Why DJs and Producers Aren’t Musicians.

Hey there you music enthusiasts and aficionados! It’s your favorite blunt rampager here, ready to drop some fire bombs on a topic that’s been stirring up some serious debate lately: Are DJs and producers really musicians?

Now, before you go all keyboard warrior on me, let’s get one thing straight: I’m not here to bash anyone’s hustle or diminish their creativity. But let’s call it what it is folks….DJs and producers, as talented as they may be, are not musicians. And here’s why.

First off, let’s consult the holy grail of definitions, straight from the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language. According to this sacred text, a musician is “one who composes, conducts, or performs music, especially instrumental music.”

Notice the keyword there? INSTRUMENTAL. Last time I checked, a MacBook ain’t an instrument, and neither is a turntable or a mixer.

Musician: (n.) One who composes, conducts, or performs music, especially instrumental music. [Middle English musicien, from Old French, from Latin mūsica, music; see MUSIC.] American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (5th ed.). (2022). HarperCollins Publishers.

Now, before you start throwing your MIDI controllers at me, let’s be real for a sec. Pressing buttons on a fancy deck or tweaking knobs on a slick mixer might look cool as hell, but it ain’t exactly the same as strumming a guitar or tickling those ivories on a piano. I mean, where’s the sweat? The blood? The tears? You think Beethoven composed his symphonies by clicking a mouse? Hell no! That gray-wigged wearing cat had calloused fingers from pounding those keys day in and day out. And don’t even get me started on singers. You think hitting that high note is easy? Fuck that!! Try doing what Freddie Mercury from Queen did without blowing out your vocal cords!

But here’s the kicker: DJs and producers aren’t necessarily doing that…they’re manipulating pre-recorded sounds on a computer, not strumming a guitar or belting out some soulful tunes on a piano. Sure, there’s skill involved in beatmatching, scratching, and all that jazz (pun intended). But let’s not get it twisted and confuse skill with musicality. Just because you can drop a sick beat doesn’t make you a musician like, say, Prince, any more than slapping a coat of paint on a wall makes you an artist like Picasso.

And let’s talk about the elephant in the room: the younger generation that was practically born with computers glued to their hands. These digital natives grew up in a world where music production software is as common as sliced bread. They’re churning out beats in their bedrooms before they hit puberty. But here’s the thing: being tech-savvy does not make you a musician. It just means you know your way around a computer better than your grandma.

So, to all the DJs and producers out there, keep doing your thing and dropping those sick beats and making crowds go ape-shit!! But let’s stop pretending that you’re on the same level as the legends who’ve mastered their craft with actual instruments. Until you’re strumming a guitar or tickling the ivories, you’ll always be a DJ or a producer, not a musician.

And for all you keyboard warriors itching to fire off some angry comments….go ahead. I’ll be waiting with my popcorn.

That’s it for today’s rant, folks. Until next time, keep it real, keep it raw, and keep those fingers off the autoplay button.

Peace out brutha’s and sista’s!