The PapaZoe Show
The Papazoe Show is where Miami culture, real stories, and powerful conversations collide. Hosted by city icon Papazoe alongside his day-one co-host Walk Da Walk—a brotherhood built long before the spotlight—the show brings raw authenticity, wisdom, and unfiltered energy straight from the heart of South Florida. With roots stretching from Haiti to Miami, Papazoe’s journey through the streets, the music industry, and mentorship circles gives the show a perspective you can’t fake. From guiding rising stars to building relationships with major names, his experience sets the tone for conversations that go deeper than surface-level talk. Together, Papazoe and Walk Da Walk create a space where real voices are heard. From local artists and entrepreneurs to celebrities, politicians, and influencers, every episode taps into the culture, the grind, and the truth behind the headlines. Directed by Adrian Ferg, with production by HiiighCriteria Productions and Cordero Media, The Papazoe Show is quickly becoming one of Miami’s most impactful platforms—giving the city, and the world, something real to connect to. Powered by brands like Sovereign, Belaire, Bumbu, and SMARC Cigars, this isn’t just a podcast—it’s a movement, a network, and a voice for the culture. Tap in. Stay locked. This is The Papazoe Show.
The PapaZoe Show
DJ EPPS
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What up it's the world famous Rock the Bell Sirius XM on DJFs and you're not rocking with my guy. I'm rocking with my guy, Papa Zo, right here. Tune in now.
SPEAKER_02Yo, what up, what up, what up, what up? You already know what it is, man. It's your man, man. Papa Zoe, Papa Zoe Show with my co-host. Walk the walk, baby.
SPEAKER_01Walk the walk is in the building. In the building. So, yeah, man. Check it, check it, check it, check it. What that is, man. You got to put in the cut over there. Man, that's the one and only, man. The world famous DJF.
SPEAKER_00Y'all know that? Yeah, man. Yo, Fs, man. Welcome to the show, my brother. Man, I appreciate that. Welcome to the show. Appreciate y'all, gentlemen, for having me. No doubt, no doubt, man. Definitely. Fs, let me ask you, man. Where are you originally? Where you from originally, man? I'm originally from Madison Avenue, New York City, Manhattan, Harlem, that area right there. You know, I was raised and born there at St. Luke's Hospital. But um at the age around 12, I came out here to Miami, Florida. Yeah. Yeah. Age 12. So why brought you to Miami though? Um, you know, my Haitian parents, well, I want to say my Haitian mom. You know what I mean? She was, you know, not trying to stay in New York or not trying to raise me in New York, where, you know, back in the 80s, you know, what we used to call the crack era with hip hop. And it was kind of not for kids to be raised up around. So, you know, every summer she would go to Miami, um, chill with her sisters, her aunts, um, other family members, and then slowly but surely she was making plans like, yo, you know, we're gonna start moving over to down to the south. And sure enough, she made that move. And you was you were 10 years old? Um, I want to say 12. 12? Yeah, yeah, 12, 12, 13. Yeah, came out here and um I was living in Killian. I mean uh Kendall. Kendall. Oh, Kendall. Okay, okay. I went to Killian. You went to Killian? Yeah, yeah. Okay, okay. Down south. Mm-hmm. Okay, okay, okay. Running around with them uh uh South Ridge, Palm Meadow, Homestead, Richmond, High Boys.
SPEAKER_02That's them, that's them. Yeah, that's them, homestead, that's them. Yeah, South Day, that's them all that area. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00How you come up with the name Elps, though? Um, you know, this is uh uh awkward story. So while I was in Killian, me and my cousin coming from New York, we're like, yo, we can't, you know, hang around here and call ourselves our real names. We gotta come up with some nicknames.
SPEAKER_01Right, right.
SPEAKER_00So, you know, he came up with his name, and we, you know, just like this, this is a painting right there of a soccer ball player, and he's about to make a goalie and the bottom, whoever painted, you know, signatured Epps on the bottom. And sure enough, the guy looked really like me, but you know, I kept that to myself. But my cousin ended up saying it out loud. He was like, yo, he said something, something, something. He was like, Yeah, Epps. I'm like, Did you call me? Like Epps. Look, that's you right there. Your name is down there, Epps. Sure enough, he had the whole school just call me Epps, man, that I couldn't get away from, man. And next next thing you know, it was Epps, man, or DJ Epp Rock. Now, this is way before Omar Epps, Mike Epps, so it was kind of unique. It was kind of special. So I was like, you know what? I like it. And the girls liked it. So it is. As long as the girls like it, you good. You good. You definitely good. The girl like it? All right, you good. We're going to Epps Party. You know what I mean? Epps party. And and and and and them down south girls, they I don't know why, but they put a little L in the Epps. Yeah, Epps. Yeah, Eps. We used to do them dewberry parties, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah. And um, yeah, them girls down there, they they would take care of me and you know, they would come to my parties out there. That's up. That's what's up, that's what's up.
SPEAKER_01Speaking of them party, you would you say you the you the first one that that's a DJ from up north having a party down here?
SPEAKER_00Um, yeah, yeah. I'm not gonna take the full credit because, you know, before me out here, you know, I my boy Uncle Al, rest in peace, he would do his block parties. You know what I mean? Um Laz, DJ Laz would do his parties, you know what I mean? But um, you know, back in Kendall, I would do my own parties in them warehouses down in South Ridge. Um, and then I would do my own parties um at the Ratskella at UM University of Miami. And then I would do my own parties on South Beach. I was just moving up. You know what I mean? So once I got to South Beach, it got more commercial, it got more visible of the DJ Epp's brand name.
