would be so serious.  I picked up on it so easy and I enjoyed every second of it. After that day I ran with it and never turned back.

How would you describe your DJ style?
I'm a Party Rocker. I play everything from Ratchet to EDM, but I love my Hip-hop songs though, that's what I do best.

Growing up, who did you look up to, and why?   
I looked up to 2Pac and Eminem. They had that "I don't give a fuck" type of attitude and always did them no matter what; they didn't care about what people would think or say. They were always themselves and still made it to the top.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?    
I see myself doing way more traveling and headlining in clubs all over the world. I'm also JL (of Bhood)'s DJ and I also see us traveling the world as well tearing down these venues with our dope sets.

What would you say was your best experience as a DJ? What would you say was your worst experience?        
My best experience was in Kansas City—my hometown. I had all of my close friends and family at the club screaming my name and cheering me on.  Everyone that didn't know me was thinking "who is this chick?" It's the best feeling when your fam is in the building when you're rocking it!

The worst experience I had was when I first started out professionally: I grabbed the mic and yelled out "I hope everybody is meooww."  I guess I was so nervous, the "Meow" slipped out of nowhere—the Asian side came out of me. Worst feeling ever. But now, it's the funniest story to tell.

Who is your celebrity crush, and why?          
Nasir Jones. He's such a cutie. How is it that he still looks the same as he did when he was in Belly? That man hasn't aged one bit.

If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring DJ's, especially the young women, what would it be, and why?        
Don't stop what you're doing. Stay focused on why you're really doing this and don't listen to the negative, do you. Just because you're a female doesn't mean you can't hang with the big boys. I say this because in my career I've had tons of people that try to bring me down. You just gotta use all that negative and let it motivate you. If your dreams don't scare you, they're not big enough.