The short answer is yes. In fact, the only answer is yes. The question I have is why do we keep letting vultures come in and leech off of our culture? They can only do what we allow them to.
I’ve been hearing the same sad story for awhile now about how famed Hip-Hop DJ is a secret agent who asks his street guy-turned rapper guests some incriminating questions that may land them in jail. And some are dumb enough to give bad answers while others successfully bob and weave his slick line of questioning. DJ Vlad has stated that he will continue to ask those same questions and implied if they are dumb enough to take the bait, then that’s on them.
DJ Vlad is a Russian/White Hip-Hop DJ who used to sell mixtapes. People also question why he asks chatty-patty, instigating questions and instigates beefs and confrontations between rappers. A few rappers and public figures have checked him for that. A few have publicly criticized him.
In 2013, rapper Casey Veggies tweeted “l don’t fuck wit @vladtv or @djvlad for asking me sus (suspect) questions and taking my words and tryna turn it into something negative for views.” Dame Dash has criticized DJ Vlad for calling him and asking him a question about a war of words between two public figures that he was in the same circle with. He rebuffed his request for a response. DJ Vlad will typically take whatever answer you give and make an instigating and click baity headline video title. Sometimes when he does that, the other artist may respond back with harsh words. You are dealing with street dudes, hood dudes, and sensitive, egotistical artists here. And DJ Vlad knows this. He also knows our younger demographic and some messy, low-level thinking old heads love hearing that crap.
Most of DJ Vlad’s questions are about drugs, violence, and gang life surrounding rappers from the projects and other non-rapping celebrities who grew up in a rough neighborhood. He comes off as the corny, weird guy who’s shows over eagerness to appear cool and down with the cool crowd. But we also know he’s likely purposely doing this to cause chaos and drama amongst young, egotistical hood people. The problem most people have with Vlad is that he asks questions exclusively about drugs, violence, beef, confrontations, and a rough life. He doesn’t mix other subjects in with it.
The Moguldom Nation published an article in late 2020 titled “Black America says DJ VLAD Interviews Are Being Used By Feds To Jail Rappers.” The article talked about how fans of rapper Casanova think that his interviews with DJ Culture Vulture led to his arrest and indictment.
I need to end this article with a solution. We need to continue to build our own media where we interview our stars, legends, and up-and-coming talent and control the narrative of the subject matter and the way we deliver the story. We also need to create a music culture and pop culture that doesn’t overly sell and promote the run-of-the-mill hood or street guy who has felonies, sold drugs, and had a rough life. DJ Vlad is just DJ Vlading. Once you know his get-down, the complaint should be a footnote to a solution and not the main point.
