King Tech
King Tech | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rod Sepand June 30, 1971 |
| Occupation(s) | B-Boy DJ VJ & Audio Engineer |
| Years active | 1990–present[1] |
Rod Sepand (born June 30, 1971), better known professionally as King Tech, is an American DJ, B-boy, VJ and Audio Engineer.[2] He is one half of the duo Sway & King Tech.[3]
Career
DJ King Tech started off in the Hip Hop game as a B-Boy in the bay area. He initially joined the musical crews “Master City Breakers” and “Flynamic Force” and performed with them. By the time he met Sway Calloway, b-boy crews were fading fast in the face of Hip Hop culture.[4] With King Tech on the 1’s and 2’s and Sway on the mic the duo represented Flynamic Force on their debut single, “We Wanna Rock You.” It sold 20000 singles in the bay area. The second single “Follow For Now” sold over 40,000 singles.
The duo were well known on the local scene[5] and rather than joining any record, they started their own business venture, All City Records. This allowed Tech and Sway to independently release their music albums. The success of their indie 12" “Follow 4 Now/Time 4 Peace” resulted in a major label deal with Giant Records and their subsequent LP "Concrete Jungle".
Upon entering and winning a local competition, the duo were given a one-shot deal for a 40-minute mix on local radio station 106.1 KMEL. Radio execs realized that the show can be a success with DJ King Tech on the mix and Sway as the front man. The show was named The Wake Up Show, featured music and interviews with well-known hip hop artists as well as up-and-coming ones.[6][7] The show became very popular and later became NYC’s premiere Hip Hop outlet which aided Eminem to get his start at a very early stage.[8][9] King Tech is also noted for helping out Wu-Tang Clan and Jay Z’s career in their early stages.[10][11] The duo from The Bay Area were changing the face of not just urban radio but popular music in general and the way that it was played and appreciated on regular FM dials across the planet. King Tech was named one of the 50 Most Influential DJ’s of all time by BET.[12]
The popularity of the show helped duo in getting another major label record deal with Interscope Records. The album, This or That, reached #30 on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and #1 on the Top Heatseekers chart in 1999.[13]
In 2016, King Tech is one of the four main judges on the reality show One Shot. The show will be aired on BET in August 2016.[14][15][16] In 2017 Tech, RZA and Mike Smith relaunched Razor Sharp Records.[17]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album details | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Concrete Jungle 5 versions |
Giant Records |
| 1994 | Best Of The Wake Up Show Free Styles '94 Vol. 1 6 versions | All City Records |
| 1996 | The Wake-Up Show Mix Tape 2 versions | |
| 1996 | Wake Up Show Freestyles Vol. 3 3 versions | |
| 1998 | Wake Up Show Freestyles Vol. 4 2 versions |
360 Enterprizes |
| 1999 |
Sway & King Tech featuring DJ Revolution - This Or That 5 versions |
Interscope Records |
| 1999 | Wake Up Show Freestyles Vol. 5 2 versions | |
| 1999 | The Wake Up Show 9th Anniversary Live Album ?(CD, Album) | |
| 2000 | Wake Up Show Freestyles Vol. 6 2 versions | |
| 2001 |
Wake Up Show Freestyles Vol. 7 2 versions |
|
| 2004 |
Wake Up Show Freestyles Vol. 8 2 versions |
Bolo Entertainment |
| 2005 |
Back 2 Basics 3 versions |
Bungalo Records |
| Hip Hop Wars ?(LP) |
Ground Level Distribution |
Singles & EPs
| Year | Album details | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Flynamic Force 3 versions | All City Records |
| 1990 | Follow 4 Now / Time 4 Peace 9 versions | All City Records |
| 1991 | In Control / Devastating / Bum Rush The Sound 2 versions | Giant Records |
| 1999 | Sway & King Tech Featuring DJ Revolution - The Anthem / Underground Tactics 4 versions | Interscope Records |
| 1999 | Get You Mad 3 versions | Interscope Records |
| 2001 | Sway & King Tech, Crooked I - Wake Up Show Freestyles | |
| 2004 | Trouble / Everything 2 versions | Up Above Records |
| 2004 | Sway & King Tech feat. Chino XL - Trouble (CD, Single, Promo) | Bungalo Records, Bolo Entertainment |
| 2004 | I Don't Think So / I Wish U Would (12") | Up Above Records |
| 2004 | Back 2 Basics: Watch Closer 3 versions | Up Above Records |
Compilations
| Year | Album details | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Wake Up Show Unreleased Project Vol. #1 (CD, Album, Comp) | All City Records |
| 1996 | Wake Up Show Freestyles Vol. 2 3 versions | Not On Label |
References
- ^ Christopher O'Connor (1999-06-17). "RZA, EMINEM PAY HOMAGE TO HIP-HOP ON THIS OR THAT". MTV News. Retrieved 2019-12-01.
- ^ Rodriguez, Jayson (15 May 2009). "Eminem's 'Wake Up Show' Start: Sway And King Tech Look Back". MTV.
- ^ Bobb, Maurice (18 January 2013). "Sway & King Tech Bring The World Famous 'Wake Up Show'". MTV.
- ^ Kyles, Yohance (30 September 2014). "Crooked I, Sway & King Tech Announce New Aspiring Rapper Competition Show "One Shot"". Allhiphop.
- ^ Entzminger, Angela. Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting Hosts Second Annual Careers in Television Event The Animator's Journal: April 28, 2007.
- ^ Meyer, Frank (2 April 2008). "Wake Up Show Online Rap Battle". G4tv.
- ^ Hook, Skyy (7 October 2013). "The World Famous "Wake Up Show" Gets Unplugged". Allhiphop.
- ^ Mosi Reeves, Simon Vozick-Levinson. "20 Insanely Great Eminem Tracks Only Hardcore Fans Know". Rollingstone. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
- ^ "Wake Up Show about page". Archived from the original on 2016-08-13. Retrieved 2016-08-24.
- ^ Paine, Jake (11 May 2011). "How Sway & King Tech's "This Or That" Introduced Eminem, Tech N9ne & Crooked I". Hiphopdx.
- ^ "King Tech talks Eminem's freestyling & Crooked I making a whole album in one flight". 28 July 2016.
- ^ "The 50 Most Influential DJs". BET. 30 October 2012.
- ^ Sway & King Tech singles charts history at Allmusic
- ^ "BET Announces New Hip Hop Show One Shot Executive Producers: Mike Smith, Sway, King Crooked, & King Tech". 5 May 2016.
- ^ "One Shot: See How Sway Made the Most of His One Shot". BET.
- ^ "One Shot: Check Out This Sneak Peek Of 'One Shot'". BET.
- ^ The Hype Magazine™ [@TheHypeMagazine] (6 July 2017). "Video: Mike Smith 'Alibi' Ft. RZA, Chanel Sosa and DJ King Tech (premiere): Mike Smith…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.