Jason Smith
The Smithsonian Collection V1 by iamjasonsmith
It might be hard for the average person to find the link between country-rock kings Rascal Flatts, 50 Cent and Barack Obama. But in fact, look no further than the man who’s worked with all of them: Jason Smith. The New York City-via-upstate New York deejay has been increasingly building a name for himself through both high-profile gigs (Gym Class Heroes frontman Travis McCoy has repeatedly sung Smith’s praises) and steady grinding on the national club circuit. Now, after starting 2009 spinning for the most powerful person in the country (more on that later), Smith is ready to take his vast knowledge of music—where he’s equally at home with The Dead and Phish as Top 40 and hip-hop—to crowds all across the country.
“When I was a kid, I’d put Metallica on and use the sofa as a drum set,” admits the boyish-looking Smith. “I wanted to be the rock star. But then when I got into hip-hop, that all went away. I knew I couldn’t rap, but deejaying was my way of being that rock star.”
He might be a new name, but Smith’s work (some would say obsession) with turntables goes back to when he was 12. “We used to go to teen dances and I’d always watch the deejay,” says Smith. “I loved how people would react to what he was doing so much, I got my own gear. When a deejay never showed up at this one dance, I ran home to get my deck and mixer and killed it.”
The self-taught deejay was an early hip-hop junkie, devouring both East and West Coast rap and studying mixtapes by legends like Ron G and S&S. “That was the first time I heard remixes and it was raw and ill,” recalls Smith. “Those tapes just got me so hyped! I’d listen in my car and just want to peel out and do doughnuts.” An overnight job at a classic rock station and a “hippie ex-girlfriend” would later turn him on to artists like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bob Dylan, and Pink Floyd, artists that still find their way in Smith’s sets to this day.
As a high school senior in Binghamton, NY, Smith became the go-to deejay whenever emcees would roll through town. Before he could legally vote or smoke a cigarette, Smith would be opening for Eminem, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes, Ludacris and Jay-Z, among many others, and working extensively with hip-hop deejay Fatman Scoop. But while the offers kept coming in, Smith knew being the big fish in a small pond wasn’t going to be enough. “At one point, I just realized, ‘My head is hitting the ceiling here. The goals I had were reached. Now what?,’” recalls Smith. “I had to set more goals for myself, but there was no advancement in Binghamton.”
In 2004, Smith moved to New York City, determined to make the same name for himself that he had upstate. Admittedly, it wasn’t easy. With zero friends and even less connects, countless doors were closed in favor of less-skilled deejays who could bring in more people. Determined to find success in New York, Smith kept hustling and eventually started landing a steady stream of gigs, including Wyclef Jean’s afterparty for the MTV Video Music Awards, Missy Elliot’s afterparty for VH1's Hip Hop Honors, and the 2008 MTV New Years Eve Broadcast. In addition, Smith was handpicked to create a custom-made mix for Rascal Flatts’ hugely successful 2006 tour (how many deejays do you know that can successfully drop Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and Dobie Gray’s “Drift Away” on a crowd?)
It’s this genre-crossing ability that has made Smith a crowd favorite wherever he spins. If you’re looking for a planned, standard set of the same Top 40 tracks, look elsewhere. “I play a lot of songs that people know, but probably forget about,” says Smith. “I try to be that ‘Oh $#!t!’ deejay but before it gets overdone, I’m onto the next record. I never plan my sets because the art form of deejaying to me is being able to read a crowd and keep them happy.”
For anyone who heard Smith spin at Barack Obama’s Inaugural Youth Ball, “happy” was an understatement. While celebrities like Pete Wentz, Rosario Dawson and Beastie Boys’ MCA looked on, Smith’s set drew from his wide-ranging sonic palette that pleased a crowd equally enamored with Ball performers Kid Rock and Kanye West.
The past two years has seen Smith heavily increase both his touring schedule and number of residencies. In addition to an extended tour with fellow upstate New Yorkers Gym Class Heroes, Smith has maintained monthly residencies at some of the country’s hottest clubs, including Providence (Tropicana Atlantic City), Shrine (MGM Grand Foxwoods), Enclave (Chicago), Estate (Boston) Underbar (W Hotel) and The Eldridge. Look for Smith to go even harder this year.
Smith’s background makes him a prime choice for anyone looking for a diverse set: “I’ve seen the hippies. I’ve seen the rockers. I’ve seen the hip-hop cats. I’ve been in so many different predicaments and seen so many variations and genres of music in my life, that I try to be open wherever I spin.”
And if it doesn’t work out?
“I’ll just follow The Dead on tour and keep hunting for dope Phish bootlegs.”