While growing up in Los Angeles, I studied DJ Melo-D, mixing on the radio almost every evening. He quickly became my favorite DJ with his intricate scratches and flawless mixes, where he introduced songs that established many artists' careers in the L.A. Hip-Hop scene. His story speaks volumes about finding what you love to do and driving it with passion. During our conversation, you will learn about his relentless mindset of chasing his dream, putting his education first, and completing his college career while finding his purpose. He shares his peaks and valleys, as well as how he overcame his challenges with determination. This episode hits all the notes, but most importantly, you will learn the importance of being prepared when life presents you with the opportunity to live your dream.

Links to DJ Melo-D:

https://www.instagram.com/djmelod/

https://x.com/DJMeloD

https://www.instagram.com/madefromskratchpizza/

https://www.twitch.tv/djmelod

https://www.youtube.com/@OGDJMeloD

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Intro 01:27 - Finding Music, Records, The Turntable

(08:35) - Determination (That Want), Forming a Crew

(10:07) - The First Gig, The Scratch, I Can Do This

(14:00) - Study & Focus, College, Practice, Finding a Balance

(18:50) - The Beat Junkies, Sharing Ideas, Finding Like-Minded People

(23:12) - Getting Inspired, Part of the Environment, Bring Some Records

(26:53) - Obsession to Perfection, Being Prepared

(29:49) - Winning Battles, Getting Noticed, Julio G, I Got a Job

(34:14) - Right Place & Right Time, How Prepared Are You?

(35:17) - Resilience, Take a Break, Gain Perspective

(39:04) - DJ AM, Las Vegas, We're Stuck, Overcoming Challenges

(46:33) - Questioning Yourself, Staying Grounded, Inspiration

(49:15) - The Gimmee Record, Being Remembered

(52:13) - Back to the Bedroom DJ, Giving Back, Made From Skratch

(57:12) - Your Younger Self

(59:04) - How to Find DJ Melo-D

(01:00:35) - Outro

Host: Azhar "Ace" Hai

⁠https://www.instagram.com/ac3hai/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/fortherotation/⁠

Music: Adam Murakami

⁠https://www.instagram.com/elfourza/⁠

⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@elfourza⁠

Production Manager: Jack Monforte

⁠https://www.instagram.com/jackmonforte/⁠

Video Production Manager: Pablo Aguilar

⁠https://www.instagram.com/pabloaguilarstudio/⁠

⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@pablitomas⁠

Links to For The Rotation:

⁠https://www.youtube.com/@ForTheRotation⁠

⁠https://www.fortherotation.com/⁠

⁠https://www.fortherotation.com/merch/⁠

⁠https://www.instagram.com/fortherotation/⁠

⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552192755579⁠

⁠https://www.tiktok.com/@fortherotation/⁠

⁠https://www.snapchat.com/add/fortherotation/⁠

⁠https://x.com/ForTheRotation/⁠

⁠https://www.threads.net/@fortherotation/