Entering into music as a DJ first, DJ Burn One has dabbled in all of the roles a musician can, including A&R, producer, and videographer, creating a buzz when it wasn’t there. Starting out with Young Dro, DJ Burn One helped craft mixtapes for artists like Gucci Mane, Pill, Freddie Gibbs, Yelawolf, and Starlito.Â
Fifteen years later, DJ Burn One has his hands in everything, producing tracks for artists like David Banner and Trinidad James as well as serving as a guest lecturer at the University of Illinois where he teaches his Music Monetization 499 course. His label, Five Points Music Group, works a slew of producers and Burn One himself has discovered producers like Pi’erre Bourne, the producer behind Playboi Carti’s ‘Magnolia’.
The road wasn’t easy for DJ Burn One, but he learned many valuable lessons along the way that brought him to where he is at today. We were lucky enough to sit down DJ Burn One and pick his brain about the most powerful lessons in the music industry that he has learned, so that you can learn from his mistakes and get to where you want to be fast.Â
1.Spend More Time Executing, And Less Time Planning
As a high school student, Burn One sold mix CDs to the local CD consignment shops trying to turn a profit. In the beginning, his CDs didn’t even have a label on them. After speaking with the store owners and attempting to increase his reach, he learned more about marketing and presentation.
“A lot of people try to mastermind things. See what people are doing, but be ready to learn on your feet. You won’t know what works for you until you release it. “
2. Find Your Niche & Build
DJ Burn One’s Music Monetization 499 course, offered at the University of Illinois, is one of the few courses that cover all of the aspects of the music industry from marketing to production and publishing. Although he isn’t the first person in rap to teach at a university, his vision to create a complete musical experience for students elevates the offering beyond a historical lens.Â
This shows musicians that the best way to build your brand is to stay committed to you vision. That’s your niche. Once you discover your niche you have to keep building and eventually the world will catch on.
3. Look For Gaps in the Market
As a teenager, Burn One got the chance be around T.I. and the Grand Hustle crew, shortly before the release of his seminal work, Trap Muzik. Unable to get the label’s attention, DJ Burn One took matters into his own hand, interviewing DJs, producers, and upcoming rappers alike.
“I asked how can I make myself valuable? I decided to do my own hip-hop DVD. I didn’t have a camera and didn’t know how to edit, but I taught myself how to do it all. Trial and error. After it came out, everybody was cool with me.”
4. Use Your Past Mistakes To Inform Your Future
One of DJ Burn One’s biggest mistakes came from his choice to sample two beats, “Roll One Up”, and “Houston Old Head”. The two beats, which Burn One uploaded onto SoundClick, were purchased by A$AP Rocky and used on his 2011 album, Long Live A$AP, but it left out Burn One.Â
When the time came for Pi’erre Bourne to produce, DJ Burn One used his personal experience with sampling as a warning for the young producer. In the end, Pi’erre listened and crafted the beat for Playboi Carti’s song, “Magnolia” without the use of a sample.Â
5. Never Stop Learning From Others… And Always Keep Building
DJ Burn One’s skill as a DJ and arranger helped him earn his keep in the industry, but his time hanging around recording studios ended up shaping the course of his career the most. Spending time around rappers at Grand Hustle sparked his curiosity and eventually led to him learning the basics of production.
“I realized what I wanted to do was be around the producers.”
After learning some of the basics of production from people in the studio, Burn One sought out mentors like DJ Toomp who helped him build on what he learned.Â