Talent: Disc Jokey
Company: The League.
Contact: www.myspace.com/djwallysparks

 

Listen to WALLY SPARKS Live In The Mix On These Stations:




LEAGUE CREW RADIO: Mondays 12:00 AM - 2:00 AM (EST)

Hip Hop Nation 40 (Nationwide)




THE TRAFFIC JAM: Weekdays 5:30 -6:00 PM (EST)

WJTT Power 94.3 (Chattanooga, TN)




AOL MIXTAPE: Various Airtimes Daily (Worldwide)

What do you think your greatest accomplishment has been as a Disc Jockey?

Wow, its kind of strange. I don’t think I’ve had it yet, but up until this point I think its being recognized on a national level coming from where I come from. Coming from such a small state in comparison to other guys and other big name DJs from New York, L.A, Atlanta, Dallas, Miami. To be recognized by my peers and those type of DJs and by the industry as a whole as being a DJ that’s at that same type of level being from such a small place. I guess I can say that’s been my largest accomplishment as a DJ.

As a huge mixtape DJ, what makes you decide if you are going to put a indie artist on your mixtape?

Its simple, if the music jams I fuck with it. I’ve said that over and over again. If the music is good I fuck with it, plain and simple.

If an artist came to you and you thought the song was ok, would you play it to see the crowd’s reaction or would you not play the record at all?

It really depends on how I feel about the record first and foremost and if I feel a record is just ok. If I think its just ok to test the waters, ill test the waters. If I think its totally wack I’m not gonna deal with the record. If I think its really good, ill put it out there for people to hear and ill tell people this is a really good record, why don’t you check it out but if its mediocre and by the time it gets to me has some kind of buzz ill be more ((())) to at least give it a listen and see what it does. 

How do you feel about DJs who do mixtapes but don’t mix records?

That’s apart of the game. The mixtape game is different from what it was lets say 10 years ago. I don’t know if that’s a regression or progression because if you look at it the gavel was the catalyst for that type of thing happening. DJ Clue, is an international superstar right now. Kay Slay another guy who does it is an international superstar right now. But you got other DJs like DJ Drama who actually mix records and DJ Ideal those guys and myself and Mic Boogie who actually put real DJ elements into their mixtapes and you know are gaining that same type of notoriety at the same time and I don’t really have a problem with another DJ who doesn’t mix a mixtape. It really all depends. I know some DJs who don’t mix at all but are really nice on the turn tables. Because the climate dictates the product. They want it a certain way. I mean you can try and buck the system and bend it a little bit or you can create your own shit.  I don’t really have a problem either way. As long as you are consistent with your product and you are doing it from the heart I don’t really mind DJs that don’t mix but I wish there were more DJs that did.

Do you use CDs, or vinyl and why?

I don’t use either one anymore. I use my laptop for the most part because its less of a pain. I  travel and you don’t have to pay those expensive freight charges for shipping records. I can just get on the plane with my laptop and have 30,000 songs at my disposal. I use CDs from time to time. I still use vinyl for at home practice.

If you had to choose between being a mixtape DJ and a radio DJ, which one would you choose?

A mixtape DJ

Why is that?

I don’t have to perform. I don’t have anyone to answer to. I won't be questioned about why I played a certain song

What’s your prediction on the future music scene of Tennessee?

Its gonna grow. I mean you know 3 Six Mafia winning an Oscar, that’s gonna allow for more growth. 8 Ball and MJG staying consistent. They’re on like their 8th or 9th album now. You know Yo Gotti is on the come up. All-Star doing his thing with Cash Money. Yung buck with G-unit. And there are a lot of artist around the state that people haven’t heard of outside of the state that are working really hard to build up their fan base here and expand throughout the southeast and hopefully expand and you know step into the national scene. I think its just gonna grow. I see a lot of growth from when I started back in 97 and up until now its been a lot of growth as far as Tennessee artist and music. The music is getting better. The artist are getting better. Its just been a lot of growth. I think as time moves on that its gonna continue to grow.

What are Wally Sparks top 5 Djs of all time?

1. Jam Master Jay

2. Dj Jazzy Jeff

3. Kid Capri

I think those are the only three. I think those are the only three I can come up with. I mean I can,t think of any other DJs that I would consider great. All time great.

What are Wally Sparks top 5 MCs of all time?

You want top 5 or just my favorite. 

However you want to do it

Well ill give you my top 5

  1. Rakim
  2. KRS-One
  3. Jay-Z
  4. Nas
  5. Scarface

No Biggie No Pac?

Naw, Naw. When I’m saying top 5, I’m saying it from a Mc stand point. Biggie had swagger. I’m talking bout guys who could really really really really rap. Art Hopkins is an iconic artist. He wasn’t really a great rapper. Actually he wasn’t a great rapper at all but it was his passion and his drive and his determination that people were drawn to. They were drawn to him emotionally. He drew your emotions into it. When you say top 5 MCs I'm specifically speaking about people that rhymed. Biggie was the same way. He drew you in with his swagger you know what I mean. He was a cool dude. A cool fat guy that could spit a rhyme but I say Rakim, KRS-One, Jay-Z, Nas, and Scarface

What can we expect from you in the next couple months?

Right now I got two new mixtapes in the streets. I got Brooke from Tennessee Southern Conference special edition. Myself and Talib Kweli doing really well for me right now. I have another Southern conference three the third edition of my southeren conference series with myself and young Buck. That’s out in the streets right now. I got a lot of things coming up. I’m working on a mixtape with all some artist from Dallas called Dallas Stars that gonna be coming out soon hosted by Big Tuck and Tonyzilla. I got a mixtape with Yo Gotti, Project Pat, and Lil Scrappy which all of them are on the horizon. I got a mixtape with Tampa Bays production team called the Justice League that’s gonna be coming out soon so I got a lot of things coming up. You know I still got my show on Sirius satellite radio. Myself, Mic Boogie, Joey Fingers and DJ John. We just got a new time slot. We are on Monday nights from midnight to 2 a.m. on Sirius 40 hip hop nation. You can check that out every Monday still doing the commercial radio thing. I got my traffic jam mix on WJPT power 94.3 right here in Chattanooga where I’m from and I got the Friday night bomb mix on WKPO in Madison Wisconsin still popping off. I'm bout to go into my fourth year of that. You know that’s about it. Just trying to move forward