Hey DJ, Run That Back

Hollywood's New Champion of Sound

Flashback to 1992, Video Soul with Donny Simpson flashes across the TV screen. Wires connect the TV to the radio then the radio to the tape deck. Two fingers press both play and record and your very first mix tape is born.

To anyone else, a career in music would seem natural for the young ingénue whose transition from boom box bred mixes to Napster sponsored mash-ups made him a local favorite at high school parties and Spelhouse homecoming pageants. B.Hen, however takes us on a journey from Atlanta to LA via scholarships and corporate partnerships, all before finding his true calling.

Too often, we forego passion for prosperity and instincts are traded in for internships. DJ B.Hen may have taken the long route - spending summers with Goldman Sach's – but eventually he arrived at the heart of his mission, a return to his long lost love, music.

11pm, B.Hen and I sit in a worn down Jack in the Box on the corner of Sunset and Vine - the only quiet place available near Amoeba Records this late – the humble beginnings of an aspiring writer. I feel more like I'm speaking with an L.A. native than a Baltimore transplant. B.Hen, just at home amongst the tree-huggers and yogis as he is at any Spelhouse homecoming. We talk shared memories of pageants and parties and settle in on the subject at hand: how does someone so musically inclined stray so far from an obvious talent?

Enter the usual suspects, fear, doubt, the need for financial security.

"I wanted to go to Berklee College of Music, but was too scared to even apply." Remembering the first time he ignored his conscious in favor of the safer alternative, Morehouse College. The road well traveled lead him to lucrative internships and prestigious universities for post-bac study. He eventually arrived at his final position, lead of corporate entertainment sponsorships for the Verizon western division. By all standard definitions he had become the epitome of success, welcome at any high school career fair with the perfect story for any alumni website. "When you work from home 3 days out of the week, most of your peers feel like you've made it. At least at 25 years of age, but are you happy?"

Successfully stationed in Los Angeles, opening larger than life concerts and schmoozing with celebrity management teams, B.Hen had it made. Yet with each day, the small voice in his ear grew louder and clearer. Financially successful, but feeling creatively stifled, our golden professional found himself face to face with his former self. An 18-year old kid with dreams of turntables that never materialized.

"If you try to be anyone else but yourself, your true self will always come back to you. The moment that I couldn't avoid it anymore was July 2010. I quit my job." Sitting here 8 months later, he still regards the day he quit as one of his proudest moments. "It took a long time, but realistically from college to now it's only been 4 years. I set so many deadlines for quitting the job and so many strategies …going to Disney, to Fox..." A different brand, but the same story. "When you do things for the wrong reason you aren't going to get the right results. If you took a job because of fear, fear-based results aren't positive. They are negative. Negative actions, lead to negative results. I went along a path that made me financially successful, but I was empty inside." His reflections are both candid and convicting.

Listening to his story, I wonder about the many crossroads we encounter on the way to life, as we know it. Would any of these moments drastically change our lives had we simply chosen the road less traveled at the age of 18, 21, 25, 30? According to a study published by Careerbuilder.com, only one of out five U.S. workers actually pursues their dream job. This automatically conjures up Orwellian images of a world set on autopilot, with Lee Dorsey's "Working in a Coal Mine" set on repeat. What does it take to break the cycle?

DJ B.Hen reminds us of inner inspiration and warns against the negative ramblings of our inner voices, "Become aware of who you are, aware of what makes you unique. Stop comparing and thinking of what you can't do…the universe doesn't respect thoughts alone, it respects action. Each of us is unique, each of us have our own unique talents. You can inspire yourself, you can compare yourself to where you were a year ago versus where you are now and really see your growth."

On Life in LA

For someone who has lived in six different locations since leaving home at 18, it's surprising that he didn't choose to live in New York, Atlanta or DC. With his heart set on LA since 2006, his last Verizon rotation in the golden state could not have come soon enough. LA's music scene rivals that of any metropolitan city, but for reasons other than Top 40 playlists and regional mixes. Our revolving and evolving audiences require a refined ear that can tailor their style to each specific crowd, from hip hop heads in Echo Park to Hollywood hipsters on Sunset and Vine.

LA's landscape matches it's residents: colorful and sometimes overcrowded. Still, B.Hen can't imagine life anywhere else, "The terrain here is so diverse. I never surfed before I came here. Never been to a horse race, a hockey game, skiing. All these things I've been able to do in California that I've never done anywhere else. I don't feel like I'm missing anything. This is the first place I've ever lived where I feel comfortable. I feel liberated. I feel LA supports you pursuing your dreams. The other places I've lived were a constant grind. The grind here is completely different, I can still enjoy life."

Now his days are filled with musical research, invoice revisions and email responses. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Dee Jays actually work during the day. Studying beats per minute and musical composition; committing breaks, bars, verse and chorus to memory. Working daily to create seamless transitions and ultimately earn the trust of his audience. Dee Jays carry you through transitions in life; clubs, bars and lounges are just where we sit back and watch the reel play.

Clubs and bars form the backdrop of this new life, where B.Hen has learned to be both confident and vulnerable. Allowing his audience to be recipients and participants in the grand themes of a night lost in sound. "My goal is to make you dance. To leave your problems at the door." Gauging the pulse of the crowd to balance their experiences with familiar sounds and their exposure to something new, B.Hen works hard to create a seamless experience. His proudest moment: a 40th birthday party for choreographer Jamal Sims - a New Jack Swing Pajama Jam that required him to command an audience who spent the 90's in the city's hottest parties not at home in pajamas. "I was a kid in the 90's. I had to dig deep into the crates. People walked out in wife beaters and sports bras. Everyone was upset that it ended at 2am." As a DJ, that's got to be one of the greatest feelings.

Still in the process of developing his own unique sound, he admits to stretching outside of his comfort zone to share his talents, meet new people and find new opportunities. Personal relationships facilitate a lot of the paid gigs, which, as a new DJ, are important. Just as much time, however, must be devoted to networking, meeting promoters and the like. The city of Los Angeles can be both a welcome friend and a distant muse, a city built on "who you know."

Final Thoughts

B.Hen's earlier juxtaposition of self vs. self reminds me that life, and all its gifts - both good and bad - inspire us for the greater good. Learning to invest in a sense of self-worth and happiness brings about unlimited residual effects. A rippled wave through the lives of many who hear our stories, relate to our struggles and aspire to the freedom we also seek. There is not always a catalytic exterior moment, a job lost, a grand opportunity given. There is, however, a sunrise. A new day filled with the same opportunity as the one before it. You are just as great today as you were the day before. You need only realize it and act upon it.

Final words from our famed DJ, "There is no lack or limitation in life. The universe is abundant. the moment you begin to change your mind, you can change your life."

Follow Up with DJ B.Hen via twitter: http://twitter.com/DJBHen 

Find his latest mixtapes and more online: http://www.djbhen.com