SPEAKER_02Right, right, right.
SPEAKER_00Now you got all these Chicago, LA, New York guys coming on South Beach, they're happy to be here in the city. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, they don't go over the bridge yet. They don't know about over the bridge, but they'll go to South Beach and they'll enjoy South Beach. And once they heard hip hop coming out, this one club on 12 on Washington, they was like, yo, that's our spot. And sure enough, man, everybody from um JT Money, Beat Nuts, Uncle Luke, Wu Tang, Eminem, they will come visit me. You know what I mean? They'll be in my DJ booth, they'll rock with me, you know what I mean? Um, and and you know, with these type of parties, it was also the birth of me breaking, you know, the Uncle Luke's the Trick Daddies, Atrina's, Ross. Um, you know what I mean? Yeah, you know what I mean? So you, yeah, you're rolling. You know what I mean? Yeah, like it went, it went way back. And you know, I I I enjoyed breaking all those guys' music and then watch them now and I'm like, yeah, man. I'm glad you know everybody's in position, you know?
SPEAKER_02What's up? That was up. How long you've been how long how long you been how long you say you've been DJing? Like, like how long?
SPEAKER_00Uff Okay, so if I came to Miami back in the 90s and we're in 2026, it's about like it's over 25 years, man. It's over 25 years. I met my high school sweetheart, which is my wife, um, you know what I mean, when she was in Hyaleah High. Um, HML, excuse me. And yeah, man. Yeah. It's been that long. So I saw all types of waves. I saw all types of uh situations that happened here in Miami, from, you know, Fat Man Promotion Fresh to Pitbull to, you know what I mean, Rose, Flowrider, you know what I mean? I seen it all, man. What you got in there? What you got in there? What you got in there?
SPEAKER_02Go ahead and let it square watermelon right here. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah, please, please, please.
SPEAKER_00Yeah. Oh, this is a special water here. Special watermelon. B and water.
SPEAKER_01Label. I go back to I get the school. I get the school. I get the school, man. Don't stop. Don't stop there. Come on, we we even tell you. Absolutely. There you go, there you go. Come on, so come on now, man.
SPEAKER_02I'm slipping the slipping my bell. I apologize. That's just good. Yeah, that's a good water, boy. That's a good cold water right there. Let me see a master. Let me see. Let me see your mouth.
SPEAKER_01I'm saying that the bottle of water is the bottle of water. Okay. Okay, that's that's just still good.
SPEAKER_02That's just still good. Let me ask you, right? I I know you, you know, you you used to used to DJ with with uh FM, the beats. What happened with that situation?
unknownThe beats.
SPEAKER_00Oh, terrestrial radio. Yeah, yeah. Man, I was a little hoe when it came to that, man. I went from 99 jams to 103.5 to Power 96 to back to 103.5. Like, yeah, man. Like, man, the story behind that for me is plain and simple. I don't think they utilize my brand like they were supposed to.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00They used me, I feel like. You know what I mean? No disrespecting the word use, but at the same time, that's what it was.
SPEAKER_02You know what? You know, this this one thing I say about using. I always say this. Everybody use everybody. The only problem becomes when you start misusing people and abusing people. Absolutely. That's when the, you know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00Because everyone uses everybody. And I see it all the time on the with the radio stations, all radio stations. You know what I mean? Because till this day, matter of fact, you know what I mean? Because, you know, you know, I'm here giving, giving. I'm making your station look hot, sound hot, do that, but you ain't getting me no sponsors. You ain't you ain't pushing me like you supposed to be pushing me. Right, right, right. You know what I mean? You want me to DJ when like people could hear when I'm DJing on the radio and my hands are tied behind my back. Like you could hear that. You playing the same old 25 records, like you're not letting nigga get open, you know what I mean? Right, right, right, right, right, right. And and and that right there could get a little frustrating after a while. So, you know, um the last situation I had was at um iHeart at the beat, and you know, the the PD I was not getting along with. You know what I mean? He wasn't even from here, he's not from the crib. Right, right, right, right. So, you know, the way he was um working with me, it didn't sit right with me. Yeah, you know what I mean? So, you know, after a while I learned that these radio station, it it's it's it's it's it's not working for me because you just want to have us right here, and that's that, and we can't move nowhere else. We can't grow nowhere else. We can't act the way we need to act to push our brand. So now you have these stations having wars when they really don't got beef. I hear it. I hear this person taking a shot at this person, but it's really to the station. Right, right. You know what I mean? Um, I'm not about that. I don't like that. You know what I mean? Right, right. There's some people at the radio station, I look at them funny because they abuse their powers and try to sun me.
SPEAKER_02That's where the problem is.
