Interview: DJ Banga The Dumpoff Kid Is A Cornerstone In Virginia Music

DJ Banga The Dumpoff Kid is a member of The Dumpoffdjs collective that was established in Richmond, VA with the help of DJ Play. In his over a decade span, he hosted mixtapes that featured the likes of Drake and Nickelus F, Future, Baby Jay, Young Crazy, and more. Randy Wilson affirmed in his interview with Banga in 2020 that he’s the Virginia mixtape king. Banga was also featured in Nickelus F’s The Gold Mine Volume 1 and 2.

Jay: In 2020, there’s plenty of grey area within what is the definition of a mixtape, album, LP, or an EP nowadays thanks to streaming and artists monetizing off streams. Back in the mixtape era where I can recall personally starting with DJ Drama, it was mostly a promotion tool where it was given at pop up shows and tours as free hard copies. Somewhere around the early 2010s, the pay to be on an online trend began hand in hand with the prime stretch of the blog era. Correct me if I’m inaccurate with that statement. How do you view the significance of mixtapes today and how would you classify it?

Banga: You’re accurate with that statement. It was a lot of people paying for slots verified where you was at in the scene. The beginning was REAL REAL REAL exclusive for artists about to drop albums and used to basically judge what would happened next. People used to put all the big names for the first four tracks on a mixtape and then put the less known names later in them. I don’t do that. I blend them in between so people can go through all 21 tracks rather than 4 tracks so people can get more familiar with the independent artists as well as hearing the mainstream ones they look out for. Some artists I can think of that greatly benefited from mixtapes are Maino, T.I. Young Buck, Boosie and Pimp C. I can’t forget to mention The Superfriends. Pertaining to DJs, I was the first to go hard with it. Myself and Stat Quo who with Dr. Dre before and when Kendrick started popping up. He worked with Game before Game was on G-Unit. Mixtapes basically are still significant because artists still need rollouts. So certain things that you as an artist may want to put out that may not be ok the album sure can be a worthy fit on the mixtape. Currently, I’m getting more to the production of the mixtape itself. Right now, I like to get to the real production unless it’s a live cypher type of thing. By doing that, we both get paid through streams and use that as our perspective promos. It’s still significant but it’s a different rollout because both of technology. Like Nick F for example. How he would gauge his fan base on if they want an album would be by how many people are streaming and buying his shit at that time. When he’ll drop a mixtape, depending on how they rock with it, he’ll work towards putting a full album out. It’s a temperature gauge for the artist and that’s another reason how mixtapes are significant.

Jay: Outside of rap music, what are some genres you would put in a mix or on a mixtape?

Banga: I’m open to all types of music bruh. R&B, soul, pop. Even house and techno. Broaden your horizons because it’s different in the headset than it is live. I did a show with Steve Aoki who sells out venues around the world and he’s an example of how one should broaden their music pallets in being a DJ. I enjoy music and energy. I’m with it all.

Jay: One person I can think of is Andrew Hypes. I remember when another platform I work with, FeelGoodRVA had him DJ at an event and he transitioned THE FUCKING READING RAINBOW THEME SONG INTO WAYNE’S SONG “LOLLIPOP” AND THE VENUE WENT NUTS.

Banga: Andrew Hypes is an amazing DJ. We did this annual Richmond event Flag On The Moon together back in 2019. THAT’S MY MOTHAFUCKA RIGHT THERE. Very talented. He’s a DJ I would like to shoutout along with the DUMPOFF DJs. And Skillz. And Sir RJ because he was NICE WITH IT. He can show you throwback pics with Kane, Flavor Flav, Whodini, and LL Cool J. He was YOUNG when he did that. That’s the mic drop in regards to who’s the greatest DJs of all time. LL BRUH... SIR RJ THE VIRGINIA GOAT.

Jay: In your 2019 interview with The Cheats Movement, you iterated that The DumpoffDjs collective “pride ourselves in “Dumping Off” new music, promo, marketing, and other business activities. Think of DumpoffDjs as a “DreamTeam” lawyer firm.” With the resume the Team has, I would agree. Do you see any other brands that can be on the same level as the DumpoffDjs in regards to marketing?

Banga: In the most humblest way possible, naw. Because the whole crew came together organically. We all had different plans and came together. I didn’t want to pass up on any money. My partner was a producer before a DJ. Next thing I know, we went to Vegas, he won enough money to get the equipment for him to DJ. Then we got a female on board and then someone who was a DJ on Charlottesville. Then, a DJ reached out to me on MySpace from Canada, DJ Hoffa. Mind you [Nickelus] F and Drake was in Canada at the time and going back and forth between there in Richmond and Canada. It was a really big thing I didn’t recognize at the time but I’m glad I did now. The rest was history and then he dropped twenty mixtapes that year. He has over two hundred mixtapes now. He did the YG Hootie mixtape with me that dropped today, Stay Strapped. We did mixtapes with Game, Lil Mo, Future and so many other artists. The mixtape I did with Future, Evolution of Future by DumpoffDjs, to this day still gets my name around and every time Future gets out in VA, I get up with homie every time. I got exclusives with Waka Flocka that’s still on LiveMixtapes such as The Mind Of A Goon.

Jay: Let’s talk about moving up to the next level. For example, let’s say a DJ starts out in Richmond, but decides he/she wants to level up to being recognized as a Virginia DJ like DJ Wonton in the 703, then to an East Coast DJ, then to being known nationally like an Andrew Hypes or internationally like a Mad Skillz. When should a DJ Decide to make the bigger plays that’s needed to be recognized as a larger name?

Banga: The right time is when they start to get feedback. I start everything with supply and demand. When people ask to pay for your services. That’s when you hit the gas. You start shooting jumpers and keep growing on your strengths.

Jay: What were some of the first mixtapes that influenced you to go on the profesional route as a DJ and eventually made you engrained as a corner stone in Virginia music?

Banga: My first mixtapes such as I’m Not A DJ. It featured Lonnie B, T.I., and The White Ts. It tells you the time period I was in. The Stat Quo mixtape is another one. I’m the first DJ that ever had Drake on a mixtape. They always go with DJ Smallz because of the Southern Smoke mixtape series but I had Drake on my mixtapes him before. I had tracks that Drake was on that featured Nickelus F and No Malice from the Clipse. I paid for the packaging of it, the distribution. I was selling on the streets primarily and was one of the last DJs to sell them on all of the mixtapes. Check out my Trap To The Future mixtape as well.

Stream: https://open.spotify.com/album/6GKtGXWAsQbfGtEKud3Ik3?si=2HkxIXmjRTqION34OXBRKg

You can follow DJ Banga on Instagram @djbangathedumpoffkid and Twitter @theDumpoffkid

Written by: Jay Guevara. @justinhisprime on all social media