Global Spin Awards Aims To Recognize Pivotal Role Of DJs

The second annual Global Spin Awards press conference was held in the boardroom of the swanky, post-modern Yotel Hotel in Times Square yesterday (September 18). There, the long-anticipated announcement of this year’s nominees was revealed. Facilitating the conference was GSA founder Shawn Prez, known for his position at Bad Boy Entertainment as VP of Rap Promotion and his promotion and marketing company, Power Moves Inc. The rest of the panel included several well-recognized and decorated names, including the father of deejaying, DJ Grandmaster Flash, the legendary DJ Scratch, recently promoted Executive Vice President of Def Jam Records Shawn “Pecas” Costner, revolutionary Philly DJ and entrepreneur, DJ Drama, and the host of last year and this year's Global Spin Awards, multimedia journalist Sway Calloway.

The Global Spin Awards was borne from a lack of recognition of the pivotal roles that DJs have and continue to have within the music industry. As DJ Scratch would fittingly describe it, “People don't recognize it – without DJs, your song would NOT get played!... I watch all of these award shows...even the Country Music Awards...and the artists [always] thank God, their team, their parents and fans, but never the DJ!” When asked if the existence of the Awards is a sign that DJs are finally being regarded with due respect, Prez admitted to XXL that the Awards are only just the beginning of a repayment to a highly merited art form and it's skilled proponents. “Records have been broken, artists have been made … all due to the work of DJs. ...Artists have come and gone, [and] some of these DJs [that] have been here from the beginning are still spinning! ...What we're trying to do is take those who have been the backbone of the industry and push them to the forefront,” he states.

Along with the reveal of the nominees from each region throughout the country, including the likes of DJ Khaled, DJ Drama, DJ Whoo Kid, DJ Funkmaster Flex, and many others, the panel introduced some new categories to be featured in this year’s award show, such as the Online Record Breakers category, that will feature top hip-hop blogs and sites that are known for aiding DJs in bringing today’s latest music to hip-hop fans worldwide. In addition to the legends on the panel, several other legendary DJs were present at the press conference, including the famed DJ Brucie B and DJ SnS.

The Global Spin Awards will be held on Monday, November 18, 2013 in the New York Times Center in the heart of Manhattan.—Christina Kelly