SPEAKER_00And that's where we have a little problem. Like, yo, you you're not gonna son me. We're gonna work together as a team and we're gonna make this station happen. Look what's going on with Flex and Enough. Oh, yeah. You know what I mean? That that right there is horrible. For me to for me to see that from downside looking up to New York, I'm like, man, you know, why is this happening? Like, why, why them D DJs not supposed to be going at each other? We all we got. Oh, for real. You know what I mean? So it's like, why is that happening up there? And and you know, it's it's unfortunate that, you know, those guys or any other station, I'm pretty sure it's happening in California, Chicago. Yeah, everywhere. Elsewhere, yeah. Everywhere, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, it's going on everywhere. Everywhere.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00And the minute I got to Sirius XM, I never looked back. I was like, thank God, Sirius XM, you know, bless me. LL, bless me. And I would not, you know, 1035. I remember some an a DJ asked me, yo, you know, we got a new PD. You wanna come? Nah, I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. I'm good. You know what I mean? All these DJs done left 99 jams to go over here. Now there's a war. Like, you know, I'm not about that. I'm not about that. A DJ war going on.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, you know what I mean? It's enough music for everybody. Everybody in here. You feel me? War there's enough music than DJs. Come on, man. Yeah, man. Yeah, man. Most definitely. What would you say is over?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then and then after a while, after a while, now I'm in Germany, I'm I'm I'm doing my show and I'm looking at my Instagram. Now I'm seeing the artists having beef with the DJs. You know what I mean? So I'm like, man, you know, this this can't be happening in the crib. That's crazy. Let me ask you something, man. Let me ask you something.
SPEAKER_02Me, I'm I'm looking, I'm I'm I'm just looking at things as you think, do you think that how you what you feel about the hip hop, the hip hop scene in Miami, man? In South Florida. What you feel about it?
SPEAKER_00Uh you know, as long as I've been here since the early 90s, it was going in a great direction. But for some reason, somewhere down the road, it made a wrong turn and it just, you know, Miami got disappointing. I'm gonna be honest with you. Miami got disappointing. You know what I mean? And I don't know if it was the powers to be at certain areas, I don't know if it was gatekeepers, I don't know if it was egos with artists. Maybe it was all of the uh above. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what I mean? And it it just it just I don't understand how it stopped after Khaled helped Ross, Pipple, Trina, Trick on 99 jams, and that was it.
SPEAKER_02Right.
SPEAKER_00Like nothing else pumped out of that. Yeah, fine, we got a Kodak. Yeah, fine, we got a smoke purpose, fine, we got but like come on, you mean to tell me that's it? There's more talent than no.
SPEAKER_02There's a lot of talent in South Florida, man.
SPEAKER_00So why are we not you know I mean? Like there's certain artists, they're supposed to be way, way, way, way. Not just not just local. Yeah, man. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, man. So it for me, for me, it got a little disappointing. And you know, and it's not, I don't understand why some of these artists don't even really get with certain individuals such as myself, and let's work, let's get busy. But nah, they got egos, they they think they made it already.
SPEAKER_02They made it already, and then they and then a lot of them don't don't they don't they won't be wanting to spend no money and nothing for free.
SPEAKER_00Listen, man. As a DJ, I gotta put out money myself to push myself. Same thing over here. That's why you see my ass. That's why you see me. Every time you turn on your Instagram, my shit pop up in your face. That red room that I be DJing in. Yeah, that shit done gone viral. Like, come on, man. It's because I invested in myself, man.
SPEAKER_03That's the key word.
SPEAKER_02Like, if I was a rap artist, that's how I would push my records. Invest in myself. And consistency.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_02Consistency. Yep. I remember, I remember you, I remember you used to do the show, I think one day, Monday.
SPEAKER_00I think on Monday. And then now you got it, what you doing, what, three shows now? Yeah, because after the pandemic, you know, we're at home. We're on lockdown. We couldn't go out. Clubs, there was no club. So I they was like, yo, apps, turn on the live, man. DJ for you for us. So I said, I bet. I just didn't want to just DJ. I didn't want to be like any other DJ turning on their live and put the DJ uh turntables or controller on top of the counter and just DJ now. What am I gonna do? What's what's what's gonna be effective from any of these DJs? Shit, do what you do best, play new music. Rep these artists. It don't gotta be the crib, it got it could be from Chicago. So New Music Monday kind of took off because I was just doing it on Mondays. But man, you know, recently uh I I learned how to turn that sun bitch on every day, maybe twice a day. And I'm getting music from Thailand, Germany, to New York to LA, Birmingham, Alabama, like everywhere. They submitting music, and I'm hearing all this type of new music. So you know the the submissions are are flooded, the emails flooded. So now I done made this a business where yeah, Epps is breaking a lot of music, but really he's promoting you. And that's where some artists don't understand. You know how artists be like, yo, how do I gotta pay to play a man to play my shit? Because I'm free. You want me to first of all, you want me to do it for free. You want me to go work for you for free. For free? For free. Nah, nigga, you're putting me to work. The minute I put the needle on the record, you know what I mean? I'm on the hour. I am on the hour. Yeah. So you gotta understand something to all the artists out there, take the DJ out of it. It's apps saying your music is hot. Listen to this shit. That's music promotion. That's no different from you hiring that music guy going across every state, every radio station to the PD and be like, yo, can you work this record? Can you know what I mean? You done invest yourself. So that's what you gotta do. All you artists, I don't care if you my friend. If I'm taking care of you, take care of me. That's how this is simple. It's a two-way street. Yeah. It ain't market scientists. Right. Thank you, two-way street. Thank you. Two-way street.
SPEAKER_02You know, and it's you you the same thing, it's I get the same thing over here. You you you want to come, you know what I'm saying? There's a reason why you want to. Yeah. Yeah. I gotta pay for this, I gotta pay for that. Everybody got over here. It's like it's bright right here. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_00That's electricity.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah. You know what I'm saying? When we first came in here, the AC, the, you know, the AC had to kick in. Warm, woo, woo, woo. Willy warm uh are setting up. Look how you feel now. Right.
SPEAKER_00The AC kicking in. That's that calls. That ain't, you know, we out, you know, so I don't get it. I got, you know, the crib is just catching on. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Some of the guys already knew. And they salute me. Like recently, Buster Free. Buster Free hit me up. He didn't even hit me up. He he got on my website. He paid his money, like yo, I need you to help me break this new record with Ross. Bus. Of course. I got you. Made that movie. You know what I mean? He's doing, he's pushing his the video, he's putting everybody showing, you know what I mean? Yeah. Ross liking it. Like, you know what I mean? Like, come on, man. That's what it's all about. We gotta help each other. So, you know, McClease, Grimy, you know, he got some situation going on. He was on my life last night. And not only that, what's great about it, all them other legends be up in there. Yeah. A ball MJG was in there the other day, Jim Jones in there. Uh, you know what I mean? Like, you know, you never know who's watching. You never know who's listening.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_00Record execs from Atlanta, Interscope, they in my shit. Yeah. So why wouldn't you want a DJ? Go ahead. Keep on waiting at that 99 Jams building downstairs or hot 97, whatever, and you waiting for that DJ to play your shit or pick your song. Go ahead. Go ahead.
SPEAKER_02Keep waiting.
SPEAKER_00Keep waiting. While we got a platform right here for you. So yeah, man, it was a blessing for me to create that. And now I'm on every day at 10 o'clock, sometime at 12 afternoon, because the submissions have been overflowing. 10 at night? 10 at night. Yeah. Eastern time. Yeah. Every day. 10 at night. Every day. I remember it was just on my IG Live, and it's also on my kick, on my Facebook, on my YouTube, and on my Twitch. So yeah, we're breaking it on all across the board. TikTok. I need you, you know what I mean? I need you aboard, man. Stop playing around TikTok.
SPEAKER_01Grandmo, Grimo, that's what he called it. Got the grind, man.
SPEAKER_02So the how you talk about, you would talk about, you know what I'm saying, Rock the Bell.
SPEAKER_00How did that come about? How did that come about? Well, first of all, God. And And and my my my grind, you know what I mean? But the real talk is that um L, I'm talking about L L Cool Jay, you know, he's he he he done bought the channel, channel 43 on Sirius XM. Before it was something else, I forgot what other station it was. It was another hip-hop station, but he bought it and he turned it into Rock the Bell's Radio. So as he's building Rock the Bell's Radio, you know, he got um Roxanne Shantae and Cool V, they doing their show. Uh he got um Um Um Grandmaster Caz doing their show. At that time, he had Prince Marky D, our brother. Yeah, yeah. Marky was doing his show from I think like 10 to 2. And and and and and while we while this was all in the pandemic era too, man. And L said, yo, I need a DJ from the South to represent Rock the Bells. Who you think I should put on? He was like, and the one DJ you really need up in here that you're gonna like, because he's also from New York, but he's all day county, he's all from the south, is Epps. So Elle started watching me on my my um my live. Right, right, right. You know what I mean? And then um he started doing these little shows like All Day Chicago, All Day New Jersey, where they highlight that city and who's from there and everything. So when they came to All Day Miami, um, I think it was me, um I want to say DJ Laz, uh, I think Cool Andre was part of it, and we all gave stories about Miami, you know what I mean? And I did a one hour and a half segment mix, just blazing nothing about Miami Records from, you know, back in the bass days, Uncle Al days, Jiggle Tony, like, you know what I mean? And then all of that. And and the next day he he calls me, he was like, yo, man, that show was phenomenal. I never heard something like that. And offered me a three-year contract with Rock the Bells, and I've been on, this is gonna be my in April's gonna be, April next year, um, is gonna be six years. So you renew that contract. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Renewed the contract, and and and and now I help them out with the Rock the Bell Festival. I help them out with the Rock the Bell cruise that we here we have here in Port of Miami going to Bahamas or um this year we're going to Montego Bay. Um I help them out, you know, with the Rock the Bell's brand, period. And my show on Saturday nights at 9 p.m. the Saturday night ride end up becoming the number one weekend night show. For the past few years.
SPEAKER_02Like everybody cut, yo, because I because I it's time that I'm going up the road, I'm driving up the road, I I and I I'm on, I'm on, you know, FM and the city. Yeah, I'm with you in the car.
SPEAKER_00Hey, you go, hey, you go, I hear you, I yeah, I go, I go F shit over there. Yeah. Listen, I I come, you know, it was shocking how they were telling me, like, yo, everybody's listening to you. Yeah. Like if they got Sirius XM, they not listening to their neighborhood radio station.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, that's what I listen to.
SPEAKER_00Only uh back in the days, it was like I was going up against who kid and maybe some other person, but at nine o'clock. And it repeats at one o'clock in the morning. So that's Saturday night. I'm like Who kid? Well, who can then Cali, right? Well, kid in New York. No, he's in New York. You're in New York, right? He's in New York, he travels around. So he and his show is all day. His show is all day. I don't know how he does it, but his show is all day. So by the time it gets to the night, you done. You're gonna switch. You coming to me. Yeah, you coming to me. Yeah, you coming to yeah. And then and and and I'm I'm a beast. I'm on I'm on another level. I'm on them turntables. I'm mixing, scratching, and and Yeah, you're doing your thing. I'm going all around the world. I'm not just keeping in Miami. We talk, we're touching, you know, Texas, we touching Chicago, Detroit, we're touching, of course, New York, Jersey, and the West Coast, and and I'm just giving that vibe. So now I done created another fan base that's just as LL will say, phenomenal. Like that fan base has grown and got bigger for Epps. So, you know, I'm happy for that, man.
SPEAKER_01That's what's don't you got a single corner round?
SPEAKER_00It wasn't a single. Uh my new single, Real Ninjas, yeah, man. Real Ninjas is popping, you know. Um, it it's it's you know, it's not really on radio stations, but it has been floating around on social media featuring Ty Niddy and OGLs. Um, real ninjas, it it it you know. Huh? Huh? Real ninja? Yeah, yeah. You know, I I I had to had to call it the clean version, but you know, it's really real niggas, but it's real, I call it real ninjas. Okay. And and you know, I I you know the beat that I chose for, it just happens to be a New York beat, so I just kept it New York on that, kind of like Queensbridge on that. Okay, okay. I mean, um, so yeah, that that's that's been popping, man. And everybody, and especially DJs, I'm gonna need y'all to run that up for me, man, please.
SPEAKER_01Well, what's behind the what's behind the title? Say it again. What's what's behind because of the title?
SPEAKER_00You know, um, when I when I was making that record, it it, you know, I come to realize we don't got no real ones no more out here. Yeah. Like I know Zo, he's a real ninja. But at the same time, for the past few years, possibly a decade, some man's done fall off. You know what I mean? People that you thought was a real one, they not real. They done, you know what I mean? They done used you. Yeah, they done abuse you. They're jealous of you. Yeah, they want to. There's a lot of that, a lot of that. They might want to hit on your dumb, you know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01You know, and that's one of my sayings, is one of my sayings, Epps, is the um with times, a person's true self will reveal itself. Yeah. And it might take 30 years, and that person was solid. So we know that he was solid. Right. But that 29th year, that whoever that person might be, he might do that stuff that was not solid. It took me all these times to know that you wasn't really that ninja.
SPEAKER_00Man, I learned that the hard way. You said it just exactly right. And I learned that the hard way. And I end up finding out the guy you was running with and hanging out with, probably going to his house, barbecuing, or helping him out with everything for 20 years. And then next thing you know, he does he don't, he don't just, the masters doesn't fall off, but he just becomes this bottom of this barrel, disgusting type of person. Wow. That's terrible. And we all know, probably all know a person like that. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah, why? I didn't know you was really like that, man. You know? Envy, jealousy, and all that foolishness, though. For what? You know what I'm saying? Why? And the worst thing, it could be uh it could be because of money. Yeah. Most even worse, Bubot.
SPEAKER_01Bubot, come on. You know what I mean? To his main thing right there. Money and Bubot. Yeah. And and and and what's the um like everybody or the the attention, you know, apps, this apps, they're like, damn, why a nigga gotta keep calling this man names?
SPEAKER_00I learned that too.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh who said I forgot who said it. Like, it's like your apps, your anointing. Anointing annoys people. Yes. Like you walk in the building and everybody, oh apps, what's up, boy? That these people that don't like that. Don't like that shit. You don't like that. Exactly. Your recognition. Hey, you said niggas. What this nigga got that I don't got? Nigga, man. I'm sexy, I'm cool, got the blonde hair, got a beautiful wife. You have to. Nigga, what do you expect? Beautiful kids. Badass D kid more, man.
SPEAKER_01I'm real.
SPEAKER_00And I'm a cool ass motherfucker, but you, you're just a genuine asshole. Damn. And everybody knows it. And the fucked up thing about it, we have mutual friends, and I be looking at the mutual friends like, you actually support that shit, huh? So sometimes I have to move away from certain other niggas too. Yeah, man. You know, it this time is weird these days. Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, time is different.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, this time is different, different than when I when I when I grew up, you know what I'm saying? I'm mind you now, amps. I've been here since I was six years old. I'm 61 next month. You feel what I'm saying? So I seen a lot. I've been through a lot, you know what I'm saying? From from Lil Haiti, you know, to Kara City, you know what I'm saying? So yeah, this this shit is different, man.
SPEAKER_01Definitely different.
SPEAKER_00I don't know what's the word I'm looking for, but I have a little bad taste in my mouth, or something in the back of my head, like most of those guys never look back to a DJ like me that helped them get there. Like, you know what I mean? And I'd be like, yo, why is it like that? Like, I haven't heard from Pitbull over 10 years, my nigga. Like, we was the one that helped you get out there, Chico. You know what I mean? Yo, Flo, come to one of my birthday parties, man. You haven't popped up. Trick, what's up? You too? Trina, what's up? Ross probably the only one that looked back, hey, I'm coming to the Rock the Bell show. I'm coming to, you know what I mean? I'm coming to see you, Epps. Right, right. Luke, Luke texts me. Yeah. You good? Takes me on the road. He wants me to DJ from those type of individuals look back. You know what I mean? I remember Ross was that old white party that you did, you, you, you didn't. You know what I mean? Certain guys remember and they look back and they come back. Right, right, right. But some just they gone, man.
SPEAKER_01They just they're just who they are. You know what I'm saying? They're just who they are. I mean, we ain't calling out no name, but some people just have selective amnesia.
SPEAKER_00Right. And then so when back to the question you're asking me, what do I think about Miami? No, yeah, yeah, yeah. I think that's some of the problems. You know.
SPEAKER_02We're not together. We're not unified.
SPEAKER_00Khaled, Khaled, unity. Unity. And that that that don't I don't I love Khaled. I love to death. But that unity don't don't work around here, man. It's not unity around here, man. It's not unity around here. Not unifying.
SPEAKER_02You know what I'm saying? Like I like I like I like I said, like I said before, I like when you when you go to if you go to Atlanta, you hear they playing straight Atlanta artist music in the clubs.
SPEAKER_00I go to Atlanta, probably on not even on the weekend, on a regular Monday, Tuesday night, whatever. And I see the party packed. Niggas telling me, yo, apps, they all fuck with you. And they do, they shake my hand, apps, you, we come to Miami busy. And then then, you know, my my guy's telling me, like, you see that nigga right there? That nigga got beef with that nigga. And I see them dapping each other up and everything. I was like, I don't get it. It's like, cuz we are, they about when it comes to music in Atlanta, they stick together. Stick together. I seen it. I seen it one through out. If they run, they run into each other and there's a problem, they'll handle that shit in the street. But when it comes to the the music and and and and being together and unified, as you were saying, yeah, it was shocking to see it. I guess something, same thing with the bloods in the crypts in LA. You see them in the same building. Yeah, yeah. What up, dog? You know what I mean? Wow. It's wild. So, you know, I hope Miami get it to get it together.
SPEAKER_02Get it together. Get it together. Let me ask you something. Epps, are you you how long, how long you gonna keep doing this? Keep being DJ Ebbs and DJing? Do you have a a plan in your in your brain to say, okay, when I get such and such such, I'm gonna retire from it. Or, you know, like another word, what do you see yourself 10 years from now? Do you see yourself still doing what you're doing?
SPEAKER_00Or elevating, or whatever the situation is? You know, I'm still flying around. I'm still going from country to country, right? State to state, and that's a blessing. Not too many people could go and put their feet on the other side of the world in Asia, Middle East, Europe, you know what I mean, Canada. And I'm doing that, and I'm blessed to be doing that. Um and I'll do that as much as I can. Because those guys, they, they, they, they want to see a DJ, an American DJ, a Miami, a DJ from Miami. You know what I mean?
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Um, so I'm blessed to do that. Um, you know, in the pandemic, that hit me right there. That question, yeah, I was ready to hang it up.
SPEAKER_01Wow.
SPEAKER_00I was ready to hang it up. I've done mixtapes, I've done all the radio stations, I've done all the parties, I've done started sugar shack, I'd done, you know, did Fab Lag. I d had all the artists from Bobby and Whitney to Biggie to Uncle Luke to P. Diddy in my parties or my DJ booth rocket. Like, I'd done it all. So I was sitting in the pandemic, like, you know what? Maybe I should go open up a business, maybe I should go, you know, do some more investments, maybe I should go figure out something else besides music, because the music is not the same no more. And I sat there and I'm like, and what we were shut down for about a year or two, right? I was having a time of thinking. And then that LL Kujay called, and that's when I was like, I can't give this up.
SPEAKER_02Life change.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it was life changing. It was life changing. So when he called, I kept that up. That also inflated my fan base and my grind and so on. So, you know, I don't know how long how long more I could do it. I know I'm gonna keep on doing it. I talked to Uncle Red the other day, Red Alert, he's still doing his thing, yeah. And I'm looking at him. Red Alert, like by almost 70. Yeah, I'm looking at him like, damn, am I gonna be Red Alert almost 70? And I'm not mad at it.
SPEAKER_02I remember Red Alert coming to K line out of records.
SPEAKER_00Here's a thing. So us DJs, we have to look for a lot of parties to keep up our face, our our money, and so on. We gotta look for parties. We gotta look for them promoters.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00Especially promoters that's not gonna walk out the back door on us. You know what I mean? We gotta look for parties. That's why I love throwing my own parties. I ain't gotta worry about none of that shit. I throw my own parties. Yeah, if if I know that promoter's doing a dope job and he's a good person, I'll go DJs. But now, now that I'm turning on my life every day. You don't really need to do that. I don't gotta step out the house. I could pick and choose what party I want to do. Simfet Cobla Kaila, man. If I do my my my my live and make money at the house. Why the hell do you want to go in the street? The more you're in the street, the more trouble you get into. The more shit's happening. There you go. I don't want no love home. I don't want them Dominicans dropping the hookah's on me. I don't want the Haitians having to fight over them. That's what I don't want them Latinos over here, gang members over here. I don't want Karen and them fighting over, you know, none of none of that.
SPEAKER_01The whole buttons drama. Love home.
SPEAKER_00All that party drama, you know what I mean? I don't want young Miami cursing me. I don't want none of that. I see. I watch this all the time and I'm like, yo, I don't want to be outside no more. Now that I know how to turn on my life and I know how to do business by turning on my life and work with Meta and get that check, I yo, I think I could DJ in my house for as long as I want to and pass it on to my son. My son's watching me and he's watching all of me. I see him, I see him, I see him, I see him. You know what I mean? So I said on to him, and you know, and hopefully the outside will get better. And I think it will, because as there's people like me throwing old school parties, and our generation loves that. And they're happy. They was like, oh, thank God. I can't go do live. It's too pack outside. I can't go do but we trap at two o'clock in the morning. Exactly. I'm coming to your party, I'll be there at 9 o'clock. I gotta be home by 12 midnight, though. Perfect. You know what I mean? You're not gonna play none of that trap. Nah. We're gonna play the murder music. We're gonna play some biggie. We're gonna be some throwback soldier boy or whatever, but uh yeah, so to answer your question, this is this is that that's my legacy, that's my business. I love to play music. I love to be that musical therapist, I love to make people feel good. So if I could go pick a certain party and make people dance, pure dance, no, no, no, standing around or sitting on top with the bottles, dancing, partying, you know what I mean? Even on my live, you see me dancing on my live. I'm clowning, I'm entertaining, and I'm playing new music, nothing but new gems, new music. You ain't heard this music for before. So I don't know. I I'm I'm gonna ride it out till I can ride it out. Yeah, um, look, look at look at bigger rankins. Rest in peace, my brother. Rest in peace, man. Rest in peace, my brother. And it's gonna be his birthday this Sunday. This Sunday is his birthday. He wrote it out. Yeah, he wrote it out, right? He ain't gonna stop. You can't stop. You can't stop. As of right now, I'm that guy in Miami. When you look into the crib, when you look into Miami, there's a couple of us. But I'm that guy. I am that guy, period.
SPEAKER_02Okay, okay. You claim it, damn it. That's what it is. That's what it is. That's what it is.
SPEAKER_00I remember I remember I remember when you was doing, you was doing something.
SPEAKER_02This this might have been 2016, 2017, 2016, 2017. You was doing something and uh up uh on on like you know when you take 79, you go all straight up to the beach. It was a club you had.
SPEAKER_00I forgot a club you were doing, where artists come in and and and and and show their talent. Yeah. Um you ever think about doing something like that again? I I got frustrated with that too. Because you know why? And that's what made me also do the online thing, so I could not go through that. Oh, you gotta sign up. Oh, what time I perform. And on top of that, you performing, and this is how you performing. You know, you you you got your your bottle of hennessy, you you you got lit before you got to your performance. Yeah, you can't. Now you can't even perform right. You know what I mean? It don't look right. It don't look right. Um, but it was coast to coast. Yeah, coast to coast, that's what it was. Yeah, shout to Flat, shout to Dan. You know, they were doing coast to coast. Yeah, that's what it was. They had had their own club at that at that time in that area on Sunday night. 7 a.m. And um, yeah, we would have people come in and, you know, perform.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00And but that, along with mixtapes, kind of got stale, and you know, I didn't want to deal with that no more. Listening to a bunch of artists in one night kind of got a little, I'd rather do that at home.
SPEAKER_02At home.
SPEAKER_00Turn on my live, submit your music, we're gonna do it right here. And then have a party in the live. In the live, leave a comment. You like this shit? Niggas get tragic. Whenever, whenever I catch you, whenever I catch you, I would jump on there.
SPEAKER_02I would jump on, you know, whenever I catch you, you know, yeah, I would jump on.
SPEAKER_00It's something that I think is needed not just for the crib, but for all around the world. Like people need a DJ Epps to help break their record. Record.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_00You know what I mean? And then once that once that record has been there on his playlist for about a month or two, shit, you never know. DJ Drama from Atlantic Records be like, yo, who that homie you was playing, man? Like, there's some gems that came through my show.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00There's some gems that came through my show. Um, and there's some duds that came through my show. Right, right, right, right. They believed in their music enough that yo, I gotta, I gotta get some feedback. I gotta get some real feedback. And they understand. We're gonna tell you, yo, man, the chorus was like this, the beat was not right. The production was the engineer took your money, my nigga. Like, he ain't mixed your shit right. You know what I mean? Like, we'll we'll tell you straight up.
SPEAKER_02You gotta tell them, you gotta let them know.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_02You gotta let them know.
SPEAKER_01Have you ever got anybody that that came through was like a dud, right? Listened to the advice that you gave them, went back and got themselves together, came back through and and and they stepped their game up.
SPEAKER_00It happened today. It happened today. Um, about a week back, a girl named Uriah, I forgot what city, I think Cincinnati, she came in and she came, she submitted her music, and it sounded like she just recorded herself, which I end up finding out she did record it herself. She recorded herself on whatever, and it wasn't not mixed down, it wasn't, you know what I mean? It wasn't it wasn't clean at all. And she came back again today with a song. Absolutely phenomenal. The whole chat went crazy, like, oh man. Yo, you took that advice and you did it. And and and and real talk. I don't know if she took she saved money to to get an engineer to do it. Or she did something that most people are afraid to do. Fuck it. Use AI. AI will clean that shit up for you. It's your voice. Don't be afraid of AI. AI is an assistant, AI is you could do so much with AI. So at the end of the day, she came back with the song, and and it was fabulous. It was awesome. And we made her feel good. That's what's so good. I could tell, I felt the energy through the chat. Yeah, she felt good, like everybody was popping. Great job, Moriah, uh, Uriah. That's awesome. That yeah, yeah, it happened. It's happened. And then there's those that don't know how to take criticism.
unknownOh, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Oh, nigga, ain't that nigga, man? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Damn, you ain't had to put me out there like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, nigga, I did.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, a lot of that.
SPEAKER_00Why are you feeding me uncooked food, nigga? I done throw up everywhere. Like, why you did that to me? Yeah, facts. So, you know, and and and and and I, you know, I learned to not do that in a raw, rough, disrespectful way. Right, right, right, right, right. If the music plays and it just don't sound right, you you're gonna get this face like this. Yeah. And you're gonna know off rip, no, that's not it. That ain't it. That ain't it. That ain't it. That ain't the chat will laugh, the chat, you know, they'll leave their comments, they'll be like, oh, that engineer dumb fuck took your money. Yeah. So that's the great thing about that, you know, in the show. So, yeah, man. Yeah, we had those.
SPEAKER_02We had those. That's what's up, Epps. Epps, I know you, I know you got a another engagement, man.
SPEAKER_00So, you know. So, thank you for having me, man. No doubt, man. I was happy to come and see you, man. You say, yo, you hit me up, like, yo, come to Yeah, I'm on my way.
SPEAKER_02Appreciate it, man.
SPEAKER_00I'm on my way.
SPEAKER_02Appreciate it. You know what I'm saying? Now I gotta come to yours now. I gotta get an invited to come to yours. We're gonna make that happen.
SPEAKER_00Okay, we're gonna make that like that, like that, like that. We're gonna make that happen, man. Um, yo, man, anybody that wanna submit their music, um, DJEpps.com is a website. Hit the website up, submit your music, you know, come on the show. I do it every day, 10 o'clock Eastern time. There's some days, of course, I'm outside DJing somewhere.
SPEAKER_02And then guess what? Guess what, Eps? So, what I want to do to support some of these local artists, gotta be a local artist, South Florida artist, mm-hmm.
SPEAKER_00Whichever one that you feel is it and your show on your live, just let me know. I'm gonna give them an invite to my show, right? To the Papazul show, right, for the free. I will take that. I will definitely put that on the schedule on the calendar, I will put that out there because here's the thing now it might be a little 10, 15, 20 minutes interview. No, no, they'll take it. Because here's the thing all them artists are submitting that's not from South Florida, they done took trips out here already just to meet me. Just to meet you, just to meet me. They came to my party. One guy, Hakeem Romance, came to my party, you know, so happened. Uh, he he he enjoyed my presence. We talked, he saw me DJ live. It was, he's like, oh man, your performance on stage is totally different than what I see on the live. I'm like, yeah, I'm rocking a party. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That same night, Uncle Luke came in that in my party, and he got to meet Uncle Luke. Man, that man went back home. Happy. The Wu Tang truck happened to be in town, came to my party, sat there. He bought Wu-Tang shirts. Man, he got so happy. Now, if I would have told him, yo, I'm gonna need you to pull up to Papa's door and go get an interview. You know, those guys, they would love that. So, yes, I would definitely put that on the agenda for sure. Yeah, I thank you for that.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Hold on, hold on. Unity, man. Yeah. You know what I'm saying? And then, like I always said, connection is very important. Yeah, connection is everything.
SPEAKER_00You know what I'm saying? That's how I feel. You know who I want you to bring up here? If you haven't already, Green Mas. Oh, Grimas done been. Grimmas done been. You been here?
SPEAKER_02Not this, not this spot. Yeah. I done had grimas about two times.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_02Greenmaster.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Grimmas.
SPEAKER_02Stitches.
SPEAKER_00I done had I like to have stitches though. Yeah. I like sisters to come too. We can make that happen. I like stitches to come too. Yeah, yeah. But I had gimas already, yeah. When we had gremas, about maybe like uh eight. How long we been here? About eight months? Yeah, we yeah, yeah. We had good we had him maybe about eight, nine months ago. Right, right.
SPEAKER_02Matter of fact, when he came, what I also had what's the kid related to uh Ace Hood, uh Slim Diesel. That same day, right? Both of them. Right, right. Yeah, both of them, and they they homies.
SPEAKER_00They went crazy. Oh, yeah, I know you bring the nigga you had. You know what I'm saying? Yeah, yeah. Grimas is my guy. He is, I think, one of the underrated artists. Underrated artists, underrated artists, Haitian artists, Miami, North Miami, whatever, man. Like, he's the guy.
SPEAKER_02Yes, he is. Yes, yes, he is. Yes. I do agree with that. Yeah. I do agree with that. Yeah, man. Hey, man, like I said, man. Appreciate you for coming through on the show. Thank you. You know what I'm saying?
SPEAKER_00I know you got other things you gotta do. But hey, it's one love. One love always. Thank you, Zo. I appreciate you, my brother. Appreciate you coming through.
SPEAKER_01Oh man, thank you. Can I give more questions, though? You know what? Go ahead. You always you always you always got a one last question. Go ahead, go ahead. I didn't do it. Wait, what? I didn't do it. Go ahead. All I just want to ask, give me one word. Well, I what um identified DJ Epps in one word. One word or one statement. When I look up up in the dictionary, oh, DJ Epps. What's gonna define DJ Epps? Humble. Thank you. Humble. That's what I wanted to ask, man. Humble. I just wanted to see humility. Yes.
SPEAKER_00Humble, man, is my middle name because that that stays in my vein, my blood. And that's what makes DJ Epps the coolest DJ that you ever on the earth. Not flaw. Not not, you know, and no desert, no, no bad things, nothing, man. Like a lot of my face is clean. Clean. A lot of people tell me I'm too humble. Yeah. They tell me that too. Tell me I'm too humble. They tell you that. And it's now as I'm getting older, I'm I'm a little snapping a little bit. You know what I mean? I've got I've gotten more humble as I got older. Yeah. I've got more humble as I got older.
SPEAKER_02I wouldn't, I always used to be humble. Right. I was a wild boy. You know what I'm saying? You know, but I've as I got older, I've been crazy.
SPEAKER_01Humility a little bit more. Yeah, because you do have a chill out, man.
SPEAKER_00And I'll take advantage of your hum humbleness. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_01But you gotta, yeah, you gotta make a balance sometimes. You gotta make the boundaries up.
SPEAKER_02Yes, yes, yes. Still that motherfucking ninja.
SPEAKER_00So I need a case of these, I man. A case? Yeah, man. I don't know where you get them from, but this is some good central spring water. And then hey, listen. Hey so I don't need I don't need a case of this.
SPEAKER_01You can keep this You gotta give it a go. Oh yeah. Absolutely. You gotta give it a big cover.
SPEAKER_02I'm closing out the show. Why are you showing up on the wall?